ANDROMEDA ARBOREA

THE

GARDENER'S MONTHLY

HORTICULTURIST.

UKVOTKIJ TO

HORTICULTURE, ARBORICULTURE AND RURAL Af PAIRS.

EDITEn HY

THOMAS MEEHAN,

STATE BOTANIST OF PENNSYLVANIA,

FORMEKI.Y HEAD OAKDEXER TO CALEB COPE, ESQ., AT SPRIXGBROOK, AXD AT THE BARTRAM BOTANIC

GARIJIOXS, NEAR PHILADELPHIA; GRADUATE OF THE ROYAL BOTANIC GARDENS, KEW, (LONDON)

ENGLAND. MEMBER OF THE ACADEMY OF NATURAL SCIENCES. AUTHOR OF

"AMERICAN HAND-BOOK OF ORNAMENTAL TREES," ETC.

VOLUME XX, 1878.

LIBRARY

NEW YORK

BOTANICAL
GARDEN

PHILADELPHIA :

CHARLES H. MAROT, Publisher,

No. 814 Chestnut Street,

1878.

ILLUSTRATIONS.

KroiitFM])ifct>— ( 'FiMiriio A Ni>K«>M ID \ a inwutiiA

A

Abutilon rosji'lloriiin ;!:;4

Aealypha iiiacrophylla .'! U

Adiaiitimi |>riiK"f|is L':;i

Aiithuriuiu (iniatiim L'M'^

Apple, Oliio l.")I

•' OreKoii t'ral), I'yrus rivularis Ml

Artificial Wood Tilos — four cuts ;!;; )

B

"Bediiiii^ IMants, Arrangement of — three cuts :!4

Bejronia achrne «>o

" kallista (il

I?lanchiii<r Celery 2:v.>

Hhuuli folia jirinceps lo

C

Carpet Beddiiy? — six cuts UH-W

—five cuts 180-181

Centaurea Clentatii To

Coleus pictus 44

Croton Disraeli 3(5:'.

Cycas Normanbyana los

E

English Daisy : 1:^4

F

Feast, John, Portrait of 817

Q

Glass Panels— six cuts 298-299

M

Mennonite Grass-burner ITi!

" End View ITM

'• " Ground Plan 17.'!

O

Odontoglossuiu crispuni 12

R

Ilil>lion Hedding — three cuts 60-67

16:;

Rustic Summer H(nise o4

S

Selaginella Japonica ..i 262

T'

Tropaeoluni Lobbianum hyperbum 5

Turnij). Yellow Mont Magny 2()'.i

"W

Wahlenbergia tuberosa 198

Window- box Ornaments— seven cuts 265-266

Window-hood for Ornamental Vines 325

V THE ^

GARDENER'S MONTHLY

AND

HORTICULTURIST.

DEVOTED TO HORTICULTURE, ARBORICULTURE AND RURAL AFFAIRS.

LIBRARY
NEW YO#
■OTANICi

€A]iDE^

Edited by THOMAS MEEHAN.

Vol. XX.

FEBRUARY, 1878.

Number 230.

Flower Garden and Pleasure Ground.

SEASONABLE HINTS.

lu many parts where our magazine goes it will
"be necessary to bring up the preliminaries for
active spring work.

Many delay pruning shrubbery until after se-
vere Aveather passes, so as to see what injury
may be done— but with March ail should be
finished — taking care not to trim severely such
shrubs as flower out of last year's wood, as for
instance, the Wiegela — while such as flower from
the spring growth, as the Althaea, 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, Bom-bon and N'oisette 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, with these, thin out weak wood, and
leave all the stronger.

To make handsome, shapely specimens of
•shrubs, 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 stock, 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 ever}^ 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 di-y. 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 ground.

Roll the grass well before the softness of a
tha^f 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 MOXTIfLY

[E'edruary,

lltTo is an old tr«'o tiirnod into a rustic seat.
In tliis ease we woiiM strip the bark oil", as

I

:4M *;^!U

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. BJORKLUND, NORFOLK, 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

(he lu'ds in about ibr .siiiu' coMNi-xcd shape as
the soil ol' tin' ImmI rcpr«'s<'nts wbfii raked; and
the same witli the .Vchyranlbiis. The tri-colored
(Jeraniuins. though beaiiliiul some of them are.
seem to defy our endeievon tio make any thing
8(did of them, from the fact that tijeir growtU
during the hot sejvoii Is so very feeble ; but let:
us modify this defect by plantuig something
between them, such as ^'iohi cornuta or Verbena.
Annie.

For the i)arallelr)grams, 1,1,7 -l'), we have im
the first place the (ierani»nn«i, 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-
t)est as a bright scarlet, being moderate in.
growth, and giving abundant flowers through the
season, if due attention be j)aid to watering and.
cutthig away of the seeds. Then there is Lucius,
orange scarlet ; Master Christine, pink audi
white, and Princess, white. With the exception
of Asa Gray and a couple of others, there is.
hardly any double Geranium that does tolerabl)-
for bedding. Other plants for these beds are-
Shrubby Calceolarias, Salvias, Begonias, Helio-
tropes, and Vinca alba and rosea. In some
places it is the custom to border these plants-
with one or two ribbon plants, but let us keep-
them for the ribbon beds, and use one kind for
each ; it will make them look larger.

Roses, Dahlias and Gladioluses may he-
planted on beds of any shape 5 to 10 feet
from the walks; but my experience here (on th^-

Fig. 3.

be a continuance of these on both sides of a
straight walk, with every other to be a circle, or
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 £ 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 j
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 j

37th latitude) makes me suggest that we in the
South had better plant every other row or circle
on the Gladiolus beds a'month or so later tlian
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.

I5Y MR. A. VEIT( II, XKW HAVEX, f ONX.

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 near the

1878.]

AND HORTICULTURIST.

35

poles. Thus it is on the Andes and Himalayas,
at an elevation of from 12,000 to 15,000 feet a
similar flora exists, and man}' species are identi- {
cal with those found in Central Europe at not
more than 4,000 to 0,000 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-
brace 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. Primulacere alone would
make an interesting groun, emljracing as it does
a goodly number of the most beautiful plants in
cultivation. Not alone is Primula rich in species
but Aretia, Androsace, Soldanella, Cyclamens,
&c., are equally so, and all fitted to fill no mean

place in every collection. Saxifragacete, too,
as has been well said, "constitute the glory and
delight of the cultivator of Alpine Plants."
And although inferior to the Primrose family in
the beauty of their flowers, they more than rival
them in the diversity and evergreen character of
their leaves. But any attempt to give a list of all
that is worthy cannot be done here, as it would
be incomplete without the enumeration of many
hundreds ; and therefore it would be better for
those who wish to embark in the enterprise to
communicate with those nurserymen and florists
who now happily devote a portion of their time
to this most interesting department of plant
culture.

In the cultivation of these plants various
methods have been resorted to with a fair degree
of success. The free-growing varieties do well
planted in front lines in herbaceous borders,
while the more delicate species do better in pots,
when they can be conveniently placed in pits or
frames during the Winter months. But for a
large proportion of those that are peifactly
hardy, small compartments or beds for each
species, divided b}' tile or slate set on edge, and
i-aised several inches above the ground level, is
the most satisfactory way of any, as it not only
prevents the diff"erent sorts from running
together, but the beds can be raised above the
genei'al level to suit those that delight in dry
situations. But whichever method is adopted
care should be taken to supply the various
species with a suitable compost in which to
grow. And this is not hard of accomplishment,
as the overwhelming majority delight in a mix-
ture of peat or leaf mould, loam and sand.

The interest in the collection would be greatly
enhanced by the whole being arranged on some
intelligible plan ; and there is none belter, per-
haps, than that pointed out in the Natural System
of Botany. According to this method, all those
of a family would be brought together, at once
showing their relationships, and also their specific
diff'erences. But we have seen fine collections
arranged simply in lines according to height,
color, and times of flowering, which, when coi'-
rectly named and properly cared for, afford both
pleasure and instruction.

LAWNS.

IJY N. F. FLITTON, WAVERLY, MD.

It is conceded on all hands that a good lawn,
well kept, is one of those adornments which
ought to ))e more frequently seen.

rill: c.\i<ni:.\i:R's momiii.v

[ luhnian.

I wisli Id oflor :i lew rcHiarks. oxprt'ssinj; no
iit'w iili-as, prrlKips, ]»r<ih;il)ly iintliiiii: of merit
and certainly no llunry, Imi (Iniun fnnu tiic
bdok of fxporifiiiH'. the lessons tVuin uliicli are
usnally well remembered.

It would, oi" course, l»e folly to expt-et a j^ood
lastiuLjsod ou land which needs draining; ivpially
so from seeding down poor, stifV clay on land
with a southern exposure, where the beams of
a tropical sun pour down its fiery rays day after
day for two or three months in the year. In
preparing ground for a lawn, some prefer to take
a crop; but a Summer fallow, with early Fall
seeding, is preferable, according to my experi-
ence. In the first place, weed seeds can be per-
• suaded into growth more readily by giving the
ground a harrowing, as soon as dry enough, after
every shower, finishing with a light rolling,
which can only be done, of coui-se, when the
land is clear of a crop. As to subsoiling, trench-
ing, &c., as a general rule, I care very little to
what depth the earth be loosened, provided the
rule of keeping the surface soil at the top be
rigidly adhered to. The writer has seen land
deteriorated as much by subsoiling — that is, by
breaking up the subsoil and leaving it in the
same place when in improper condition as by
bringing it to the surface. Whenever the subsoil
breaks up in lumps it is safe to leave it alone as
hard pan, and get six inches of surface-soil in
thorough condition.

There is a considerable difference of opinion
as to the best kinds of grass, the proportion pf
each, and quantity to use per acre, &c. I sow
grass seed, for all purposes, tliicker than is usual,
and for lawn sow narrowcast, strictl}^ to. a mark,
twice in a place, and both w^ays of the ground,
using more white clover than many gardeners
think necessary. My reason is, white clover
can hold its own against most of the stolonifer-
ous grasses as well as against the lawn mower.
Panicum sanguineum is a troublesome grass in
late Summer and early Autumn, and although
au annual, manages to increase yearly in almost
every lawn where it once gets foothold. Its seed
stems go creeping along so near the ground that
the lawn mower fails to take the head off.
When a lawn is mown with a scythe the seeds of
this kind of grSss is more likely to be cut off, as
the raking up of the cut grass pulls up the heads
of stoloniferous grasses. As this makes things
appear rather rough, the scythe is brushed over
the lawn again, taking off what was before
missed, and just what our lawn mowers miss

also. It is possible that we may lind on careful
examination tiiat our lawns do not deteriorate
under the lawn mowers in consequence of their
close cutting propensities, but rather because
they give those grasses whose stems creep along
the ground and emit roots the advantage over
their more upright growing congeners. The
Winter care of lawns depends on circumstances.
It is better to nni flu' risk of putting a litth-
weed seed on tlie lawn tliaii to forego the benefit
of manuring wherever it is considered necessary.
Dandelions and plantains nuist be cut out when-
ever they appear. The former is easil}- eradi
cated in early Spring, just when coming into
flower. Of course every one admits the neces-
sity of thoroughly rolling lawns when in proper
condition, yet this is much oftener preached
than praciised. The mower should be put
to work as early in the Spring as the grass can
be cut, setting to cut very low the first time. If,
during the di'ougth of Summer, it becomes neces-
j sary to run the machine oftener than would
' otherwise be desirable on account of some kinds
I of gi-ass growing faster than others, set it to cut
quite high. This gives the grass a more even
; appearance without exposing the roots so much.
Cut the grass so often at all seasons, if possible,
that there may never be necessity for taking off
! anything which is cut.

'• I have often heard the remark that our lawns

! will not bear comparison with English lawns.

Admitted; but I have seen in Uncle Sam's

garden-patch Indian com, tomatoes, melons,

j cantaloupes, &c., growing with a wild luxuriance

j that our English cousins cannot equal even under

' glass ; and I have also seen law^ns and pastures

get so badl)' scorched "over the water" as to

I show that the usual beauty of their lawns was

not entirely owing to the skill of the gardener.

' What most concerns us is to find out what kind

; of grasses withstand the drought of our Summers.

! If they happen to be a little coarse we must

endeavor to get accustomed to it. It is far more

pleasant to look upon a lawn that is green the

whole Summer, besides being more comfortable

to w^alk upon, than one which is brown and burnt

a considerable part of the season, even if it is

not composed of the finer growing grasses.

Now, a word as to lawn mowers : For sim-
plicity, ease of operation and facility for repairs,
I have seen nothing equal to the Philadelphia.
There are several machines which do good work,
and so far as the horse machines go, ease of
draught is, perlmps, of less consequence than

1878.]

AND HORTICULTURIST.

37

with hand mowers. For the accomplishment of
the most work in the least time I have found the
Philadelphia to excel.

THE

DIOSCOREA BATATAS
CHINESE POTATO.

OR

BY GENL. jSTOBLE, BRIDGEPORT, COlStN.

The late Wm. R. Prince, of Flushing, in his
fanciful advertising style, declared that in the
Dioscorea "had been discovered the alimentary-
basis of the Chinese Empire." Whether it fills
so vast a space in food product may well be
doubted. Rice and chopsticks are generally
supposed to furnish a pretty big part of sub-
stance to the "heathen Chinee." The plant,
however, even in Republican soil, goes for a
basis deep down towards the Chinese Empire.
I have, in a made soil, dug tubers full three feet
long, and in the largest part full four inches in
diameter.

The Dioscorea is a very toothsome vegetable.
Baked or boiled its flesh is white and very deli-
cate ; not exactly mealy but much softer and
more pulpy than the common potato — in fact,
very much of the consistency of the latter,
when boiled, mashed, well mixed and buttered,
and browned in its dish in an oven. My family
and friends consider this immense tuber a great
curiosity, and a great treat when cooked.

If one desires a patch, and is not very nice
about the order of their coming, he never need
plant but once. Thereafter it takes care of the
business itself. From either a last year's root
left undug, or from some of the little tubers
which are strung plentifully along its tendrils, it
gives you a crop every year. I have not failed
in twenty years of an annual supply without
care since my first planting.

The best way is to confine its growth to some
deep, rich soil, studded with tall and stout cedar
poles. There Dioscorea will climb up and fes-
toon from one to another, with the most ram-
pant vigor.

My special purpose, however, in this note, was
to mark the peculiar fitness of this plant for
many situations and duties as an ornamental
climber. It is almost as comely a bloomer as
the Madeira vine, and has very much its style of
growth and leaf. Its flowers have a most
honeyed perfume. But the Dioscorea is the more
rapid grower, has larger leaves, and stretches
out to greater length. Its foliage is larger and
darker, and much of it wears a greenish purple
hue. 1 think too it stands the drouth much better.

This climber has -the merit over, othei's, that
when the season of leaf and bloom have gone,
you can get "a good square meal" out of its
deep-growing tuber. A relish for the repast is
made keen and toothsome by the three-fool,
shaft, which you must mine along side of the
Heathen Chinee, into Avhich to slide the un-
broken bulk of his " alimentary basis."

Of late there is a variety of this Dioscorea
which I have not seen, growing a more rounded
tuber at a reasonable depth. Of one or the
other kind, I think it would pay all having the
room, to try a few plants. On our rich prairie
land it would yield and enormous product.

EDITORIAL NOTES.

The Shabe Trees of Washington. — The
Parking Commission of the city of Washington,
consisting of Messrs. W. R. Smith, Wm. Saun-
ders and John Saul, have planted many miles
of streets, and it is conceded to be one of the
plantmg jobs which will challenge competition
with any similar task in the United States for
low cost and great success. This comes from
having men who know what they are doing,
and of high personal character, in the manage-
ment of such things.

Already 40,000 trees have been planted,
some thirty kinds being used, the bulk, however,
being of ten kinds. These, named in the order
they are valued by the commission, are the fol-
lowing : Silver or White Maple [Acer dasycar-
pum), then American Linden (Tilia Americana),
American Elm [Ulmus Americana), Scarlet Ma-
ple {Acerrubrum),Box^\(\er {Negundoaceroides),
Sugar Maple {Acer sacchari7iU7n), Ameriain White
Ash [Fraxinvs Americana), English Sycamore
[Acer Pseudo-Platanus), Button Ball {Platanus
orientahs), Tulip Tree [Liriodendron Tulipi-
/era), Honey L,o(;nst [Gleditschia triacaathos), and
Norway Maple {Acer platanoides).

Roses on the Manetti Stock. — Thirty
years ago the Manetti Rose was used as a stock
to bud the finer roses on. They throve amaz-
ingly for a while, till the numerous suckers had
it all their own way, when rose-growers voted it
more plague than profit, and it was banished
from American gardens. Not one nurseryman
in a thousand at this time knows what a Manetti
Rose is. But as Ave threw it out of our gardens,
it was found by English rOse-growers, and has
had a rapid run in England. But at length, as
we learn from the Gardener's Magazine, they are

38

THE GARPF.XFR'S MOXTIII )

[ luhruary.

tiriiiix of tlifir ncw-louiHl iVicinl. Already '•()\vn
Hoot Ro.st's" arc at a puiiiiuin.

The Kn^jlisii Pkimhosk.— Tin- dunhn de-
serves credit for introducing us to a ".'ood old
friend wlioni most of us liavo for<rotten — the
KnL,'lisli Primrose, through a beautiful colored
I)latc, of many pretty varieties— crimson rose,
white, and scarlet. In America the ditliculty is
to kei p them well over throujih dry summer
atmosphere. But the good gardener can easily
manage this. With very little care they may be
made to do well.

Amkkh AX TuisEUOsKS. — These still maintain
their great poi)ularity in England, retailing at
about Si .50 per dozen.

XEJJ' OR RARE PLAXTS.

HiiEiM xoBiLE, HooKEK. — Of this remarka-
ble species of rhubarb, till now unknown in our
gardens, I am gratified in being in possession of
fresh seed for the first time. This is a native of
Sikkim. where it was originally found by Dr.
Hooker, in whose valuable Himalayan journals
it is thus described: "The individual plants of
Rheum nobile are upwards of a yard high, and
form conical towers of the most delicate straw-
colored shining semi-transparent concave imbri-
cating bracts, the upper of which have pink
edges ; the large bright glossy shining green
radical leaves, with red petioles and nerves,
forming a broad base to the whole. On turning
up the bracts the beautiful membranous fragile
pink stipules are seen like red tissue paper, and
within these again the short branched panicles
of insignificant green tlowers. The root is very-
long, often many feet, and winds among the
rocks ; it is a-s thick as the arm, and bright yellow
inside. After flowering the stem lengthens, the
bracts separate one from another, become coarse
red-brown, withered and torn ; finally, as the
fruit ripens they fall away, leaving a ragged-
looking stem covered with panicles of deep
brown pendulous fruits. In the Avinler these
naked black stems, projecting from the beetling
cliflTs, or towering above the snow, are in dismal
keeping with the surrounding desolation of the
season . — Garden.

Philodendrox amurexse.— This interesting
hardy tree, made known to our readers through
Prof. Sargent, is attracting attention in Europe.
Mr. Max Leichtlin, writing to the Garden, says :

" This, a native of Siberia and Mandschouria,

!•- Just now a hiaulitiil nlijcet in my garden. My
speeinuii of il isal)out twelve feet in height, and
lias a tall pyr:imidal crown of from three to
six feet. The I'orin of ils foliage, which is deeply
lobed, gives it a singuliir appearance-, and the
coloration of the leaves, which are bright red. is
very tine. It is also all the more valuable on
account of its keeping its foliage nnich lonj:er
than other deciduous trees, which hereabouts
have shed their leaves a fortnight aco. It lias a
spoiiLTV iiark. and is called the Siberian c<!rk-
tree."'

Iliniscus (ro.'^a sixexsis) albo variegata. —
A free-growing and elegantly-marked stoveplant,
obtained from the Pacific Islands; of a closely
branched hal)it. with pale green stems, and ovate
slightly toothed leaves, which are freely mottled
and variegated with greyish color and white,
breaking out irregularly in a manner similar to
the markings of H. Cooperi, to which it would
form a companion plant, having the variegation
white instead of pink. It should be grown in
full light, near the glass, to bring out its proper
coloring.

H. (ROSA sinensis) cabminata perfecta. —
A charming stove plant, in habit resembling H.
rosa sinensis, recently imported from the South
Sea Islands. It has stalked ovate obscurely
three lobed leaves which are deeply toothed, and
very large flowers, nearly five inches across, with
broad and slightl)> undulated petals, forming a
full round flower, of perfect shape, and of a rich
soft carmine-rose with a deep crimson eye. The
staminal column is very prominent, and adds
much to the beauty of the flowers, the column
being of a rosy hue, the numerous stamens bright
yellow, and the five stigmas a rich velvety
crimson.

II. (nosA sixexsis) mixiata semi-plena. —
This remarbably showy stove plant has firm,
almost leathery, ovate leaves, which are coarsely
toothed, and brilliant flowers of a vermillion-
scarlet color, darker towards the base of the
petals. The flowers are semi-double, the petals
very much waved and recui-ved, forming an
irregular undulated mass four inches across, from
which the partially petaloid staminal column
projects two inches.' The brilliant and attractive
flowers are i-emarkable for the absence of for-
mality, the shape bcmg wild and abounding in
fantastic curves, but nevertheless they are re-
markably handsome. It has been imported
from the South Sea Islands. — Wm. Bull.

New Esciioltzias. — The common golden
yellow escholtzia, of California, has been so
skilfully selected that a race with flowers almost
crimson has been produced. A beautiful colored
illustration recently appeared in the Garden.

1878.]

AND HORTICULTURIST.

39

Green House and House Gardening.

SEASONABLE HINTS.

The best feature of a garden in Winter is a
•nice greenhouse, filled with healthy plants.
They need not be forced flowers, for there are
numbers which bloom naturally at this season of
the year.

New Holland and Cape plants, such as Epac-
Tis, Acacia, Heaths, &c., are now the glory of the
•greenhouse ; hot bursts of sun on them should
be avoided, as it lays in them the seed of " con-
sumption," which frequently carries them off
the following summer.

Chi'ysanthemums should now be raised from
cuttings for fall flowering. They make better
blooming plants than offsets.

Auriculas, Carnations, Pinks, and Polyanthus
— the prettiest of florists' flowers must be kept
cool, just free from frost, with plenty of air, if
best results are desired.

Azaleas succeed well by grafting with the half
ripe shoots of the present season's growth on
plants raised either by seeds or cuttings. Old
'wood does not take readil}'.

Geraniums, Pelai'goniums, Cinerarias, and
Chinese Primroses, must be kept as near the
.;glass and light as possible ; they do little good in
shady places. Keep oft' the green Aphis ; for
this, on a small scale, there is nothing like hot
water; on a large scale, tobacco smoke, in sev-
eral successive light doses, is still the best
.remedy.

Camellias will require rather more water while
growing than at other times. Just before they
grow is a good season to graft. Cut down the
■Stock, cleft graft in the crown, wax, and plunge
in a bottom heat of 70°. A great many kinds
may be had on one plant by the bottle system —
a shoot about to grow is obtained, and attached
to the stock as in inarching, the end of the shoot
being put in a small phial of water suspended
beneath it. This plan does best, however, with
jhalf-ripe wood in July.

Pansies are coming now into flower. They
like an airy frame, where they will not be
roasted in mid-day nor exposed to dr3dng winds,
:and yet have a free circulation of air and plenty
of light. Planted out in such a frame, and the
•old shoots cut away as soon as the plant has done

flowering, the plants will keep healthy over till
the next season. Superior varieties can be raised
from seed. Choose those with the roundish
petals, best colors, and the first flowers that
open, to raise seed from.

Look out for a good stock of bedding plants in
time ; by striking cuttings of such things as grow
rapidly, and sowing seeds of such annuals as may
be advanced to advantage.

Window plants are as much appreciated at
this season as at any time of the year. There
are few things more beautiful than the old classes
of roses — the Borbon and China. We have seen
some beauties in windows recently, and wonder
they are not more grown. In another case we
saw a handsome Chorozenia cordata. Usually,
Australian plants do not thrive in our climate,
but this plant was simply plunged in partial
shade in summer, rewarding the owner with its
pretty brown and purple butterfly-like flowers
all winter. This, and many other window flow-
ers, are liable to sufier from the minute insect
known as red spider. Very minute whitish
green spots on the leaves usually indicate the
insect's existence. It is best to lay the plants on
their sides, in the open air, and treat them to a
powerful syringing with strong soap-suds, and,
while still damp, sprinkle a little sulphur on
them from a pepper-box. Red spiders do not
hanker much after sulphur. Sometimes window
plants suffer from mildew, and sulphur is a good

remedy for it also.

«•«•

COMMUNICA TIONS.

COOL HOUSE ORCHIDE/E.

BY MR. J. TAPLIN, SOUTH A^IBOY, N. J.

Many people are under the idea that it is
necessary to have a very high temperature for
all Orchids; but this is a mistake, and has been
often pointed out in the European gardening
periodicals, but usually with the recommenda-
tion of a house specially devoted to this class of
plants. This is quite unnecessary, for many of
the most charming species will grow better in
an ordinary greenhouse than in any other place.

In former times, when the high temperature
system was believed in for Orchids of all kinds,
the specimens from mountains and compara-
tively cool localities died off" soon after importa-

40

THE GARDENER'S MONT J//. )

[^FrhriKiry,

tion ; but now a inoro raticmal sysioni is ailoplrd
we hear of woiuleiful success. Of course in this
climate we ean never expect tlie same success
with a few of the very delicate specimens. For
example, I have never seen a presentable
plant of Odontoglossum Alexandrre in thi.s
country. I do not refer to the miserable little
plants char<red at cataloyued price (and a good
price at that), but to extra large plants pur-
chased at also an extra large price from Euro-
pean nurserymen by a few of our wealthy
growers. I do not despair of heing able to grow
this if I could obtain some respectable plant
from its native country, and begin with them
before they had been spoiled in two inch pots
in Europe.

Most of the cool house Orchids are plants
with small bulbs, and although many are found
in large masses, the greed of the collectors and
agents induce them to tear this into little bits,
forgetting that any one having a knowledge of
plants would rather pay $10 for a large mass
than SI for a small piece. For that reason I
have often placed from twelve to thirty of these
so-called plants together to make one. Of course
buyers should not expect to purchase such
masses at the same price they would pay for the
little bits called plants sent from Europe. I
heard recently of one comparatively common
Odontoglossum purchased in Europe and made
up with these small pieces for which the
moderate price of 25 guineas Avas paid. I
should have liked to get the same number of
dollars for such a plant, and when twenty
per cent, duty and freight was added, the price
would be tolerable good for the seller, and
rather high for the buyer. I may mention it is
quite a waste of time and money to attempt
growing very small plants of this class, for they
all require keeping moist at all times, and little
bits in pots are drowned and on blocks wasted.

I may also mention it is little use for amateurs
to invest in freshly imported plants, unless they
are well posted in their treatment, and have lots
of spare time to continually look after them ; for
the plants are usually in very poor condition, so
that it is a chance under good treatment if they
Avill grow; most frequently from importing at the
budding season, delay in transportation, &c ,
the growth is made and delays in the boxes, and if
another growth pushes it is usually much weaker,
and probably produced at the wrong season.
But I must give a list of a few specimens which
I have proved do well in a cool house, just

niruliuning thai I triecra lew lirst as an experi-
ment in the Camellia house. Tliis is a large span-
roof house 120 feet long, 20 feet wide, and 10'

1 feet high, well ventilated on both sides of the

i top, and one side under the side shade. In Sum-
mer, of course, the house is veiy Avarm in hot

I weather, although generally cooler than outside.

I the roof being whitewashed and the floor damp,

I with air day and night. In Winter when most
of these give cutting flowers, we ventilate most

1 days if the house will not go below 40°, and keep
it from 40° to 45° with fire heat ; of course no shad-

I ing is required in the Winter. The first species I
tried were Ltelia anceps, Lailia acuminata, Cat-
tleya citrina, Odontoglossum Rossi, 0. Cervaen-
tesii, O. Alexandne, O. Turleagi. leopardicum

i (this last flowers better in a little more heat)-
Oncidium pelicanum, 0. Filipae, and Oncidium

' tigrinum. This grows well, .but flowers better in

\ a little more heat.

I have since added a few more La;lias, which;
are growing and showing flower fine, and I think
will be as satisfactory as the others ; also, Odon-
toglossum, Eossii major, which I consider the
most satisfactory of all. I have had one plant in
flower for more three months ; I have also-
Odontoglossum grande in splendid flow-er, and!
all the plants are growing Avell, although the
first growth was killed in transit* O. corda-
tum with the best growth I have seen in this
variety, and showing flow^er. 0. nebulosumandai
species of Odontoglossum sold for citros]uum,l)ut
is probably maculatuin , which we sliall soon see as^
it is showing flower, Odontoglossum Medusae.,
a new species, the flower having the scent
of water lilies. These were in such poor-

I condition when received that I should' not

[ have been surprised if the plants had died,,
but I have dozens of fine 3'oung shoots,
and lots of flower stems. Some have been in

I flower for months. This is a gem, and only costs

I in Europe two guineas for the ordinaiy sized,
plants. I need not mention that Disa grandir-
flora is quite at home in this house. I had
eight flowers on several stems last j'ear, but this-
is a rather diflicult subject to manage in this dry
climate, it being a native of Table Mountain..
Cape of Good Hope, where the air is always
saturated with moisture, so that thrip and red;
spider required constant watching ; but there are
few growers in England that do it well. I have
grown it outside here in the Summer, but it wa.^-.
then more trouble to keep clean than when
inside.

1878.1

J XD HOR TICi Z TURIS T.

41

DISEASE IN MARECHAL NIEL ROSE.

BY WM. G. JOHXSOX. ITHACA, X. Y.

I have just read the article by "VY., of iSTorfolk,
Ya., on disease of Marechal Xiel Rose, but
think he mistakes in assigning tlie cause to our
severe climate.

Up to two years ago I think I had the finest
single specimen for its age (tlaree years) I ever
saw ; but now it is going in the way your cor-
respondent speaks, viz : a knotty formation
above the root. I had thought perhaps it was
being on its own root; but last week, on a visit
to the rose-houses of the late George Pum-
pelly at Tioga, N. Y., I found the great
Marechal Xiel rose in a worse condition
than mine — in fact, just about dead. It is a
grafted rose that Mr. Pumpelly procured at
Boston, about six years ago, and is a remarkable
bush, having a trunk at the graft, I should thmk,
some 18 or 20 inches in circumference. It is
mournful to see such destiiiction ; and can't some
of our horticulturists find a remedy ? I should
state that the Pumpelly rose is all right below
the graft, say 18 inches above the ground, liut
just above the Marechal Niel wood is affected as
mine is, and as your correspondent speaks.

SIZES OF ENGLISH FLOWER POTS.

BY MK. E. LOXSDALE, GEK3IANT0WX, PHILA-
DELPHIA.

As it is apt to confuse some of the readers of
the Gardener's Mokthly, when reading ex-
tracts from English gardening jjapers, in which
the sizes of flower pots are too often technically
enumerated, I beg to herewith append a table
which, I trust, may be of service to them :

Thumbs, 2 in. to 2i in.; sixty's (GO's), 3 in.;
forty-eighfs (48"s)., 4i in.; thirty-two's (32's), 6
in.; twenty-four's (24's), 8 in.; sixteen's, (16's),
9i in.; twelve's (12's), lU in.; eight's (8's), 12
in.-; six's (6's), 13 in.; four's, (4's), 15 in.; two's
(2's), 10 in.

[Water heated to 120° is an infallible remedy
against all insects where the plants can be dipped
for an instant therein, and where a plant is
trained on a trellis it might, perhaps, be un-
twined and get a dip when infested. — Ed. G. M.]

HOT WATER FOR MEALY BUG.

r.v Av. n. p.
A few days ago I Ibund a young plant of
Browallia with a multitude of mealy bugs on it,
and as said insect is my favorite aversion, I put
the whole affair in the feeding tank of my hot
water fixings, and, I think, I fixed the bugs,
while the plant seems none the worse. "Water
not over 120= Fahr. Let '• Reader"" try it and
report.

THE MEALY BUG.

BY S. O. KNAPP, JACKSON, MICH.

I notice your correspondent, '' Reader," in-
quires for a remedy for mealy bug :

I have succeeded best in keeping them down
by using a small stream of water with consid-
erable force. I either plug the, end of the hose
nozzle or apply my finger, so as to produce a
stream say the size of a large knitting-needle,
then apply it directly around the leaves and.
flowers. This dislodges them at once, and with
less harm to the plants than any other remedy
I have tried.

ACCOHOL FOR MEALYtBUG.

BY II. G., E ASTON, PA.

Your correspondent, "Reader," asks: "Is
there any cure for mealy bug?"

I have been using for some years, and do still,
undiluted alcohol, applied with a small brush,
and find it quite satisfactory and much more
agreeable to use than whale oil soap.

ASTRAP/EA WALLICHIJ.

BY MANSFIELD MILTON, CLEVELAND, O.

A small tree from Madagascar, having large
green leaves and gorgeous scarlet flowers, pro-
duced in large heads which are suspended in a
drooping manner on rather long stems. In the
greenhouses of Europe it has long been an
inmate, but is seldom seen in this country. It
requires a high temperature, but under good
conditions makes rapid growth. A plant Well
furnished with leaves makes a beautiful object
for out-of-door decoration during the summer, its
large dark green leaves making it very conspicu-
ous and ornamental. A large plant in a tub we
have here, formed, assocLated with other plants
of similar nature, quite a subtropical group on
the lawn this summer. It succeeds well in a
good rich fibrous loam, and when growing vigor-
ously requires abundance of water. Good drain-
age is indispensable for maintaining a sweetness to
the soil. Insects do not trouble it much if proper
attention be paid to its several requirements;
but if mealy bugs once get a foothold they
are difficult to eradicate, finding good shelter-
from the stipules at the base of the leaves.

THE GARDENER'S MOXT/I/.Y

\^luhniaty.

HP 170 RIAL XOTliS.

with Aiiifiira ill urchidcous planls was very

imuh iiKTiasiii^, and on the whole, salislactory.

We laki- on ourselves some of tlie credit of this,

Oiuilll) C'rLTruK. — Wliih' the writer was in as we have taken many opportunities of.showiug

Europe last year, he learned with i,'r«'at pleasure that while the old-time notions that it requires

:from the leading: nurservmen that their trade rare skill and very expensive houses to grow

ODONTOGLOSSLM CKISPUM.

"them, is tnie only in a few instances. We are tion to this "Orchid commencement" of a

pleased to say that we have several articles on beautiful one recently introduced by Mr. Wil-

"hand on Orchid culture, and we have thought liam Bull, from Bogota, who says of it '•* Odon-

~we could not do better than to give an illustra- toglossum crispum, also known under the names

1878.]

AND HORTICULTURIST.

43

of 0. Alexandra and O. Bluntii, is one of the gems
■of the cool Orchid house, since by a little man-
agement its charming flowers ma}' be had all the
year round. It is a plant which varies to an
almost endless extent, no two of the many
thousands imported being perhaps exactl}' alike,
■and very considerable differences in size, color-
ing, or crispness in the flowers constantly occur-
Ting. In typical forms the sepals and petals
are white, ovate or ovate lanceolate, the petals
being much undulated, and often fimbriately
toothed. The lip is oblong-acuminate, yellow
and crested toward the base, beautifully crisped
at the margin, and more or less spotted towards
the front with blotches of reddish brown. It has
Taeen very largely imported from Colombia, and
in some of its forms is flushed with a lovely tint
of rose." We note by Mr. Bull's catalogue that
this is not among the very expensive Orchids.
<TOod plants being obtainable in England for i
about 85.

CrLTiVATiKG Old Plants. — Fine specimens, i
-•showing great skill in culture, can be as well
shown by growing old things as new ones. It
is said that the common candy tuft makes won-
derfully beautiful specimens when well grown.

Plant Culture ik the West. — An im-
pression prevails that the culture of plants,
amidst the prevailing rage for mere cut flowers,
•and perhaps the prevailing depression, is declin-
ing, l)ut a correspondent tells us that L. B. Case,
of Richmond, Ind., has done a very satisfactor}-
Ijusiness in them the past season.

Beautiful Australian Plants.— It is a
matter of astonishment that the beautiful Aus-
tralian plants, general!}- winter-flowering, are
not more generally grown in our greenhouses.
Some of them with delicate hair-like roots, suf-
fer from our dry summer heats, but those with I
heavier ones do well. At a recent Germantown
Horticultural Society meeting, Mr. Lonsdale j
exhibited a plant of Grevillea robusta, which,
l)esides the beautiful and curious flowers it will
have, as it grows older, has pretty fern-like foliage.
It ought make a good room plant as well as a
desirable one for the greenhouse.

Double Chinese Primroses. — Since the dis- 1
-covery that double Chinese Pnmroses could be
obtained readily from seed, groat improvements
Iiave been made therein. The Florist and
Pomoloi^ist gives a colored plate of a beautiful
peach blossom variety called Miss Eva Fish, the
flowers of which are an inch and three-quarters

across. In our own country, there is much im-
provement goinu on, notably by Mr. John Saul,
of Washington, and Mr. Edwin Lonsdale, of
Germanto\\ai. In England there are long lists
of named kinds as of Dahlias and Geraniums.

Winter De( orations.— Mr. W. T. Bell, of
Fz'anklin, Pa., contributes an excellent paper on
"Decorative Plants," to the Franklin Spectator.
The great value of the Holly in English decora-
tions is from its bright scarlet berries. We can-
not always have these; but we can mix other
berried plants with evergreen with good eftect.
Prinos verticillata, Celastrus scandens, and
Mitchella repens among others that could be
usefully employed, as Mr. B. observes.

A^Blf' OR RARE PLANTS.

Dwarf Crested Japanese Cockscomb. —
We note with pleasure the eftbrts of our own
florists to improve garden flowers. Messrs. Xanz
& Xeuner, of Louisville, have very much im-
proved the Japan Cockscomb, by developing a
regular row of small ones under the main head,
as per illustration annexed.

The stock is in the hands of Messrs. D. M.
Ferry & Co., of Detroit, Mich. It grows about
15 inches high, with a collar of leaves under the
crimson head, and small collars under the
smaller heads. It ought to make a capital sub-
ject for plant growers to try superior skill on.

President Degraw Carnation. — A West-
ern correspondent writes that this variet}' has
degenerated in that section this season, and asks
is it general ?

CoLEUs PiCTUS. — While in Mr. Bull's green-
houses, near London, recentl}', the new and very

1 1

I HE GARDESJR'S MOXriU.Y

[ /i />/ ititrw

(Ustiiift ('ulcus picius Mitraiicd uiir altciition. Aii.wi: MiA\vii.--'riii> new .species, miiucd by

We wiTo vt-ry imali pK-asi'd ri-iciilly (o hoc the Dr. Kii^cliiiaini in Ikuku ..1 Mr. Sliaw . iIk- )h-\\v-

.sanu' pretty novelty in the colleetion of II. A. miis piopridor ol' ihc Missouri IJotiinical

Dreer. of Philadelphia. The followini,' ilhistra- (.arden at St. Louis, has icccntly liowered on

tion was taken from Mr. Dreer's plan(,l»ut the Mr. Shaw's grounds, and has lieen a topic ol'

description IS Mr. lUiU's: iniicli interest with St. Louis hf)rti(ullurists and

Tiiis distinct and atlrai-tive plant has been botanists.
introduced from Duke of York Island. Its diver.s

colors are curiously blended, and very elfective, Su.-vimi'i- oKPKin- K( Tiox (iKi!.\Nn-.M.— Kret.seh-

thc leaves, which have a green tcroujid, beinjr mar Ihos., Flathush, L. I., write : We sent you

more or less. Init variably Ihislicd willi yellow in two jilaiifs of a new doii1)le seedling (Jeranium,.

COLEU.S PICTrS.

Irregular patches. The leaves are also marked
in the direction of the veins, with longitudinal
bars, varying in size and outline, of a rich choco-
late brown, which where it meets the pai'ts
flushed with yellow, assumes a reddish brown
hue. The marginal teeth are bordered with
chocolate color. These peculiar markings, and
the unusual form of the leaves, give the plant a
bizarre and curious appearance.

Xaxz & Xkuxer's New Double, AViiite,
Perpetual Blooming Carnation, "Peter
Henderson."— This choice novelty was raised
from seed, by Mr. John Charlton, of Rochester, X.
Y. The plant is of a strong-growing, dwarf,
compact habit, with rich, dark foliage, producing
an immense number of flowers, both in winter
and summer, being in fact as well as in name a
perpetual blooming carnation. The floAvers are
usually 2i or ?> inches in diameter, or nearly
double the size of any other variety ; fine form,
pure white, extra fragrant, and never bursts the
calyx, which is the usual rule for alj carnations,
but the flower remains bright for over two weeks.

begging you to report on them in the Uar
dener's Monthly after a Summer's trial.

Our seedling, exhibited at the XeAV York Hor-
ticultural Society's Sjiring Show. May 2r.th, 1877.
was granted a special premium, and at the same
society's Fall Exhil)i(ion, Sei)tember 2('ith, 1S77.
a specimen plant of it, of two feet diameter,,
with fifty-two flower stems, was awarded the first
premium. " Summit of Perfection" we have
named it.

[These were planted in the open ground, and
proved to be remarkal)ly free bloomers, which
the doubles are generally not. It is a scarlet va^
riety, and the flowers not so double as some
others. There is a striking resemblance between
it and another seedling called Conrad Kii'chner,,
sent us also to tiy, and Ave are unable to decide-
Aviiich is best. — Ed. (t. M.]

SCRAPS AND QUERIES.

Scale on the Ivy. — Mrs. H. P.. Guilford,.
Conn., Avrites, " Can you tell me, through your

1878.]

AND HO R TICUL TURJS T.

^o

magazine or otherwise, what the insect on the
■enclosed leaf is, and what will rid them from
my plants ? My large ivy and some roses are
thickly infested." [This is the common green-
house scale, and a sponging of whale-oil soap is
generally effective.— Ed. Ct. M.]

Thrips on Azaleas. — C. T. W., Hartford,
Conn., writes: ''I have noticed lately that the
buds of some of my Azaleas are growing to look
like the enclosed ; and while I have no doubt
that some insect is at the bottom of the trouble,
I have not been able to discover (although I
liavn't used a glass) anything of the kind. I
have found, accidentally, a very small black fly
in the under surface of some of the larger beans.
I have never had any experience with the thrip,
which I understand is sometimes a great pest on
Azaleas; so that if it is this that is troubling
me, I am unable to recognize it. If you think

that the delay will make no dillerence to the
plants, please give me what light 3'ou can through
the GtARDener's Monthly." [This is a case of
thrips, which are generally easily kept under
when in greenhouses, by tobacco smoke. Where
there is but a plant or two, the hot-water remedy
may be tried. The water must not be over 120^,
and the plant be dipped in only for an instant. —
Ed. 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 Bishop Wood. It is a small
matter, but Ave agree with our correspondent that
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 order to grow good fruit, we need only re-
peat in a general way, that trees require as much
food as a crop of corn, or potatoes ; but it is very
important to keep the feeding roots at the sur-
face, and therefore that the very best way to
mature fruit trees is by surface dressing.

Manuring of grapes should be regulated by
the nature of the soil. If it be damp — in most
cases a bad condition for grape growing — stable
manure in great quantities means diseased vines.
In dr}' ground, it has a beneficial effect. Many
persons of small places have grapes in damp
grovmd, or can have none. They must take care
to keep the roots near the surface ; never crop
the ground about them to destroy the small
fibres, if it can be avoided; and even good may
often follow, when the vines seem failing, to
carefully follow up the roots, lift near the sur-
face, and encourage, as much as possible, those
remaining there. Wood-ashes, bone-dust, and
such like fertilizers are best for grape-vines in
low ground.

All fruit trees like a rather dry, rich soil. On
■a cold, clayey bottom, diseases are usually fre-

quent. Do not plant deep ; cut off tap roots,
and do all you can to encourage surface fibres.
Surface manuring is the best way of doing this
I after the tree is planted. Do not allow anything
[to grow vigorously around your trees the first
year of planting, nor allow the soil to become
hard or dry. Let trees branch low, and prune
a little at transplanting.

Pruning of fruit trees, wdien required, should
be proceeded with at favorable opportunities.
We write when required, for in our climate more
injury is done by the knife than by the neglect
to use it. Gooseberries, for instance, are usually
ruined by pruning. In Europe, it is customary
to thin out the centre well to " let in the sun and
air." Here it is the sun and air that ruin them,
by inviting mildew ; and so the more shoots the
better. Our country farmers are the best goose-
berry growers, where weeds run riot and grass
and gooseberries affect a close companionship.
Wherever, in fact, the gooseberry can a find cool
corner, well shaded from the sun, and with a soil
which is never wet, nor yet by any means dry,
there will gooseberries be produced unto you.
The English kinds mildew so universally as to
be almost gone out of cultivation south of the
St. Lawrence. Xor, indeed, is it to be so much

4(>

THE GARDENER'S MOS'J III. )

\^Jul)niiltry,.

rP<xrettod, since the iin|)r()ve(l seedliiiirs of lar^r
size and tine (inaltity, raised from tin- hardier
Ameriean species, are becoming known, and
their merits appreciated by "growers.

The rnh'. in primins:; <j;rape-vines, is to shorten
the sho(tts in proportion to their strenLTtli ; but if
the advice we have pivon in former Summer
hints has been attended to, there will be little
disproportion in this matter, as Summer pinchinj^
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.

In the Xorthern States, Broccoli, and Cauli-
flower 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 Xorth — 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-
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 sutKcient
to plant them. Rhubarb also requires a deep,
rich and moist soil. Horse-radish beds are Ijest
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 sandv one.

In the Midfllf States the work for February
will, for the most part, consist of preparation.^
for future operations, and particulary for deal-
ing with the manure (juestitjn. All those kinds
that are grown for their leaves or stems refjuire
an al)un(lance of nitr()genous manures; and it
is useless to attempt vegetal)le gardening witliout
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,
ashes, bone-dust, etc., ai'c much better for them.
For vegetables requiring rich stable manure, it
is better that they have it well rotted and de-
cayed. Nothing 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 have 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 glas.s
should always be covered with mats at night-
Tomatoes, Egg-plants, Peppers and Cucumbers
are the first seeds to be sow^n this way. Cooler
frames can be got ready for Cauliflower, Lettuce,.
Beets, Celery and Early York Cabbage, a little
of which may be .sown about the end of the
month for the earliest crop. The Caulifiower i*.
a particularly valued vegetable, and no expense
spared to get them in perfection will be regretted,
when one's eftorts 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 l)e 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 many lessons they teach him,.

1878.]

AND HORTICULTURIST.

XX

which he in a thousand ways can so pleasurably
and pi'ofitably apply, have no charms and attrac-
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 affords ; when it ceases to d') this
it should be abandoned.

COMMUNICA T/ONS.

CRAPE CHAT.

BY REV. AV. H. W., READING, MASS.

The grape crop here in Xew 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 efforts, 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 exliil)ition at our
Mivssachusetts Horticultural display in Septem-
ber, but they reached me hi 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 tlie variety
Justice.

Brighion. — Xo fruit of this new variety was
shown at our annual exhibition, and I canot speak
of its quality. But I am very much jjlcascd with

the vigor and healthfulness of the vines. It i&
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 spring 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 healthy, 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 gi-ape. 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 difference between the two.
should be indicated by a change of name in one
or the other.

I.ady Washington. — It is very agreeable news
to all lovers of choice grapes, that Mr. Ricketts,
of Newburgh, has at last decided to ofler this
splendid variety to the public. He deems it,
all things 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-
j ment of the Gardener's Monthly, we showedi
j that the best kind of cultivation for orchards was
to well care for them in grass, few of our3'ounger
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. (Jur advice was
contrary to that given in "the books;" but we
knew, from the lessons of experience, that the
advice of the books was wrong, and dared to say
so. "VVe lost some subscribers by telling the
truth as we found it, but we quieted our (then)
publishers by the assurance tliat it would all.

48

THi' c \ i<ni' M- ir s M(h\Tiii.y

\ Fi'/'i Hiiry.

turn out rij^lit. by and by. Pears cspciially we
rccoinuu'iulod sliould bo well cultivated in grass,
putting,' it partiiularly on the ground of its hcalth-
fulness, and ilhistrating it as the experience of
Abraham Barker, near Pliiladelphia, Avhose or-
cliard, on the jdan invented by yEsop, whieli,
•• (hiu' around and manured, to k^t in the air and
the food'' to the roots, eame near being a disas-
trous faihn-e, till he took our advice and sowed
it down in clover and grass, and top-dressed witli
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 /ads
we have continually referred to; but we have
been told that we must \w 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
latter top-di'esscd 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,
.there 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 are, 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 gi'eater 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,"

Calhok.ma Wink. — It is said the Califor-
nians intend to make a sti'ong exhibit of their
wines in Paris.

PkIDIC of TIIK IIl'DSON Rasi'mkimiy. — This is
a n(>w variety which is spoken of in intelligent
quarters.

TiiK Fig in Ohio.— The Montgomery (Ohio)
County Horticultural .Society reports that the
Fig can be quite successfully grown in that
State, with but slight protection in Winter.

Tka Plants ix Calikounia. — 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 Beai'ty of the Philadelphia Pear
Tkee. — The Belgian Horticultural h'eview 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 ajtd Grapj: Rot. — The Valley
Katxiralist 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 othcial 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 Pi*esident in
this view."

Best Apples for Mississippi.— The most
popular apples in this State, seem to be Schock-
ley, Yates, Kentucky Streak, and Xickajack.
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 tliis is the
way with the Phylloxera. This pest is bad enough
in all conscience. It injures roots to such an ex-
tent, that, once etfectcd, the plant is liable to
mildews and many other diseases. But now
come people w^ho forget that there are many
other enfeebling causes ; and moreover, mildews
and moulds do not always wait for weak plants,
before besinning 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 part in the open air, and,
while the plant inside kept healthy, .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 Fruits. — It is said that plants of
the Japan Persimmon are introduced into Califor-
nia, duty free, as " tropical fruits." "We pass
T»o 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 a Rhododendi'on, when it
reached the shores of Boston, from England,
l)ecame 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, and it 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-
■dow on the sunny side of the laouse. The whole
mass of seed to be tested was then thoroughly
mixed by hand, so that a fair sample could
Tae taTcen from it by a small spoon. The seeds so
taken were laid on a piece of "paper and care-
fiilly 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 iu the same condition in
which they were placed thei^e, and hence the

precise percentage of live and dead seeds were
accurately ascertained. When this percentage
was unsatisfactory, 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 usin" dead .seeds."

NEW OR RARE FRUITS.

ScRiBNER Spitzenburg 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., Hartford, writes:— ^
" I sent you to-day through the post office a
small box with a pear of a variety, I think, un-
known, having never seen it at an 3^ 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 New
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

////•; a A A' I) /■: X /: A'' s .vroxmLv

[ lu'hniaiy.

time in the month of Kebruary, when upon open-
ing: tlie trunk they were much surprised to see the
pears fully ripene(l,and of a beautiful golden color.
1 obt allied a few fjrafts from this oriuinal tree,
and do not know that any were ^iven to any
other jiarty. I have distributed a few of the
j:rafts 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
I have thoujiht to give it the name of " Rescue," I
presuminii 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 i
have grown, being above the average size.
Should the pear come to you in a good condition, i

I should l>f pli-ased to havt' \(iui' views respect-
in<: it.

I It caiiif to hand early in .lamiary. Il is soinc-
thini,' in the way of Heurre Diel,ltutsu|)erior toanv
other variety we have met with for many years-
It is not known to us, and we can say that as to
size, flavor and general appearance it is a truly
lirst-class fruit. — Kd. G. M.]

Burnet Grape,— This Canadian variety is
receiving much praise in Xorthern papers. It
was originated in Prince Edward County by Mr.
Peter C. Dempsc}', 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 riONS.

AMERICAN FORESTRY.

BY AV.

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 mucli neglected, and yet it is one that
requires an extensive range of knowledge, ■vvhich,
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 ha,s 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.
i The several agronomic associations, especially
those of the Wqstern States, now holding their
annual winter meetings, are warmly endorsing
the action of the memorialists, and urging their
delegates in Congress to lend the jjroject their
hearty support; so that it is hoped that the bill
now before Congress may become a law; then,
if the President be fortunate in finding a suitable
nominee, we may anticipate a good and useful
rej)ort, 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, V>. < .

Since sending you my article on the above, I
came across the following in Loudon's Encyclo-
pa;dia 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 gunpow der. 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 HORTICULTURIST.

51

EDITORIAL NOTES.

Forest Commissiojiers to Eu hope.— The
Nurseiymen'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 $6,000 for that purpose. Dr. H. has sub-
mitted a very full report of his last year's ope-
rations.

Catal,pa Timber. — The Practical Farmer 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.

Natural Traksplantinc4. — 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 !n Ohio, floated 340 yards, and
again took root, six ''eet above the present level
of the creek, and is doing well."

Forestry of Ohio. — Ohio was a densely
timbered State, having about 14,000,000 acres, at
its settlement. Of these it is computed that
about 0,000,000 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 tbe following
extract as of a matter of interest to all of us as

w^ll as to the Harvard University, to which the
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
a steadily increasing interest felt in arboricul-
ture, whicb it should be t'«? duty of the arbore-
tum to foster in every pos.sible manner. The
mere answering of the letters, communications
I and inquiries received from nearly every State in
j the Union, and from almost all the countries of
Europe, would have more than occupied my
I whole time ; and they nuist have been neglected,
I had not Mr. Francis Skitmer voluntarily assumed
charge of this department, and relieved me of
all correspondence of a merely routine de-
i script ion.

I 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
j can be directly traced the planting during the
past season of nearly half a million trees in the
I XeM^ 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
I now rapidly disappearing from all but the more
' recently settled portions of the country. Up to
I the present year young ash for general planting
I could not be procured either at home or abroad.
I They are now raised in such numbers as to be
j within reach of all. 1 have been able to de-
I monstrate, also, that seedling forest trees, for
which the Eastern States, at least, have largely
I depended on foreign nurseries, can be produced
j equally well and at cheaper rates than abroad.
j So that in the future, this business, which
j promises an immense development, will be a
I source of profit to American industry, wliile
1 planters Avtll be saved the risks and expenses
which necessarily attend the importation of such
perishable goods as living plants."

The work which Prof. Sargent is doing is
really a national one, and he deserves the liearty
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 Jbies. It will be ditlicult to make
gardeners recosznize tbis 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 mirsery
and will infallibly 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
scaiTcly 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 adojit .1 bies Balsamea as the true name of our

52

Tin-: CrARDEXF.R'S .\[OX rilLY

\^Ffhruary,

American Balsam Fir. Moreover, in experi-
mentinj; for twenty years, we have never suc-
ceeded in -^raftinf^ any of the Norway Fir class
upon the lialsain stock or the converse. There
is so marked a dill'erence in the roots that our
propiu^ator, Mr. Tnimpy, can always rcco>,Mii7,e
them when shown him without the tops. Nearly
nil the Abies, as we have hitherto termed them,
grow freely from cuttings ; the Pice.as 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. Cladrastm
hnctoria, its successor, is harsh and discordant.
The Corchorus of our childhood was a beautiful
tlower. The Kerria does not bring up so pleasant
a memory. The strong growth and showy bloom
of the Jiignonia 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 communication
come from the indifference to being right. If
people would be careful to be " right before they
go ahead" in plant's names as in other things,
the trouble of changing names, to which he
refers, would not occur.

We are not changing names now, but are
simply pointing out that which is right, for Picea
is the oldest and proper name for the spruces,
and Abies for the firs. At one time we feared to
advocate the right, lest it might make trouble ;
but no more confusion can possibly arise than at
present exists in Europe, scarcely two writers
agreeing as to whether a plant in question is a
Picea or an Abies. Indeed, the Balsam Fir,
used by our correspondent as an illustration, is
as often called Abies Balsamea in European
works as anything else.

Our best botanist in Coniferjie,Dr. Engelmann,
refuses to recognize the modern Abies and Picea,
but contends that they should be transposed to
their proper places. In view of the confusion
already existing in European nomenclature, it
will make no trouble now to hold out for the
right.— Ed. G. M.]

unrroRiAL xotes.

('ra( KING OK THE Pkaii. —It must be clear
to all who have given dose observation to the
subject, that there are several, if not many causes,
which make the fruit of the pear crack — that
one cause is the operation of a miimte fungus;
and we believe this has been made quite clear to
our readers, as well as to the readers of the pro-
ceedings of the American Pomological Society.
Tlie knowledge we have gained in this country
on this subject does not, however, seem to have
extended to Europe, for we find the following in
one of our European exchanges, given as an
original discovery :

" M. Prilleux hj^s communicated to the French
Academy some observations on the black spots
sometimes found on pears, and which are known
to the Paris gardeners as iavelures. He has noticed
that cracks in the fruit usually originate in these
spots. All varieties are not equally subject to
them. Doyenne d'hiver sutlers most frequently
and most severely. Wet seasons favor the ap-
pearance of these spots, and standards generally
suffer more than wall-trees, and those with a
southwest or western more than others with an
eastern aspect. Some trees are affected 3'ear
after year, while others similarly circumstanced
escape altogether. The spots he finds to be pro-
duced by a small fungus, Clad(>sporium denarif-
icum, Wallroth, which was first noticed bj' that
naturalist on apple treee. The filamentary
spores take root in and penetrate the superficial
tissues, swell at the extremities, and divide into
small cells, which again divide, forming a mass
of minute blackish cells (as may be seen by lifting
the epidermis of a leaf thus affected), spreading
their sporiferous filaments in all directions. The
effects are difierent on different parts of the plant.
On a leaf the part afl'ected blackens and dies, but
the rest of the leaf remains sound. On the bark
crevices and nodes are formed, which, however,
are not generally conspicuous. On the fruit it is
difierent. The su])erficial growth is partially
checked by tlie presence of the parasite, whilst
that of the minor parts continues; consequently,
unless relieved by early excision, the fruit be-
comes deformed, the dead parts distend, and the
exterior cracks, exposing the sound portions
within. The existence, sometimes unnoticed, of
the fungus on the bark of particular individuals
explains its reappearance year after year on their
fruit, although it may not be found on their neigh-
bors. The peculiarity may be comnuniicated by
grafting."

SCRAPS AND QUERIES.

The Wkatheii ix New York. — S. F. T.,
Saratoga Springs, New York, under date of
•January 4, writes : " Thinking that the en-

1878.]

AND HORTICULTURIST.

53

closed might be of some value to show the
sudden changes of a northern New York climate,
I send it, and also the weather report for De-
cember, 1877, which you will notice is very
mild. Our first real snow storm (northeast) is
at hand to-day, after another change last night
from 7° below zero to 10° above.

•'The January number of the monthly is just
prime A 1, and you see that the article on
' Stoking a Fire ' is needed in this part of the
country."

[The Daily Saratogian., New York, as referred
to above, says :

" Between 11 o'clock last night and 7 o'clock
this morning the temperature of the weather
changed 27 degrees. At Terwilliger's green-
I houses on South street at 11 o'clock the ther-
j mometer indicated 14° above zero, and at 7
I o'clock 13° below, making a difference of 27° in
I eight hours."

] It has been, so far. n delightful winter. For
a couple of nights in Germantown the ther-
i mometer made a hasty visit to 10° above zero,
but to-day, January 12th, the temperature is 50°,
and the atmosphere as genial and balmy as an
April day.— Ed. G. M.]

Literature, Travels I Personal Notes.

COMMUNICA TIONS.

"THE FERNS OF NORTH AMERICA."

BY T. G. GENTKY.

The first part of the superb work, which bears
the above title, has lately been issued by the
Naturalists' Agency. A work which should
accurately describe and appropriately illustrate
our American species of ferns, has long been
needed in this country. The few which have
been delineated are scattered through so many
foreign publications that considerable trouble is
experienced in finding them. Even in many of
our finest libraries these works are generally
wanting.

But the one before us, judging of the whole b}'
the past, cannot fail to meet the necessity. The
high character of Prof. Eaton, who prepares the
text, and the reputation of Mr. Emerton, the j
ai'tist, whose drawings are unequalled, are assur- j
ances that the work will be carefully, thoroughly
and accurately done. The interest which is
manifested in the undertaking by Dr. Gray, and
others no less eminent in science, should con-
vince us of the excellence of the work, even
though other guarantees should be lacking.

Ferns have always attracted the attention and
won the admiration of every true lover of
Nature, not more by the elegance of their dark
green foliage than by the gracefulness of their
forms. Although ignorant of their names and
the details of their growth and structure, man
has never ceased to show his fondness for them.
Shut out from such knowledge by the technicali-
ties of science which enters so largely into our
common text-books, a deep interest is never-

theless manifested in these beautiful objects of
creation. This is evidenced by the care bestowed
upon their culture, and upon the arrangement of
them into suitable devices for the boudoir and
drawing-room.

Who does not love ferns? The laughing,
romping schoolgirl, as she trips leisurely along,
anon stops from her journey to pluck them from
their hiding places. And even the careful, busy
housewife steals away from her weary labors to
tend these idols of her affection. It is not merely
to the scientific student that they bring unnum-
bered pleasures, for all in whom dwell a love for
the beautiful in Nature render homage to these
lovely children of the groves. But it is to the
naturalist that they yield their profoundest
wonders and most inspiring beauties.

There is no reason why these things should be
hidden from minds that move in narrower
spheres. Every effort that is made tending to
the popularization of science, should be en-
couraged by ever}' laudable means. Books should
be written, not to reflect the erudition of authors,
but to render easy and simjile, as well as intelli-
gible to the masses, the truths of which they
speak. A due amount of pure science is often
indispensable and sometimes unavoidable. En-
glish writers should adhere more rigidly to the
Saxon element of the language and show less
preference to the Lathi and Greek elements.

Few books of a scientific character are written
that fully commend themselves to popular favor.
Those that do exist are mostly replete with the
dryest details, which are clothed in Latinized
expressions. Their tedium is often unrelieved
by a single illustration. Not so with the
one about which we are writing. In it a happy

54

THE CARDJ'.XI'.R'S MOX IIIJ.V

\ /''i/>rinin\

luediiiin has been kept in view. It rontiiiiis
euouijlj of scitMK'ci to satisfy, without tl«)\ in^, thi-
ahnora>al ajjpotite of the thorounjh-ijoinj; sci-
entist ; hut, at the same time, the popular reader
is drawn to i(s paijes hy tlie ])erspi(nily of its
phraseoIo<;y, tiie simplicity of its arraiincmeiit.
and thflu'auty of its iUustrutions.

I ( aiinot allow the i)resent opportunity to
pa>s unnoticed without makinji a few favorable
conunents upon the mechanical part of the work.
The excellence of the typo<j;rai)hy and the supe-
rior (piality of the paper, whi('ii was manufat-
tured exjjressly for it, are in harmony with the
otlier j)arliculars. The enterj)risinij; pul)lisher is
deserving: of unstinted praise for his part of flic
undertaking. May this beautiful and matchless
work meet with a success commensurate with the
wishes of all concerned.

PROTECTION TO NOVELTIES.

nv KIOEXK GLEN, IU)( HESTER, N. V.

In dLscussinj^ the probable result of a horti-
cultural copyright law upon the sale of inferior
sorts, we must, of course, consider its permanent
rather than its immediate effect. It may be
true that while the system is new, and the pub- '
lie are unacciuaintcd with its nature, some igno- '
rant people may be led to believe that the fact
that a variety has a copyrighted name is an
additional reason for purchasing specimens of it ; i
but it is difficult to conceive that on the start
such people can be humbugged any more than
they now are ; and as even this class now under-
stand that a plow or other implement is »io bet-
ter because it is patented, it cannot be doubted
that they will soon learn that the same is true
of a tree or plant upon which a copyrighted
name is claimed.

What is necessary to protect people from
inferior varieties is familiarity with the claims
of good sorts ; and if we place those having good
sorts to offer in a position where they will be
reasonably certain of a fair return for so doing,
they will not hesitate to incur the CApense of
familiarizing people with the merits of these
varieties. I'nder the proposed law, a nursery-
man holding a copyright upon the name of a
good sort would see that all trade for it which
could be developed under that name would come
to him, and that no such advantage could accrue
to the advertiser of it under any other name.
Hence he would exhibit its products and adver-
tise its name and qualities in other ways so
thoroughly that the}' would Ijocome familiar to

• very household in tlie laiul. 'Ilu' iiolder of the
nanic of a poor sort could not ad'ord to pursue
this course, because every time it wa.s brought
in comparison with better varieties its reputa-
tion would sutler; and yet this method of de-
veloping a demand for a variety would become,
in a greater or less degree, a necessity of the
trade. Hence it would become necessary to
know that a variety is good before increasinu:
the expense of placing it on the market. Mere
novelty would cease to attract attention, and
the returns from pressing poor varieties would
become so unreniunerative that the number of
these which would pass beyond the crucial stage
of testing, and be brought to the attention of
the general public, would be proportionately
much less than it now is.

If any one questions the correctness of this
conclusion, let him calculate the chances of
profit he would have in introducing to the public
a dictionary or sewing machine wanting in real
merit, in competition with " Webster's " or the
" Singer " on the grounds that his book or ma-
chine is novel in its arrangement, and cannot be
had of other publishers or manufacturers. He
will then be enabled to determine, hi great de-
gree, whether the propesed law would retard or
quicken the sale of "Utah Hybrid'' cherry,
"Vermont Seedling" peach, "Tree Alpine"
strawberry, and other mythical or worthless
varieties which are now sold in large numbers
to even intelligent farmers who are not familiar
with their merits.

I'nder existing conditions a man does not
really press the sale of any variety of trees,
plants, or seeds beyond the stage of its novelty,
because people learn to know it by its name
wherefor the expense of so doing would inure
, largely to the benefit of less enterprising dealers,
who also offer it by this name — genuine or spur-
ious. At that point it must give way to a leader
hitherto unknown ; and the period during which
a leader can be successfully pressed as such, is
\ so limited that it becomes comparatively un-
important whether or not the article possesses
actual merits. As illustrating this point, let me
say that an intelligent nurseryman who has suc-
cessfully introduced a variety which he believes
to be superior, all things considered, to any of
its species going before it, and has brought it to
I a point where others are now producing it to a
limited extent, and a still larger number supply-
ing spurious specimens, recently informed one
that he already saw the importance of getting a

1878.]

AND HORTICULTURIST.

55

novelty in the same species, not because he can
hope to get a better sort, but for tlie reason that
he cannot much longer expect to retain the ben-
•efits of his advertising of this, and because he
must hereafter sell his genuine goods in compe-
tition with the spurious specimens referred to.
•Surely this indicates a vicious state of trade ;
and yet it is everyday experience.

1 have now shown as clearly 1 as can, without
unduly trespassing upon your columns, the na-
ture of and necessity for the proposed law ; that
it differs radically from, and is not open to any
of the serious objections which may be raised
against a horticultural patent law ; that in all
•essential particulars it is analogous iu principle
to the law of trade-marks, which have their
foundation in natural equity, and have been rec-
ognized and protected in all civilized countries
for ages ; that while it would prove a stumbling
block to rogues, it could not create monopolies,
and would not introduce anomalies into the laws
■or interfere with the i-ights of anybody ; that it
would lessen frauds now glaringly prevalent,
which from their nature, the circumstances un-
der which they are committed, and the period
which must elapse before their discovery, cannot
be reached directly, and by elevating horticul-
tural trades in public esteem inure to the benefit
of every honest member of those trades ; that
it would encourage the origination and introduc-
tion of new and improved varieties, and lessen
the sale of inferior sorts ; that it would weaken
•existing prejudices and stimulate many to take
^increased interest in the growth of fruits and
flowers. If my discussion of the subject has
been full, and my argitments sound, the measure
would be productive of great good. 1 may be
mistaken ; but having clearly set forth the
grounds of my opinion., and made at least a
■i^ood prima facie case, unprejudiced people will
not believe the measure unwise or impracticable
unless its opponents, if any. point out specifi-
cally wherein it will fail, and demonstrate the
•correctness of their assertions. If my reason-
ing has been fallacious in essential particulars,
•or if I have omitted to answer vital objections
to the proposed law, surely some of your many
readers will have discovered it, and be able to
point out wherein I am at fault. In view of the
importance of the subject, I trust that some one
will not hesitate to do this regardless of the con-
sequences to any argument. At the same time
I would i-emind such as may require it, that as
the proposed law does not resemble the patent

system in any respect, it will not answer here to
set up that as a target, and proceed to ridicule
it, as some have done.

I have several times invited opposition. I
would have been glad to have encountered it at
an earlier stage of the discussion. Thus far I
am without an adversary ; but I am not willing
to believe that the opponents of this measure, if
any, will permit the public to enter judgment
against them p7-o confesso, as the lawyers say.

EDITORIAL NOTES.

European Notes by the Editor— No. G. —
One of the most striking contrasts between
what may be termed the average crowd in Eng-
land and America, is a certain respectful tone
mingled with considerable familiarity on the
part of the former. The typical Yankee of the
story-books comes at you at once with the air of
an old acquanitance. He acts as if he thought
that in this world one man is about as good as
another, if not a little better •, and he sticks his
questions right into you without any compunc-
tion or apology whatever, as if no one you know
has any better right to do it. Not so with the
Englishman. He goes in pretty closely at first,
but lands a long way off in a sort of cat and
mousical way that leaves little room to be of-
fended by the time he brings up. It was in
Wiltshire, and he had a tolerably nice beaver
at the summit, and a "La Reine " rose (about
four inches over) on the lappel of his coat. We
had just emerged from the station, and with
hand towards his hat, he very politely remarked,
" American, I observe, sir. A great many
Americans call here, sir." Of course you can
only repl}-, "Indeed !" and he at once responds,
" Yes, sir ; and we likes 'em, too. They is gen-
tlemen who never bothers about odd sixpences."
We found in the long run that our friend was
the owner of " flys," and we made up our minds
that we knew a thing or two, and that there
should be no occasion for any " bother about
sixpences." To think 30U can see this beautiful
country by railroad, is a fraud. I found the best
plan was to take a "fly" for the day, and go
your own road, and suit yourself to your own
time. Tliis was my first experiment at " flying."
I found our friend of the beaver hat in due time.
" How much," said I, " will you charge to take
us to the Mai-quis of Salisbury's? As you re-
marked, we are Americans, and are perhaps lib-

56

THF. GARDENER'S MONTin.\

[February,

eral, but we like to know beforehand Just what
we are to pay.*' It wa* twelve miles out, and
the bargain was made that fur eighteen shillings
we should have that '* lly " lor the whole day.
and " we could pay it to the driver" on return.
We hand the driver the mom-y when back,
who takes it very thankfully, and we close our
pocketbook, but are brought up with, " You have
not remembered the tiger, sir.'' " Remembered
the tiger!" "Yes, sir; every gentleman re-
members the tiger, sir, and I was sure you would
like me to tell you, sir, what the gentleniens
here does." It is no use, of course, and we half
surrender with, " Well, how much i.s it?" " We
allays leaves that to the gentleman hi.sself, sir ;
but they never thinks, sir, the tiger worth less
than live shillings." And the five shillings go,
for you cannot forget that an "American never
bothers about sixpences." But it is over, you
think, and you feel relieved. But not yet,
my friend. ' ' There was four puts up, you know,
sir, and these cost a shilling each — four shil-
lings." It begins to be rather warm, and you
say, " We enquired first what we had to pay,
and was told just eighteen shillings." " Yes,
sir; its all right, sir; that was for the horse and
fly, sir ; but every gentleman, sir, pays for his
horse when he is fed." It is all done so gen-
teelly, and so politely, that I think the Ameri-
can man comes rather to like these extras at
last, and never feels so happy as when he has a
" bob " between his fingers just ready to bestow
on the first appeal to his " gentlemanship."

But that " fiy ride " to Lord Salisbury's was
worth all we paid. We passed the monument
which told of one of the bloodiest battles be-
tween the adherents of the Red and White
Roses. Far behind us, towards the great city,
we could just see in the horizon the glass domes
of the great Alexandra Palace twinkling like a
hundred stars in the morning sun. In the fields
in every direction were hundreds of mowers at
the hay, swinging the old scythes one after
another as unconcernedly as if there never was a
Yankee mowing machine in the world. Men
with forks were turning, and girls and women
with hand rakes gathering hay together, just as it
used to be in the olden time. It brought up all
the poetry of hay-niaknig, and seemed to put our
plain matter-of-fact way of disposing of the crop
at a sad discount. But of course farming is for
money; we were out for a pleasure ride, and
had but the poetry to see. All around were
countrv seats, some small and full of art. others

immense estates glorious with the touch of na^
ture. But no matter how large or how small
j the gardens might be, they were always well
cared for. We go through our country, and we
see where people have built great houses, and
laid out large grounds when they were well otl*,
but now in neglect and weeds. It is still the
"style" to keep the house, but no one seems-
to think he ha« gone down in society because he
lets his garden go down. But here the sign of
his status hangs from his garden, and when he
lets that go down, he may bid good-bye to bis-
rank, and take "apartments" somewhere. It
was certainly among the most remarkable of al!
our P^nglish and French experiences, that a neg-
lected garden, in the sense in which we should
understand it, never came once before my eyes.
Once I thought I had this unique sight. The
gate entered from the public highway. For
many rods the gardener took us through rank
weeds higher than our heads — much to our sur-
prise, till the old gardener explained that " it be
a notion of master's. He think the thieves be
fooled, and won't bother themselves to come hi'
after the fruit." And we must say that the gar-
den proper, when we got there, was a model of
cleanliness. The currants and gooseberries es-
pecially, which thrive so well in the English
climate, being sights to see. We ride along the
smooth turnpike road. The hawthorns are out
of flower, but the Dog rose, which, in spite of the
assertion of the books — which give the name to-
the sweet briar — we look on as the real "Eglan-
tine " of the poets, was in full bloom everywhere
by the wayside, and filled the air with a perfume
we doubt not fully equaled any that ever floated
over "Araby the blest." The colors vary from
white to deep rose, and the plants make huge
bushes by the wayside, often four or five feet
tlirough. Near these are the blackberries.

" That frnit full well the schoolboy knows,
Wild bramble and the brake,"

the brake especially, or bracken fern as it is-
sometimes called, which grows in the parks
where there is game, in immense profusion, for
which it makes a good cover.

We knew at once when we came to the estate
of the Marquis, not only by the profusion of this
fern, under the huge old oaks, but by the im-
mense quantities of Rhododendrons then in
bloom. Laurels (or kind of cherry with huge
evergreen leaves) and other things betokening
the large landed estates. Besides this a wall of"
concrete lined the main rnad for miles along (he-

1878.]

AND HORTICULTURIST.

5?

estate. These walls are cheaply made of gravel
mixed with the slacking lime, and then is put on
as so much mortar between a frame of boards.
This was a great failure, probably from the fact
of the lime not having been properlj' slacked in
the operation, or of too much clay being in the
gravel, and the weather had eaten large quantities
away, requiring, evidently, constant patching to
keep it up. Tliose with me thought it an evidence
that concrete walls were a failure ; but in other
parts of Biigland I saw them '' solid as a rock"
after thirty years of use. It strikes an American
strangely, after being accustomed to so much
forest variety in his own country, to see so much
sameness here. In almost all the woodland you
come to it is the same old tree — beautiful enough
in itself, but when continually repeated, as it is,
causes us to exclaim, that "everlasting oak!"
With so vast a field to choose from, the absence
of variety in English planting is very remark-
able. That I am not alone in this opinion, I
may be pardoned, I hope, for quoting from a
private letter from Sir Joseph Hooker, written
since his return from America, and who says, " It
seems strange to me that your beautiful Ameri-
can trees are not more appreciated by our people.
I believe they in time will be, though I may not
live to see them grow^n up in grandeur as they
are with you."

But our '"Tiger" announces that we are at
Hatfield, and we are set down at the ponderous
old oak gate. After a ring from a bell which
might serve for one of our churches, a sort of
port-hole flies open, and Ave hand our cards to
the stately porter, with an inquiry for om* old
friend, the gardener, whom we knew among our
associates ; it did not seem so very, very long ago.
But it was the same old story, "dead or miss-
ing;" and after the good old man had gone back
over about a dozen names, we gave it up for a
bad Job, and not witliout some w^onder at the
many changes, for we had looked on a gardener's
situation in England as one to be lield according
to the strict interpretation of the " tenure of
office act." However, we were directed to "Mr.
Norman," whom we found a comparatively
young man, and, as it is a pleasure to say, with
a full share of that intelligence which gives such
a charm to the best Old World gardeners, and
makes their company appreciated by what is
called in the Old World " the highest in the
land." The vegetable garden comprised about
seven acres, liad l>een but newly laid out, and
had no box as yet; and in its unfinished con-

dition it would perhaps be unfair to say that we-
in America can grow vegetables far better than
can be grown in England and at half the cost :;
for no doubt much better results will follow when
things are put to rights ; but when we get to the
forcing houses we see sights that make an
American look out of all the corners of his eyes-
at once. Of course, with our thousands of miles-
of territory, where, as I have seen, almost zero-
in Chicago, with oranges and scarlet sages two-
days after along the Gulf, there is not the same
necessity' for forced fruit ; but this does not take-
from the merit due to the wonderful skill of the
English gai'dener in forcing house fruit. Here-
there were strawberries — not by the single one
sliced to go all round, as one might suppose, but
hundreds on hundreds, of a size which would not
disgrace the fine fellows our Dr. Knox used to-
raise, hanging from the sides of the pots on the
shelves or lovingly reclining orv the eaith in the
pots in every direction. Strange, ver}^ strange^
it seemed to me from a country where we are
not satisfied unless we have a new kind of straw-
berry every ;year or two, to hear Mr. Norman
avow that the best kind he had yet was the
"Keen's Seedling," a variety which may soon
advertise its " centennial show." But there were
" Sir Charles Napiers', very large and handsome
too, but not to be depended on like the Keen."
The grape houses occupied perhaps 300 feet of
length of glass; and though the fruit was good
for so early a time of the year, they were not
superior to what we have seen among our own
June fruit crops under glass. The Foster's Seed-
ling Mr. Norman considers the best white for
early forcmg. He also praises highly the Mad-
resfield Court, a long purple-berried variety,
which he regards as quite as good as Black
Hamburg, and which ought to be high praise..
The plants were also very interesting. There
may have been about two dozen houses in all:,
everything good, but nothing so superb as the
perfect pot strawberry culture. The park and
grounds embrace about 1,500 acres, and under
the gardener about thirty hands are regularly
employed.

Almost all these old places are laid out on the
same general i)lan — straight avenues of trees,
often a mile or more in length, down which you
look through the vista from the w'indows of the
house. These trees were of Linden, and with
the peculiarity which struck me strangely in
many trees of England of having huge bulbous
bases. Our trees swell a little at the ground,.

oS

THE GARPEXfik'S MOXTHIY

[ Fthniin-v,

but here they roinnu'iicp four t)r live ft'et from
tho s;roniid to swoU, !\nd in these the lower parts
of the trunks were double the size, in many cases,
of the upjx'r portion. As alreiidy noted, the trees
in Eni:land do not irrow near so tall as ours, but
tlicy s])read more ; and I should Jud^^e these Jiin-
<lens were not niore than from forty to sixty feet
hii:li. T measured an oak here which proved IH
feet round, and yet could not be more that 50 feet
hiirh. There is nothinsr more interesting about
these old places than their associations with
remarkable events in history. It was here that
Elizabeth, afterward (^>ueen of Knsrland, was
kept a sort of prisoner durinu: her sister Mary's
reign. She wa.s very fond of gardening, and
during her residence here she gave her taste free
scope. There is a walk lined with Lindens which
have been sheared and clipi>ed into arches and
alcoves, jilanted by her direction, and which is
.still called Qut en p:iizabeth's Walk. But their
comparatively youthful age seems to me to indi-
date that they may have been set out in much
later times. A tree which she did plant, an oak,
is guarded with zealous care by a fence around it,
though but an old stump now. Prince Albert
set out two near it, one for himself and one for
the (^)ueen, which are thriving, and also are pro-
protected by a fence. There is also on the
ground a queer old maze, in which it is said the
Princess Elizabeth loved to wander. This is of
Yew, while the one I saw at Hampton Court was
•of Beech. I should think after one journey
through such a place the novelty would wear otf.
At least, on this occasion I was willing to sit on
the grass and admire the " gowans fine,"' while
mj- companion amused herself in the tangled
paths ; and I cheerfully submitted to her decision
that I only remained outside for fear of being
lost. and had not as much courage as slu^ had. It
is said that in these grounds, while in her favo-
rite garden walk, Elizabeth received the news of
her sister's death, by which she walked out one
step from this pretty prison to the heavenly
throne.

It is one of the pleasant characteristics of the
li^nglish aristocracy, that they take pleasure in
•sharing with the rest of the world the treasures
■of history and of art that they may possess, and
it is rarely that a respectable person fails to gain
admiitance to any part of the establishment
when the family is not at home. On the present
• occasion the only requirement was that we should
leave our cards for the inspection of the Marquis,
•and enter our names in a book in the grand hall.

As everywhere we went, so here we found traces
of America; for in the att»'ndant"s hand were
cards from one of our I'hiladelphia neighbors,
and of Mr. Munn — we sup|)ose(l of the IScientiJic
American — New York. Everything that may
remind one of the past is religiously preserved,
even to (^ueen Elizabeth's silk ><tockings — tlie
first pair ever known in England — aiul her old
garden hat. If I mistake not, the Marquisate
was created early in the seventeenth century ;
and a.s the portraits of the gay lords*and fair
ladies hang everywhere on the castle walls, and
there are mementoes of iinunneral)le «lescrip-
tions in every direction of all these distinguisht d
people for these past three hundred years, the
only regret one feels at seeing them is that he
cannot have a few weeks instead of a few hours
to study them.

Hattiekl House makes no pretension to any
superb gardening. There are many places far
superior in these respects ; but it is an average
of the general run of these comfortable old
homes, and so we .selected it.

It was my purpose to take about three or so
of these old mansions as a type of the grounds
of the older section of England's nobility ; but
what can I do in a little magazine which comes
out but once a month, and Methuselah's expe-
rience not likely to l^e repeated in any case. I
cannot close the chapter on this branch without a
brief sketch of the home of theJenkinsons — ananie
historical in connection with English politics, and
; of which family the late Earl of Liverpool was so
[ widely known ; Buxted Park, in Sussex, and now
1 in the possession of Colonel and Lady Catharine
j Harcourt — liady Catharine being the daughter of
the late Earl.

I have already noted how far away from school

I was in my boyhood days, and how many difti-

culties were in the way of obtaining an education

in the higher branches of intelligence. I often

; look back gratefully to the friends who kindly

' aided me under these difficult circumstances,

and there are few whom, in after life, I felt so

much indebted to for their wai'm and substantial

encouragement, as to Colonel and Lady Har-

I court. The last letter of good wishes, when a

I boy I resolved to leave my native land, was

from them, and it was naturally grateful to find, on

my landing in England now, a letter awaiting me,

inviting me to spend a few days at Buxted Park.

! Lady C. had for some time been an invalid, and

even intimate friends had rareh' been admitted

to her presence of late, and I thus felt it the

1878.]

AND HORTICULTURIST.

59

more an honor to be allowed to see and talk
with xny early benefactress and friend.

The estates are very lar<>e — I am almost afraid
to say how lai'ge, for fear I have forgotten accu-
racy, bnt I believe about 15,000 acres. The large
liouse is delightfully situated among particularly
grand old trees, and it is no wonder that it was
^a great favorite with the Dutchess of Kent, and
the Princess — afterwards Queen Victoria — who
frequently visited there. Most of the trees that
T met with in England gave the impression of
under size in comparison with ours, but on this
•estate were some of the most remarkable trees
that I saw in all England. In the old church-
yard near the mansion house, is a Yew tree which
measured twenty-six feet in girth several feet
from the ground. I took the trouble to make an
accurate measurement of its height, which was
ififty-nine feet, and the diameter or "spread" of
the branches was seventy-five feet across. I have
no doubt the tree was much older than the oldest
'of the mammoth trees of California. As in most
•of the old English places, a grand vista formed
hy a double line of trees leads from the house.
In this case these were of Elms, and were perhaps
eighty feet high. I measured an average one,
■and found the trunk fourteen feet round. Many
specimen trees on the grounds were of majestic
proportions. A Beech tree, twenty-three feet in
•circumference, was quite remarkable, and a meas-
urement near the ground — as so many measure —
made it forty feet ! The huge head was ninety
feet across. Among English Ashes, twelve feet
in circumference was a common measurement;!
and as they had had room to develop their heads \
for perhaps hundreds of years (for trees live to
a great age in England, as compared with ours), I
they were perfect models of beauty. It is strange i
how much the climate of England favors long I
life in trees. One of the earliest inti'oductions i
•of our Locust is here eight feet round; but its
life is nearly gone. Though the tree is native to !
our own country, I never saw it in such wonder-
ful beauty as it exhibits in England and France.,]
And then the Rhododendrons ! On this estate |
•they were truly grand. Specimens sixteen feet ;
high, and nearly as wide, were common. The}^
tare planted here in immense quantities; indeed
natural sown seedlings abound. Their favorite
place of germination seemed to be under the
•coniferous trees. I lifted the bi'anch of a beau- J
tiful Deodar cedar, in order to measure the trunk, '
:and found seedling Rhododendrons in thousands
Jbeneath. On inv own grounds I have an Abies

Pindrow, which I have been twenty years getting
up to three feet high, and I could not but so far
envy a climate wiiich gave one here twenty-five
feet. What a beautiful thing it is with age I The
habit is pendulous as it grows. The Turkey oak,
with its beautiful spread of branches, makes a
grand object. I afterwards saw larger ones on
other estates in England, but these — one nearly
ten feet round — were large enough to be remark-
able. One of the most remarkable objects in
the tree line is a Silver Eir — Abies pectinata —
which was thirteen and a half feet round, as
perfect m form as we generally see this beautiful
tree ; but at five feet from the ground a huge
arm extended itself in a horizontal direction. I
suppose it was an accident in its younger days ;
but I wonder people do not often make such
accidents on purpose, so as to have such pictur-
esque objects as the trees grow.

I have already remarked on the general scar-
city of American trees in English gardening. It
was a pleasure to find more than usual here. But-
ternuts, Catalpas, Red Oaks, and others showed
that we were quite at home. An Abies nobilis,
some fifty feet high, was very beautiful, and the
Douglas Spruces and other representatives of the
coniferie of our western coast, made me wish
our Atlantic district would grow things like these.

The flower-beds here, as is generally the case
in most of the old English gardens, are on a
complex geometrical plan, when near the dwell-
ing, as more in keeping with architectural design.
The more natural styles are reserved for the more
distant parts of the grounds. In the geometrical
gardens but one, or at best a few kinds are
grown in each bed, arranged according to har-
monies. The plants for these are selected by
Lady Ilarcourt, as is the usual practice with cul-
tivated English ladies, and the gardeners see to
haying all the kinds ready by bedding time in
Spring. Hardy ferns are a great delight to Lady
H., and the Fern garden is one of the attractions
of Buxted Park. It is arranged as a rockery, in
a piece of wood, with walks through in every
direction, aflbrding easy access to all. Here were
many hundreds of kinds, species and varieties,
all plainly and accurately named. I made here
the memorandum, that while there were many
things so beautiful in England our climate and
circumstances would deny to us, there was no
reason why any one who had a piece of woods
should not have a hardy fern garden ; and I made
a resolve when I returned to my own land that
I would have one for myself at any rate.

60

/•///'; CANDI-.XI'.K'S .\fOXTin. >

[ Fthnmry,

I had thou^jht to pive three Bketchee of larpe
pstntc's in tliis chapter, but it is already too lonj;.
I may perhaps yet <;ive the tliird; but there are
public parks, botanic >:ardens, cemeteries, woods
:in<l I'orests.and numbcrlessotherfhin^'S I tlioufiht
I would like to ^'ive brief sketches of, and all
before Spring, when I may again lly away some-
where.

Since writing the above, the papers tell of the
death of the good I.ady of liuxted Park. An

never have been his ta«k. He believes that iu
his humble way his work has given pleasure to-
thousands, and who will therefore share with him
his s<»rrow at her death.
A IJoiJi's AoKNT. — A man calling himself A.M..
Waters and other names, professing to be an
agent for the (iAUDKNEK's M().\Tiii>v,has tleecedt
a number of poor gardeners by offering premiums
as inducements, worth about seven dollars, for a
$2 subscription. (Jf course, every one who reads-

/^

ISKGOXIA ACHUNi:

editor's life is not his own. Twenty years of
associatioTi with his readers make a history that
might be personal, partly theirs. In this view,
the editor of the Gardener's Moxtiily felt
no hesitation, in the former part of this sketch,
in expressing his deep sense of obligation to
Colonel and Lady Catharine Ilarcourt for their
early countenance and encouragement, and with-
out which this Gardener's Monthly might

the Monthly knows we never otler '• shears ""
or any thing else as '' premiums," and it is
hardly worth taking up room by a "warning"
here. We fancy the rogue aims to be something
of a wag. as he proposes the gift of a pair of
shears to his victims. It is strange that any one
will trust $2 to a total stranger before even the
shears are in hand; and only that we are told
hundreds have done so. we could not believe it.

1878.]

AND HORTICULTURIST.

61

Catalogues of Jas. Vietch & Sons, Chel-
:SEA, London.— The commercial literature is so
-voluminous that it is only in exceptional instan-
cces we can afford space to enter into details.
The leading nurserymen not only spend im-

beautifuUy illustrated. Messrs. Vietch are
among the pioneers in introducing the new half
hardy tuberous rooted Begonias, and which
have recently attracted so much attention in our
magazine, in view of their probable adaptation

BEGONIA KAT.LISTA.

■mense sums in obtaining everything valuable, \ to out-.loor summer gardening. That our read-
but also largely in instructing the people. Herelers may compare the American varieties with
-before us is'a set of catalogues which are really \ those being introduced into English gardens^ we
■books beautifully printed, and which altogether \ give with this illustrations of two new ones trom
make two hundred and thirty-seven pages, often ; Messrs. Vietch's catalogue.

r.2

Tin-: (.iARDEXEirs Moxrm.y

[ I-'thntan .

Tkk1'> Kou I'rBKU 'NVoitK. — Profi'ssor ('. S.
S:iiii«'nt . as we 8p»' by the Boston iiapcrs. is
tloiiiir Horticulture fjocKl service l)y showinj: IJos- i
loiiiatis how iiuich they have to pay for the hick
ut' wisdom. Instead of <;oins; (Hrcctly to the
nurseries, and tindini; for themselves where tlu-y
can ;;et thinj^s tin- cheapest and the l)est, it
appears the Boston (Mty Fathers, like their
brethren elsewhere, are attracted by pretty pic-
ture books, and smooth tongues, which come
before them, and kindly "save them all trouble"
—for three prices on original cost ! In addition
to this evil, it is only the commonest kind of
trees that are bought in this way, as it is only
the overstocks doomed by the regular imrsery
trade to the bon-fire that get " pushed otf " by
this pei*sonal urgency or agency, and thus few of
inu- rare or beautiful trees get a place in the
public works. In this category of silly public
otticers, we must, however, exclude the Central
and Prospect Parks of New York, when under
the control of F. L. Olmstead; the Buffalo
Parks, the lioard of Public Works at "Washing-
ton, and possibly a few others which employed
purchasing agents of. the highest honor and tree
knowledge who were above receiving "commis-
sions," or any other bribes for sales, and the
result is, these places have trees which for rare
value, and in the lowness of their cost* compare
favorably with the trees of any public gardens
ill the land. Robert R. Porter, in a recent paper
on "Public Debts," says that the "trees in
most of our public parks have 'steal' written
all over them." We are willing to believe that
it is as often ignorance or indifference as "steal;"
but in any event they are most disgraceful, and
we again thank Prof. Sargent for his good offices
in trying to induce a better state of things.

SYLvicrxTURE. — By Hon EliK. Price. This
essay on forest culture is a paper read before the
American Philosophical Society, and by them
published in the Transactions. Mr. Price has
passed his three score and ten, but is still hale and
hearty, and has spent his many years in great
activity for the public good. As one of the
Boai'd of Commissioners of Fairmount Park,
its tree-planting interests have mainly been un-
der his control, and in every way possible he has
thrown the weight of his great influence into the
cause of tree culture. The great botanist
Michaux left a sum of money to Philadelphians
for tree-planting, and Mr. Price shows m this
essay how much good it has done. He is a be-
liever in the theorv that trees and the rainfall are

iiitiinately connected, and enters into the hisl(»ri-
cal (juestions connected with th;il view. This, in-
deed is the key-note of the essay. He shows what
has been done in some quartt-rs for tree-planting,
and points out the <:ood that will follow from a
more extentled pi act ice.

The Sciknc k OnsKUVEH. Boston, a monthly
published by the Amateur Scientific Society, at
.')0 cents per annum. Astronomical matters
receive particular attention.
The Am KKUANXATruALisT has been removed
from Boston to Philadelphia, having Ijet'ii pur-
chased by some Philadelphia scientists. It is
now under the Joint editorship of Messrs. Packard,
of Salem, Mass., and Cope, of Philadelphia. The
January number shows that the scientific value
of the magazine has not suffered by the change.,
while the publishers' department is as perfect
as need be. McCalla & Stavely are the new
publishers.

The Game of ]3(jtan'y. — By C. W. See lye,.
Rochester, N. Y. This is a game of playing
cards, in which botanical characters are used,
and it serves alike to while away a pleasant
evening in amusement, and conveys instruction
at the same time We thought the best test
would be to submit the cards to a nest of chil-
dren, and as in a few minutes they were very
much absorbed in it,* we feel bound to say the
idea is a great success.

Acknowledgements. — John R. Anderson,
/jf New York, is issuing handsome little books.,
giving the " Little Folks" described in Dickens*
works. "Little Paul," of Dombey & Son, is
now' on our table.

The Illustrated Annual of Rukal.
Affairs, by J. J. Thomas, published by
the Country Gentleman. This is the twenty-
fourth year of the appearance of this very useful
serial.

The American Bookseller is a list of
books — almost everything in the book trade —
that may be had of the American News Co..
New York. It gives copies of some of the illus-
trations contained in the leading works, and
which make this catalogue itself a beautiful
book. It is sold at a nominal price — 30 cents.

Yick's Illustrated Monthly Magazine..
— This, which has long been published quarterly
as Vick's Floral Guide., is to be henceforth issued
monthly under the above title. The first number
is now before us, and we need scarcely say to those
who were familiar with it in its old form, that it
is a very useful publication. Mr. Yick is full of

1878.]

AND HORTICULTURIST.

6?.

life and enterprise in his business, and has the
good wishes of all in whatever he undertakes.

H. E. Chitty. — This gentleman, formerly
superintendent of the Bellevue Company, of
Paterson, and well known to our readei's, has
commenced business for himself, as a florist, in
the same town. The Bellevue Company con-
tinue the old business as before.

Dr. C. C. Parry. — This indomitable botan-
ical explorer is about to make a collecting tour
through Mexico.

Col. M. p. Wilder. — It will please our read-
ers to learn that this veteran horticulturist is
still iu excellent health; at least we judge so
from the full account the Boston papers give of
his address before the recent annual meeting of
the New England Historical and (xenealogical
Society.

Mr. Briggs, of Marysville. — Almost every
one who has followed the development of Califor-
nia fruit growing, is familiar with "Brigg's Peach
Orchard," at Marysville, one of the pioneers of
this branch of h-irticulture in California, and
will learn with regret of his decease, as we note
by a recent California paper.

Thomas J. Mackenzie. — We regret to
announce the death of Mr. Thomas J. Mac-
kenzie, the well-known florist of Philadelphia,
who died on the 6th of January, in the 40th year
of his age. He was the only son of the late Mr.
Peter Mackenzie, who was one of the earliest
and most enterprising of Philadelphia florists,
to whose successful business the son succeeded.
Mr. Mackenzie was elected a member of the
of the City Council of Philadelphia last year,
and died on the day appointed for taking his seat
in .that body.

Dr. J. P. Kirtlaxd. — It it to be expected
that, now its twentieth year, many of the earlier
friends of the Gardener's Monthly should be
passing away. Our venture liad no better frfend
than Dr. J. P. Kirtland, and, though full of

years and honors, we learn of his decease with
profound regret. His private letters of encour-
agement were always welcome; and he loved
to dwell on the welcomeness of the Monthly,.
as reminding him of the tdty in which he
received his medical education. Tiie Mass.
Horticultural Society, ever alive to the honor of
Horticulture all over the Union, recently passed
resolutions of sorrow in his behalf, and we hope
to give in our next the preparatory remarks of
Col. Wilder,as a brief but excellent condensation
of the life and services of our deceased friend.

SCRAPS AND QUERIES.

Floral Decorations.— A New York pub-^
lisher very kindly sends the following note :
"Floral Decorations for the Dwelling House,"'
etc., by Annie Hazzard, "American edition re-
vised, London and New York, Macmillan & Co..
Retail, :$1.75. In reply to Mrs. R., page 12,
Gardener's Monthly, Jan., 1878 : Not a bid for
a trade, as we don't have it."

Shittim Wood. — Thoughtlessly, while writing
last month, we gave Acacia Farnesiana as the pro-
bable tree, which, as we are kindly reminded by a
correspondent, is a native of the New World.
If we had referred to works, instead of trusting
the memory, as we ought to have done, it would
have saved us the mistake. That an Acacia
really existed in Egypt seems to be proved by
the researches of Braun, as recentl}' translated
from the German in the Gardener's Chronicle..
Bruce, in his Travels, remarks that "the Aca-
cia in theThebard seems to be the only indigen-
ous tree." Dr. Shaw, another Eastern traveler,
speaks of the Acacia as growing in Arabia Pe-
tra?a, and suggests that it may be the Shitiim
Wood. As we knew the Acacia grew there, and
that it agrees with accounts of the wood, it is
probably correct that the Acacia Nilotica, or
Acacia vera, of Wildenow, is the real Shittim
Wood.

Horticultural Societies.

COMMUNICA riONS.

KANSAS STATE HORTICULTURAL
SOCIETY.

BY H. E. VANDEMAN, GENEVA, KAN.

Tlie eleventh annual meeting of this institu-

! tion was held at Parsons, on the 11th. 12th, and
j 13th of December, 1S77.

I Several gentlemen from Missouri, and a lady
j from Illinois, favored us with their presence,
I and participated in the exercises of the meeting.
! Each year new recruits are enlisted, and we hope
the Societv's fleld of usefulness is enlarged.

«4

TJIE GARDENER'S MOyTHLV

\^Ecbniaiy,

Only cij^ht yoars !iij« thv pliicc of nicptins was
the honu- of the Osaiic Indians, ("onscquontly
the orchards an' youn^'.and but tVw apples couhl
be shown that wore jjrown in the immediate vi-
•cinity of Parsons. But the older counties were
not behind in displayinj,' the products of their
orchards for the pleasure and instruction of those
attending the meetin<i. I think there were per-
hajis no tiner apples shown at the Centennial

FPrTORIAL XOTFS.

ADDKKSS OF MAKSIIAL I". WII.DKIt.
(Coiitinaed from page 31).

THE PEUFECTION ATTAINKU IN THE CANNING
AND DUYING OF FHl'ITS.

The cannin<; process has been broujjht to j^reat
perfection, and that of drying' jjroniises to Ix-come
even more useful, when it shall have arrived at
Exhibition by Kansas than were seen upon the its utmost development, posscssin-^ the ^^reat
tables of the Society here at liome. advanta^".; for transportation of reducing,' the

. weiirht three-fourths or more by the removal of

Oneof the most interesting subiectsdunnfr the water, and rendering it capable of shipment to

nieeting was '* The New Early Peaches in Kan. all climes, and of being preserved perfectly for

sas " w-hich was introduced by a special report years. We need not fear an overstock, as many

by'a member of the Society, and discussed at J^^' ^^y\^"ll ^Jl'^l^^l':^'' be devised for its use.
"J , ' A 1 The extent of this business is already immense,

length by nearly every one present. Amsden, i^^^ j j^.^^. ^^.g^ u„able to procure anV statistics.
Alexander, and Early Beatrice take the lead Six canning firms in California einploy two
now as the newer yarieties have not yet fruited thousand women and children, and turn out from
here. There are at least fifty new seedlings one and one-half to two millions of dollars
,. ,.„. ^ i V XI i^L X xi x vearly in amount of soods. Figs and grapes

reported from difterent parts of the State that ^ ^^^^ ,/pj,,„ extensively dried in California. The
are perhaps as good as Amsden or Alexander. | quantity of raisins already produced annually is
Do not be surprised if Kansas takes the early j estimated at 400,000 pounds or more. Although
neach prize yet ' "^* ^^^ equal in quality to those imported from

' ' ' -^ * P^urope, it is believed Ihat with further experi-

The result of the discussion on the cherry was | ^nce they will be produced of the highest excel-
siniilar to that of former years — that the Early j lence. Of dried fruits there were cured in that
Kichmond and other varieties of the Morello j ^tate, by the Alden Company alone, seventy-
^, 1 1 • J xi X I • five tons. As time advances there will doubt-

family are the only kmds that succeed in our | ^^^^^^^ ^^^^^^. ^^j^^^. ^^^^j^^ 5^^^^.^^^^^^^^^ j.^^. ^,^il.^i,j„

State. All the Mazzards, the Biggareau, and | any surplus of abundant seasons. Well does a
even the Kentish yarieties are almost a total writer remark, '" T-liere ought to be a score of
failure here. The trees die from sun-scald, or ! elegant and nutritious preparations in all our
, ,. markets, thus adding to the variety ot fresh and

some SUCH aisease. , pj.gpj^j.e,j fj-^itj.^ .juj superseding the wretched

Vegetable gardening occupied an important pastry and other abominations now in vogue."

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, undcrdraining is thought to be
almost indispensable to a good garden.

There were many valuable papers on the vari- „ . ,. i /,

,. . i 1 vi 1 i- lA 1,- I, I if landed in cood condition. Australia and irer-

ous subjects connected with horticulture, which J'^^^'l'-^^^ ^.-„,,,^, \n^m.^^^<^ quantities of dried
were quite fully discussed. All these will ap- ] f^uit'^ ^^^^ England prefers fresh fruit.

REVENUE FROM FRriT 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

pear in the report of the Society for 1877, which
will be ])ublished 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 secretarj', he will receive a
copy of the same as soon as published.

The officers elected for the current year are.
for President, Prof. E. (iale. of Manhattan.

■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 (1870), 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-

Yice-Presidcnt, Robert Milliken, of Emporia • I manding the best price. A decided^ preference

Secretary, G. C. Brackett, of Lawrence ; Treas-
urer, F. Wellhouse, of Leavenworth; Trustees,
H. E. Yandeman, of Geneva; E. P. Diehl, of
Olathe ; G. Y. Johnson, of Lawrence.

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 to ten dollars per barrel.

(To be continued.)

THE

GARDENER'S MONTHLY

AND

HORTICULTURIST.

DEVOTED TO HORTICULTURE, ARBORICULTURE AND RURAL AFFAIRS.

Edited by THOMAS MEEHAN.

Vol. XX.

MARCH, 1878.

Number 231.

Flower Garden and Pleasure Ground.

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
to cover is all that is required. Failures usually
arise from the seeds being buried too deeply.
Failures also frequently occur from the soil with i
which the seeds are covered being to stiff or
clayey, "baking" after a rain. Light sandy
earth or decayed vegetable loam from the woods !
should be employed for the purpose. Stick a j
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 in 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 tliat it may-
sink evenly together, or the line will present
ugly-looking undulations in time. Rooted plants
should he employed; 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 gra-ss.
"When so, a few inches of clear ground should be

j kept clean between the grass and the box, or the
weeds will l)e 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

1 they bloom.

j Ornamental hedges judiciously introduced into
a small place, add greatly to its interest. No
easier method ofi"ers whereby to make two acres
of garden out of one in the surveyor's draught.
The arbor-vitJB (Chmese and American), Hem
lock, Holh', 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 may be had in a blooming state all the
year; and they, besides, give it a greater interest

G6

TJIK GARDEMiR'S MOMIIIA

IManh,

bv tln'ir variety, than is obtaiiiotl hv the too fro- maritini:i ; 7, ('haniii'i)t'iic<» cassaboMii' ; and H,
qiU'nt rrror of tilliM<:; it up with l)Ut two or three rvretlinini iiartlienil'oliein aureuni.
fort'st trees of jiiiiantic ^owth. Phint thickly at Skt i\. — I. Cannahis jxi<;antea •, 2, C'anna
first, to fxivo the place a finished appearance, Marcilml vaillaut ; ii, Zea Japonica fol. var; 4,
and thin out as they ijrow oldiT. Masses of Salvia eoceinea ; 5, Centaurca £»ymnocarpa ; 0,
shrubs have a tine etfect on a small place. The (Jeraniuni General Grant ; 7, Achyranthus (Jil-
oenter of sueh masses should be tilled with ever- sonii : and B, Lobelia sj)eeiosa.
"n-en shrubs, to prevent a naked appearance in Skt v. — l,Iticinus santruineus ; some of this
the winter season. i^'enus grow almost too large, especially corn-
Many things that appear frosted a little at the munis, and are rather too rough for foliage-beds,
tops should be severely cut down; it will pre- single specimens in asheltered situation are good;
vent disappointment in the end. Shoots that are or may be put in occa.sional openings in the
injured in winter — especially in the ca.se of the shrubberies. 2, Nereum 01eand<:r; .'i, Salvia
rose — will often have just sullicient vigor left to | patens ; 4, Salvia patens; 5, Achyranthus Lin-
enable them to put forth leaves, and sometimes denii ; (>, Salvia candidissima ; 7, Alteranthera
even go so far as to attempt to llower, and then versicolor; and 8, Cerastium tomentosuni.
die off suddenly under the first hot sun. Set vi. — Gynerium argenteum ; 2, Lantana ::
.♦♦— j 3, Lantana; 4, Coleas Emperor Napoleon; 5,

i Cineraria maritima ; G, Coleus Queen Victoria ;

I 7, Ageratum album nanum ; and 8, Alteran-

! thera spathulata.

; Set VII. — l,Solanuni Warscewiczii ; 2, Cala-

^„ ,, , 1. , 1 xi • 1 • c \y I dium esculentum;3, Amaranthus melancholicus:;

Of all shapes of beds, the circle IS preferable I ^. . '.J - » i .u -.r

' ., , , 1 T*- *i • u 4, Cineraria maritima; o, Achyranthus Ver-

to decorate as ribbon bed. It there is any such i ' . \r t, ,, , - n i,

,, ii X , schaffeltu ; 6, Geranium Mrs. Pollock; « ,Cuphea!

in the center of a crosswalk, or other central; . lu t ■ *• i t .

. , ,,, , ■!-.•< i. platvcenta ; and 8, Lonicera aureo reticulata t(»

place, it should be chosen. Fig. 4 represents a i^ ~ '. x, , ,

f ' , ^ X . J. * e xJ x^ .„ be pegged down on the border.

bed twenty feet in diameter, for which we will | ^ '=>

I Set van. — 1, Arundo donax variegata; 2'„

_r[;'j,e Canna discolor; 3, ,C, tricolor ; 4, Achyranthe.s-

Qj^i^ijj^ I Lindenii ; 5, Vinca alba; 6, Geranium Luicus :

COMMUNICA riONS.

RIBBON BEDS.

IJY C. J. BJORKLUND, HAMPTON, VA.

propose a choice as follows :

I.

Set
center 1
glauca;2,C,War-
czewiczii ; 3, C,
discolor; 4, Perilla
11 ankinen.sis; 5,
Calceolaria hy-

7, (ilaucium corniculatuin ; and 8, Tropieolum

star of fire.

Set IX. — 1, Arundiuaria falcata; 2 Salvia

splendens alba ; 3 Salvia splendcns alba ; 4,

Coleus refulgens ; 5, Artemisia Stelleriana; 6..

brida ; ( shrubby)' ^hamapeuce cassabonae ; 7, Santolina incana :

G Achvranthus ^'^^ ^- Altenanthera paronychioides.

Verschafteltii ; 7, ^kt x.— 1, Zea gigantea ; 2, Solanum pur-

Centaurea c a n - | P"i"f iwm; 3, Solanum purpurea; 4, Abutilon vex-

didissima- and 8 | iHarium variegatum; 5, Coleus Verschaffeltii; G.

Altenanthera' Grcranium Mountain of Snow ; 7, Altenanthera

t'^o- ■^- ainoena. i versicolor; and 8, Caprosma Baueriana, etc.,

Set II.— 1, Eucalyptus globulus: 2, Canna j etc. The whole to be kept in a pyramidal shape

zebrina; 3, Abutilon .striatum; 4, Dactylis ^Y tvimming, and not allowing the leaves of

glomerata fol. var. ; 5, Coleus Verschatleltii ; G, t-'ither riband to interfere with the other.

Centaureagymnocarpa ;* 7,Cupheaplatycentra; | Fig.5, a Terrace border, and a scale of an eighth

and 8, Geranium Happy Thought. of an inch to two feet, may be decorated as

Set III. — 1, Nereum Oleander; 2, Salvia ! follows : 1, Lobelia specio.sa, bordered by

splendens; 3, Salvia splendens; 4, Amaranthus ! Pyrethrum parthenifolium aureuin ; 2, Lobelia

melancholicus; 5, Vinca rosea; G, Cineraria Paxtoniana, bordered by Altenanthera versi-

. — I color ; 3, Coleus Queen Victoria, bordered by

•This beautiful plant has, whiereeoever I have seen it in this j Ageratum Mexicaiium nanum and Santolina
country, shown a disposition to rot daring: the summer, and it . ' i /~i i tt- _ u„«vn;; k^„,i-,^„^ i^-r

is therefore risky to use it in a ribbon bed, where if only a few I mcana ; 4, Coleus Verschallellii, bordered by
focaHti*^'' ^'^'''^i^^^*^' '^ '*'^'' ''"' perhaps does better in other ' Centaurea candidissima and Althenanthera

1878.]

AND HOR TICUL TURIS T.

07

spathulata, &c., in different sets aceording to i THE GERMAN AND THE AMERICAN
supply of plants; 5, is graveled paths, and C a! GLOBE ARBOR VIT/ES.

two feet wide sod border. ""^ •'• -^^•

Fig. 6, a ten feet wide border on the edyc of ;i Tliese two fflobe Arbor Vita?s are now coin-
large shrubbery. 1. Phalaris arundinaeea ; 2, paratively comuion aroinid Philadelphia, several

Fig. G.

Perilla Naukinensis ; 3, Geranium Chun der Sen ;
4, G. Lass O' Gowrie ; 5, G. Crimson King; G,
G. Golden Fleece ; 7, Coleus Emperor Xapo-
leon ; 8, Pyrethrum parthenifolium 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 whiters a few years ago, was
very severe on evergreens (but this was an
exceptional season); some of the Ivies suffered
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 haye also seen it growing luxuriantly on
some of the chui'chesin Brookl3'n, N.Y., without
the least care, and in a private place in the
neighborhood of Boston, a low wall is com-
pletely covered witli it by a little care being
taken with it.

nm'series 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
many because of its more globular form ; though
if one's grounds are of fiiir size there will be
plenty of room for both. These beautiful Arbor
Vitaes are not near so well l^own as they ought
to be. Nurserymen compl*n that, like many
other nice things, they do not pay to raise, as
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
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.

BY WALTER ELDER, PHILADELPHIA.

The Monthly will now be well freighted
with advertisements enlightening its readers
where and how to buy ; and especially instruc-
live as showing the rapid progress which horti-
culture has made since the establishment of this
magazine. In the nurseries, there are the vari-

«w

THE GAKDEM'.R'S MOMIILY

\.]fun/i.

ous spt'cios of nsofnl and onmmontiil horbs and
troos from cvcrv climo in Uic univorsc, all fit for
sale. Many of the sood and iniplcnu-nt ware-
houses are to\veriii<» temples of <;reatness, and
stored with seeds of the most improved species
and varieties suitable for eiilture in all parts of
our extensive domain. The hand-tools and ma-
(•hines for man and horse are of the latest inven-
tions and iniprovenuM)ts to lighten, cheapen and
facilitate the laboi-s of field and garden. The
inceniously constructed and handsomely linislied
rustic designs, to ornament and diversify the
garden, the parlor, and the park, are as curious
as they arc bt-auliful. In herbs and trees, seeds
and imi)lenients, curious ornamental designs,
dried llowers and gnisses, cut flowers and floral
decorations; flowers for Winter, flowers for
Summer, and fruit.s for all time ! The reading
columns of TnE 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
iu the same directions ; and nothing shows how
this is going on more than the numerous adver-
tisements in the Gardener's Monthly.

RHODODENDRON OCCDIENTALIS AND
PICKERINCIA MONTANA.

liY Mil. .J. l^. HICKMAX.

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, gencrall}' among other shrubber}',
but in the shade.

The former is d^duous, the latter evergreen •
the former bearing large ma.sses of sweet-scented
white flowers which are often shaded with yel-
low and rarely with pink, growing in rather dr}'
ground it .sends down large deep roots, which
supply it with abundant moisture, though
blooming iu 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 tine lot of buds for next year.

The Pickeringia blooms similarlv to Swain-

sonia, but the flowers an- nuich brighter and the
racenu's 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 steni is beset with
thorns, and if the plant would submit to trim-
ming, would make a fine hedge. I have ])een
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., PHILADELl'IIIA.

Your Bridgeport correspondent who, I notice,
still writes to j^ou 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 destroj'ed 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 pistillate 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.

69

mending it for the same purpose ; but owing to
the attacks of a black, Hea-like insect — the same
which preys upon Sweet Alyssum and some
other phmts — 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 tlowers are larger, and the plant in
habit is more graceful and free-tlowering, 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 gei'minate well ; only two plants were
raised from as many packets of seed.

So far the plant has failed to perfect any seed,
hut 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 prettj' little Hous-
tonia ccerulea of our 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 Oriextal SPRrcE.— 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 Is'orway,
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
ti'ees of AVasliington, we find the following in
a Washington paper before us :

" Of the cost of the planting and care of trees
ni 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, botli in this and other
countries, and the claim is fully warranted by
facts. This arises from the ciirumstance that
everything has been done in accordance with a
well-considered scheme, 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 Avas
organized by the late Board of Public Works,
in the latter part of the year 1871. Thi.s 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 great praise for much 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. Eur<v
pteus, and makes very pretty lawn plants when
so treated.

NEW OR RARE PLANTS.

Pentstemon Cobcea. — This is one of the
finest hardy species of Pentstemon, and is yet
very rare in cultivation. The flowers are among
the largest of the genus and are produced in
loose spikes of 8 to 12 inches in length, broadly
l)t'll-sha])ed and two inches or more long, of a

yy/A (;.ia'/)/-:.v/:a's Mo.\rni.v

\ March,

])urpli>li \vlii(«', and i-cin:iiii for some days. Tlu'
plant is luinJy and vij^orous, and iinpnivcs with
raivfnl cultivation. It cannot fail to licconic
oiu' of till' lint'st of tlu* many hardy licrba(('<»ns
j)iTcnnials just now hocominp so i)o])ulai' in
Knropi' and .Vmcrica. — J. M. Thorburn.

Kkyn<{hm LKAVKXwoKTim. — Till' showiest
of annuals, with .stem from one to three feet
hiilh, aud very branchiiiii. 'i'lie heads are of a
l>eanliliil purple. IJranehes cut after the llowers
and leaves have matured will la.<t two or three
months, makinj; it a valuable addition for Winter
l)on(|uets. One of the most valuable i)lant.'<
introduced in many years. — J. M. Thorburn.

SPIH^KA PALMAT.\ ELEGANS. — XEW IlYimil)

SiMii.EA. — Under the name of Spirtea palmata
ele^ans M. Ed. Pynaert lii^ures and describes in
the current number of the Revue Je V Horticulture
Hp/ire a plant, ius 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 inllorescence is intermediate between
the two parents. The flowers are very numerous?
their pink stamens contnisting well with their
clear white petals. Whatever its origin, the
plant will probably prove hardy, and will be
very useful for forcing and for house decoration.
— Gar. Chromcle.

Daphne fortunei.— This was sent to the
Royal Horticultural Society by Mr. P"'ortune,
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, which generally appear very early in
Spring, are l)luish-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 fle.shy scale at its base,
and a single suspended ovule ; it produces
abruptly from its summit a very short cylindrical
style, ended by a capitate hairy stigma. No
species yet described api)roaches 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 izreonhouse or.

I perhai)s. haU'-hardy shrub, ami i> a charming
addition to this chvss of plants, more especially
since it appears to be well adapted tor forcing.
— (innlen.

SCR.U\S .IXn 0(7{A'//i.S.

Stocks K<)|{ (iiiAFTIXO. — (J. ^^. (i.. .Manches-
ter, York Co., Pa., writes: "Will yo\i be kind
enough to answer the following (jueries through
the March number of The Monthly : How
and when are the following trees grafted, and
what kind of stocks are used for the dilVerent
varieties? Is the opeiation jierformed in the
same manner as for fruit trees? Such as the
finer varieties of .I;ipanese Maples, Weeping
Beech, Elm, Ash, AVillow, &c. ; also tlu- new
Japanese Persimmon. Your answer to the
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
species ; the Elm on any species ; they intergraft
one with another. So also with the Ash, but
the European makes the best stock. The Goat
Willow is the best stock for Willows; and the
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
my Junipers. It is a quarter of an inch long,
and forms a web covering through the winter.
I have not observed it in summer. It evidently
feeds on the young leaves, while in its active
state; the ends of limbs become knotted, and
.show such an appearance as fire would produce.''

Is Aspidistra lurida Hardy ?— I. C. W.,
Fishkill,N. Y'., writes : " Mr. John Pettie, a gar-
dener of the first water, told me a few weeks
since that the Aspidistra lurida variegata was
a hardy plant, and should be used in the herba-
ceous border. He states that he has tried it at
the Kelly Gardens, at Rhinebeck, N. Y., and
that it proved hardy then ; and also states it has
stood out in England, and went through the
winter finely. We have always grown this as a
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 be Avell to state the fact through
your journal."

1878.]

AND HORTICULTURIST.

71

Green House and House Gardening.

COMMUNICA TIONS.

ORCHIDS WITH OTHER PLANTS.

BY C. H. 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
Ihas been from the study of these wonderful
plants in their native habitats. I remefnber 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
whjite 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 Lalias from Rio.

Some .six or eight years ago, circumstances al-
lowed me to indulge in the luxury of a green-
IhoiMie. I immediately commenced to collect
iafew orchids, and my collection of these plants
'has gradually increased until I have some of
nearly each species. They have been grown in
two small houses, each 12X32, heated by flue
:and hat Avater, 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, Tydjea and
other gesneraceous plants, Geraniums, &c. M}'
jVzalias, 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.

1 have bloomed among other orchids, in the
last year, Dendrobium nobile, D. heterocarpum,
D. monilliforme,l). moschatum, 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 seventy-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, Lceliiis, Calanthes
Lycaste, &c. As 1 have never seen a
collection of orchids 1 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, 1 suppose
they are handled about right. With these re-
marks I propose to give a few 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. 1 grow very
few on naked blocks after they are once estab-
lished, but either in well-drained pots, buckets
made of cedar, (Juniperus Yirginianus) or on
blocks well covered with moss. 1 use sphagnum
moss alone, for all but the terrestrial orchids ;
and 1 water my orchids, as 1 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 Kov. 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 orchid.s
are growing finely. But they need no more heal
than is requisite for Bouvardias and Heliotropes
to keep them growing and making good bulbs.
1 propose later to give you a few articles on the
different species that 1 have grown, and will then
try and make clearer my views given from mj'
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 orcliids

////•; (;.tRj)/':\J':A's moxthi.v

l.\/<in/i.

j^rowitiu', cithiT in dcnsf ^hadc or thick woods,
but mostly on tlic trees overhanging' streams or
on the ('(!•_'(' of forests.

DISEASE OF THE MARECHAL NIEL.

HV W. "\V., DOIIU'S FEKUY, N. Y.

llavinji read witli interest the remarks ot" your
correspondents on the above subject with some
ditlidence, in regard to rushing into print and
ditHculties, &c.. I am induced to send you ray
experience in the hope that the disease may be
well detined, and some one prescribe a I'emedy.
Two years ago I had a very line plant on a
Manctti stock, which showed all the symptoms
described by j'our 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 Solfatene,
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 effect 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 Roses. In the hands of our loading
tlower-growers on strong clay or loamy soils
they do well for a few years and are replaced
from time 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.

Haarlem and Utrecht, in 1H74, and got large-
silver medals as first jjrizes. Again we showed
two collections at Haarlem in Ik7'), and got (In-
lirst and the second pri/c JJoth the lots exhib-
it rd at till' last international spring show at
Amsterdam (1^77) which got the lirst and second
prize, came from our iiur-^i ly. 'I'hese lots seem
to have attracted very much the attention of
the visitors — at least they were sjioken of m
various horticultunil ]iiTiodicals. and illustra-
tions given of such pairs of Hyacinths cultivated
in a double glass, in the Gardener''s Chromde,
1877, page 591, and the Gardener''s Magazine,
1877, page 202. Both these illustrations, how-
ever, are not correct as to the form of the leaves.
Of these you find an exact ligure (No. 47 l)age
11:5) in our German catalogue, 'M)'.'> 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 Jifatrazine,
1877, page 2(»1, 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 alwaj's ready a number of
double glasses to suit our customers. The form

1 of these presently used is a perfection (at least
as concerns a legacy) of the old Dutch forms

, which we used hatf a centmy tigo, 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 bulbto develop itself.
In the new form it sometimes occurs that tJie
flower develops so long, that it is obliged t<» 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 effect, no small satisfaction.

We suppose the above particulars will be suf-
ficient to clear up this matter.

ANTIPODAL HYACINTHS.

BY J. II. KRELAGK, HaAKLEM, IIol.LAND.

In reply to the inquiry made about this article
in The Gardeker's Monthly of November
last (page 329), we can say that we re-introduced
this ver}' old Dutch method of cultivation some
years ago. We exhibited collections of Antipo-
dean Hyacinths at the horticultural shows at

TUBEROUS — ROOTED BEGONIAS AGAIN.

BY AV., NOKTOLK. VA.

Vour correspondent, on page 2 oi' .lauuary
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 ''y/te Garden.'''' 1877, pub-
lished , at I>ondon. I think an unpredjudiced
reader will find my statement'- in part, if not
wholly siihstantuited •. and 1 suppose the au-

1878.]

AND HORTICUL TURIS T.

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 hi 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? Anothercorrespondent 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 saj's, "For planting on rock-
work, these Begonias have few equals."

I call this " practical experience " of tlie i-igh(
sort, and it must ha borne in mind tliat it is only
since 1874 that they have been grown, even in
England, to any great extent.

Xow 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 an}' shade whatever.

both planted out and in pots, all last 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 fine 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 I
predict for this lovely species a success far sur-
passing any plant of recent introduction for sim-
ilar purposes.

ANTHURIUWI SCHERTZERIANUM.

BY MANSFIELD >[ILTOX, CLEVELAND, <>.

This fine plant is a native of Costa Rica, and
consequently requires a good warm temperature
to insure success in its culture. There are several,
varieties of this plant in cultivation, some of
which, especially the small-leaved ones, are not
wf)rth growing ; the varieties are the best having
large leaves and large flowers or spathes,as it is
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
the size of the leaves and flowers. The leaves
are of a bright green color, about sixteen inches
long, the leaf starts about a foot high ; above
this rise the flower spikes, the spathes being
two inches wide and fully three inches long, of
the lirightest scarlet. The spathe is twisted and
also l)right scarlet, therefore forming a beautiful
and very attractive object. The plant has been
in flower since last April, having only now
(Novenibi'r) two flowers. A mixture of
spliagnum moss, charcoal and pieces of fibrous
1 eat 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 off".
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
l)r()wn scale, which can be easily kept under by

74

THE GARDEXER'S MOXTHLY

{March,

•occasionallr \v;i,><l)iiii: tlu" li'a\ ts. It is piopo-
i;ato(l by seeds uiul divisions. I would advise
the i)ooplt' when purchasing,' a phint of this
Anthuriuni to endeavor to ^et Iho hirsje leaved
variety, for be the culture ever so <;ood, but little
satisfaction is derived from the small leav«'d
kinds.

UniTORIAf. NOTES.

Stei'hanotis FLOKinrxDA.— With this .spe-
cies we have enmnerated some of the best stove
climb(>rs that can be grown, but none are more
admired than the Stephauotis, and it deserves
attention wherever there is room for it. Pot
plants are nothing compared with a good climb-
ing specimen. yielding flowers in al)undance both
large and fine. Goood loam and peat in ecjual
(luantities, 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
plenty of water at the root during the growing
season, but not much in Winter. The shoots
will grow to an enormous length if allowed, and
as it breaks freely there is never any ditliculty 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
footing, and attention with the brush to prevent
the enemy clustering in a1)out the axils of the
leaves. In a stove the flowers continue to be
produced for a period of six weeks or two
months, but by having a plant in an inter-
mediate-house also the blooming season may be
prolonged con.siderably. None of the species
here treated of require shade in summer pro-
vided the ventilation be sulHeient ; but when the
stove has to be shaded for the sake of its other
inmates, the climbers will suffer no injury if the
shading be not too thick nor used oftener than
required.— i^te/rf.

Winter Decorativk Plants.— In addition
to the many tlowering 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-
raum. At the Royal Xursery, Ascot, Messrs.
Standish & Co. grow these two in immense

(juantities, and at ( "liristmas there could be seen
two long span-roofed houses quite filh'd with
some thousand plants of A. cuneatum, the great
m.ojority in 32-potH,with larger examples in pot.s
of an incrciised si/e. Kvery plant was a perfect
spi'cimen in itself, so adniiral)ly was it grown.
The i)lants are not marketed, but simply grown
for the fronds, and they are constantly being
sent to London. The ripened, developed fronds
are those gathered, as they stand much better
and last longer than the young ones. They are
gathered and carefully laid in baskets, and n^ach
their destination without taking harm. A gra-
cillinium is wonderfully grf)wn at A.scot. There
are those who term it a '' mifly grower,'' and say
'.hey cannot do anything with it, but at Ascot it
is the very perfection of vigor, and if anything,
j more robust than A. cuneatum. It is a very
! fast grower.

j A large numl)er of plants had been raised from
I seed, and it was curious to note that in a very
young state the pinna; were Jis large as those of
A. cuneatum ; but when it gets into size, the
young fronds take on that small elegant form
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 year
ago. Some extra-large specimens showed off"
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
manure-water once a week, and rather more in
summer-time. The experience gained at Ascot
teaches that A. gracillimum will not grow in
peat. The cuneatum is increased by dividing
the plants when they break into growth after
being cut over for the London .season. 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 Fa.shion in Cut Flowers. — A very
prett}' innovation is to wear the same flowers in
the hat or bonnet as are held in the bouquet in

1878.]

AXn HORTICULTURIST.

75

the hand; consequently, only flowers that are in
season are worn. Now, of cour.se, we have a
great choice, but in Winter we shall have only
ivy, heath, and branches of fir-tree, with a few
■of the flowers reared in hothouses. The flowers
■on the hat, also, must be perfumed as if the}-
were real flowers. There is a poetx-y in the
fashion, which will not fail to please. Even
i^lderly ladies may follow this fashion ; for they
will choose flowers adapted to their age, or, if
not flowers, they may wear the foliage of the
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 h\ the florist that
•one lady who wore such a rose at the Grand
Prix was warned by another lad}' 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 Eubens
hats, 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
considered comme il faut. Duchesses, baron-
esses, princesses, countesses, etc., all wear large-
brimmed hats bending over the face. And how
pretty they are ! They may perhaps not be
ijuite so saucy as the jaunty sailor's hat, but if
they look less provoguanfs, 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.

NEir OR RARE PLANTS.

SK3II-D0115LE Gloxinias. — These are by no
means rare, but as yet they can scarcely 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
effective. The forms of Gloxinia are well worth
ihe attention of the florist. — V. in Garden.

Centaurea Clemextii. — 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 Eiu'ope, but it has been slow in

getting into our country. A correspondent tells
is he had it out last Summer, and that it stands
:he sun very well. We give with this an illustra-
ion of a leaf.

CiTpnEA RoEZLi. — This new and beautiful
-species, which has been introduced into the mar-
ket by M. Charles Huber, nurseryman at Kice
I Maritime Alps), was discovered in the district
of Tepic, in Mexico, by M. Roezl, who sent the
seeds to M. Ortgies. The first sowing was made

76

////■ (;.ia'/)/':x/:a'\s .uox/v/av

[.\/,irc/i.

by M. <'li:ul.> Hiibt-r in Auirust. Ih7'». The
plant forms a soft-woodi-d, vitv vij^orons nhnjl),
often <:ro\vinLr to the heiiilit <>f .'< ft., or men
more. Th*- llowors are cxtrcnu'ly iUtun<l:iiit •,
they are covered all over with lijrht down, and
are sli<i;htly <jibbo»is. or slipper-shajied. From
its vi<;or, the abnndance of its bloom, and the
len<jtb of time it keeps in tlower, the Cuphea
Roezli will be much sonixht after for the orna-
mentation of eold cjreenhonses in th«r elimate 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
^eve^al 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.

Xeav Geraniums. —New varieties are out in
force. Besides those offered by W. K. Hams in
our last month's advertisements, there are two
in the West of some promise. Fanny, a bronze
zonale, tlower 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 a j^»e blooming specimen. The
same report I read in the last number of the
London Gardener's Chronicle. lean only ascrilie
it to the blight which damaged the foliage of the
Dutch Hyacinth last May, before the bull) 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 tbev

said the oldc^ growers <lid not recollect such an
event. They certainly apj)eared very much <'ast
down about tht-ir ])rosi)e(ls to raise a large cro])'
for this season : and so far I hear it corroborated,
(hat fewer Hyacintli bulbs have been phuited in
Holland last fall, for the season of IHTS, than has
been done in otbir years. Other bulbs 1 saw.
were doing wtdl on an average. *"

[No flowers have Idoomed as well generally
this winter as usual, j>erhaps 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 Milwaukee. — T.(i. A., Milwau-
kee, AVis., 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 other florists, all of which came in toler-
able good condition, but they are now in thi'ec
jears nearly worthless. In fact, I have seen none
in Wisconsin in a good, healthy condition. The
same maybe said of the Rhododendron. Is the
cause attributable to atmosphere, or soil ? 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 Avell. It is probably no per-
manent cause. — Ei). (t. M.]

Butterfly Flowers. — While our coriopon-
dents are teaching us how to grow Butterfly
Orchids, Mr. Rolker, of New York, sends us
sam})les of paper butterflies, looking so nnich
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 effect desired.

Double White Oleander. — Mrs. W., Woi-
cester, Mass., kindly writes : " In your num-
ber for September, I noticed ' E.' intjuires
under scraps and queries, page. 2(iS, if there
is realh^ 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
arc now five stalks, from one to two and a half
feet deep, each with a branch of buds. A friend
from whom this sliji came, has a plant equally
vigorous."

1878.]

AND NOR TICUL TURIST.

Aspect of a Greejthouse. — S. B. B., War-
Tenton,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
to put it is so fixed that I would be compelled to
have the gable end (which would be of glass) fac-
ing a little south of east ; the sun shines on the spot

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
winter, either aspect would do very well. The
one giving as much direct sunlight from the
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 injiu-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 tor 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.

Many kinds of raspberries, especially in dry
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 ti-ees. This is at the
expense of future growth, and without future
growth there will be no future crops.

Easpberries, blackberries, &c., frequently bear
and die when so treated. The canes should be
cut back to a few inches on transplanting.
Raspberries for fruit in fall should always be
pretty well cut back. It is not essential with the
regular Fall-bearing kinds, but it aids them
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 lai\ge 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 MO.\ 1111. )

[A/<i,r/,,

beforo tho hpfrinninpf of next month, if the
jjjround is not too wot; many phmt Cabbage be-
tween the Potato rows.

Onions are better put in early, but the ground
<ui£jht to be dry, and trodden or beaten firm when
the sets are phmted; the ground ought not to
have rank manure — wood aslies and pure un-
duiiized loam will alone produce an excellent
crop.

To have Turnip.s good in Spring they must be
sown very early ; they arc hardy, and must be
put in as soon ji.s the ground ^an 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.

I^ettuce 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 thi-ive 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 SIIINX, NILES, 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 vallev which extends

from San Pueblo on the north to (Jilroy 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 nmch modified by
the ocean winds, which are chiefly felt in tln^
northern portion, lying near the bay of San
P'rancisco. The southern portion is warmer and
drier, hence produces earlier fruit. It may be
safely said that the whole district under cultivjv-
tion ])roduces in great perfection apples, pears.
l)eaches, plums, cherrifs, the leading nuts, etc.

Very large quantities of the small fruits art-
grown. The vicinity of the San J^orenzo Creek
has proved the best soil for currants, the Cherry
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 off
the ground. The favorite kinds are Black Ham-
burg, Malvaise, Rose de Peru, Flame Tokay.
Mu-scat 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 thtese 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 have succeeded best with us : Early
Harvest, Red Astracan, Summer Queen, Ameri-
can Summer Pearmain, Gravenstein, Fall Pippin ,
Holland Pippin. Washington Strawberry. Maiden
Blush, Smith Cider. Yellow Belletlower, Rhode-

1878.]

AND HORTICULTURIST.

79

Island Greening, Caviiga 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
apple.

Pears have been grown for nearly a century at
the old Spanish Missions, and both soil and cli-
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-
lett, Clapp's Favorite, Flemish Beauty, Seckel,
Beurre d'Anjou, Beurre Clarigeau, Easter
Beurre, Winter Nelis. Only second in import-
ance are the Virgalieu, Madeleine, Bloodgood,
Beurre Hardy, Vicar of Winkfield, Duchess
d'Angouleme 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, I
President, Salway and Smock's Late. The Thur-
ber. Susquehanna, Foster, Silver Medal, Nanti-
foke and man}- 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 preferred
on Mazzard stock, but bears well on the
Mahaleb.

The Plum, Prune and Apricot are staple crops,
entirely free from insect ravages, and peculiarly
adapted to our soil and climate. They market
well while fresh, and are dried with ease. Our
best plums are the Washington, Columbia, Peach
Plum, Quackenboss, Duane's Purple, Coe's
(rolden Drop and Imperatrice. Of prunes, the
Early Felenberg, German, Hungarian and Petite

j Prune d'Agen. The most popular apricots are
I the Early Golden, Royal, Moorpark and Hem-
kirke.

The almond and English walnut are grown in
■ every part of the valley, with promise of entire
success. Many orchards of almonds have been
I planted, and some have paid largely. The
I almond does best in a place somewhat sheltered
I from the north wind. A line of Eucalyptus
globulus is usually sufficient protection.

There are few difhculties in the way of the^
i fruit-grower of this section. No destructive
insects have troubled us, and we are near the
j leading markets of the State. In dry seasons,,
I the increased price of fruit compensates for the
[Short crop. But in some respects the home
market is overdone, and we 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 w^aste 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 i)lanting or-
chards and are beautifying their places. The
awakening of public interest on this topic has
been wonderful, and it is hardly too much to say
that probably in a very few years this entire
valley will be occupied by orchards, vineyai-ds.
small fruits and market gardens.

THE DIOSPYROS KAKi OR JAPANESE
PERSBMMON.

BY REV. H. I.OOMIS.

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 astrinsency and develop the peculiar,,
rich and luscious flavor.

»0

THE GARDENER'S MOM 1 11. \

\^March,

An t'x:ut <k'scripti«)n of all the varieties is yet
to be prepared. Owinj; to the diversity of names
and variations in the fruit, it isdillkiilt to obtain
a eompk'te and reliable account of the various
kinds.

From careful observation and comparison of
:uithorities I have selected the following as desir-
able varieties for introduction here, and I jjjive as
far as possible a condensed account of each.

Nihon is usually slightly oblong, is round in
•<hape, color yellowish red, with black spots in

Royal, similar in slia])e to the Taikoon,but
more yellow in i-nlor, large size. Is said to be
good for drying.

Mikado, shai)ed like a tomato, medium size
bright y» How color, (.'ailed in Japan "Tarngaki"
(from tarn a tul)). as it is usually plucked and
packed in casks to ripen. A very common and
popular fruit in Yedo and vicinity. Not nmch
used for drying. Some of the specimens arr
seedless, and especially when the trees are
young.

DlOSl'YKOb KaKi.

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 sometimes dark stripes on the surface,
tember. It is much esteemed for its peculiarly The flesh is soft when ripe and particularly sweet
sweet flavor, (rrown about Tokio. 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 fmit. It will ripen on the tree, but is
medium size, flesh soft, ripens in October. Called usually ripened in casks. Season, later part of
" Yedo's best Persimmon." October to January. The most popular variety

riTaikoon,round, of a pale or greenish yellow^ among the Japanese. From Mmo 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 tlie trees are more prolific. Ripeus
on the tree. Is used for drying.

Kanosan, color yellowish red, oblong, good
size, ripens oil" the tree. The apex is bent to one
side.

There is a variety called the '' Manije Gaki "
(or bean persimmon from its size), that is not
good for eating, but the juicf 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
otlier varieties is not generally of as fine a
(piality.

There is a small seedless persimmon found in
Southern Japan that is used cluetly for drying.
It is probable that the trees sold in this country
as " seedless " are either the same or else amis-
take. 1S.0 large and seedless variety, as hasbe.en
represented, is i^ be obtained.

LIME FOR APPLE ORCHARDS.

BY3I. J. BLACKWKLL, TITL'SVILLI-:, N. ,1.

We have used lime on our apple orchard for a
number of 3'ears, and consider it beneficial in
moderate quantities, say twenty bushels to the
acre. We have an old orchard that has borne
heav}' crops for several years, that we have limed
with good results.

EDITORIAL NOTES.

Neav English Goo.sebekuies. — There are
several new gooseberries being put on the market
just now", " remarkably large, free from mildew,"
«Kc. 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
]iroduced 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 on(> locality is no
proof of their 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 trues arc
"mossy," "eaten by borers," have "yellow
leaves," and *' no fruit of any value." The only
matter of surprise is that our cotcmporary

should go to ^Michigan for its example, when
New York State can show as many such cases
as Michigan. We do not believe Michigan one
whit beliiud New York or any other State in its
illustrations of neglected orchards ; on the con-
trary, as the writer of this has seen with his own
eyes, the fruit growers o^Michigan arc, as a
whole, among the most wide-awake in the Union.
We can assure our cotemporary that a neglected
orchard has no more chance in New York than
any other State. Only good culture can raise
apples or any other fruit anywhere.

' Grafting Rooted Eyes — Mr. G. W. Camp-
bell, of Delaware, Ohio, takes rooted eyes of
j grapes for grafting. He says the process is much
j more certain in this way. The benefits are a
• verj' 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.
j and keeps as long as Rome Beauty.

I Apples for MissorRi. — A correspondent, evi-
I dently of great experience, from Caldwell county,
'■ tells the llural 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, ?> Red June, 3 Early Harve.st, 5
Maiden Blush, 3 Smith's Cider, 3 Bellflower, 3
Tallnian Sweet. For an orchard of 200 trees 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
very leafy. Two quarts of seed, drilled, is enough
for an acre. All farm stock like it.

The Northern Spy Apple.— The Gardene.r''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 «& BaiTy, 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

rilE HARniXI-.R'S MOXI'IIIA

[AAm/i,

NEW OR KARI-: J-KC/TS,
n-Ai/'/T.lJy/J-S, liTC.

TEOSINTK UKANA LUXII.IAX-. Mi'isi'!, Vil

iiioriii, »»f Paris, >;ive? (lio followinj; iiccount of a
lU'W fj;r:\ss, whii'h may l)t' wortli lonkiiiLr aftor by
our S()uth(»ni ai^rit-ultiirists : ••Miuli lias been
spoken latoly in (he auricnltural and liorlicul-
tiiral papers of this iriganlic ijraniina'a, 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 AVinters; resem-
bles Indian Corn in aspeet and vegetation, but
produces a great number of shoots, growing 3 to
4 yards high, thitkly 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
countries it is doul)tfMl 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 : " Here in Arkansas
almost every thing of the tree and shrub kind
grows from cuttings put into the ground in Feb-
ruary, but the inhaljitants 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 Blooming of Apple Tubes. — J. P.
asks : " I would like to be informed, if possi-
ble, of the reason of and cure for two Maiden
Blush apjile ti'ces 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 when the
leaves have been destroyed or injured before the
proper time for the fall of the leaf in Autumn.

Soniclimcs it is by leaf-blight, sdinetimes l)y
ca(eri)illars, 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.]

ScKinNEU Spitzeniu" i;fi Ari'LEs. — Mr.
Bailey writes: "I do not (liink that there is
much difference in time of ripening of the
Esopus and Scribner Spitzcnburgs. 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."

FitiTiT-CuLTURE Foii Market. — J. C. "\V.,
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 i)lant 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. ? Nurserymen advise us to plant
Ilyslop. What work can you recommend as the
best on tlie cultivation and management of the
standard and dwarf pear? also on the grape? "

[While visiting the fruit farm of Col. Edwai'd
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-growers 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 jieople
al)out (ierniantown make fabulous sums from
old Catharine Pear Trees, by merely whipping
off the fx'uils, and selling them immediatel}', on
the market prices of Philadelphia. But this
would be useless in a place where they could not
be all gatthered one da}' 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 liirht, 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 Crgi-bs
are very good market fruits, but man}- prefer

1878.]

AND HORTICULTURIST.

83

the smaller, old-fashioned kinds. A week or two
an watcliing the market in which you will prob-
iibly 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
the most taking — of the literature of fruit-grow- i
ing in this country, has been the product of en. \
thusiastic, well-meaning men, who earnestly be- !
lieved in all they wrote, but whose orchards
(when they had any) afterwards proved disastrous
failures. With Barry's Fruit Garden andThomas'
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 Raspbekeies.
— M., iJ'ewark, Ohio, writes: "There is a dis-
pute among our fruit-growers as to the best time
to prune out the RasiDberry canes that have done
bearing. 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, df the old branches are cut
away, there will be moi'e " air and light," and
perhaps " food,'^' for the rest ; but in practice no
special 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
is nothing gained either way. Tlie practice herr_
: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, X. H..? I see you do in Pennsylva-
nia, in December number, page 307. I had
.thought the reverse the best in this cold climate."

[Yes ; but cover the border 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-
noyance to which I have been subject, and the
destruction of fine orchards. We bought a farm,
with fine Apple, Pear and Clierry trees, about
twenty years old. They yielded quantities of
fruit, but wormy. Seeing in your Gardener's
Monthly, Vol. xix., Ko. 220, April 1877, page
115, Query, Oil for Fruit 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 pri-ferablc 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 beginnimg 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 jOM?-e 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.]

Forestry.

COMMUNICA TIONS.

QUERCUS PHELLOS AND Q. FALCATA.

BY J. M., PHILADELPHIA.

Some of the Southern species of oaks, among
Hvhich are the two named above, creep up a con-

siderable way towards a colder clime. lu
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

HA

Tin-: CARDRXER'S MOXJIII Y

f.I/,//v//.

lino spccitHiMis i>t' llic IMicUos just outxifli- ot
Pliiladt'lpliiu oouiify. across (lio Darby Creek
wluMv the l>ri(l<ie takes one across to Delaware
eoinity. There are some live or six trees in a
small clump of woods, the largest of them per-
haps fifty feet high, and irrowinj; side hy side
with the Quereiis palustris, which abounds in
this neijjhborhood. I have been told of speci-
mens of the (Jueicns Phellos which formerly
irrew in Grav's woods, some four mibs nuithof
these of which I am writini,' <;row.

It would be interesting to know the furthest
northern poiiit that this beautiful Oak has been
where found growing wild.

In the same vicinity that I name are scattered
speciuKMis 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 llall,
Fairmount Park. Specimens can also be found
hi 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
sive this name to the Quereus falcata.

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. Von 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 saj'S :
"All of you can have the Blue Gum in your or-

nammlal iilaiiiaii<ins lor several numtlis in Uk-
sunimt r. Plant tlie seeds in October in a green-
house, givi' the roots a larue box, put out in Jinie
in warm, dry soil, give water sulhcient to keep a
lively growth. Thus yr)u can iiave a plant of
great beauty by October, ten to fifteen feel
high."

lie also sent seed of twenty-om' varieties of
Eucalyptus, a portion of which have been given
to Mr. Miller for propagation, at IIorticnllMral
Hall in the Park.

Our friends, in the Southern States f speciall_\'^
should take notice where they can seciu't^ the
books on the Eucalyptus and the seed.

nniTORlAL .VOTJiS.

Yellow Pine.— It is well worth while asking,
What is the Yellow Pine V 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 Libocedrus
decurrens is the Yellow Cedar of the Pacific-
coast.

The Spanish Ohestnut. — This, thou<:h wild
in many parts of Eurf)]ie, is now supjiosed to
have been originally introduced by. the (Jreeks
from Asia. The American species is no doubt
truly indigenous to the American continent.

Willow Bark.— This is successfully used in
Russia for tanning pvu-poses.

The Cinchona in Ja:maica.— 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

i find in a Western paper. We are particularly

j glad to republish it, as Mr. Schofield deserves

gi'eat credit for what he has done to stimulate

timber-planting in the West :

" Mr. D. C. Scofield, of Elgin, 111., from trees
planted since he was 50 years old, has produced,
the timber to build himself a fine house. In this
he has taken pride to fini.sh it with elegant

1878.]

AND HORTICULTURIST.

85

■wainscoting, and finishing lumber from some
twenty-live varieties of the most valuable hard
<xnd soft wood grown by himself. It was not the
nctual necessity for timber tliat induced this, for
the country about Elgin, on the Fox river, is
well wooded and contains ample timber even
for tiring purposes. Mr. Scofield, many years
ago, was thoroughly alive to the necessity of
timber growing in the AVest, and he has shown
that a man past middle age may rear noble trees,
even 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
ooon 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. He says
it is impossible to fire a roof made of blue gum
shingles, so that wliat may be lost in fire-wood
may be a gain in making it a substitute for slate.
WrLLOAVS FOR RAILROAD TiES. — Mr. JessB
W. Fel', 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 riONS.

BARRENNESS IN THE FIC TREE.

TI. 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 anj- 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
■c-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 Spi'ing, begin to swell
:and grow oft' rapidly, uhless 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
<-rop " is the result of fruit-buds formed the
Autumn before, and remaining dormant through
the Winter. The second or main crop is from
l)uds of the present growing season.

Now for the case of my barren Fig tree. In
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
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 waj^s to force out the fruit-buds by
pinching the tei'minal growth, and by the use of
strong manures, l)ut 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 weathei-, 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
187G.

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

TJIF. GARDENER'S MOXllUA

\^March,

is the Loiuon riir (a.s 1 iisct-rtaimd by ouo or
two fruits which partly escaped the effects of
frost), the variety most commonly cultivated in
Charleston, but which does not succeed here so
well as tile Celestial and Hrnwn Turkey. These
two last named I havf found to be the i)est for
our climate; hoth hardy, ixood l)earers, and
quality of fruit excellent. The main crop of
Celestial begins to ripen about 1st of .Fuly, and
continues for a month. IJrown Turkey ripi-ns

which looks at a distance lik(! leaves in i-arly
spring, and contrasts agreeably with the dark
firs.

One of the prettiest tiiiiit^s ;it this st-ason is :in
evergreen shrub known here as " On-iron (Jrupe,'^
but which has leaves liki; a Holly, thougii I liave
not seen llower or fruit. It has glos.sy dark-
green leaves with sharp spines, and is said to
bear black, or dark purple berries. [Mahonia
aquifolia. — En.] The "'Oregon currant" must be a

early in August, and continues into September. ' beautiful shrub. Usually, flowers, like pro])hets,

They botli occasionally, when the "Winters are are without honor in their own country; ])ut

mild, liear a small number of" first croj) " fruit. ; specimens are found in nearly every yard and

The Fig being a dioecious plant, we liavf, of j garden, and every fiower-lover is enthusiastic in

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 hardv varieties.

NOTES FROM OREGON.

BY FANNIE S. BltlGGS, SALEM, OUEGON.

its praise. The leaf is similar to that of the
common garden currant and its habit of growth^
only it is ver}' much larger, and in spring it Ls-
said to bear a great profusion of bright scarlet
flowers. [Ribes sanguinea. — Ei).|

Almost every clear day I go out to look at Mt.
Hood, only a few steps up a hill, and I see it
rising in calm majesty from the dark surrouiiding^
ridges, glittering snowy white in the sun. From
other hills, not fiir away, we can see four of these
snowy giants • -Teflerson, Hood, Ranier, and St.
Helen's. Somehow these bold isolated peaks,.

I standing in lonely grandeur, landmarks for
hundreds of miles, seem even more inspiring^

Old residents say that the rains commenced here j than the long line of the Nevadas,seen from the
nearly two months earlier than usual. There California hills. No wonder that the dweller.'.
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, mo.sses and lichens abound. In many
places the trees for a foot 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

among mountains love their " ain countree ;'^''
no wonder that something of the caln> steadfast-
ness of the eternal hills aljides in their souls.

THE EUCALYPTUS AND THERAPEUTICS.

BY MAKQUII) DIGRAM, IMIILA.

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 by the sun's heat,^
would produce unwholesome vapors. These ever-
thirsty roots create innumerable streams in the
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 il, also comes strongly rec-
ommended as a " destroyer of fever in the air.""
We are told that it was some vears since grown

chiefly fir and oak, and the oaks are completely ' around the grounds of a certain hospital at or near
covered with a fine light-green pendant moss, Washington, where ague bad previously beeii

1878.]

AND HOR riCUL 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
ditlicult to understand as heing produced either
by the absorption of tlie poison tlu'ough the leaves
or the extreme moistui-e by the plant's roots.

The sun-ttower, though a rank grower, is a
puny affair 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 thiclvly lilce 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
3'ou name any wliich it would be worth while to
try experiments with?

[Tbere 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 rjdding the soil of superabundant moisture, is
so far a benefit to public health. — Ed.G.M.]

EDITORIAL NOTES.

Cahxivorous 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 catcli. 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 ditterence 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-bhght of the pear, and the
common twig-blight of tlie 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 as to
the real action of any fungi upon these limbs.
In the meantime, besides every attention to se-
cure vigor and healtlifiilness 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 l)light is, " on good
evidence," fungoid, and it thus becomes an ad-
vantage to "burn everj' 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 diflerence
between " good evidence " and " proof? " Prof.
Bm-rill has no doubt been incorrectly reported.

LiBERiAN Coffee. — This new^ species of
coffee which is attracting so much attention in
Europe at tlie 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 tlie 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 piu-poses. It is found that tlie
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 Winter. — 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 montlis 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 tlie
lecture the following proceedings are reported:

•• Mrs. Powell asked the Professor where the
drops of moisture came from which -.we fouiul in
flic Crown Imperial.

88

Tin- c.iKnr.M- Rs Miyxiinv

yMarch,

'• I'loti'SMir M(trLj:iii — 'I'licv (•(uiic tVdiii the Mir-
r(Hiii(liiiL^ (issii«>, uiuloiihffdly. Tlicv arc incrt-ly
:i scciTlion of (lie plaiil, altoucthcr analogous fo
(he milk of (he Jiiilk-wi'cd and that class ol
])laiils.

" A lady nionibcr desired sonic liLrht \\\n)\\ fliat
class of jilants termed the caiiiivcroiis. and
allndcd to in the essay, to uliicli the Profi-ssor
replied Ity sayinir that the <;reat Linnsens rejected
the idea that there were any such plants hi ex-
istence. ]{nt tlic fjreat naturalist was mistaken.
Such plants do (^xist, and it has heen clearly
demonstrated that they feed upon and diijest the
soft parts of insects cauj^ht hy them. The diges-
tion is perf(>rmed hy a sort of gastric juice
secreted hy the ])laiit. They are found about
the bofjs of the ('arolinas and nowhere cl.-c in
the world.

•'It was .suggested to the Chair thai if tlic
strawberry is not a fruit, as affirmed in the essay,
that 'Othello's occupation is gone'— that he
(Mr. O.) is no longer a fruit-grower, but a grower
of something else, and the chief point of interest
is, what sort of a nondescript did he grow.

"Professor Morgan exnlained very intelligently
and satisfactorily to all pre.seut, the difference
between a true fiuit and the strawberry, which
is no nioie a fruit than the tip of an asparairus
plant or celery stalk."

There is probably some misapprehenson of
Profes.sor Morgan's position. The fleshy por-
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 "ti]) of an
a.sparagus."

M.VLFOUMKD Ai'tlp: JiLossOMs. — A corres-
pondent of the Valley Naturalist says: "We
have recently received some monstrous apple-
flowers collected by Prof. Keigh, of Xew 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
the twenty missing stamens; this is however;
contrary to analogy, as transformations of this

sort rarcl\ ever occur in othei- jilants. The
original tree is (piilc old, and is unforlnnately in
a dying coiuliiion. (Jrafts have, however, been
inatle, so that this peculiar monstrosity will not
: be lost to science by the death of the original
free. It has been suggested that the fruit may
also have an economic value, as. in an orchard
away from other apple trees, bloitming at the
same time, the large, early fall cooking apples
wtiiilil proliably be (juite seedless."
-IiMiMNC Be.vns <)>- Mkxko. — From the so-
called •jumping beans" of Mexico whose mo-
tions are caused by an insect within, Mr.
Ileiuy ICdwards has succeeded in obtaining a
beautiful moth of the Tortricidnc family and
' proiiahly a new species. The case is curious, gs
an instance of one of thr lepidoptera ])iercing a
seed capsule with its ovipositor, and laying an
egg to produce a larva which will destroy the
seed. This sort of performance is mostly con-
lined to coleopterous insects. The account of
j this new moth was given before the San Fran-
' Cisco Microscopical Society.

Light for Tkopical Pi>ants; — Professor
Secley thinks the idea that tropical plants need
a large amount of light is a mistake. We are
inclined to agree with him. We doubt much
; whether the actual amount of light in a tropical
i country is any greater than the jear's average in
I a temperate one. We have been sur])i'ised to
i find the Banana and man}- tropical plants make
green, healthy growth in warm rooms, where the
j light was comparatively limited.
I The Potato Beetle in Europe. — Some of
the European entomologists are amusing them-
[ selves with pelting Prof. Pilev, because 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 jiotatoes 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 sa5^s, 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
season.

" Another fliult we find with this pamphlet is

1878.]

AND HOR TICUL TURIST.

89

that of extolling, for the destruction of the Do-
ryphora, an agent of which the handling is most
dangerous. Ever}' one knows the grave acci-
dents caused by Paris green to those who breatlie
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 witli it broadcast,
leaving its management in hundreds of inex-
perienced hands.

'' It is a case in which the remed}- is worse
(ban Ihc evil. Mr. Riley assures us as a fact
that arsenite of copper decomposes, and is not
Boxious once that it is deposited on the earth.
But before that ? He says that its judicious
employment has no inconveniences. We are
not of bis opinion ; and can we reckon on the
Judicious prudence of a farmer's bo}', to whom
would be left, in most cases, the care of arseni-
cating the potato fields?"

All this reads very funny to us over here, who
nppreciate fully the value of Professor Eiley'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. Caudeze's eyes this is a
great diflerence.

Tile tirade against Paris green is as funny as
the 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 anj' rate,
which ought to be worth some milllions of francs,
and well worth the expense of the few thousand
pamjihlets distributed by European governments.
But they will be ver}' foolish if they conclude to
accept Candeze's advice and throw over Riley's,
and look on." the remedy (Paris green) as woi'se
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 CoxsTKt(-Tiox ok a Tkee. — S. says :
" Contemplating once a redwood tree in Cali-
fornia — three huiidrod feet high and perhaps
fort}'-five feet in diameter — the question arose,
Out of what was this stupendous mass of wood
manufactured? It could not have been mnde

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 vei'y inconsiderable per 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 Ieonwood. — .1. R. P., Frankfort. Ky..
writes : " Which is the Ironwood, the Ostrya
Virginica., or the Carpinus Americana'? 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 Ostrj-a 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.j

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 Yine," 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 stroight
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 b)^ the scientific
ones, yet the "common" name is hardlj^ re-
sponsible here. It may be by design that the
nam(> of '" Chinese Yam " has been changed, so
as to make a good " strike ;" or it may have been

90

TIIF. GARDllMiR'S MOXTJIIA

[March,

started as " Cinnamon Vine " in ijrnorancc that ' advice we can pive is that wh. n von see thinjifft

it was (lie old Chinese Yam. No inti'llim-nt nur- adviTtisi-d tiiat arc iiol in ilic licst niirscry t-at-

servnian or florist would sell a root under sueh a aloj^ues, whose issuers are always in the advance,

name without stalini; that it was " Dioseorea wait till you do ; hut if you are very anxious to*

Batatas,'' heeause sueh " deeejitions " or " mis- ho in first on a new fhiii<: which even the hcst

takes " always react unfavorahly on his pernian- men in the trade have not — well, then you must

ent business. We fear "them three dollai-s " pay for that glorious privileire, and even three

are ••ijone'' beyond recovery : and the only aood dollars is a cheap sum to ]iay for it. — Kd.]

— ^^^- • «* —

Literature, Travelsi^Personal Notes.

coj/j/[\\7L:r/V(hvs.

PLANT PROTECTION.

i;V i:i (.KNK (il.KX.

Last winter, in conversation with a leading
nurseryman, I ventured the opinion that not
more than one-thirdof the Pear trees theretofore
sold as Souvenij- du Congres had been genuine.
He atrreed with me. Another very active and
intelligent nurseryman standing by insisted that
the proportion of genuine trees 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 eflbrts
of its introducers have created a demand in
excess of their abilityto 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
changing labels the same trees may be readily
passed off 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 jK'i suade themselves that honest}- hasentire-
ly departed from the nursery trade. I need scarce-
ly say that this state of things v/orlis 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.

Fraudfs in merchandise are by no means con-
fined to the horticultural trade, but thev are so

nnicii more serious in their results when com-
mitted in this trade than ni any other that they
may well be the subject of sjiecial 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
tine 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 yivcn the tree, and the pro.s-
pective profit or enjoyment which the genuine
tree would have* atlbrded. zVfter repeatedly
sutlering 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 bei'omes important to consider what
is the existing law upon the subject. an<l why
does it fail to roach the desired end.

\ While it may startle some to learn it, there
can be no doubt that it is now, ayd for many
years has been, the well-settled law of England
and the United States that a seedsman wdio 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, mclud-

j ing the profits of the crop which might have been

j realized, estimating it at an average crop from
genuine seed in that year, had the seed been
genuine. (Randall vs. Roper. '.IC. Eng. Com. Law,
S'2; Page vs. Parry, S ; Carr & Payne, 7(i9 ; Pas-

'. senger vs. Thorburn. :U, X. Y, ():')4 : 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 m value to the-

1878.]

AND HORTICULTURIST.

91

planter of the tree supplied, and the tree which
purported to be supplied, at the period of crowth
when it becomes practicable to discover the
fraud or mistake with certainty. Of course this
difference may 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 mistakes should
enforce their claims under this law, the nursery
and seed trades would soon be anniliilated. But
there is no danger of a general enforcement of
this law; and it is a knowledge of this fact which
prompts men to sell spurious trees, plants and
seeds with impunity.

The laws must assume that nurserymen and
other merchants supply just what they agree to
supply, and hence it throws upon their victims
the burden of proving the contrary. With most
varieties the question of identity cannot be deter-
mined with certainty until the trees have fruited.
This may involve waiting five years or more, and
even then it may require the evidence of experts
or experienced horticulturists. The production
of this class of evidence is necessarily expensive,
and unless the amount in controversy is large,
the victims cannot afford to attempt the enforce-
ment of tbeir rights. Beyond all this is the fact
that nursery stock is and must continue to be
mostly sold through canvassers. Many of these
canvassers are irresponsible. They are in the
business to-day and out of it to-morrow, or th^'
or their principals must be sought, and claims
enforced against them at great distances — often
in other States.

It may be said that the evil can be arrested by
making it a penal or criminal offense to falsely
label any tree or plant, but then we would have
to encounter the same presumption of innocence.
We would require the same class of expert
proof. We would be obliged to wait for evidence
of the alleged fraud to develop ; oftentimes until
all other oflenses committed at the same time,
save murder, would have outlawed. We would
have to seek the offender where he might
happen to be, and the fraud in each individual
case would require to be tried separately. Expe-
rience in other things shows that the wheels of
the law would require to be set in operation by
the victims. In most cases this would involve
an outlay which the damages sustained would
not warrant them in making, and for no part of
this outlay could they lawfully re-imburse them-
selves Hence, except in aggravated cases, the
law would remain as dead a letter as the present
law is.

The question now arises. Can nothing be done
to lessen this great evil? I think there can be,
and it was its supposed capability of doing this
that first directed my attention to a horticultural
copyright law. As any discussion of this feature
of the subject was omitted in the order of publi-
cation intended, I will in another communica-
tion endeavor to show how a copyi'ight law
would act on frauds, and why such a law may be
expected to materially lessen the commission of
such frauds.

EDITORIAL NOTES.

European Notes, by the EiMTor..— No. 7. —
I fancy the young men who learn gardening in
these days, can scarcely take the same delight in
their profession as did the young men forty or
fifty years ago ; or perhaps it may be that the
older ones of to-day do not know what the youn-
ger ones are doing. At any rate, at the time of
wliich I am now thinking it was not the fashion
for 3'oung gardeners to think their school educa-
tion finished as soon as the school-room ceased
to enclose them. When passing through the
Midland counties of England, I had a vision of
one who once in a while dropped in on me, of a
long winter evening, in the warm greenhouse
" stoke hole," and who, by the light of a piece
of wax candle stuck in the mouth of a porter
bottle, helped to conjugate Latin verbs together.
My young friend was now in charge of Newstead
Abbey, and one of the best-known and respected
among the intelligent class of British gardeners.
Besides the weight of this early attraction, I had
never seen these beautiful grounds, so much of
which is familiar to every one who has read au}-
thing of the history of Lord Byron. I switched
off, therefore, at Nottingham, and, armed with a
card of admission from Mrs. Amelia Jane AVebb,
who with Captiiin Webb delights in nothing so
much as sharing with others the treasures of
history and art that abound in the Abbey, I took
a "fly" for the long ride into the country, in
spite of the assurance that we would save niuch
time by rail. The road took us round a ceme-
tery in which most of the dead were in natural
caves in the rock. The entrances to some of
these caves presented a sight I had often read of
but never seen , and I think it one of the most beau-
tiful sights I ever saw in nature — the iridescent
moss. As we looked in the entrances to some of
these lioUows, at some little distances, the sides
would glisten with red and green and gold, which
would all disappear as you reached the spot, and

'J'UF. aARPEXl'.R'S MOXlllI.y

{March.

It'avi-' iiolliiiiji but till' appoaraiict'of <;ri'i'ii paint-
like sliim-, but whic'li, under a lens, could be seen
as a minute moss. Columns ol' red and white
sandstone here and there sujijiorted the roofs,
and made beautiful cathedral-like resemblances,
in kefpiuLj with the <.'raves. The lirounds are
wisely kept as uiiture washed Ihem out for us,
and the chief tloral adornments are the yellow
bedstraw.the furze, and the broom ; and in spite
of the beauty of many an artilical cemetery,
there did seem to me a singular api)ropriateness
Jii the return of '"dust to dust, and ashes to
ashes,'' in a place so fresh from the baud of
naiin-e as this.

We pass on through ISherwood Forest, made
memwable by Sir Walter Scott, and the nianj^
stories of Robin Hood and his men ; but little is
left to suixijost the tales of the olden time but
tavern siu;ns. and the names of old ruins or vil-
lages, as we pass throui^h. The " Forest" must
have di.sappeared long ago, and the places where
the good old monks

•' Sang nncl laughed,
Anrt the rich wine qnxff 'd,
Till they shook the olden walls,"'

are gradualh' disappearing too, in spite of the
traditional regard for old ruins in England. But
we found the old abbey still there. This is built
on this ancient royal forest land. King Henr}^
had slain the Archbishop a Becket of Canter-
bury, and, as was the custom at that time, had
to bring forth fruits worthy of repentance before
his sins could be forgiven, so he built this glor-
rious pile and presented it to the church, in
whose possession it remained until King Henry
VIII. 's time.

I was fortunatf^ in finding my friend, Mr. John
Lawrence, at home. The gardens are kept up
very much as the old monks left it, and it was
particularly interesting to notice in their work
thus fortunately preserved for us, what good
gardeners they were. The huge terraces must
have involved an immense amount of manual
labor, which, if really performed by the novices,
shows that they did not altogether despise hard
work in their efforts for a better life. We are
told by history that it is to the labor and skill of
the old monks that we owe many of our enjo}'-
able fruits and vegetables. The long, straight
garden wall border, in which they made their
experiments, now so many hundreds of years
ago, possessed a great charm for me. They were
also adepts in fish culture. They managed al-
ways to keep a good supply of the best in the
■" slew pond," and this so artistically arranged bv

their great skill in comljining the beautiful with
the useful, that I have rarely seen a sheet of
water that seemed to make everything about it
so beaulil'ul. They, however, unlike so many
wealthy people of our own time, knew the ad-
vantages of good advice, and in the planning of
their grounds had the assistance of the celebrated
Le Notre, who designed the Palace (irounds of
Versailles, and assisted the great Cardinal
Woolsey in his gardens at Hampton Court. These
sheets of water are rectaiiLrular, but the blanches
of neighboring trees, stooping down to kiss the
placid waters, have extended some more and
some less, until tin' margins are bayed out and
inletted in a manner sulfieient to .satisfy the
devotee of the most irregular in garden art. A
great amount of this overhanging foliage was of
the yew, some of the trees kiu)wn to be at least
700 years old. These dark grci'U masses gave a
peculiar tint to the waters that can scarcely be
described. AVater birds, with their young, were
darting in and out uiubr the living shade, seem-
ingly so little in fear of interruption, that at first
I thought them tame. The breast-works of
some of the dams were so completely overgrown
with cotoneaster, creeping on through the cen-
turies, that the only knowledge of their existence
came from the foaming water as it dashed through
the scarlet-berried branches. The landscape
gardener may iiKike a place which will be pro-
nounced perfect, but the charm which age brings
is Nature's own.

The fern garden seems especially a favoi'ite
with English ladies. It affords scope for a nice
combination of earth and rock with the shade and
romance of the wild w^oods; and here, also, I
found one bcautifull}- designed. There are piles
of rocks and caves, and everywhere, inside and
out, the filmy foliage of some beautiful fern.
Even history is made to lend a hand in tlie intel-
lectual feast in many memorials; raid among
them all I could not help feeling a more than
usual interest in a small carved seyenite column
from Thebes, perhaps among the oldest pieces of
workmanship of civilized man. We may have
advanced some in the arts as we have had oppor-
tunities afforded us, but here is the evidence that
when the human race was being rocked in its
cradle, it knew how to do first-class work.

The grounds are full of interesting memorials.
Livingston was a guest of Captain AVebb, and
here wrote the last work he ever published. As
is the prevalent custom in this country, his pres-
ence here is marked b}' a tree planted b}' his

1878.]

AND HOR TICUL TURIST.

9^

(iwu hand — in this case our famous mammoth of
California. The memorial tree of all others
thai interests the traveler is one planted hy
Byron before he left the hoine of his fathers.
This is an English oak, and is now (> feet 9
inches round, not a slow growth, as so many
think is the fate of all oaks, by any means. If
the relic-hunters had their way, there would not
he much growth left to tell of its increase, but
not a twig is allowed to be broken oft". It so
happened that a violent rain storm the night
before had placed a very little twiry with a
couple of leaves or so on the mossy lawn be-
low, and for all my smiles at those who "■gath-
ered old sticks," and pulled mortar out of old
walls, my companion felt highly privileged
wlien she was permitted to bring the treasm^e
away to her home in the New World. The cel-
ebrated twin tree on which Byron cut the initials
of himself and sister, is not an oak as stated in
some of the biographies of the poet, but a beech.
Augusta's branch has been long since dead, but
the piece is preserved by Captain Webb, as is
everything belonging to the poet or any one
connected with him. A straight walk through
a dense wood, the walk made more dark than it
would be by beins; taken through a matted mass
of Rhododendrons, is a particularly gloomy
place, but was a favorite haunt of the young
poet. The gloomy effect is heightened by full
size statues (of course, copied from life) of
satyrs and imps of various kinds, and it is
said to be next to impossible to get any of the
neighboring peasantry to go through the place,
and among whom it is reverently known as the
Devil's woods.

A cold English rain, thin shoes, an umbrella,
and rheumatic limbs to carry it along, are not
very favorable to garden sight seeing, so
we had to make up the rest of our day in ex-
ploi'ing the rich treasures of the old Abbey
itself, and adiniring the magnificent scenery as
displayed from every window, as we wandered
from room to room, and all made by the art of
the landscape gardener, a wonderful tribute from
the hand of man !

But I must drop for the present the large
country seats, and say a word or two of the
beautiful public gardens with which England
abounds, and which, indeed, constitutes some
of her proud institutions. We leave New-
stead Abbey, and, retaking our " Hy," conclude
to go around Robin Hood's barn, instead of
along the side of which we came ; for we sup-

pose it is pretty well known that this celebrated
structure comprised the many thousand acres of
Sherwood forest, and that the King's deer were
always stored therein for Rol)in, whenever veni-
son was scarce. We reached Nottingham at night
fall after a charming drive, and put up at "'The
George," uncomfortably crowded by Americans,
chiefly drawn there througli that city being the
center of the lace trade. The good lady — most
of the English hotels seem kept by ladii^s — by
hook and by crook, managed to make up a suite
of rooms for us, and we were made quite
comfortable. Staying over Sunday in this town,,
it w^as interesting to notice that no one, not even
the poorest, seemed dressed without a I'ose in his
button-hole or her bosom. My readers will take
notice that I say a rose, and not a rose-bud ; but
I will not risk their good opinion of me by giv-
ing the circumference of the roses in inches.
The fact, however, will give a good idea of the
climates of the two countries. Under such cir-
cumstances with us, the rose would be a with-
ered corpse of a tlower in ten minutes. It was a
pleasant sight to see the town and its people on
this line summer's day. Almost everywhere
that I have been, in the Old World, on Sunday
or in week days, I see in every town some signs
of wretchedness, together with evidences of cul-
ture and wealth. I suppose Nottingham must
have its poor quarter as the rest, but if so, I
could not find it. Neat lace curtains in every
window •, some love for art in humblest homes ;
neatness of dress and appearance in the poorest,
and flowers in yards and windows everywhere.
My chief visit to Nottingham was to see its pub-
lic gardens of which I had read in my Ameri-
can home, and I thought no wonder that such a
town had a garden of so mucli reputation, when
I saw and talked with people that lived therein^
for, as I have before noted in these recollections,
the measure of an Englishman's refinement can
always be taken from his garden. I fancy, how-
ever, it will be best to defer an account of these
public grounds till the next number, when I
may perhaps work up those of several of the
English and French cities into one chapter.

The Gardener's Monthly and no Gar-
den. — S. J. B., of Biddle University, Charlotte,
N. C, writes: "If it should be any encourage-
ment to the publisher and the editor, I might
say that I appreciate The Monthly so highly,
that I have taken it the past two years merely
for the general information contained in it, al-
though I had no ground to cultivate ; but here-

94

THE CAK/^/:.\/:h''S MOXlHI.y

[March,

after I shall make use of Mr. Median's experi-
ence to my own prolit, I trust. Paradoxically,
one need not • vcLrtlate ' witli TiiK Monthly
on his tal)h'/*

MKI.nnlKNK r>ttlANI( (iAKDKN. — HaroU

\<n\ MulU'r. to whom we owe the introduction
at tin- C'l'iUfunial of the nnijcstic Australian
tree tVrns, receives mucli praise from the Alel-
bonriu- Arfrus. for what was r\cconi|ilish('d when
he was at the head of the liotanic (iaiden there.
AxDUKW Mi'lMJ.VY. — All who are interested
in tiu' coniferous trees of the Pacific coast, will
he familiar with the name of this <rentleman,
■^vhose decease the EuLiiisli pajiers have just an-
nounced, lie was anionir the earliest of the
descrihers of the coniferous trees of the Pacific
coast, and we owe nuich of our knowh-d^e of
them to his labors. American l)otanists mi;;ht
•dilfcr with hun as to matters in relation to these
plants, but he never allowed dilVerences of this
character to interfere with the most cordial per-
sonal relations, and in this exhibited the hijihest
type of scientific character. The services which
lie had rendered to American J3otany obtained
Tor him an election to correspondinti member-
ship in the Academy of Natural Sciences, an
honor we know he highly appreciated, as, in a
letter to the writer but a few months before his
death, he expressed his determination to visit
the institution should he ever return to America,
" thoutih he would have to <io a hundred miles
out of his way to do it." He took a i^reat deal
•of interest in the probable introduction of tlie
Colorado Beetle into England, knowinr:: from
•actual experience on this continent how destruc-
tive is its character; and much of the activity in
England in devising schemes to save the Eng-
lish crops from destruction, is due to him.

TrwVNSACTIONS OF THE NEBRASKA StATE

IIoRTicuLTUKAL Society.: — From D. H. Whee-
ler, Secretary, Plattsmouth, Neb. We always
value these as keeping us posted on the suc-
cessful progress of horticulture in a State
where so much has to be learned from actual
experiment.

Proceedings of the Worcester County^
Horticultural Society^ Mass., for 1878.—
Prom E. W. Lincoln, Secretary. These are
always among the most valuable Horticultural
Proceedings we receive. In the present, are
essays on the Apple, by O. B. Iladwen ; the
Pear, by James Draper; the Strawberry, by W.
H. Earle ; Garden Vegetables, bv' Sylvanus
'Sears ; and the annual reports of the Librarian
and Secretary. In our last year's notice of the
Proceedings, we called attention to the reflec-
tions made by the Secretary on the Pomological
judges at the Centennial. He thought they
might be honest, but were incapable. What
we said about that is quoted in this volume, and
which the Secretary thinks " concedes every-
thing essential." Dissatisfaction with Judges
appears, however, to be chronic with the Worces-
ter County Society. The Secretax'y says of their
•own judges, " A miracle would be needed to
provide you with committees, whose tireless
;services and adequate knowledge should be at

your' beck and call, IVciiuciiily till midniglit,
without even the jxior retainer of rati<ins or the
prospect of the most meairre pay. Nevertheless
dissatisfaction exists." The (Centennial chickens
have evidently ijone home to roost.

Thk London Florist and 1*omolo<jisi',
whi<;h, under Mr.Thoiuas Moore's managenu'nt,
has so long had a successful career, and wliich
gives sucii admirable colored ])!ates of fruits and
tlowers, enters on a new series, with a nnich larger
jiage than l)efore. This will admit of plates of
larger things than heretofore — a Californiau
pear, for instance.

A'ick's Illistrated Catalo(,ue. — It is im-
possible to estimate the <:f)od wiiich the modern
catalogue does in sjjrcading substantial informa-
tion. In this before us a sjx'cies of every genus
is given in illustration, so that people at a sjlance
can have an idea of what the wiiole genus is like
Some of these catalogues which peoplt^ get for
nothing are often worth more, in a l)otanical
]ioint of view, than old-fashioned ti'eatis(>s that
cost a great deal of money to procure. Of course
they are not always up to the latest botanical
rules, as, for instance, Bartonia as here given,
the l)otanist would call Mentzelia : but for use-
ful pioneer work they cannot be excelled.

Vegetable Plants — How to Grow Thkm.
—By Isaac Tillinubast, Factoryville, Pa. Pub-
lished by tlie author. This is a neatly bound lit I le
book of about 100 pages, which exi)resses its full
measure of usefulness in its full title. We have
seen few works of its class likely to be more
useful to those it is intended to serve.

Correspondence Botaniqt'e. — By Edward
Morren Liege, Belirium. This, Avhich is a list of
botanists, botanic gardens and nurseries throuirh-
out the world, has been found so useful that the
fifth edition is here called for.

]\IouND Making Ants of the allegha-
NiEs. — By Rev. Henrv C. ^McCook, Philadel-
phia. Published by John A. Black, \?,?A Chest-
nut St., Philadelphia. Price 75 cents.

"Goto the ant thou slugirard; consider her
ways and be wise," was a very good admonition
in its time, but it was good for others as well as
the sluggard. Indeed it is doubtful whether the
wise man who recommended this remedy for
laziness knew a hundredth part about the ant
that he mi^bl have known bad be lived in these
days, and had Dr. McCook for a teacher. It has
the merit of not being "spun out" in the text,
and it is fully illustrated by plates taken from
photographs. " We have given the title in full,
as the many free lectures on ants and spiders
which Dr. McCook has given the public, deserves
all the encouragement those who love intelli-
gence can give. An interesting fact developed by
Dr. McCook that we knew not of before, is that
the "carpenter ant" does not confine itself to
dead wood in its house-building operations, but
takes to living trees ; and there are many cases
in which borers or some other " worms " have
the odium of injuring trees which really should
be laid at the door of these industrious but often
annoving little creatures.

1878.]

AND HORTICULTURIST.

95

Horticultural Societies,

COMMUNICA TIONS.

SOUTHEASTERN KANSAS HORTICUL-
TURAL SOCIETY.

BY H. E. VAN DEMAN.

The fourth annual meeting of this society was
hekl at Humboldt, on the 9lh and 10th of Jan.,
1878. The attendance was good, and the speci-
mens of fruits and flowers upon the tables cred-
itable. Mr. James Truitt, of Quincy. Ky., sent
about ninety varieties of apples to compare with
those of Kansas. Owing to early gathering and
long transit, they did not compare favorably ;
but Mr. Truitt certainly deserves the thanks of
the people Jiere for his interest shown.

An appropriate address of welcome was de-
livered by Hon. John R. Goodin, and responded
to by D. B. Slveeles in behalf of the society.

The society proposes to hold a fruit show next
fall, in connection with one of the agriculural
fairs, within the district.

The officers elect are H. E. Van Deman, of
Geneva, President ; D. B.Skeeles, of Galesburgh,
Vice-President ; G. W. Ashby, of Chanute, Sec-
retary; C. C. Kelsey, of Humboldt, Treasurer;
C. IL Graham, of Le Roy, J. B. Torbert and S.
B. Roth, of Chanute, Trustees. The next annual
meeting of the society will be held on the first
Wednesdaj' and Thursday of December, 1878, at
such place as the board of directors may direct.
Any person who wishes to avail himself of the
advantages nf a copy of the proceedings of the
society, which is published with those of the
State Horticultural Society, can do so by sending
his name and flft}' cents, as an annual member-
ship fee, to the secretar3\

EDITORIAL NOTES.

ADDESS OF MARSHAL P. WILDER.

( Continued from page C-l).

The foreign market for peaches will be very
great if prices can be made moderate, and when
our refrigerating ships shall be perfected, Eng-
land can take much of the surplus of our im-
mense crops of this fruit. The same is true of
pears, ])ut all sales depend on the condition of
the fruit.

Formerly a large crop was not a blessing,
owing to limitation of the market and the ex-
pense of gathering the fruit, and it has been
estimated that a loss of several millions of dol-
lars has been sometimes sustained in an abun-
dant year by the waste of fruit. The whole
crop may now be saved and utilized by the new
methods which are being constantly invented
for curing and distributing this surplus. In fruit
districts large amounts of capital are invested
in establishments for the drying and canning of
fruits, which promise to put the surplus of abun-
dant seasons in condition for preservation till
wanted for consumption or exportation. Some
of these are yet to be tested, but no doubt exists
that we shall eventually thus utilize our fruits,

and make them not only profitable, but a source
of increa.'-ing revenue to our country.

With reference to the demand for dried fruits
the consumption is rapidly increasing, and if
dried i)»«,ches can be furnished at as low iirices
as apples, the demand, it is thought, will be
very irreat. Of dried fruits there were exported
for tlu' year ending June 30, 1877, 14,818,052
pounds. Of preserved and canned fruits, espe-
cially peaches, there have been exported 7()2,-
344 dollars' worth in the year ending June 30,
1877. The trade for these is well established
and the demand is constantly increasing. Al-
though the exportation of fruit has been going
on quietly for a long time, it was not large till
the year 1865 ; but since that time the trade has
been rapidly developed. These exports have
varied much in yearly amounts, occasioned by
scarce or abundant seasons. In 1861 the amount
was only 'S2(VJ,000. In 1871 it was !ir50'.),000,
while for the year ending June 30, 1877, it
amounted to S2,937.025, as kindly furnished me
by Dr. Young, chief of the Bureau of Statistics
— showing an increase of more than five-fold for
the last five years.

CROSS-FERTILIZATION.

Whatever the fruit cultivators of ancient
times may have known in regard to the cross-
impregnation of varieties for their improvement,
we have no evidence, if we may judge by the
quality of the fruits which have come down to
us, that they were acquainted with this process.
The first experiment to ascertain the possibility
of producing varieties by cross-fertilization ap-
pears to have been made in Germany, b}" Koel-
reuter, who published reports of hi3 proceedings
in the acts of the Petersburg Academy, about
one hundred years ago. Knight, Herbert and
the Lindleys commenced the work some fifty or
sixty years since, but it had scarcely been rec-
ognized by Duhainel, Noisette, or Poiteau, in
their writings, and Van Mons absolutely dis-
couraged it. Poiteau remarked that all of the
ameliorated and superior fruits had theii- origin
in woods and hedges, where superior fruits were
rare and unknown. Nor was it more than
alluded to by Coxe, Lowell, Manning, Thomas,
Prince and such leaders in our own land. Coxe,
who may be styled the first American pomolo-
gist, alluded to it as " a curious discovery which
had been made by Mr. Knight in the natural
history of fruit trees, by which one variety might
be impregnated with the farina of another, some
of the products partaking of the proi)erties of
the male, others of (he female parent."

But with the publication of IIove)''s Magazine
of Horticulture, Downing's Fruit and Fi'uit
Trees, and the Horticulturist, the experiments
in hybridization became well known in our
country. This pi-ocess, applied to the grape,
said Andrew Jackson Downing, thirty years ago,
will give hundreds of hardy kinds, adapted to
every orchard and garden in the Union. How
full}' this prediction has been fulfilled we have
seen in the new varieties of hybrid grapes pro-
duced by Allen, Rogers, Moore, CampbelL'and

90

/■///•; c;.ihW)/':\/':h"s MoxrnLV

IMarch,

espocially Ity Mr. Hiikctls. wIhim- woiKlcit'iil
succoss in rross-fiTlilizatitm has lit'iii afliicvcd
o»» the vorv soil wlinv tliis |)ni])h('cv was made.
With this kimwh'diri' roinnu'iu-i'd a new era in
till' prodni'tion of iniprovctl varieties of iVnits,
tiowers an»l vegetables ; an era wiiieli lias so cii-
lariri'<l tlie sphi-re of ex])erinients in i'ertili/.ation
tliat its oriLrinators will ever he urMleluUy re-
inenilH led as henetaetors to mankind, who have
illnstrated one of those wonderful and beautiful
laws i)y which the whole universe is regulated,
and by which improvement in fruits, veiretables.
and animal life may be advanced until absolute
perfection is attained.

XOMEXCLATUKK.

The pro;rress in correct nomenclature has been
most liralifyiuLr, and the laliors of the American
Pomoloiiical Soi-iety, in connection with ils
Lireat exhibitions of tVuits, have had a jiromi-
nent leadimr influence in this result.

Mr. John .1. Thomas says: ''I well rememlx'r
the continuid disa]ipoiutments 1 met with when
a youniu; man in procurinfj trees that were true
to the name — in some fruits accuracy seemed to
be decidedly the exception. In corrcspondinj;-
on this subject some forty years ago with the
elder Robert Mannin<r, he remarked that the
account of my disapi)ointment was a history of
his own." At the present time, all respectable
nurseries are accurate throughout, and pur-
chasei'S scarcely find an error. One of the ob-
jects of the founders of this Society was to
correct the evils which formerly existed; to aid
in determining the synonyms by which the same
fruit was known, and thus to establish the cor-
rect names and impart a knowledge of th(; value
of varieties.

Much has been accomiilished by the Society's
Catalogue, whereby a permanent foundation has
been laid, which will eventually result in the
complete abrogation of such names as are used
without litness, propri(;ty or even truth. We
especially desire, for the honor of our science,
that all inelegant or absurd names, such as Cat-
head, Hogpen, Sheepuose, Stump the "World,
and the like, should no longer be applied to
fruits. In this respect we have made great ad-
vances by the suppression of vulgar names and
the adoption of such as have reference to the
origin, introduction, or the characteristics of our
fruits. How absurd to give to a luscious fruit,
radiant with the loveliest tints of nature, and
fragrant with the spices of Arabia— a fruit pos-
sessing almost supernal grace — such vulgar
names. How inappropriate the dedication of
fruits to warriors and statesmen, to generals
and colonels, presidents and senators, or the
long roll of titled nobility, whitdi have no
natural connection, or analogy, with fruits.
How much more appropriate, for instance, are
the names of the Baldwin and Porter apple, the
Bartlett and the Sheldon pear, the Early Craw-
ford and Late Adihirable peach, the Concord
grape, and "Wilson's Albany strawberry. Some
of these have come down to us from former gen-
erations, and will survive as long as the varieties
which bear them exist, without the use of three

hnndrtMJ jind seventy niinics for twenty-nine
kinds of iip]tles. as slated in Dr. Howsley's lie-
port of 1S7.'.. Our c.ntaloLjue already aliomids
with the mnnes of fruits of American ori-.Mii.
and they will ere long surpass in number those
of foreign climes. I^et us, then, labor to estab-
lish a pure. prr)per and practical nomenclature
of fruits for our hnid. which sh:ill be correct,
deliiiite. int(dligible ;nid which shiill endure for
iiU tinu'.

Among the most important acts of this Soci-
ety was the rejection, as unwf)rtiiy fif cultivation,
(in IS.'iS, nineteen years since,) of 02.0 varieties
of fruits, then known in the catalogues of nur-
serymen, but since snpi)resscd. Not Irss imjior-
tant was the adoption of its own Catalogue of
VMrieties adapted to the various sections of our
wid(dv exten<led country. This took ]ilace in
1S()2. but it was reserved for the year 1S71 to in-
augurat(> the present grand f|uarto foi'm Mri-;niged
in Northern . Southern and Central Divisions,
similar in climate and other chiu'acters atfecling
IVuit culture, with columns for lifty States and
Territories, thus pi-esentinii to the world the
nutst perfect and ])ractical catalogue of fruits
extant. Thus shall we improve our pomology
and thus hand down inestimable blessings to
the world; not for ourselves only, but to glad-
den the sight, gratify the taste, and cheer the
hearts of the advancinir millions that are to oc-
cupy this blessed land. And what more endur-
ing memorial of valuable service to postei-ity
can we render than to transmit a tme fruit
which shall survive when we have passed from
our labors on earth. The pleasures of sight en-
hance the pleasure of taste, and thus generation
after generation will rejoice in the beauty as
well as the richness of fruits which have adorned
our orchards and cheered our social meal, and
which, with each successive year, cause us to
realize the thought of the poet, that

" A thing of beauty is a joy forever."

Ohio HonTicTiLTiiKAL Society. — Mr. Bate-^
ham informs us that the annual meeting of the
State Horticultural Society, at Ravenna the past
week, was counted the best of the thirty years'
history of the society.

The othcers of the Horticultural Society elected
for the ensuing year are mostly the same as last
vear : Dr. J. A. Warder, President, North Bend;
N. Ohmer, Vice President. Dayton ; ]Vr. B. Bate-
ham, Secretary, Painesville ; G. W. Campludl,
Treasurer, Delaware; Leo Weltz, AVilminL'ton ;
J. J. Harrison, Painesville; G. M. High, Middle
Bass; Frank Pentland, Lockland; and C. C.
Miller, Norwich, Committee.

Montgomery (Ohio) Horticultukal So-
ciety. — This well known and useful society
seems in a prosperous condition. Its last report
tells us that "■ during no preceding year have our
meetings been so uniformly well attended as
during the one just closing, and at no former
time have our discussions been participated in
by a larger number of people, imparting thereby
unusual interest to our pi'ocecdings, both verbal!
and printed."

THE

GARDENER'S MONTHLY

AND

HORTICULTURIST.

DEVOTED TO HORTICULTURE, ARBORICULTURE AND RURAL AFFAIRS.

Edited by THOMAS MEEHAN.

Vol. XX.

APRIL, 1878.

Number 232.

Flower Garden and Pleasure Ground.

SEASONABLE HINTS.

April is a good planting month. There is not
uuich art in planting trees, though it is often
much of a myster}'. Xot to let the roots dry for
an instant between taking up and planting,
everybody knows, but everybody don't do it; in
fact, everybody deceives himself. We have
seen this distinguished individual leave the tops
of trees exposed to the sun, with a mat or straw
thrown over the roots, and think all v/as right —
or heel in for a day or two, by just throwing a
little dirt over the roots. This is a little good ;
but everybody's fault is, that although this may
be ten minutes of good, he expects to get ten
hours, or even ten day's value out of it, and thus
he suffers more than if he had done; nothing,
because he forgets that the branches evaporate
moisture from the roots in a dry wind, and the
juices go from the roots through the branches,
very nearly as w^ell as directly to the air from
the roots themselves. So Avith heeling in. The
soil is thrown in lightly, or at most just "kicked"
down. " It is only temporary," very few of the
roots come in contact with the soil. They can
draw in no moisture to supply the waste of evapo-
ration, and thus they stay day after day — every-
body satisfied because he sees the roots covered,
really worse than if they had been exposed.
We have no douljt that more trees are lost from
imperfect heeling in than from any other cause
Avhatever. Of course, if the tops be covered as
well as the roots, there is less waste of moisture
and more chance of success.

This hint will help us in planting. That is,
pound the soil in well about the fibres, so that
they may be in close contact with it ; or they
cannot draw in the necessary moisture. Should
the trees appear a little dry, or the roots badly
mutilated in digging, or have few fibres, cut
awa}^ the plant according to the severity of the
injury. It is scarcely necessary to repeat that
for this evaporation reason, it is best to plant
trees when the ground is rather dry, because it
then powders best in pounding, and gets well in
about the roots. Wet ground j^/as/e/'s, and leaves
large hollows in which roots cannot work.

Where evergreens can be benefited by prun-
ing, April is a very good month to attempt it.
If a tree is thin in foliage at the base, the top of
the tree, leader and all, must be cut away. It
makes no ditference what the kind is, all will
make new leaders after being cut back, if pro-
perly attended to. We make this remark be-
cause there is a prevalent idea that Pines will
not stand this cutting. Of course the trimming
should be done in a conical manner, so as to
conform to the conical style of the evergreen
tree. Sometimes an evergreen, especially a
Pine, will rather turn up some of tlie ends of its
side branches than push out another leader;
when this is the case, cut these away, and a real
leader will form the second year.

Evergreen hedges should be trhnmed now,
cutting them conically, so as to give light to the
lowermost branches.

There is so much to be done in April, that
the briefest hints must sutlico. First, of course,
w'e must prepare the ground for planting. Soil

98

THE (;.\Kni:.\i-:Ns Moxriiiv

VApnl,

loosoiu'd two loet deep drius dut less in Suinnur
than soil one foot deej). liiili soil f;ro\vs a tree
lai-Lrer in one year than a poor soil will in three,
rnder-drained soil is eooler in Summer than soil
not under-<lrainod. The feeding roots of trees
come near the surfaee ; therefore, ])l:inl no dweper
than necessary to keej) the tree in (he soil. If
there be danger of its blowing over, stake it, but
don't plant deep. One stake set at an angle is
as good as two set perpendicular. Straw or mm
set round the tree kecjis the bark from rubbing.
Large stones placed around a transplanted tree
are often better than a stake. They keep the
soil moist, admit (he air, and cncouraLre surface
roots. Shorten the shoots at transplanting.
This induces growth, and growth produces roots ;
and with new roots your tree is safe for auotlni-
season. Unpruned trees produce leaves, but
little growth, and less new roots.

Unless inside of a round ring, or circular walk,
don't plant trees or shrubs in formal clumps.
The}' are abominations in the eyes of i)ersons of
taste. Meaningless irregularities form the oppo-
site extreme. Kemember, " art is nature better
understood.'''

COMMUNTCA TIONS.

CARPET BEDS.

BY ('. .r. P..TORKLUND, H.OIPTOX, VA.

In (rermany the arrangement of bedding
plants is very neat. At the numerous villas in
the vicinity of Hamburg there are some verv
good ribbon and carpet beds to be seen, the
style being light, and not so sharp, geometri-
cally, as that of the English. In the gardens at
Paris are some splendid ones, especially in the
Jardin de Luxembourg, Jardin des Plantes,
Jardin des Tuileries, Pare de Monceaux, Souare
des Buttes Chaumont, and Champs Elysees,etc.
In France there is in some places an excava-
tion dug out. on which bottom the so-called
carpet beds are arranged, in order to obtain a
view of them from above, while in the parks of
London the beds are often raised a few inches,
in order to make them show distinct above the
grass lawn, and both methods look well.

In designing, there is hardly any limit for
variation, but it must always be kept in view to
join one sort to another of greatest difference in
color, the principles being about the same as in
bouquet makinsr. I ])eg leave to give a few
illustrations, with description of arrangement,
leaving it to your individual consideration.

The beds to lay tlu-ee to five feet from the

walks, should be (juite llat. with sharp sloping;
edges or sides, on which should be planlid
Eehevei'ias, Sempervivunis, Sedums, etc. After
• the planting of the (wo first mentioned, a coat of
I clay aiul soil made uj) into a thick mortar to be
given around the plants, to prevent the soil from
b( iii^ ( ai lied away from (he roots, or the break-
ing of the edge, by the rain, or
wa(ering, will l)e found very
lieneficial.

Fm. VII. — 1, Alti-rnandiera
aniabilc ladfolia ; 2, Alternan-
tbcra versicolor; o, Pyrethrum
parthenifolium aureum ; 4. Al-
(ernandiera amiena: .') (the
sides), Semjjcrvivum calcara-
lum.*

Fig. vrii. — Ten feet in di-
iinicfer. is an exception, in-
tended to have an even slope
from the center, which is suj)-
])os((l to lay one foot above
tlu' lawn. The center, 1, is
Coleus Emperor Napoleon ; 2,
Santolina incana; 3, Pyreth-
rum parthenifolium ; 4, Alter-
nanthera versicolor; .'),Eche-
veria secunda glauca; A. Alter-
nanthera paronychioides; 7 and
■^*o- '• H, Mescmbryanthemum cordi-

blium variegatum; 9,Sempervivum Californicuni-
FlCr. TX. — Twentv-four feet long bv eight wide.

1, Agave Americana folia, variegatum (single
specimens in the center of all the circles); 2,
Echeveria macrophylla ; 3, Pach5'phytum brac-
teosum ; 4, Sempervivum ciliare ; 5, Sedum

*(The outer circle or border will'always represent the sides.)
The circles, in the center, a specimen of Scdura elesrans pic"
tnm ; around them Alternauthera magnifica, to Pyrethrumi
Alternauthera versicolor, and Sedum acre.

1878.]

AND HORTICULTURIST.

99

glaucum ; 6, S. acre elegans ; 7, S. speetabile Alternanthera ama'iia, also bordered by Pyre-
roseuni ; 8, Leucophyton Browuii ; 9, Pyretli- , thrum ; and 6, Senipervivum montanum.
Tum parthenifolium aureum ; 10, Alternanthera 1 1, are small specimens of Agave Americana
paronychioides ; 11, Leucophyton Bro-\vnii ; 12, | variegata ; 2, Echeveria sanguinea glauca; 3,

Fig. 11.

Achillea umbellata; IS.Hutchinsia alpina : 14,
Mesemln-yanthemum cordifoliura variegatum ;
the doth; that will be noticed on the same border
are single specimens of Echeveria metallica,
and Sempervivum Donckelferi, or anything
similar will do ; 15, Alternanthera amoena ; and
16, Echeveria secunda.

EiG. X. — Supposed to be ten feet in diameter.
1, Yucca filamentosa fol. var. Around the spe-

Hutchinsia Alpina ; 4, Mesembryanthemum
Fig. XI. — Twenty-four feet long by eight wide,
cordifolium variegatum ; 5, Alternanthera versi-
color; f), Leucophyton Brownii; 7 , Pyrethrum ;
j 8, Ajuga reptans rubra; 9, Veronica Candida;
10, Alternanthera paronj^chioides ; Echeveria
pumila.

Fig. XII. — Of ten feet diameter. 1, a speci-
men of Yucca filamentosa; 2, Pyrethrum ; 3,

Fig. 10. ^'''g"- ^-•

cimen to cover the ground, Scduni acre, then Oxalis tropa'oloides ; 4, Alternanthera mag-
a circle of Aloes, and another of Pyrethrum ; 2, nifica; 5, Alternanthera speetabile; 6, Sedum
Alternanthera paronychioides, bordered by | acre ; 7, Lobelia Crystal Palace; 8, Cuphea
Pyrethrum; 3, Leucophyton Brownii; 4, Alter- j platycentra ; 9, Cerastium tomentosum ; and 10,
nanthera versicolor, bordered bv Pvrethruni ; 5, ' Sempervivum Californicum.

100

'////•; (;.i A' /)/■:. \/A'.\ .\io.\ rin.v

{AtriL

NOTES FOR 1877.

\\\ i;i.\ . i:. 1'. rowKM,. ( i.inion. n. v.

Perhaps tlic most iisoful contribution to tlu'
public tliat a horticulturist can make is to give
the results of his year's work, l^i77 has been so
fruitfuj that it ha.s <;iven us an opportunity to
test thorouLrhly and favorably many kinds of
fruits and tlowers.

1. In answer to your (juestion concerning the
apple blight. It has reached as far north as
northern Xew York. It is occasionally the
cause of death to trees, especially those culti-
vated in rich soil much manured. Apples grown
in sod seldom sufter badly. There is, however,
a ditVerence in varieties. The Pound Sour and
Crab apples with me Avere considerably defaced,
and the crops damaged.

2. The theory is again confirmed by the expe-
rience of the year that pear blight is at least
most successfully prevented by culture in sod ;
bj' feeding with salt and ashes and keeping the
trees well mulched, perhaps with sawdust or
ashes is best. Any exposure of the soil to sun
and weather has a disastrous eftect.

3. The grape crop has been admirable, ripen-
ing tolerably in spite of too frequent wet days
throughout October. I am inclined to think
more and more highly of the Goethe, if grown on
open trellis, in a warm exposure. Of the lona,
well ripened, I would I'aise my figures constantly.
Both are withal excellent-keeping grapes. I
have lonas, now the 10th of December, in as
good condition as my Isabellas. The Diana
keeps best of all ; but is so very tough and
skinn}' that even those who like its peculiar
flavor cannot enjoy it. But we must have it.
The simplest and best method of preserving
grapes for Winter is after all to spread them
thinly on oil-cloth floors in cool dry rooms ; or
on shelves similarly covered.

4. Among small fruits I have given up the en-
deavor to raise cultivated blackberries without
cultivation. No matter what may be said by a
few who liave raised an occasional crop in grass,
W'B must take the Kittatiuny in hand and rale it.
Mine are wired to stakes and well sheai'cd in.
The easiest method is to clip the arms with an
ordinai'y sickle. \

5. In managing extensive hedges I have found
this same instrument of great service. For
Buckthorn I generally use shears ; but for
Arbor Yitje I have rarely use for anything except
a moderately sharp sickle. Give generally an
upward stroke, and Avalk backward. You can

tiiiii ill one iiuui- ill tills way as much as you
could with shears in half a <lay. and do it (juite
as well. Ol' course this will not apply to hedges
n<»t already well formed. IJy the way, tnost
evergreen hedges tiial we see are seriously in-
jured by making the sides too erect, and flatten-
ing the tops. It is impossible to keep for a long
time a handsome hedge of Arbor Vitie or Hem-
lock without the base is nearly double the thick-
ness or depth of (he top, and the top cut in an
ai'ched form like nature.

f). It is exceedingly necessary to eliminate
only tolerable small fruits from the catalogues
as well as from our gardens. For instance, the
Turner Raspberry, a worthless humbug, to one
who can have the Philadelphia. You can sa}'
no better of most of the new strawberries. The
older nurserymen can do us good service l)y
classifying established fruits. The Monthly
has done much good by its conservation concern-
ing novelties.

7. In landscape gardening plant for all seasons.
There are some things which make no note of
themselves until late Autumn. Others like the
purple berberry, and some of the dogwoods, are-
valueless except in very early Spring.

PRESERVATION OF THE LEADTNC
SHOOTS OF EVERGREENS.

BY SAMUEL PARSOXS, FLUSHING, K. Y.

One of the false impressions that have long
prevailed with much force and endurance, is the
alleged necessity of preserving the top shoots of
evergreens. Birds are looked upon with appre-
hension and disgust as they press destructive feet
on this valuable gi'owth. Stakes are even used
to support such important elements of health
and symmetry ; and the purchaser who seeks
choice specimens, carefully avoids all evergreens
that have lost their leaders, almost superstitioush'
regarding it as impossible that the lost, in this
case, can ever return.

AVhat are the real facts of the case as indicated
by intelligent experience ? Simply that the de-
struction of the leading shoot is often an actual
benefit to the tree when its aspiring habits become
too strong, and that, so far from birds fatalh'
injuring the symmetry of trees by breaking the
topmost shoots, cases happen, frequcntl}', where
the preservation of symmetry has been largel)'
due to the action of their little feet.

As long as the leader grows in due proportion
to the rest of the tree, its presence is most neces-
sary : but. unfortunately, this upward tendency.

1878.]

AAA) HOR TICUL TURIS T.

101

when excessive, seems to draw a way the sap
from properly doing its work in the tree's lower
portions, or, in other words, destroys the equilib-
rium. Diminished growths then appear at the
base, exhibiting irregular, open spaces la the
foliage which in that part should be most dense.
The growth, forced aloft, becomes concentrated
farther and farther up the tree, until all S3mme-
try is destroyed, and we behold a monstrosity,
"where we had gloiued only a few j^ears before in
perfect proportion and grace. Silver Firs are
especially liable to this tendency, and conse-
quently are apt to possess their highest beauty
at a comparatively early age.

An efficient remedy may be applied to all ever-
greens by pruning such shoots during youth,
until a satisfactory base is acquired, when a very
•occasional removal of the otfending member,
will readily prevent deformity. The fear which
sometimes exists that the amputated leader will
never return, is perfectly groundless ; although,
when the operation is performed on a plant of
considerable age, reappearance maj' be delayed
for several years. This delay will however, be
found rather a benefit than otherwise, as in the
meantime, the proper furnishing of the tree will
be established before any strength of the sap is
drawn off to assist the upward groAvth of the
leader.

The lesson taught, of coiu-se, is that the equi-
librium of the various parts of the tree should be
always maintained by pruning any shoots that
evince rampant tendencies. Systematic manage-
ment will thus preclude the necessit}' of all severe
pi'uning in the sense of amputation.

The simple processes hereby pointed out are
doubtless familiar to most experts ; but it has
heen our wish to secure from all who possess
evergreens, a greater attention to such operations.
It is simple pruning with thumb and finger, or
knife, and not shearing into formal shapes. Only
experience can afford an adequate conception of
the quality of growth thus retained.

ROSES BLOOMING TO THE GROUND.

MKS. C. S. JOKES, MONROE, MO.

The rose is such a universal favorite, that one
need scarcely apologize for making any sugges-
tions that might appear likely to aid those who
(like myself) must have them blooming both
winter and summer. So much satisfaction have
I had in growing certain varieties pegged to the
ground, and so seldom have I seen this plan fol-
lowed, that I begin to think its beauty and vahie

are not universally known ; hence the idea of
inviting the attention of your readers to this
special mode of propagation.

The management is extremely simple : a deep,
rich loam in an open situation, but not exposed
to rough, high winds, and to select such varieties
as are known to do well as ordinary standards,
and are on their own roots. I find the following
very satisfactory : Madam Margotten, Madam
Bosanquet, Lamarque, La Pactole, Hermosa,
Devoniensis, Duchess de Brabant, Arch Duchesse
Isabella, Beauty of Greenmount, Agrippina,
Gen. Jacqueminot, Jean Goujon, La Reine,
John Hopper, and Washington ; all of which I
received with a hundred more from the nurseries
of the " Dingee & Conard Rose Co.," who, it is
well known, send out specially fine plants; not
one of mine at least, ever wilted.

Do not attempt to grow worked roses in this
way, for the suckers from the old parent will
choke them. A bed for this purpose may be
started in March or October ; but whether in
Spring or Autumn, pack the surface of the bed
immediately after planting, and each spring
after pruning and clearing, tramp the soil down
firmly. This holds good I find with all rose
beds.

If you use small plants, do not prune the first
year, but peg down all new shoots; for this pur-
pose I use strong hair-pins. If, however, they
are vigorous, cut down six or eight inches from
each shoot ; what we want here is a vigorous
growth, so as to have abundance of flowering
shoots the next year. Keep w^ atered the first sea-
son and cut off the ends of all flowering branches,
and the hips as soon as done flowering, and then
soak the bed with manure water, repeating this
every third day for a month, which will soon
start the plants into a new growth.

These plants will become well established in a
year, and will grow on vigorously all the season,
sending up strong young shoots about three feet
in height, which, with the ever-blooming class,
will be a mass of flowers each month. Peg
down the young shoots over vacant spots of
rrround, and if too many are made, cut away the
weakest of them, and keep those pegged down
about eight inches apart.

As a greater quantity of blooms are obtained
from young than from old wood, it will be seen
that each year the wood of the preceding season
is to be cut out. Before covering for the winter
remove the pegs, so as to allow it to rise up a
little from the ground and cut away the old

102

THE CARDF.XFR'S MOXTIU. Y

[.///■//.

wood, then covor with sods and a layer of
manure. Early in March out bark all the shoots.
TIu' strong ones to two feot, the weakest to a
foot or sixteen inehes, fork in the nianiu'e eover-
ing and tranij) down well; we are then ready for
the season, and riirht royally will the (}ueen of
tlowers show forth her heauty.

An English work names the following roses
for this purpose : William Grithths, William
Jessee, Chas. Lafebvre. Annie Alexietl", Senateur
Vaisse, Alfred Coleoml), Baroiuie Prevost, (ren.
Wa-shington. (Jen. Jaequcnunot, Jean Goujon,
\a'a Reine and .John Ilojiper. I believe that some
prefer roses on Alanetti stock for pegging down,
but I like them on their own roots. Hazel-rods
cut into lengths of three and four inches make
excellent forks for pegging.

A rose mount is beautiful covered in this way,
and where this is large various comliinations of
scarlet Geraniums and Deli)hiniums (the latter
pegged down), Cloth of Gold and Blue King
Lobelia will form a lovely edge to circles of
bloom ; but to begin to enumerate the charming
etfects of combination in this regard is to occupy
so many columns of the Gardener's MONTHLY
that I should be voted a bore.

I had intended when I commenced to speak of
a Rose Temple, Rose Wilderness, and several
other pretty rose arrangements, to which I am
partial, but the pegged-down bed has led me
astray.

There is a point, however, and upon which I
would like to say a word. There are many
ladies who do not possess the advantage of a
heated conservatory, but depend upon bay win-
dows or small plant-rooms, for their winter
treasures ; the temperature of these frequently
grow so low during the night that their plants
are found entirely frozen. Now if these persons
were to use one of the small kerosene stoves
during intensely cold weather, merely lightuig it
at bed-time, they would find it to answer every
purpose, and they are both economical and con-
venient. During one of our most severe winters
I kept a large bay window (stocked with delicate
ferns, &c.) quite safe by merely filling a huge
wash-kettle with boiling water and placing it
beneath the window box, wiiich was perforated
with auger-holes in the bottom. This window^
was on the north side of the house, with a west-
ern, northern and eastern exposure, and with
only single sash. Again, I kept large plant-
stands last winter by merely placing iron kettles
of hot ashes beneath them. One frequently has

more plants than the conservatory will contain
or enjoys them in the windows ; in such cases,
the means just described ])rove valuable. The
plants kept warm with hot ashes, were nevei-
troubled with vermin.

JiDUORIAL NOTES.

Winter Carpet Bedding.— The Belgian
Horticultural Review tells us that by a judicious
selection of low hardy evergreens, carjjct beds
are had at V"alll)on in the Winter time. It
gives the following list of the plants employed:

Euonymus pungens, Santolina chamiccyparis,.
Thymus citriodorus aureus, Sempervivum tecto-
rum, Aubrietia deltoidea variegata, Ajuga rep-
tans folius pur., Saxifi'aga denticulata, Semper-
vivum Californicum, Sempervivum sol)oliferum,
Sempervivum Funki, Sempervivum Montanum,
Sempervivum triste, Antennaria tomentosa,
Bellis perennis aucubsefolia rubra, Pyrethrum
aureum, Aubi'ietia deltoidea. Another bed is
made of evergreen herbaceous plants as follows:
Cerastium Biebersteini, Sempervivum tectorum,
Sempervivum .soboliferum. Sempervivum Cali-
fornicum, Lamium aureum maculatum, Ajuga
reptans fol. purp., Arenaria cwspitosa, Bellis
perennis aucubjefojia, Sedura dasyphyllum, Au-
brietia deltoidea.

Winter Heliotrope. — This is the common
name of the Coltsfoot, which it appears is now
grown for winter flowers in England.

Red Beet for Decorative Purposes. — In
some situations and arrangements it has been
used with good effect as a bedding plant, and it
is not less effective when used for the purpose I
am about to mention. As a receptacle for bulbs,^
such as Hyacinths, &c., it is what we might
term a living basket, which forms a very curious
and interesting object to hang in the conserva-
tory or plant house during the Spring months.
This being the usual time at which preparations
are being made for the bulb season, the hint
may induce some to try the experiment ; not
that I mean to say it is anything novel, but if
successful it cannot fail to please. Select a few
well-matured moderate-sized Beet-roots, being
careful not to injure the crowns ; cut a few
inches from the bottom end, leaving say, a little
more than one-half; then hollow this bottom
end out, leaving just room enough for a little
compost or silver sand, and one bulb of a Hya-
cinth ; but do not scoop out more than is need-

1878.]

AND HORTICULTURIST.

103

fill, that as much nourishment as possible may
be left for the crown. To prevent the bulb fall-
ing out, place a little green moss close around
it, and fasten the whole with some small wire,
A handle to this Beet-basket, by which to sus-
pend it, can easily be formed by twining a piece
of galvanized wire, fastening the ends in the
opposite sides of the Beet. This will also an-
swer as a support for the flower-spike. It will
require to be kept constantly moist to induce
the Beet-root to send leaves freely from the
crown, which faces downwards. The result of
this is that the foliage twines gracefully round
the sides in an upright direction, shrouding
everything from view, the dark leaves being in-
termixed ■with the inflorescence of the Hyacinth,
which by that time will be in its perfection.

The effect is exceedingly pretty. — C /. White,

The Gardens, Ferniehurst.

••••

NEW OR RARE PLANTS.

Varieties of Primula. — The Japan Prim-
rose, Primula japonica, introduced some years
ago by Mr. Wm. Bull tlu-ough Mr. Fortune, has
hitherto resisted all attempts to break it up into
varieties. Now a rosy crimson is figured in the
Belgian Horticultural Review. Two pretty
varieties, one a mottled, of Primula cortusoides,
are also figured.

Venus Looking Glass. — This, Campanula
speculum of old authors, has been produced in
Europe with double flowers. It is said they
come true from seed.

Green House and House Gardening.

COMMUNICA TIONS.

ORCHIDS, WITH OTHER PLANTS.
ONCIDIUMS.

BY C. II. S., BALTIMORE, 3ID.

Among Orchids, Oncidiums are probably one
of the best for an amateur to try his hand
on. Though, as a whole, they have not the
beauty or fragrance of many other species, their
easy culture, free blooming, and comparative
cheapness recommend them strongly to begin-
ners. Yellow, striped, or speckled with light
brown or chocolate, are the predominant colors,
though there are some noted variations, which I
will notice later. Owing to the length of the
flower spikes, most Oncids show to better
advantage grown in hanging baskets, which
should be made of red cedar (Juniperus Virgini-
anus) or the locust (Robinia pseud-acacia). If
well made, using strong copper wire, they will
last many years. They also give a more natural
appearance to the plants, the roots of which will
soon attach themselves to the wood. The bas-
kets should be half filled with broken crocks and
charcoal, using fresh green moss next to the
plants. All Orchids should be set on top of the
moss, just inserting the plants deep enough to
keep them steady until the roots have penetrated
the moss. By having the plants above the

moss, it will be easy to see the young growth,
which should never be kept very wet, as they
are apt to rot off in their early stage of growth.

Oncids differ in their growth more than any
other species of Orchid that I have seen. Some
varieties have short corrugated bulbs. Some
others have long smooth bulbs, and other varie-
ties, such as luridum and Lanceanum, have no
bulbs, but thick, succulent leaves. Then, again,
there is a little group with long terete leaves,
and no bulbs, of which O. junceum is a
noted example. In the shape of the flowers
there is great similarity, except 0. Papilio (the
Butterfly Orchid), which many botanists con-
sider a different species, and not a true Oncid.
I will now give a short description of some that
I have bloomed, commencing with the bulbless
group, having thick, fleshy leaves. I will here
reniurk, that all Orchids with thick fleshy
leaves are apt to spot if kept too moist and
cold from November to February.

Oncidittm Cavendishii. Guatemala, South
Mexico •, bright thick leaves ; blooms in Winter;
flower stems from 2 to 4 feet long ; flower about
U inch diameter; sepals and petals yellow,
barred Ijrown lip, liright yellow.

0. bicallosum Growth like O. Cavendishii ;
flower stem about 15 inches, stiff" and upright;
sepals and petals brown, lip yellow; blooms in
Winter : Guatemala.

104

/•///•; (;.IA'/)/:.\/:A'.S MO.\ /III.)

[./>•//,

(). sfrar/iincinn. Like (). liirallosiiin in every
way except tlu- blooms are nearly all yellow ;
Mexico

(>. intermedium. Cuha; hloonis in Winter;
leaves loiiLrer and (larktr ilian O. Cavondisliii ;
very beaut it'nl and ixracelul ; Mower steins from
2 to 5 I'eet loniT, blooming on short lateral
brandies the whole length; ecdor rieh ehoeolate
and yellow, si)otted on lip and sepals. In some
the yellow predominates, in others the choco-
lates. Flowers 1 J inches in diameter. I had over
4U0 blooms open at one tim(> on one plant, and
think J wil' have full as many this winter. This
plant is scarce in collections, but it should not
be, as it is very easily procm'ed near Havana.

O. luridum and O. luridum guttatum abounds
in all the Caribbean islands, and varies consider-
aljly in the marking of the Howcrs. JJlooms in
.Summer, and requires more heat than the above
mentioned varieties. Flowers brown, orange
and yellow, with a pink callosity at the base of
the column ; flower stems often 10 feet long.

O. Carthaginense. Appears to be merely a
variety of the O. luridum, with olive colored
flowers spotted with brown and orange.

0. Lanceamim. When well grown probably
the handsomest of the Oncids. From Guiana,
and recpdres a temperature of not less than 70°
at any time to grow it finely. Blooms nearly
2 inches in diameter, and closely set on an up-
right stem from 1 to 2 feet high. Sepals and
petals yellow spotted crimson ; lip violet ; has a
fine odor. I bloomed a variety with a nearly
white lip. There is no Orchid that has given me
more trouble than this. I have bloomed several
newly imported plants, but after a year or so
they dwindle away. Probably they do not get
heat enough in the Winter, which is the hot
time at (Tuiana, where they make two growths
in a year, and, I believe, bloom twice. There
are several other Oncids with thick leaves and
no bulbs, but I believe they are onl}^ varieties of
the above.

0. juncifohum, O. Cebolleta. lender both these
names I have received from Europe and Trini-
dad the same plant, differing only slightly in the
iiarkmg of the flowers. They have no bulbs, but
round, rush-shaped leaves, about 1 foot or 15
inches long, on upright flower stem, about H
feet long ; small yellow flowers, spotted brown
and black. Requires good heat, and grows well
on a cocoanut husk with moss.

0. Papilio (the Butterfly Orchid). A native
of Panama, and all the sea coast of the Spanish

main, and the island of Trinidad. This has a
small dark green l)ulb, surmounted by a single
leaf, beautifully variegated and spotted with red-
dish Ijruwn on a dark green base. Flower .stems
long and slender. The l)loonis come out singly,
and last al)out ten <lays, when another makes its
appearance in a week or so, until fom* or
live have bjonnied. The same stem will l)loom
for three or four years, each year from a lower
point. Blooms in early Summer, and recjuircs
cf)nsiderable heat. Blooms rich l)rown, barred
and spotted with bright yellow, and are nearly 4
inches in diameter. At a distance would (easily
be taken for a butterfly. Does well on a piece
of cork or cocoaiuil husk. Tliere are several
varieties of this. •

0. sp/incelaft/m, O. Baueri, O. altissimum, and
several others from Central America, have
light green ril)bed bull)s, with long pendant
flower stems ; flowers profusely. Flowers bright
yellow, barred brown in sepals and petals, lip
pure yellow, and bloom mostly in early Sum-
mer.

O. leucochilum. Mexico and Guatemala. A
beautiful Winter bloomer. In growth like O.
sphacelatum, etc. Flower stem often (> feet
long, blooming the whole length on short later-
als. Flowers about 1 inch in diameter, sepals
and petals greeni>*li white, with small red dots ;
lip pure white ; slightly scented. Keeps in
))lo()m five or six w(>eks, and resembles Odonto-
glossum lieve.

0. ampliatum. Panama and Costa Kica, has
large yellow flowers on a branching stem about
2^ feet long. The back of the flowers has a
whitish hue.

O. ormihorhijndtum . A dainty little variety
from Mexico. Small bulbs and leaves, and
blooms in the Wmter. The flowers are small,
rosy iilac. with a yellow spot in the center.
They are delightfull}' fragrant. Does best in a
cool house.

O. Barkeri. Mexico. This often is sold as O.
tigrinum, but I think erroneously. I see in the
Messrs. Yeitch's catalogues that they claim
them to be different, though coming from the
same locality. O. Barkeri, true, has a ribbed
bulb, and is somewhat stronger in growth than
the O. tigrinum. It blooms in the Wmter.
Mine will be in bloom in February or March.
It is a remarkably handsome Orchid. The
petals and sepals are rather small, yellow barred
brown. li[) H inelies in diameter, bright yellow.
This also does in a cool house.

1878.]

A ND HOR TIC OX TURIS T.

105

0. tigrinum. I received this from Mexico.
It has smooth bulbs, but ^ looks much like
Barkeri. Mine bloomed in the Fall. Sepals
and petals light orange yellow ; lip quite light
3'ellow.

0. crispum. From Rio de Janeiro. Has short
dark bulbs, and dark green foliage. Flower
stems two to three feet long. The flowers are ;
from 2 to 2^ inches diameter; coppery red color,
witli bright yellow markings on the center of
the lip. There are several varieties of this
beautiful Oncid. Blooms with me in the fall.

O. divaricatum. I have received from Rio de
Janeiro several very diflierent plants under this
name. I have one in bloom now, with long
flexible flower stems about two feet long.
Flowers over an inch long ; yellow and brown.
I have several other plants identical nearly in
growth and flowers, but they always bloom in
the Summer.

O. jiexuosum. A very common Orchid from
Brazil. Bulbs smooth and green, about "It. inches
long. It is a very free bloomer, covering
itself with sprays of small delicate yellow flowers
in the Spring.

O. phymatochilum. Brazil. A rare Orchid,
with round dark bulbs, and one stiff" reddish
green leaf. Blooms in the Spring, and has
flowers on a long slender stem. Yellow and
reddish brown in the sepals and petals ; lip
white. If kfpt in a dry place, will remain in
bloom six weeks.

0. roseum^ or O. He.nchmanni. A remarkably
beautiful an'^1 distinct variety from Honduras
and the warm parts of Central American coast.
It is in growth like a small O. luridum. The
flowers are rosy white, spotted dark rose and
crimson, and are borne on long flexuose stems.
Blooms in Summer. There are several varieties.

0. aurosum. Peru. Blooms in the Spring.
Has a growth like O. sphacelatum. The flower
spike is long and branching ; flowers very pro-
fusely ; rich yellow, blotched with cinnamon
brown on the sepals and petals. Cool culture.

0. sarcodes. One of the handsomest Oncids
grown, when true. I have sent to Belgium and
Brazil for this, but have never been able to get
it true. I have O. araictum, with dark green
bulbs about 5 inches long, and beautiful large
yellow and brown flowers. It is a near r^'lation
to O. sarcodes. There are several Oncids from
Brazil, of inferior bloom, that resemble sarcodes
in growth. Mr. Buchanan told me that he
sometimes thought that O. sarcodes was either

remarkably scarce, or there was no such plant.
He had made importations very often from
Brazil direct, but had never yet got the true
plant.

These are only a few of the many varieties of
Oncids. Lately some elegant additions have been
made: 0. macranthum, O. Rogersii, O. splen-
didum, O. phahenopsis, and O. seriatum. These
are yet comparatively scarce and costly, and I
have not seen them in bloom.

CULTIVATION OF THE VERBENA.

BY JAMES H. MARKEY,JERSEY CITY HEIGHTS,X. T.

I much doubt if there Ls another plant in culti.
vation so widely spoken of as the Verbena, yet
there are but few who thoroughly understand the
nature of this plant. Some gardeners attempt to
grow it at a temperature ranging from 40° to 45°,
which is entirely too cold ; others think they can
grow the same plant in the greenhouse where
there are Dracaena, Palms, Crotons, &c., at a
temperature ranging from 70° to 75°, which is
entirely too warm. My experience with the
Verbena for the past fifteen years induces me
to write as follows : I would make the starting
point the first of March, at that date taking cut-
tings from clean, healthy plants; see that they
are in a proper condition. If the stock plants
were growing in a temperature ranging from
55° to 60°, which in my opinion is the
proper temperature to grow the Verbena, cut-
ting of such plants would be just the style
required by cutting them otf at or below the third
i joint. They would root in eight or ten days
sufllciently to be potted off in two and a half inch
pots, and will make fine, healthy plants by the
I first of April. At that date they require to be
transferred into three-inch pots, at the same time
pinching the tops of each plant ; it will cause
them to strike out with greater vigor, and enable
them to become fine, thrifty plants to be set out
m the open ground by the first of May. By the
middle of August they will have spread to a dis-
I tance of three feet ; at that date they are covered
with flowers and seed pods. This profuse flower-
ing and seeding somewhat lessens the vitality
I of the plants and puts them in a weak condition:
and should they be left in this exhausted state
they would very soon receive the disease which
I so aflects this plant, known as black rust ; and
now there must be something done to prevent
I this disease from putting in an appearance, and
regain the vitality of the plants. I know of no

106

THE GARCENERS MOXTIII. }

lAprir,

hi'tttT inctliod lliaii t(i lut biU'k tlic {'xtremitics
of the shoots sunu' oi<:lit iiu-hes, and loosen
the soil around the plants and in between
(luh layer, by means of a pointed stick or
iron. Then adding one gallon of manure
water to eacli i)lant once a week. Should
this licjuid be ijiconvenient. guano Avould
answer the same purpose by adding one
jiound and a half to twenty gallons of water.
This niixturr will be sutricicntly strong for a sin-
gle watering each week, and continue this opera-
tion until the jilants produce a clean and healthy
growth, which by the middle of October will give
just the style of cutting that is required. Now
the propogation begins. I may here state that
great importance is attached to the necessity of
taking otVthe cuttings imwiediately after rain, as
the moist weather refreshes the young growth
and puts them in a proper condition to be taken
oflf at, or below, the third joint. Cuttings should
be potted immediately on being rooted, not
allowing the roots to become larger than a half
inch. On potting the cuttings they are placed in
the greenhouse and shaded for three or four days,
or as long as the condition of the weather may
require. As soon as they have struck root in
the soil of the pots, they should be sprinkled
with sulphur water by adding one pound to ten
gallons of water ; one watering each week will
l)e sufficient to keep them clean and healthy ;
fumigate with tobacco two or three times each
week, and there is no doubt whate^'er of having a
healthy and vigorous stock; provided proper
attention has been given to temperature, water-
ing and fumigation by tobacco.

CINERARIAS.

BY F., BOSTON, MASS.

At ]). 234 of the August 1877 Monthly, I re-
ferred to the excellence of the Cinerarias grown
by my neighbor, Mr. Paterson, of Oakley, "Water-
town, and now (Feb. 11) I send you a few blos-
, somsfrom the Oakley greenhouses. Then* chief
merits consist in the size, beauty and purity of
coloring of the blossoms, and the massive propor-
tions of the plants, points gained and main-
tained b}' a careful selection of home-saved
seed and good cultivation. Xo attempt is made
at the florist's nicety of perfection in blos-
som, Mr. P.'s end being to have fine spec-
imens for conservatory decoration and for
furnishing cut flowers to have each plant bear a
great wealth of large and brilliant blossoms, and

this purpose he certainly has attained. Mr. P.
neither exhibits nor sells plants or seeds, there-
fore those who wish to see them should see them
at Oakley, where Calceolarias, Cyclamens, I'rim-
roses,Azale;us and other flowering and greenhouse
and stove plants are cultivated with equal suc-
cess, and a more civil, cordial, and generous-
minded person than Mr. P. you will seldom
meet.

Amonii the l^lossoms sent I have numbered a,
few, so that you may specially notice them. No.
1 is 2i in. across ; No. 2, 21 in. and almost semi-
double ; No. 3, 2| in. ; No. 4, 2i in., and of a
glowing, purplish violet ; and No. 5 over 2i in.
and goodly florist's flowers.

Mr. Paterson saves his seed from the finest
flowered plants and sows it about the end of
June, in pans of tine, light soil in a cold frame —
one of the spent Spring bed*;. As soon as the
seedlings are fit to handle he pricks them oft'inta
other pans, and when they grow a little, pots
them singly, and afterwards re-pots them two or
three times just as they demand it. He makes
it a point never to allow his Cinerarias to become
pot-bound before they are shifted, or shoAv flower-
buds before they receive their final potting,
which is usually in late October or November,
and sometimes a few in mid-winter, when they
will be in from sdven to ten inch pots. From
the time they are sown up till November, or as
late as frost can well be excluded from frames by
means of a straw mat over the sashes, tin; Cin-
erarias are grown in cold frames. Just before
hard frosts are likely to occur, however, they
are transposed from the frames to the graperies,
where, on elevated table-like benches, they are
I wintered with a niininuim temperature of 38°.

While in the frames they are roomily arranged,
kept near the glass, abundantly watered at the
' root and overhead, and kept as cool as practica-
ble by a little whitewash shading on the sashes,
and liberal ventilation. In the graperies they
are treated to generous lil)ations and almost daily
sprinklings, and when it is evident that the pots
: are filled with roots and the flower-buds are being
' formed, a little liquid manure is given, until the
flowers open, when its application is discontinued.
The first appearance of flower buds, too, is pinched
out, in order to secure a wider and more compact
' head.

I The most forward of the Cinerarias are placed
in a division of the grapery where the minimum
temperature is 40° to 44°, and are consequently
rushed earlier into blossom than those wintered

1878.]

AND HORTICULTURIST.

107

in cooler quarters. In this way a succession of
well-flowered plants is maintained from the end
of January until up into April. A high tempera^-
ture curls and weakens the foliage and therefore
is avoided, and green-fly, so persistent an enemy
to these plants, is, by frequent doses of cold
tobacco-smoke, denied an existence.

Grown as above, these plants in eight and nine
inch pots are now (Feb. 11) perfect massive
specimens from two feet to three and one-fourth
feet tlu'ough, with large, succulent, deep green
leaves and wide-spread but dense heads of flower
buds. The more advanced are in blossom and
arranged in the conservatory, and another large
succession will yet be obtained from the warmest
grapery ; those in the latest grapery are not much
more than showing flower buds.

[The flowers were very fine and created much
attention at the rooms of the Germantown Hor-
ticultural Society, Avhere they were exhibited. —
Ed. G. M.I

EDITORIAL NOTES.

Vines for a Bay Window. — Mr. W. T. Bell
in the Venango Spectator gives the following as
his choice :

Abutilon vexillarium and A. vexillarium
pictum : shruljby plants, to be ti'ained as climb-
ers, flowering freely, and the latter having leaves
variegated with yellow.

Ampelopsis Veitchii, a woody climber from
.Japan, somewhat similar to om- Virginia
Creeper.

Cobosa scandens, a rapid grower, clinging by
tendrils, and having large bell-shaped flowers.
There is also a variegated-leaved variety of the
same. Ivy — English, and other woody kinds;
also, what is commonly known as German or
Parlor Ivy, a fast-growing herbaceous plant.

Lygodium scandens, a climbing fern, of great
beauty, introduced from Japan.

Myrsiphillitm^ or Smilax, one of the most
beautiful climbers in cultivation. While the
plant is in active growth the soil about its roots
should never be allowed to become very dry.

Senecio macroglossum^ Cape Ivy, one of the
very best rapid-growing climbers, similar in
habit to the German Ivy, but with thick, glossy
leaves, and much superior to it.

Drooping or creeping plants :

Fuchsia procumbens^ a new and distinct species,
a real trailer.

Geraniums, Ivy-leaved.

Lobelia., flowers bright blue.

Lycopodiums, moss-like plants, in great vari-
ety ; suitable for carpeting.

Lysimachia, or Moneywort, flowers yellow.

Othonna crassifotia, a pretty little plant, with
cylindrical, fleshy leaves and yellow flowers.

Polygonum scandens.

Saxifraga sarmentosa, a common plant, in-
creasing by sarments, or runners, like the straw-
berry.

Tradescantia, or Wandering Jew ; several
varieties.

Ft'wctt, or Periwinkle ; vines grow several feet
in length, some of the varieties having variega-
ted leaves.

Other suitable plants :

Abutilon, Boule de Neige, with white bell-
shaped flowers ; and P. Thompsonii, leaves va-
riegated with yellow.

Achyranthus, plants with red foliage.

Agave, or Century Plant.

Azaleas, shrubby plants, flowering in early
Spring.

Calla Ethioptca.

Camellias — Carnations — Centaureas, plants
with downy, white foliage.

Echeverias — Farfugium — leaves spotted with
yellow.

Ferns in variety — Fuchsias, Geranivms, — Hya-
cinths — Jessamines — Myrtle — Oleanders, Palms,
of certain kinds, Pelargoniums — Chinese Prim-
rose — Roses — Solanums, &c.

CoAD Oil Lamps for Small Window Cab-
inets. — The Journal of Horticulture says :

" An amateur, writing to us on paraflin lamps
for excluding frost, states that he has employed
one for three years in his small greenhouse with
great satisfaction and he would not hesitate if
required to place a smaller lamp in a frame.
He describes the reservoir of the lamp, which is
of block tin, as resembling an inverted soup
plate. This fox-ms the base and supports a
moveable cylinder a little more than a foot high
and six inches in diameter, with an aperture at
the bottom for the burner to pass through, and
an ornamental lid at the top with apertures for
the escape of heat. After the heat has been
turned ' full on ' for a quarter of an hour the
cylinder becomes quite hot, and is afterwards
kept sufticiently so by a very small flame. If
he ' fires hard in severe weather ' he places a
shalb-w tin dish of water on the top in place of
the lid. No injurv whatever has resulted from

108

•////•; <';./A'/v-..\/;a".v mo.\ rni.\

l.l^nV,

the lump. l)ut on t!.u> i-ontrarv he has "two (ho opi'ii horder in our climate, and ciin hi- (ak»'u
himdrt'd (nTaniums which have hecn preserved upm Septcml)cr and potted for Winter work. Of
thronirh the pre.<*ent Winter at the cost of one late year.s there liave heen many new species
gallon of oil." '" ' introduced, of which one of the prettiest, C.

I.E.\F Plants loi; Uoom Dkc <)i:.\ti()n.— i ^«i™«'i»»l^vana, introduced by Mr. Bull, of
Amoni: (he pla'ils which can l.e used with hean- ^''"■l'"':»- '•'•'c .2:'V<' with this. There is an ad-

CYCAS XOKMANHYAXA.

tiful etfect in room decoration are those known vantage in these not possessed by some other
as Sago Palms, of which the most common form plants. The older they are the more valuable.
is, perhaps. C. revoluta. and w^hicli indeed is now ■ We have seen old Sago Palms sell for a^iOO at
tolerably well known. They grow very well in I public sale.

1878.]

AND HORTICULTURIST.

109

Tuberous Begonias as Bedders. — A cor-
respondent in the February London Journal of
Horiiculture 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. iTot 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 place, then admit air moderately, sprink-
ling overhead in the afternoon of bright days,
closing earlj-. 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 dry, 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., planthig 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.' "

NEW OR RARE PLANTS.

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 growth. What season of the year is
best to propagate so as to induce 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 Avhy 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 j'^ou 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.

11(1

77/ A" (;,ia'/>/:\/:ns .\n).\TJiL\

{April,

I notii'o also an inquiry tr<Hn a sulis(iil)i'r Iktc,
about the IliLjhland Hardy Raspbt'iry, askinc:
whcthor 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 dilV'n'enee be(we(Mi them. Ashe i)rocured his
plants of HiLrhland Hardy from Hov. K. P. Hoe,
on the Hudson, I presume they are trenuino. I
have not seen this <j;entlemairs plantation, l)ut
saw the Hi<:ihla"d Hardy in fruit last summer,
and compared it with the Kirtland, and think
there is a dirterenee. The large berries of the
Highland Tlardy are somewhatconical, while the
Ivirtland is always round. It has been claimed,
too. that the Highland Hardy is identical with
the Elm City. I have never seen the Elm C'ity,
but as "William Pariy, of Cinnaminson, X. J.,
has cultivated all three without discovering their
identity, I am inclined to think they are distinct.
One fi'uit 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 berr}-,
and that is that the party who could furnish evi-
dence of its producing a thousand dollars per
acre, had plants for sale at S4 per thousand, a
lower price than any berry plants — old or new —
are ottered.

AILANTHUS AND ROSE BUGS.

in Mi;--. K. I'.. II.. w I i.MiNc; r(»N, l>kl.

Hev. W. H. W., of Heading, Mass., comi)lains
that the crop of grapes, " in some cases at least,
are sadly diminished by the unprecedented num-
ber of ro«e-l)ugs.'" Now that gives me an
()])portunity once more to speak a word for the
.Vilanthus. Some years ago in jjassing under an
A i Ian thus, I observed a great munber of rose-
l)ug.>i under it. Some apparently dead, others
helpless and not able to fl)% while many were
trying to creep up the body of the tree and sur-
rounding shrubbery. I mentioned it to my
husbiuul (who was an invalid), and he said he
had observed it before, that he thought the
(lowers 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
J}uckthorn (Frangula Caroliniana) and eat the
berries until they were very sick. By-the-by.
that same Frangula was a verj'^ 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
neig])borhood ? We had very few in after years.
Perhaps they come periodically.

LIME FOR APPLE ORCHARDS

BY MR. J. BLACKAVELL, TITUSVILLE, X. .J.

We have used lime on our apple orchai'ds for
a number of years, and consider it beneficial in
moderate quantities, say twenty bushels to the
acre. We have an oki orchard that has borne
heav}' crops for several years, that we have
limed vvth good results.

THE CHENANGO STRAWBERRY APPLE.

BY MK. .T. BLACKAVELL, TITUSVILLP:. X. T.

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.
Xot worth cultivating where there are so many
better apples.

PEAR CULTURE.

BY A. C. l-OWLEI!, PAXIIANDLE, W. VA.

I will now fulfill my promise. My pear trees
are looking finely, have lost but tlu"ee out of
about two thousand by blight, while trees gener-
ally in this section sufiered 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
trees are six 3^ears old, and have been mulched
for two years and cut back, but no cultivation.
I have been using this wash for three years, and
have lost but very few trees Avhile 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
the outside, and give increasing weight to the
judgment of those who believe that washes
will destroy these spores. — Er>. G. M.]

1878.]

AND HORTICULTURIST.

Ill

CRACKING OF THE PEAR.

BY P. H. FOSTER, BABYLOX, L. I.

I see in the Feb. Monthly, page 52, your
INotes 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 diiference 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 F. 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 injur}' 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 begomes harm
less. It would be well to look for the living
spore or seed and ascertain the point."

CELESTIA APPLES.

BY R. J. BLACK, BREMEX, 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 every lover of fine
fruit under lasting obligations by originating this

delicious apple. It certainly merits all the good
things Dr. Warder has said of it. When first
brought to notice by him, he wrote that it " per-
haps excels the famous Dyer or Pomme Koy-
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-
chards with such fine varietes as Early Joe,
Champlain, Garden Royal, Richard's Graft, Fall
Pippin, Ohio Xonpareil, Sparks, Evening Party,
Grimes, Golden, &c. What the Cincinnati Horti-
cultural Society said of Ohio Nonpareil 20 years
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-ln-own with considerable light-grayish
marking, somewhat downy and spotted; buds
prominent, pointed; leaves dark-green, thick,
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
fruit, is not easy ; but Dr. Warder comes as near
it as words will allow : " Flesh yellow, very fine
grained, very tender, juicy; flavor sub-acid,
sprightly, aromatic, delicious. Use, table or
kitchen; season, September; quality, very best."
— [Armrican Horticultural Annual, 18G7, page
63.)

Its one fault is that it does not keep till April.
But in higher latitudes this will not Ije against it,
for it is well known that Cogswell and other apples
which keep well in the Xorth, are ripe and gone
in Southern Ohio, before the first of November.
Here, about one degree north of the place of its
origin, Celestia ripens in October, being a month
later ; and with no particular care keeps sound
and perfect until after Christmas.

EDITORIAL NOTES.

Fruit Culture ix Texas.— Professor S.
B. Buckley says that the apple does not
succeed well in the warmer parts of Texas,
unless " Southern varieties from Southern nur-
series " are planted. The blight, which it
seems now to be proved is caused by a minute
fungus, kills thousands of trees in the State. On
his grounds at Austin feAV 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

11 J

////, ( / . I A- / ) /■: x /-A'.s Moxiiii.y

[Apri/,

;li(' I iiilfd Slates ; bill wr doul't this. I'ciulics
an- at home in Texas. (.Quinces i)r(iinisiii<;.
Plums, only the native selections do well.
Cherries, currants, and <;oosohorrie.s do not do
u<il. The grape, we L'ather from his re-
marks, is not very successtul. The tltr does well
in Middle and Southern Texas. Oranu'es only in
the counties bordering on the (tulf. Black-
berries do well. Rivspborries, only the Black
Caps. Strawberries very well. Prof. Buckley
thinks that a little more fruit in addition to the '
present abundant '* hog and possum '" would do
tlie Texan farmer no harm.

The Amei{ican 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 Amehica. — The Scientific Farmer
having announced that " cofl'ee has proved
verj' 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 tlu-ee years in
the open air of any part of the United States.
He does not want the Kentucky coffee, Rye
coffee, or any coffee but the genuine Arab berry.

Profit of Gkape Grooving. — Mr. E. F.
EUwanger 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
]irofit means honest labor ; no work no pay, is
uatm-e's law in gardening. Mr. EUwanger
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 Popular Pear.s 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 oi
Stockton, Mr. Milco has introduced "Soi'bula"
trees from which much is expected. This is no

doubt tlie service berry. Sorbus domestiea.
" Blcssi'd are they who do n<it expect much, for
(li( V siiall not be disappointed."

NEW OK R.lRIi I'KLITS.

Brewington Pippin Apple. — Mr. Charles
Downing kindly sends us a specimen of this
apple. Mr. D. says : " The ajjple is of good
size, show}', and the quality good, although a
little wanting in juice. Jt will no doubt be valu-
able for the localit}- 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 :

"Now, 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
lifty 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 fryit 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. I
have about thirty young trees of this latter
variety set out for a new orchard as late keepers.
" I subscribe myself,

"James Brewington."

1878.1

AND HORTICULTURIST.

113

SCRAPS AND QUERIES.

Lime for Orchards. — X. W. A., Lowell,
Mass., writes that in the Vol. of the Horticul-
turist for 1875, pa<ie 22, there is an excellent
paper on the application of lime to orchards.

L'^TAH ClTiRANT. — A correspondent from
Michigan enquires if any have had more expe-
rience with this east of the Rock}- Mountains,

than the provisionally favorable notices that
have in times past appeared in the Garden?:il's
Monthly ?

Fruit of Japan Persimmon. — Mr. Looniis
sends us a preserved fruit from Japan. It has a
flavor partaking of the fig and the date when
dried. The one sent was perhaps the kind
known in Japan as Yaniato. It has small seeds.
We believe it will be hardy anywhere that the
common Virginian Persimmon will stand the
Winter.

Forestry.

COM Ml WICA TIONS.

WILLOW OAK.

r.Y S., RUTGERS COLLGE, NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J.

In your March number J. M. says " it would
lie interesting to know the farthest Northern
l)oint that Willow Oak (Quercus Phellos) has
l)een found growing wild. For the information
of your correspondent and readers, I may state
that this oak is common near Washington,
Middlesex county, X. J. Two trees near that
village are each between 60 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 Xew
Jersey.

QUERCUS PHELLOS AND Q. FALCATA.

1!V HON. ELI K. PRICE, PIIILADELl'lHA.

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 H. 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 trees have stood
a modei'ately severe Winter, but without protec-
tion they have thus far been killed by the first
severe frost. I speak of the E. globulus.
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
that another Australian plant, the Cassia fistula,
will not stand our Winters, but, when protected,
has produced fruit abundantly the second sea-
son, in my garden.

EDITORIAL NOTES.

American Forestry and HoirncuLTURE
AT Paris. — The forestry exhibit from the nur-
series of Thomas Meehan, of Germantown, and
which went on the " Constitution " with the
others from Philadelphia, for the Paris Exhibi-
tion, is not included in the recently published
Philadelphia list of exhibitors, because at the
request of General l^e Due it was transferred
from General McCormick's special list in order

1 [

•nil: (;.ih'n/:.\i:A"s Moxfiii )

[April,

to maki; p;ir( nf (lie National ixliihil iiudir tin-
auspiros of tilt' (Icpardnont of AirricuUiirc. So
far as wv have lu-anl tliis is tlic only American
nursery tli:i( ^^'ill !>«' rei)n'siMi(e(l tlure. 11' there
are others we will ijladly pnhlisli (hem. The
same firm, as already stated.desired to make an
oxhiltit of over oii^ht hundred species and varie-
ties (tf livinij; trees, but was prevented by the
strictness of the French rules.

Tkee Planting in Minnesota. — !S. 1).
Payne planted 100 ,000 trees last year, and ex-
pects to have 100 acres in all completed this
season.

A «iO()i) Mi)VE. — The President ^f the
Missouri River, Fort Scott, and Gulf U. 11., has
made a contract with Messrs. Robert Douglass
«& Sons, of WaukcL'an, Illinois, to ,u;row for that
road 50,000 lilack AValnut, 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 Cer^^us Serotina. — An Illinois
correspondent sends us a sketch of astern of this
tree w^hicb 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 Cherry which so
abound in Pennsylvania. We wish some better
name than "Wild J^>lack Cherry" could be given
this tree, as it is certain to become confused with
these escapes from garden culture.

The Profit of Forestry. — Judging by the
following from an Ehglish contemporary, they
do not calculate profits from the same basis that
we do :

"The expenditure upon the Windsor Parks and
Woods exceeds the income fiom them by nearly
X20,000, the New Forest yields a profit of £1300,
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 Woods, Isle of Wight,
yields a profit of £148 — the total receipts from
the Royal Forests, says the Journal of Forestry,
being £3?., 129 0^. 8c?., the expenditures £18,519
10s, 2.d. Windsor Forest, being entireh' 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 increased,
while the expenditure on Windsor Forest might

prol»ably be diminished, and tiie income in-
creased without diminishing the beauty of the
forest, (he comfort of the Sovei'eign. or the ])lea-
sure .if her snl)jeets,''

In our country the income over expenditure
in any one year would not be considered " pro-
fit." AVe should wan( (o kiutw how much ex-
pendKure of capital and labor (here had been for
years jirevious ; and we should perhaps want to
charge six percent, against all (his outlay, tliat
had for so man}' years brf)nu;ht in nothin;;.
befoi-e 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 5'ear, and still the forest not to be a very
profitable investment.

Forestry will pay, — well managed aiul 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.

Catai.1'A TiMBEJt. — When a few years ago
the Gardener's Monthly called attention to
the fact that the Cattilpa was one of the most
rapid growing trees as well as giving very dur-
able timber, planters were very incredulous.
Since then facts Ixave 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. Rurrill writes : From the experi-
ments so far at the Illhiois Industrial I'niversit}'.
the catalpa is oneof the cheapest, and easiest to
grow, and one of the most rapidly growing of
our 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,
European 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
I 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 ever}' other row will be removed and used
for stakes in vineyards, fences, &c.

The average height is now sixteen feet three
inches, and average diameter one foot from the
ground three inches, some much larger. Thej^
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 liundred '
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 i
southern portion of Illinois, about twelve miles
from Cairo and the Missippi riv<;r bottoms. The I
wood is still sound and strong, and susceptible I
of a fair polish.''

SCRAPS AND QUERIES.

Hardiness of the Eucalyptu.s. — 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 it. 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 know, is not decided by the ther-
mometer.

Natural History and Science.

COMMUNICA riONS.

OIL FOR FRUIT TREES.

I^Y MR. STEPHEN S. PPaCE, FERN ROCK, NEAR :
PHILADELPHIA.

I notice with considerable interest a commu-
nication on page 83, of the Monthly, in refer- i
ence to the bad effects of the use of linseed oil j
on Pear trees, and also notice that the editor is
disposed to attribute the trouble to " adulterated
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 j
the entire tree is bound to follow. My last year's ,
experience was very discouraging. Usually, \
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 beei; oiled ; but when it has, no
care or attention will save it, and even a slight
attack means certain death. ,

My orchai'd is planted on a southern slope,
well drained, and the trees carefully looked
after. But the destroyer still comes, and this
last Summer it took Manning's Elizabeth, j
Clapp's Favorite, Flemish Beauty, Buflum, St. \
Ghislain, Madelaine, and others, and those 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
undoubted; 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 succes.sful. — Ed.]

THE JAPAN PERSIMMON.

BY * PJIILADELrnrA.

The illustration and description of the Japan
Persimmon, in your 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

iin

JJIK C.JRPEXI-.R'S Moxrin.)

\.\pn.

prodiu'o fruit. thi)ii'_'li 1 ^raiit thai docs not «iilluri' as well as incri' Ixitiiiiicjil scit'iicc to lulp
alwavs follow, for I rciiu-inhcr a iiistillati- tree him all we ran. .\ny one who can send frcsii
till' Madura wliiili Ixmc iVuil almiidanlly, a cut catkins, male or fmialc or ;:nod specimens

of any sort, of oin- iiativi- kinds to him. will do us
ail Liood service.

Pi:An Blight. — As we surmised m our last,
I'rof. liurrill was likely to he misunderstood as
he himself explains in the followiii*^ note. The
very careful examination of pear hli<:hted

ot

staminate tree not l)einu' within many miles.
The fruit, thouixh apparently perfect, was. liow-
ever. on examination without seed. If, then,
such be the capacity of nature in the Osai^e
Orantrc, it may be repeated in the .lapau Per-
simmon, thou<ih it is not, 1 think, the case in

our native sort. I have a Virginia Persimmon branches by Prof. J. (iibbons Hunt, showing the
tree of some age which has never borne fruit, ' presence and action of fungi, as already detailed
and efforts at engrafting it have failed. It is ;„ ,,„j. pages, could not have escaped Prof. Bur-
said. I believe, that the Kaki may be readily bill's attention, and we feel sure Hint he must
engrafted on our native stock. liave meant to favor that view :

Please. Mr. Editor, as I start the ball, give it " i send you the article to wiiich you refer in
a push onward. Information may gather as it your March number under the title Fungi and
rolls. Disease, page 87. I see your fpiotation is not

[If these Japan varieties are to be reproduced f\^r wrong, but reference was made to the species
by seed, and not by grafting, our correspondent's named in the article not being definitehj proved
warning is timely ; for, as he says, the flowers , t^ be the cause of the death of the limbs. Fur-
are irregular in their sexual character. Many ix^qx^ I meant to state that we did not know the
are male plants, having no power to develop i mode of action and special effect of any species
anything but stamens. AVe suppose there are ^po^ these trees, whether named or not. I
some with imperfect stamens, and which have | baye little or no doubt but that the disease is
yet the power of developing imperfectly, with- 1 j^ .^ome way due to fungous parasites. Am
out pollen; at least that is our guess at the I ^.o,itj,iui„g jbe search."

origin of the seedless fruited kinds; but there are ; ^^^^ p^^^^ Blight—TIus is the most popu-
some which are truly hermaphrodite, and ""^i" | j^r topic in the v agricultural papers just now.
vidual trees of these will bear fruit anywhere.— ^^.^ ^^^^ ^^^ ^.^^^^^^^ ^^^, doubting the conclusions

Ed.]

ED 17X1 RIAL NOTES.

Cakxivokous Plants. — A Salem, Mass., cor-
respondent kindly says : " Find an important
error, March Xo.. page 87, Ed. Notes, fifth line.
Should have been insects not plants.''' The worst

of Dr. J. Gibbons Hunt, the accomplished presi-
dent of the Microscopical Secli<)n of the Academy
of Natural Sciences, of Philadelphia, who, after
a careful mici'oscopical examination of fresh
specimens, decided that it was caused by a small
fungus working from the outside of the wood
inwardly, as we have already detailed in the
Gakdkxer's Monthly. Dr. Lcighton, of
Norfolk, Virginia, has in a measure confirmed

of it is that the editor cannot put the mistake on ^^^^^^ f^^^g^ ^^ showing that i^car blighted trees
the " compositor," for it fell carelessly from his bad perfectly healthy roots, no fungus about
own pen. them; so it is not likely fungoid material was

LiNU^i PEKENNE. — The pretty blue tlax of carried up in the liquids, and so worked from the
the Rocky Mountains has hitherto been thought interior as they do in the peach yellows,
to be the same with the Old World Linum per- ^ taking off Potato Blossoms.— A certain
enne. Some of our earlier botanists named it jy^ Booghe or Bogy, according to the news-
Linum Lewisii. In a recent number of Silli- , p^^perg^ increases his " tubercles " one-fourth, by
man's Journal Dr. Asa Gray remarks that it j pi,-,^.^,;^^ ^f! the blossoms as they open. Now
may possil)ly yet prove to be a distinct species, ! ^^^^^ bundred instead of three hundred baskets
and to bear this name. ^f Murphies is worth tryhig for; but others be-

The American Poplars. — These are in such j sides this Bogy who have tried it assert it can-
confusion, that it becomes necessary to go over I not be done. We venture the opinion that this
the whole subject from fresh specimens. Mr. doctor is like some others we wot of, who think
Sereno Watson, of Cambridge, Mass., has un- out results and then publish them as if they
dertaken the arduous task. It will serve horti- were focts accomplished..

1S78.]

AN/ ) JfOR TICUL TURIS T.

117

Spkcific Heat in Trees.— The Gardener's ble matter sufficient to prevent the freezing of
Chronicle gives the following sketch of some what it has retained, while the evergreen is all
proceedinos in Germany : the Winter long exposed to evaporating influ-

-Dr. Bolle recentlv cmnnmicated to the ences which dry out the jnoisture to an extent
Horticultural Society of Berlin some interesting utterly unknown to the moist atmosphere of
particulars of the relative hardiness of different Europe, wher ' people say deciduous trees are
ti-ees in Germany. Species of Carya which suc-
ceed admirably in the Central States of North
America suffer from May frosts. Pterocarya
Caucasica survives, but only 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,

" at rest " in Winter, as compared wiih ever-
greens. It is hard to tell what is really meant.

INTERKAL Heat OF PLANTS.— In France
Ihey are troubled much by May 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 otf by this mass of
nnd is one of the few instances of plants which \ jjying vegetation is said to be sufficient to raise
will bear a climate colder than that of the I ^-^^ temperature a few degrees, and thus protect
country in which they now exist in a wild state, j ^j-^g yjnes from frost. It may also have the
In his useful Book of Evergreens Josiah Hoopes ; effect of shading the ground, and prevent sun
says, 'The Deciduous Cypress, although strictly ^yarming, thus keeping back growth a little,
a, Southern tree, thrives admirablv in the climate

of the Middle States. Its most northern natural Slitting the Bark of Trees.-Au impres-
limits are the Cvpress swamps of Marvland, and sioti prevails in some hitelligent quarters that
the extreme southern part of Delaware.- the bark of trees never becomes mdurated, or

hide-bound," in technical language, unless

Throughout every portion of the Southern States
this tree is found in the low miasmatic swamps \ something is wrong with the roots. It often
and occasionally verv plentifullv, especially ' does result from root injury ; but there are many
alonir the borders of the rivers and larger | causes, quite independent of this. Nature her-
^streains. Indeed, in the Gulf States these Cy- ; self provides for the rupture of bai-k m the
press swamps cover thousands of acres, and form atimi ot suber cells,
along the Mississippi river particularly they ex-
tend for hundreds of miles.' Like the Arbor-
vitfe this tree sheds not only its leaves but also
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
•Chapultepec, is tender. Dr. Bolle thinks these
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-

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
bers present observed that deciduous shrubs , contributes to the Popular Science Monthly a
generally withstand frost better than evergreens, ! paper on the chemistry of fruit ripening. The
because they are at i-est in Winter, mentioning I sweetest fruits to the taste may not really have
as examples Magnolia glauca and Larix as much sugar as those which taste more sharply.
Ktempferi." Currants have G and gooseberries 7 per cent, of

It has long been known here that deciduous sugar, while a peach and an apricot have little
trees are hardier, and evergreens more tender, over one per cent. The grape has over 14 per
in America than in Europe, as a general thing. ; cent. — more than any other fruit. It is gener-
Our hot, dry Summers enable the trees to get I ally supposed that sugar is made from starch in
rid of their surplus moistm-e ; and, as they have ' ripeidng, |)ut there are some fruits with sugar in
little evaporating surfaces during Winter, what \ which no trace of starch has ever been found,
they have they keep. They have no excess to j Moist heat favors the chemical process of fruit
freeze and rupture the cells, and have accumu- j ripening, just as unripe fruits are made mor3
lated heat enouijh and secreted non-congeala- ■ edible by boiling.

lis

THE GARPEXER'S M0A7 ///. )

{.April,

TIu> whole iirticlr will well repay a earet'iil
perusal. AVe are -.'lad to know that the Fopiilar
Science Munthli/ is prosperinir. It deserves the
jzreat sueeess it lias acliieved.

Seei»i.ks,s MoiNi-AiN Ash.— Mrs. Lmv Mil-
lington writes: ••('an you tell me how it hap-
pens that the berries of some of our Mountain
Ash tri-es have no seed.s? It is only those
Avliieh the birds spare. All the seeded berries
are eaten in the early Fall, so that there is i^reat
disajipointment 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 ber-
ries, that hanii on the trees all Winter, and the
trees with full-seeded berries are stripped by
birds for the sake of the seeds.''

BoTAxiCAX Name of the Sweet Potato. —
A Virginia correspondent writes : Having failed
to find out the botanical name of the Sweet
Potato plant, I beg you will have the kindness
to state its nativit}'. or what else 3'ou please in
your Monthly. Though simple, I trust it will
interest many of your readers. Am under im-
pression that it is a Caly.stegia.

[It is Convolvulus Batatas, not so very far
trom a Cal3'stegia. — Ed. J

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
plains — 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.]

PiNTJS 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. I would

like I'oi' you to present litiilis and cones of
lluise I senil to the Philadelphia Academy of
Natural Sciences. Pinus Hali'ouriana is a low-
growing tree, very scrubl)y. presentin<r a very
beautiful appearance when loaded with cones,
as lljey cause the limbs to hang down, when
they look like a cat'.s tail when angered; hence
th« local name of Cat Tail Pine. It is found
growing on high, dry points of Tricifo, where
there appears to be no soil, the roots penetrfiting
the crevices of the rock. This Pine I have never
found at an altitude lower than 6,(J(i() fei-t above
sea level. It is very local, growing only, as far
as I have been able to trace it, about the rim
of the basin in Southern Utah, about the head
waters of the Sauvro river. It is a solitary tree.
' You will seldom tint} two of them growing near
together. A peculiarity of the species is its
growth. I found a dead tree last August, 18 feet
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 baiTel. About 5
feet from the ground there was a swell of at
least 2 inches, about inches long up and down
the tree. I have noticed several other trees and
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 priorit3^ 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 I'ight, 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
conlined to California. — Ed.]

The Name Imatophyllum. — N., Cuyahoga
Falls, O., sa3^s : "I notice that, hi several of
our best plant catalogues, the Amaryllid,
Imatophyllum is written, Imantophyllum.
Loudon says Imatophyllum, and this is doubtless
right. This name was evidently intended to be
descriptive. It is some sort of phjilum (leaf).
Imanto is not significant, and of course is not
descriptive. Imato is significant. It means a

1878.]

AND H OR TICIL TURIST.

119

«-oat (vestment). And Imatophyllum 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 off 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 clearly and mani-
festh' 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 orthography. 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 believe to be the first to use it in this form,
dropping the n also, and making it Imato-

phyllum. It is not clear to our mind whether
derivation is from imas^ 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 Avell 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 fiowers
of a variety of Amaryllis, said to be found grow-
ing wild near St. Johns, Florida. "Will you
please let us know tlu'ough 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 wild the original must be
an escape from some garden. It is very double,
beautiful, and ought to be a valuable florists'
flower. — Ed. G. M.]

Literature, Travels I Personal Notes.

. COMMUNICA TWNS.

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 Xapoleon's
grave, and you speak of Capt. Jacob Smith as
probably the ancestor of a former correspondent.
Now it is my custom on receiving your magazine
to commence reading it at once, and when I find
anj'thing likely to interest our domestic circle,
I read it aloud. When the above was thus read
a venerable lady of excellent memory, said :
'' I remember seeing a very large old Weep-
ing Willow, when I lived in Newport, R. 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 difficult." 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 bv the little word

" TJckfield," that iny eyes involuntarily closed ;
many, many years were retraced, and among
many recollections was 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 street
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 El'OENE <iLKX, ItOCIIKSTEI! . N'. V.

In 1876, Congress enacted a law by which
it was made a penal offense, punishable
liy tine not exceeding SI ,000 or imprisonment

1-JO

/•///•; i;.iA'/)/:.v/' A's mo\ riii v

l{/>n/.

iu»t exctM'diii'j; two years, to knowiiiulv iniitalc
any rotiisti-n'd trailt- mark or doal in nicrcliaii-
(lise hearing swell imitated marks witlionl au-
thority. Of eonrse. (lie invokinir of criminal;
law cannot be justified in this case merely as a
jiroleetion to (lie private in(eres(s of (hose who
liold trade marks, and it was not upon the theory
that the law was pa.ssed. It was seen (hat (hose
who accjuire a reputation for their jj;oods because ,
of their superiority, have ever)' 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 obtaininti good (jualities of
the merchandise it may ref]uire. 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 public injury to have
spurious trees and plants disseminated; and if the
protection of the public from spurious brands of
coflee and soai).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
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 propogatc any
nurserymen can produce trees 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 a limiti-d
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 ihe wrongful
tise 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 frauds.

A^ 111 the scope of (ha( law I would suizgest
biictly. (hat any ]»ersnn who should make oath
that he bad oiigiuated a new and disdnct vari-
ety of (rees, shrubs, vines. plan(s, bulbs, tubers,
seeds or cereals, which had never been dis.semi-
na(ed. should, micler prr>per eondidons. receive a
certificate entitling him (o ]iro(ec(ion in the use
of the name he might originally adoj)! 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 shfiuld be made for declaring void
certificates granted on varieties which should
prove to have been previously disseminated
in any degree, and also for rcfpiiring the origi-
nator to indicate on all specimens, and in all
advertisements of the article, the fact and date
of his copyright.

It should further jirovide thai the willful use of
a valid copyright name wi(hout 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 iw 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 valua1)le ; and it may be safely
assumed that the self interest of those who hold
copyrights upon names, which shall have ac-
I quiredsufficientreputation to ofl'er any temptation
{ to their fraudulent use. will see that their rights
I are generally resjiected. and that the chances
I 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
intiuences operating together cannot help secur-
ing to the public a much larger proportion of
genuine stock than it now gets, or fail to give
j to honest members of the trade a better chance
in the race than they now have.

ED IT O RIAL NOTES.

El lioi'EAN Notes by the Editor. No. 8. —
The public garden at Nottingham is called the
''Arl)oretum," 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
dou1ilp the extent. This, indeed, is the most

1878.]

AND HORTICULTURIST.

121

.striking feature o*" English landscape oardening
and, for the matter of that, French garden art
also, to so make the most of ground that a very
little goes a great way. The tract was secured
hy the city in 1850, and all tliat has heen done is
wholly the work of art since that time, nature
i>iving nothing but the irregular piece of ground.

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 1
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, i
some hundreds enjoying the walks through the
1)eatitiful grounds. As all the walks were
asphalted, there is no ditficult}' about this to one ,
who does not care for the rain overhead.

The eftbrt to make a small place look larire
requires great skill in its accomplisliment; and I
think it is becaust* this efibrt has been so success-
ful here that this ''Arboretum " has such a world-
wide rejnUation •, the irregular contour of sur- !
face is, of course, veiy favorable. But not only
are the paths varied in width, and led around
knolls wherever there might seem no excuse for I
going any other way. but the whole style of art .
i one c<mtinual 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 Colchicum 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 slirubliery of tio special imjiortnnce, and
perhaps 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 shrubberj', and beyond the stretch of nice
green grass, there is a Sweet William garden.
'Continuing to oive 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
eversi'eens, 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 l)chind them.
Leaving the irregular masses of shrubbery, we
are then introduced for a change to a very for-
mal Privet hedge with a narrow l)order of earth
in front, and then a row of our common woolly
Mullien, Yerbescum tliapsus. as courtly and
severe as the hed^e ftself, as if each vied with
each other as to which should be the most statel}^
in the beholder's eye.

The ''Landscape Gardener "' that Downinsr, I
believe, once told al)Out, wlio 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 chanires, we come suddenly into
the " Bell Garden." w scpiare and level piece of
liTonnd, full of architectui-al objects, geometri-
€al lines, and carpet beds gay with liright colors
^o match.

The hell 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 four corners of the square plat-
form are four cannon taken from Seliastapol in
the Crimean war. This war 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, that is the chief charm of these
successful pieces of English landscape gardening.
Then there are terraces from which we look
down 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 decorated by 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 puljlic buildings in the city, appearing
as if it was l)uilt expressl}' for yi^u to admire from
that spot. Then it may be some scene in the dis-
tant Sherwood Forest ; or, perhaps, a mass of
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 ])eing particularly worth}' of note
were that it was admiral)ly designed in the first
place : and in the second, that though the common-
est materials were employed in decorations, they
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 was a cheap day in
my English experience, giving one of the best
lessons in public gardening I could possibly
have.

As we cannot do more than take some types
of various classes of garden \\'t)rk, suppose we
skip over some hundred miles or moi-e in a
south-easterly direction, and spend a da}^ at the
celebrated Sydenham palace in Kent. This
also is a public garden ; but it is owned by a
private company, the idea being to do a little
gardening for profit as well as just for the pleas-
ure of the thing.

Before I left America I had been kindly furn-
ished with letters of introduction by distiniruished
Americans in various walks of liife, to different
English gentlemen ; knowing, however, that the
acceptance of liospitality and attentions, seri-
ously interferes with the seeing a great deal in a
short time by one whose busy life suflcrs him
not to farry long in one place, I seldom used
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
pecuniary failure, 1 was really anxious to know
more about its fmancial prosjiecf than I could learn
l)y looking about alone. Finding a letter in my
wallet to Mr. Thomas Iluuhes, the President, I

122

THE GARDENER'S MJNrHLY

I4pri/r

(lott'nniiii'fl lu iiKikc use of it. ;i> I uiidtTstood In-
was (III tlu' L'loiiiiil. I \v;i> (lircctiil lo a room as
(lu> Sfirctaiv's (ttlifc. At tin- lar cml Wfic two
or tliri'r cli-i-ks Itusy willi tliiMi- pens. It was some
timo lu'lon' tlicso Lrcntlrmt'ii (Ici^nfd to laki' any
notii-t' of my in(|iiiry il' Mr. Iluirlics was to be
tbuiKl. One at last caiiu-to me Imrricdly, and on
my n'])i'atinir tlio tiin'stUm lie rcplii'd sharply
that he was. hut was ('ii;;aii(Ml and could not he
seen. JU'foro scarcoly tlnishinu' his answci- he
was ofV, and at his dosk attain. Tln-ro was nolh-
inu loft hut to lollow him. wIk*!! I explained
that I was fntm America, and was the heai-er of
a letter I'roin a friend of Mr. Ilniihes. and where
(•ould he he seen ? "You can't see Mr. llunhes
now. hut you can leave the letter with me, or
you can see the Secretary in that ntnm." I
walked into that room, found it empty, came
hack and so reported. "Well,l doiTt know where
lie is." was the husy man's reply, and he went
on with his pen work. It did not seem to
mo a matter of supreme imi)ortance to see Mr.
Iluirhes. I should probably learn somethintj 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. ITuiihes and walked
awaj' ; and the only reason! mention the circum-
stance is to say that such incivility is extremely
rare in p]ni;land. I I'ound ollicials occasionally
curt, especially on one occasion at ]?ri<4liton, 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 hi the inauiiuratiou of these
wonderful exhil)its; and it is to be hoped that
the enterprise which has staked so much on the
venture will be ultimately successful. The
l)uildin<; itself is a sort of a combination of the
Main p]xhibition].uildin<r and Horticultural Hall
of our Centennial. Iluue Acacias. Myrtles,
New Holland Araucarias, with numerous han<r-
iiiii baskets oi' Rose (Tcraniums. interspersed with
dolphin fountains, adorn the main promenade,
while the side portions are used for the various
collections f)f art. music halls, c^c.

The grounds are pretty, but I must say that,
considering the reputation of the landscape gar-
dener. Paxtoii. I believe, it did not strike me as
a first-class specimen of art. In my poor
ophiion, it was terraced, va.^ed, and fountained
to death. The fountains had no water in them,
and the lakes were chiefly dark mud and weeds,
rt 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
hot-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 flag pole which 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

itself, was licauliful. Tlic f.uiMl Iiedding was
elaborate and lasli I'ul. and I .>-aw few specimens
of such work in ICnL'land that was its sunerior-
It is worthy of note, that with all our ideas of
the superiority of the KnL.'lish cliuiate for garden-
ing, they have but a very short season in whiidi
to enjoy it, comiiared with what we have. It
was then the Kith of .Inly, and some of the beds
were only beiny jilanted. It takes thousands
and thousands of jilants to carry out the bedding
of the English gardeners, because, owing to their
sboi't seasons, they have to set the i)lanfs 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 tok
enjoy these beautiful eflt'cts.

I must pass by the beauties of Hyde Park, and
the numerous public parks of London, and take
only one for my brief space to make a few notes
on, as I thought it the best of its class — 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-
(Mices, that Europe was a mucii cheaper place to
live in than Ameriia. provided you bought
nothing. Of course I knew Battersea of all my
old haunts. Althou<ih 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
lioys used to go to get our Rumex Brittanicus.
and other rare (for those parts) species of Docks,
for these fields wei'c our favorite hunting
grounds. But it was not to be, for all around'
were beautiful buildings, and a beautiful park
was on that very spot. It is perfectly amazing
how young old Eondon is. If the author of
•''Flora Londoniensis " could see it now, he
would want to emigrate to the I'nited States.
There is scarcely room even for a dock to grow
about old Jjondon 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 Summer drinks of our OAvn land. There was
a fair looking restaurant at the park entrance,
with arbors of living vines, and seats and tables
that seemed pleasant eiK^ugh. People at the
tables were indulging in the favorite national
beverage, while our eyes caught si^ht of '' Ices '^
on a piece of pasteboard swinging in the wind.
It came in a sort of sherry glass, and in a mo-
ment had wholly disappeared. It was a very
honneopathic dose I'or so serious an ailment,
so we had to take comfort from a newsjiaper by
us, which gave a terrible account of the awful
death of some one a few days before from eating
ice cream. It w^as 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 nothini: which need('«l an emetic.

l^TS.]

.-V A D H OR TICUL TURIS T.

123

so we timidly inquired for ice, and to our great
delight some chunks soon tloated in the liquid.
I cannot describe the curiosity with which we
were regarded by those in the vicinity as w-e sat
indulging in that delicious drink; and, relating
the, to us, amusing incident a day or two after,
while dining with a leading English nurseryman,
he assured us that he did not wonder at it, for he
did not remember that he had ever tasted ice
water in his life !

But we were nicely cooled off, and started for
a tour round the park. It seems to Imve an out-
line of a])out two miles, and has much of the
continually varying character of the Notting-
ham arboretum, alread}' 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 worJc has to be wholly one of art. The
ancient ditches, to which we have referred, have
been gathered into great lakes, and scores of
boats with ladies in them showed that the
healthy exercise 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 Avith 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
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
Tacoboia formed a sort of base color between the
large tobacco leaves. The sub-tropical garden
is a special feature of Battersea Park. 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
the most successful attempt at rock-woi'k we
over 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 ]il;iin, 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-loving bush(>s and genuine rock
])lants 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
thinking 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-
dening of this park, but never of its wild rock
garden, but to me it was the loveliest of all.
The carpet beds, to -be sure, are exquisitely
beautiiul. 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
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
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 w^as 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..
wiiom I had understood had a model suburban
garden, and which I might take as a tvpe 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 Avritings he had ])een so long famil-
iar ; and there was 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
wherever 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 ofticers 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 otticers. 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 numl)cr is ahoiU
sixteen. The plants for bedding purfxisi's are all
raised on the grounds. Fur these purposes
there are eight greenhouses, each 2U feet by 100.
besides frames. It may give some idea of tiie
immense luimber of plants required for orn:i-
mentation of this character, when I say that i.i
the beds this season there were no less tha'i
7.') ,000 Lobelias, and 48,000 Geraniums. So grea; .
however, is the national love of gai-dcniuL;-
among all classes, that whatever feehng there
may be against public exi)enditures, those on
paiks and public gardens are rarely objected t<'.

The Boston Public Treks. — A correspDU-
dent writes that in our remarks on trees for

'IIIK GAKni-M'K'S MOXllll.Y

lAprii,

llowfis valm-tl at SI ,22'. I ; seeds s^l 1 ,2(i;?, and of
dutiable arliele were i)ull)s, Si .">47 ; dried ^Tasses,
si .CUT; seeds, Sirj.Sf)! ; trees anil plaiils, S;r),721);
of other arliclos of a more aLirieidlnral eharae-
ter on wliieh duties were paid, were S150,()0()
worth of jjotatoes, perha|)s Ironi lierniuda in
early crops.

Wiiv (;.\i{I)Km:ks siioiLi) M.MtitY. — As
note<l elsewhere, the "a^ent" lias hern (rai)ped
and eauuht by the Gahdknkk'.s Monthly
folks, after he has had. lor over a year, the
<,'ood ])iekini; under his "a<j;ency" for many
other i>ei'iodicals, seed houses, an("l nurserymen,
and eould not be eauLrht. We learn that one
izardener near (iermantown was saved by the
Uood sense of his wife. He had a^'rced (o <iet
(he Gakdknkij's Monthly, "'to be weekly, in
I future, with no increase in price," and the
" shears,'' aiul he went rejoiciuir to (he. house for
the 82 for the ijentleman, who politcdy assured
him that ••' he need not pay the money now until
; after he got the magazine, if he did not want to;
j but as he liad the receii)ts at liand it miiiht save
trouble to pay at once." But the wifi; forcibly
incjuired what he was "after in paying out money
[ to a stranger," which happy thought struck the
gardener as sensible, and so " Mr. AVaters" was
asked to "call again." A wife like that is a
treasure to any man, and ^School Jjane. German-
town, should be proud of her. It seeins clear
that a man who consults his wife before giving
I money to a bogus agent, has decidedly the best
I of it, and we recommend the practice to those
! who have never .J)een visited l)y Mr. "Waters.
! or C. E. Anderson, oi- any such man.

I Bakwix and Bkyant. — The portraits of the
I philosopher and jjoet, as published, have astrik-
j ing resemblance to each other.

Prof. Riley in Europe. — We noticed re-
'cently the misconceived criticism of an Euro-
I pean author on Prof. Riley's work. We note
I that they are not all of that gentleman's o]iin-
ion. Prof. Charles -Toly, in La Science PoiirtniH,
ending a review of the work of Prof. Riley
relative to Doryphoi-a, says : "We do not hesi-
tate to highly commend the labors of a man
Avho is an honor to the learning and intelligence
of his counti'3'."

Transactions of the Minnesota Horti-
1 cultural Society. — From Prof. Charles Y.
1 Lacy, Secretary, St. Paul. There are few trans-
actions of so truly a horticultural cbai'acter.
The work of the society covers every bi-auch of
j 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 Avritten a small pamphlet on
Window Gardening, which may be had for 25
cents of Geo. W. Park, Mount Vernon, O.

Horticultural Importations.— Those re- ! Mr. Robinson's Wild Garden. — Of a new
ceived into the port of Philadelphia from edition of this work a recent notice tells us :
Eui'ope 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

l)ublic urounds some injustice mi<rht be done.
Among articles furnished to th(> iioston author-
ities were some for which they i)aid s]."i() per
IdO. Tiiis 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 irrade of i»lants in this counlr^v. It is
said thai the investigating ccnnmittee reported
substantially to this etVect. Sq far as this par- '
ticular case may be referred lo l)y our remarks,
lie thinks that one should be excluded.

The Post-office Ruler Again. — Tlic Post-
oHicc schoolmast(M- is after I^ncle Samuel's bad
boys again, and the hands have to be held out ;
for the ruler. Now that our reformed Congress
has re-enacted the franking privilege for its
members, so that their dirty linen can be sent
free throu>rh the mails to their laundries at i
home, horticulturists have to be looked after,
and their lin'ilities cut down to the lowest possi-
ble ebl). 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 cjuite sufficient that the general
envelope be open, but now every o or 10 cent
package of flow^er seeds must be " open at the
ends," as well as the main Avrapper ; even
good Mr. Cresswell's "transpan-nt wrapper"
will pass no more now. On making iiupury at the
Philadelphia post-oflice 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 j^ostal card, that
a great Government like ours should imagine its
"customers" would steal a mes.sage 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. Thi^ 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 seem to be as liberal as they are
to their people, so our (Government can pretend
to be progressive also, and then so embaiTass
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 !

1878.]

AND HOR TICUL TURJS T.

125

drawn in black and white by some of the best
artists in London and Paris. These illustrations
will show some of the results already obtained,
and sugoe.sts what is possible with many types
of vecetation. 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 photogra])hs or sketches showing beauti-
ful flower life in a wild or semi-wild state.
What is wanted are not portraits of individual
flowers, 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
Pacitic States."

HoRTicrLTUKAL 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 theni!
are extremely creditable and deserving of all'
praise.

The RukalNew 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-
grribes therefor the full subscription price, but
if it is to be, the Rural New Yorker^ s ofter 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 :MARSHALL P. WILDER. j

Concluded. j

Pomological 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 179f),
on the natural history of the canker worm. In
this paper Prof. Peck gave a very full account
of th's 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 i)opularizes 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, wa^ 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, Duhamel, and the like, were
in foreign languages, and not generally available
for our uses if we except the "iPomologia" of the-
Dutch gardener, Herman Knoop, wiiich 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 Mons
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 Lindle^v , Thompson, Rivers and
Hogg of Engtand ; Esperen, Bivort and Berck-
mans, of Belgium ; Decaisne, Leroy and ^Mas, of
France, and others of our own land, should
infuse into che minds of cultivators that new
zeal hi fruit culture which has now spread
throughout our own continent. But it was not
until the estal)lisliinent of horticultural societies
in the I'nited States, such as New York, in 181S,
the Pennsylvania and Massachusetts, in 1828
and 182".», 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 work
pul)lished in America was Coxe's "View of the
('ultivation 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 origin, were freely added to our own

\-ir,

rill-: cARni-.M'.K's moxi'iii.)

[.//-/■//.

(•()llfi!iiiiis. Sociciit :> wtif r<iriiHii, inw iiursci-
ics «'«-lMl>lislifiL (MtaloLrucs pu!)lislic(l. ;iih1 w i;imi-
i>ral (k'siic iiiaiiitVstcil lor lu-w ami iinjirovrd
Imils.

In tliis iu>\v I'uti'rpiisc. Coxc. nl' New Jorspy ;
llosark, Hiifl, aiul David TIiDinas, of New
York; Aleasi', Carr, aiul Liuidrcth, of Pennsyl-
vania ; Lowt-U, Manniuij and Downer of Massa-
<'linsetts; Yonng, of Kcntui-ky ; Smith, of Rhode
Island; Ives, and Minison of Cikuneetieut ;
<'orse, of Canada ; llildreth, Loni,Mvorth, and
Kirtland. of Ohio ; Corse and Uoi,'ers of Mary-
land: Kenicott and Dunlap, of Illinois, and
olIuTs — soon beeanie aetively engaeed.

We have s])oken of the early publications of
Ilorlieultural Soeieties, hut there is another class
of ])iiblieations to which we are even more
indebted. In 1S1',». appeared the forerunner of
tlu' present host of ALrricuUural i)apers, the
American F(irm.ei\ which still conlinui's in a
jjreen old age, and it is a pleasant coincidence
that we meet in the city where this lirst journal
saw the light of day, and whose editor is the
Secretary of the society whose, hospitality we
are now enjoying.

Then came the New England Farmer^ the
Genesee Farmer, and the Alhany Cultivator^
through whose columns information began to be
widely disseminated. Then came the fruit books
and publications of the elder and younger Prince, i
Thacher, Manning, Kenrick, the Downings, |
John J. Thomas, Ilovey. Barry. Brinckle, War-
der, Hooper, Elliot, Field, Fulbn- and others.
Nor should we fail to mention as powerful agents
in advancing (he cause, Hovey's Magazine of
Jlorficiilturp\ the Horticulturist, the Ga'hi)EXEI!'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 3'ears, eml)racing in consolidated form the
reports of the A^arious 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.

NECItOLOGY.

But while I congratulate you on the prosperity
of our institution, on itsincreasin<; inlluence, 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 l)y death the fol-
lowing persons, wiio have held otheial positions
in the Society : Dr. Benjamin F. Edwards, of
Missouri; William Blanchard Towne, of New

llamp>liire; Hartbtt Bryant, of Vermont: Dr.
Kdwin S. Hull, of Illin<>is; Daniel W. Coit, of
(,'(»nnec(l(U( : and Dr. .lohn S. Ilou^h(on,of Pemi-
sylvania.

' Dr. Benjamin V. l-'dwards. of Kirkwood, Mis-
soin-i, held the olHce of Vice-President for that
State from IMIT lo 'Ci'.), and again in 187') ami '77.
He was l)oru in Darnestown. Maryland, .Inly 2,
17*.>7, and died at his beauliful residence iu Kirk-
wood, .Vpril '27, 1H77, at the ripe age of eighty
years, llis love of liorliculture and kin<lred itur-
suits commenced early in life. He was intimately
associated in tlu! cultur(! of the grape with .Mi-.
Longworth, of Ohio nnteiving cuttings from
him of all the nativi", and foreign grapes, which
he .scattered among the most enterprisiu'r of his
mnnerous patients, and which made ^ladison
county one of the first in the State in gra})e 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 constantly bought to pro-
mote all benevolent and Christian enterprises,
Ijelieving "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,
universally beloved and respected. ]Many of us
well remember his introduction as the oldest
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 pi'esiding officer.

William Blanchard Towne, a Vice-President
of this Societv for New Hampshire, was born in
Bow, N. II., October 12, 181U, and died suddenly
in Boston, April 10, 1S7G, agedG5. He was in
early life emiiloyed in farming; afterwards a
merchant in Boston. He was Treasurer of the
New England Historic-Genealogical Society, and
one of its Vici'-Presidents, and an active member
of the New Hampshire Historical Society; Pres-
ident of the Skowhegan National Bank, and the
Milford Five-Cent Savings Institution, and mem-
ber of the New Hampshire J^'gislature in l872-7:>.
Some years ago he purchased his father's home-
stead in Milford, and took a deep interest in the
exhibitions of his State and county. Mr. Towne
was a very useful man, and universally respect-
ed.

Bartlett Bryant, a Vice-President of this Soci-
ety for the State of Vermont, was born at Han-
over, New Hampshire, Feb. 26. 1822, and died at
Derby Centre, April 26, 1876. He was from
earl}' life attached to the cultivation of fruits,
and feeling the need of hardy fruits in his region
he established nurseries in Stanstead, Canada
and in Derby Centre a>id Enosburg, Vermont,
introducing new fruits, and doing a large business
in the distribution of hardy trees in the north and
north-west, especially with regard to our colder

1878,]

AND HORriCULTURIST.

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
lioundaries. 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 defith, large nurser-
ies of fruit trees. He was a benevolent man,
having made donations for schools, orphan
chiklren, etc., and his loss was much deplored.

Dr. Edwin S. Hull, of Alton, Illinois, was
bora in Connecticut, May, 1810, and died at his
residence Nov. 8, 1875. In 1844 he removed to
tlie famous Hull farm, near Alton. He planted
large 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 efforts 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 1807 and
'(18, 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 courteousl}', as President of the
Illinois Horticultural Society, 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 any political ties,"
and expresse(i the hope that at no distant day
we should meet 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
m(Mnl)ership 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 18l!> he went to
Peru, where he resided for some seven years, in
])usiness relations with England, America and
Spain, having more than once crossed the Andes,
visiting the mountains and the ruined cities of the
Incas. He repeatedly visited Europe and ])artic-
ularly Spain, in whose schools of art he took a
great interest. In 1840 he returned to his native
homc! ; Init just before the breaking out of the
war with Mexico he went to that city, where he
was established in business for awliile. 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 muth 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 onh'
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 slvctches 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 of rough huts. His j^kill
he retained to the close of life, and his works are
prized not onl}^ 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, 187G.
Dr. Houghton was an active worker in the field
of pomology and horticulture, and was chairman
of the State Committee for Pennsylvania from
1809 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 despatcli
— andliis 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 ^lassa-
chusetts, who died at the Grand Pacific Hotel iia
that city on the 13th day of September, 1870.
Mr. Colton was largely interested in horticultu-
ral pursuits, and formerly in the nursery 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 freijuent correspond-
ent of horticultural journals, and for some years
editor of the Massachusetfs Spi/. He was also a
director in the Quinsigamond Bank, and treas-
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 rt^lations. have been re-
moved sisice our last meeting. They have gone
before us, their ])laces have been made vacant,
and are now filled by others. How long we shall
remain, is only known to Him who holds the

1*2S

I'lii-: (;.ih'/)/\/h-s Mo.y ////.)

{.ApnU

issues (if lit'f in lijs Imiuls. Soiiu- ul' our lives art-
\vt'lliiii;ii spi'ui, ;iiul iTc wo nu't't ai^iiiii our sun
will have set below the liori/on ol" I his world.
Let (lieu these lessons of inoi'lalit y prompt us to
greater diliijenee for the proniolion ol' our cause.

CONC'Ll'.SION.

Siaudinir here as eonservators ol" Ainerieau
l'ouu)loi;y, enjoyinLT as we do sueh poeuliar privi-
k\t;es for research aiul discovery, let us use evory
etlbrt to advance our cause l»y diligent
experiment and observation, so tliat 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 m.ankiud the rich treasures which our
><(ience has in store for the world. Thus let us
work «n, hand in hand, to scatter these ble.ssings
broadcast through the land. Others may seek
for the honors of public life or the victories of
war, which too often carry with them the recol-
lection of wounded hearts and painful disappoint-
ments. IJut let us continue to work on, feelmg
assured that our labors will caus(> no regret. As
Mrs. Sigourney has beautifully versilied my
former remark —

•'No siliii; in the bosom ol memory we're leaving,
No stain on the 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 lal)ors on earth, let
us feel as.sured that others will continue the w'ork
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 ;ill ob-
stacles.

"Still achieving, still pursuing,"'

until we shall reach that better land where the
garden shall have no blight, fruits no decay, and
where no serpent lurks l)eneath 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.

lIouTlClTLTURE 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 ])remiums
awarded to them.

The Kentucky Horticultural Society
has determined to compete for the Wilder medal
to be aVvarded at the meeting of the American
Pomological Society, to be held at Nashville,
Tenn., hi September, 1879. This medal is given
to such societies only as make a meritorious
display of fruits. The Kentucky society expects

III iilaee upon the tal)les not less ihau one tiiou-
sand plates of fruit.

.\L\I£VLANI> IIoKTK rLTlIIAI.SoflETY.— Tlu'

practice of having instructive talks about the
objects exhibited we are pleased to see is grow-
ing. At the Feb. meeting of this Society Mr.
AVm. Fraser, who has demonstrated in tlie con-
servatory at Paltei-son Park, how in practice the
l)(>st results are ol)taiiied in jilant growth, read
an excvllent paper, on Ibis interesting sultject
tracts in our next. Mr. Peiitland made a s])irited
little speech, bearing rather severely on the
deliciency of tloml dis]>lay and taste in
JJaltimore as compareil with some other
cities; and the President. Mr. Perot, made
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 Hoeh, for its large and brilliant llowerrs,
free-blooming (jualilies and great frairrance ; to
James Pentland for his seedling Camelia, "Stone-
wall Jackson,'' exhiliited for the tirst time, of
good form and color and beautifully variegated;
to "W. I). Brackenridge for a specimen in llower
of^Iahonia japonica; to S. Feast & Sons for cut
Camellias, Roses, Pansies and White Hyacinths :
to Captain Snow for line display of Orchid
liloonis; to Rolit. J. Halliday for a general col-
lection, including a tine Pandanus Veitchii; and
to Patterson Park (Win. Fraser, Supt.) for a
handsome and well-tilled table, including nota-
bly well-grown specimens of Phajus Wallachi.
Abutilons John Hopkins and Darwinii, &c.

Massachusetts Horticultural Society.—
At the meeting on March 2d the best winter pear
exhibited was decided to be the Beurre D'Anjou,
from J. V. Wellington ; the next liest w^inter
variety from the same. C. E. Grant's JJaldwins^
were the best winter apples. Mr, John PL Bar-
ker received a vote of thanks on his retirement
from long and active service as chairman of the
Floral Committee. A testlmomial of tluve crayon
photographs of himself was presented to Mr. Park-
man for his distinguished services to Horticul-
ture. lIon.M. P. Wilder ])resentcd a copy bound
of all his speeches and addresses.

The jiresident read the following letter, which
had been received by him :

' The undersigned, intrusted in advancing a
practical taste for floriculture, ospecially among
the children of the laboring classes, desire that
the ^lassachusetts Horticultural Society shall
oiler jirizes for window gardening, and conduct
all the business of advertising, exhibiting and
awarding prizes necessary to insiu'e success."
Signed, Runs Ellis.

Henry W. Foote.
C. A. Bartol.

It w^as voted (hat the Committee on Plants
and tlowers, 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
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 your 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
yuu wish to hear about the cultivation, I can in-
form you at another time. Many of the best
spikes were faded. I have not sent you all the
kinds I 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.

[We 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 ELWI.

BY MR. J. JAY SMITH, GERMANTOWN, 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 b}' 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 Avant Mr. Meehan'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.l

130

TFfE GARDENER'S MONJIII.Y

iMay,

COMPARATIVE ROSE LIST.

i!Y i!i.i:<ii;N, .ii;K>in c rrv, m;\v jKitsKv.

1 st'iid y<ui a ropy of tilt' English election list,
and one of Mr. Kllwaiim-r (of Ellwanger &
Barry) called the American List of Roses, taken
from the Garden of Nov. 17th. isTT. hopini; that
yon may tind il of siitlii-ient interest to publish it.
If you do it might lead to a further cU^scussion 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 jioints of interest would arise
as to fresh hloomers, the most perpetual, «&c.,
of the hybrids, of which the list is largel}' com-
posed. Why should such general favorites as
Genei'al Jacqueminot, Safrauo, IJon Silene, &c.,
be left out, when they have been so generally
adopted as foi"cing roses in this t'ountry?

Best 48 Roses, English Election and Mr. Ell-
wanger's lists :

fJnrilinh.

1 Marie liaiiiuan.

2 Alfred Colonib.

3 Charles Lofebvre.

4 La France.

5 Marechal Neil.

< Baronne de Rothschild.

7 Francois Miclielou.
« Louis Van Iloutte.

Etieune Level.

Marquise dc Castellane.

Mad. Victor Verdier.

Duke of Ediiil)urgh.

Mdlle. Marie Uady.

Comtesse de Oxford.

Doctor Andry.

Senateur Vaisse.

Xavier Olibo.

Mdlle. Ktijjeuie Verdier.

Edouard Morren.

Catherine Mermet.

Horace Vernet.

Marguerite de St. Amand.

Emilie Ilansburgh.

Ferdinand de Lesseps.

Dupuy Jamaiu.

Caniille Bernardin.

John Hopper.

Reynolds Hole.

Tictor 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 Xotting.

Souvenir d' Elise.

M. Marie Finger.

Mad. Marie Cointet.

Fisher Holmes.

Monsieur Xorman.

Comtesse de Serenye.

Sir Garnett Woolsley.

Mad. Charles Wood.

Star of Waltham.

Mdlle, Annie Wood.

Amerkan.
La France.
Marechal Neil.
INIaric Banman.
LouiM Van Houtte.
AUrcd Coloinb.
fCharli s Lifcl)vre.
(Ferdinand de Lesseps.
Catherine Mermet.
Mdlle. Marie Van Houtte.
Mad. Victor Verdier.
Mdlle. Marie Kady.
Francois Michelon.
Marquise de Castellane.
Baronne de Rothschild.
Etieune Levet.
Mdlle. Eugenie Verdier.
John Hopper.
Abel Grand.
Comtesse de Oxford.
Seualeu 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 Vernet.
Exposition deBrie.
Souvenir de Malmaison.
Marie Dncher.
Fisher Holmes.
General Washington.
I'ierre Notting.
Mad. Norman.
Mdlle. Boniiaire.
Mad. Berard.
Mad. Trifle.
Maurice Bernardin.
Reynolds Hole.
Mad. Marie Finger.

PINUS GLABRA.

BY DR. MELLICHAMP, BLUFFTOX, S. C.

This is a splendid tree, and I have often won-
dered that it has not been cultivated. It is

rare about me, indeed, never abundant any-
where ; but last fall I saw very beautiful an<l
I 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 i'»
, this dry and sandy soil ; and yet 1 have seen
! them grow in such situations as Calebogue
i Sound, Hilton Head— within sight of the ocean.
I But they usually prefer the rich wet knolls of
I the swamps, but never anywhere do they form
I forests of pines as do the others,
i [Iloopes, Bro. & Thomas had a nice specimen
in their collection at the Centennial Exhibi-
I tioii. — Ed. G. M,]

CARPET BEDDING.

BY C, J. BJORKLUND, HAMPTON, VA.

Fig. 13, 24 feet long by H wide. I is Alter-
I nanthera Paronychioides major; 2, A. versicolor;

, Fig. U.
3, A. amocna; 4, Leucophyton Brownii ; and
5, Sedum acre elegans.

Fig. 14 has a diameter of 15 feet, with thereon
arranged tliirteen 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 Rochea falcata; one do.
Cei'astium arvense ; one do. Aloes ; and one
Pyrethrum. Circles b, centres Agave A.mericana
var., Sedum micranthum, Rochea falcata, and
Pyretlu'um. Circles c, specimens of Cotyledon

Fis. 14.

li?78.]

AND HORTICULTURIST.

131

pulverulentum, Sedum acre, and Pyrethrum.
•Circles f/, Agave "filifera nana, Sedum glaucum,
•Cacalia, and Pyrethrum. Circles c, Agave veru-
cosa, Sedum acre aureum. Aloes, and Pyreth-
rum. Circles y. Agave Americana, Sedum op-
positifolium, Sempervivum Donklari arborea,
and Pyrethrum. 1 is Alternanthera amabilis
latifolia smTonnded by a lingermg ribbon of

Fig. \h.
Pyrethrum; 2, A. amcena; 3, Leucophyton
Brownii; and 4 Sempervivum montanum.

Fig. 15 is the half part of a bed, 40 feet by 8
wide. 1 is Alternanthera raagnifica, bordered
by Pyrethrum, as well as is 2, Cerastum arvense ;
3, Altei'nanthera amoena ; 4, Pyrethrum ; and 5,
*Sedum acre elegans.

Fig. 16, 27x8. Alternanthera versicolor ; 2,
A. spatulata; 3, Sedum acre; 4 Pyrethrum; 5,
Alternanthera magnifica ; 6, A. paronychioides ;

VINES.

BY REV. HENRY WARD BEECHER.

1. Every vine, shrub or tree that approaches the
condition of evergreen, 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 through, of fine green leaf, and, except
under long continued severely cold weather, it is
evergreen. Under my window, as I write, is a
vine spread upon the ground, as green as in mid-
sunimer.

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.

1 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, suiTounding 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

Fig. 16.

7, A. amcena; 8, A. spectal)ilis ; 9, Pyrethrum ;
10, Cerastium tomentosum ; 11, Mesembryan-
themum cordifolium varicgatum ; 12 Sedum acre
elegans; 13, Peristrophe angustifolia; and 14,
Sempervivum Californicuni.

Fig. 17. 1, single specimens of Chamapeuce
diacantha; 2, Pyrethi-um; 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 ; l)ut, 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 New York, on
the flanks of the Highlands, it is yet (Jan. 4) in
good condition, though it has passed tlu-ough

132

THE GARDENER'S MONTHLY

IMay,

several severe freezine;s. Its perfume in Spring
is delicious.

2. Why has not the Styrax been brou<;ht into
notice? It has ^one through last AVinter, at
Peekskill, without bein^' harmed. Tliere are
few shrubs that can compare with it for beauty
in its blossom season, and it oupht 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
bad 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. j

3. Speaking of Conifers, much is written about j
transplanting. My experience is, that ever- ;
greens may be transplanted at any time of the j
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
cart, stuck into a cramped hole, chunks of dirt I
tlu'own in, and trodden down by one's feet, no [
wonder they die. It would be a shame if they '
did not. Take up the roots largely, cover them I
from the light as you would your children's
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
party, see that they are not planted an inch
deeper than they stood before moving, and then

— mulch — mulch — mulch — them. After that you
j may wliistle at Summer drou^jhts 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 — 1 always do, for
the most careful nurserymen are careless, judged
by my standard. I had as lief transplant in July
us 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
I 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. 1 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-c-onsidered
blunders ; only, men are ashamed to re-
late them ; and so much knowledge is lost.
There is hardly a department of culture, 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.I

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 — Flowers of great beauty and
easy culture. Brunsvigia — Large bulbs, pink or
crimson floAvers. Buphane — Allied to Brun.s-
vigia, nink or scarlet flowers. Coburgia — Green-
house bulbs, flowers yellow, or orange-red.
Crinum — Flowers resembling the Amaryllis,
white or rose. Griffinia — Rose, blue, or violet
lily-like flowers. Ilabranthus — Allied to Ama^
rylis, fine for pot culture. Ilippeastrum — 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.

183

cratium — Delicate white sweet-scented flowers.
Phtedranassa — Yellow, or bright scarlet flowers.
Phycella — Charming flowers, yellow, red or
scarlet.

Of the above we have oloomed the Crinums
{Capensis and Amabile) Griffinia,Hippeastrum,
Ismene, Serine, and Pancratium ; and have
cultivated Brunsvigia, Coburgia, Lycorus, Al-
stroemeria ; Phanlranassa, and Phycella without
blooming them. Our Alstroemeria 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
hloom. The Phycella ingloriously gave up and
'died. The Phsedranassa grew well, but de-
•clined to give us one blossom to satisfy our
longing eyes, and the Coburgia followed its ex-
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
this 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
liave 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.
"Xhis 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
growing in or near ditches of water. A large
Tariety brought from Africa was said to have
been found growing close to a river. I have
found, too, when cultivating the Crinum, ama-
l)ile, Capense, Americanum, «fec., that if freely
watered (as freely as for a Calla) they grew
■with astonishing luxuriance.

Since writing last upon the Amaryllis, I
liave 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
there 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 sunnj' 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
finelv during the latter part of Summer.

EDITORIAL NOTES.

HORTICTTLTUKE IX 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 tilings, as nothing is more

134

TIIF. GARDENER'S MONTH L Y

\.Mciy,

melancholy than the nofjlcctod jjravc yards one
sees so commonly in t ravelin'.' throui,'h the
country. " Honor tliy father and tliy mother,"
■was surely not intended to eease with their lives.
Of course, this care for the memory of the dead
often degenerates to vulgiirity ; hut all things
have their extremes.

TiiK ExoLTSTi 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 diHieult to keep over sum-
mer. They retjuire a cool soil and situation,,
such as a sunk pit , for instance. Though so many
Americans have heard of the Dai.sy, few have
seen it. The accompanying illustration will;
give them an idea of it.

•»•*

NEW OR RARE PLANTS.

The Thick-leaved Elm. — The American
Agriculturist 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 Nuttall'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 Maclurai
does, which is a native of the same State.
— -••♦•

SCRAPS AND QUERIES.

The Baktram Oak. — Tliis rare form, named
by Michaux, Quercus heterophylla, is very much
desired by Mr. Eli K. Price, one of the Honora-
ble Commissioners of'Fau'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
GAJIDEN, 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
horticultirre 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 demand".
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 fo 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 Menand's nur-

1878.]

AND HORTICULTURIST.

135

series at Albany, the first plant I noticed was
Vanda ccerulea in a suspended basket, and with
tlu-ee 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. O. Insleayii,
and 0. I. leopardinum, were also exceptionally
thrifty and in bloom. Mr. M. prefers pot to
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 Orchideee. 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 difliculty in growing
O. Phattenopsis. I also noticed some of the red-
flowering Masdevallias in bloom.

General Rathborne has a select and valuable
collection of orchids, but not nearlj' 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 cctrulea were in flower, each
having ten blooms on a spike, and they were
lovely. Angrfecum 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 PhaUeuopsis was in bloom, and the many
neighboring spikes that were appearing prom-
ised early wealth. Saccolabium giganteum liad
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 some 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, SXJPERINTENDENT 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 florists and the public ; the flowers 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
i truss is fully expanded. I grow 150 of the

130

Tirr. C.IRDENER'S MONTHLY

\_May,

newest and best p]nf^Hsh. Frcncli. and American
varieties, all line, but as a bedder, Ralph is king.
I have no interest in the sale of plants ; my
object is to eall the attention of lovers of plants
to two good things, and to encourage home
productions.

(Since our note appeared we have seen blooms
of Halph, and agree with all that is said of it.
The shade of color is similar to one now well
known as General Lee, hut it is much superior
in form and other good characters. — Ed. G. M.]

KILLING MEALY BUG.

r.v (i. wKKiirr, imick 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 eftectual
remedy. I apply it to the backs of the insects
with a feather, and brush lightly around the
axils of the leaves infested, and I cannot perceive
any injurious etTects 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 impossil)le 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 ODONTO-
GLOSSUM.

BY C. H. SNOW. 15ALTIMOKE, >1D.

These three species of orchids are closely
allied, botanically, to the Oncidiums,and resem-
ble them in their growth and maimer 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 ai'e
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
j yellow spotted purplish brown.

li. Caudata. Sepals and petals greenish white,
lip jnn-e white, spotted brown. West Indies R.
vierrucosa [Mexico and (Ivatemala) sejials and
petals pale transijanmt green; lip white, with
green warts. B. (Jireoudiana. This is the hand-
somest species that I have seen. Comes from
Central America. The flowers are bright orange,
yellow spotted with reddish orange. Flower
stems two feet long.

There are several other species, diffViring from
the above slightly, in marking. Tht^y mostly
bloom in the Spring, 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, andwill commence to make newgrowth
in the fall and winter, if kept in a good heat say
from sixty to seventy degrees; and I lind nil 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, Lielia, 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 st^des 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 l)elongs to this class and they
have longer flower stems and jnore flowers.

All Miltonias have very small roots, which I
think are only annual, the plants deriving suste--
nance from roots emitted fiom the young
growth. .

I find the spectabilis varieties do admirably on
rough cork, the rougher the better. The stronger
gi'owing varieties grow well in small pots, well
drained, always keeping the plants well above
the pots. Those on cork need syringing twice a
da3' when in active growth. They should never
l)e allowed to get too dry, as the bulbs are
small.

Miltonia spectabilis. The 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. bicotor. I think is only a variety of spec-
tabilis with larger and brighter flowers.

M. Morelinna. This resembles speetabilis very
much, both in mode 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, which 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. Clowsii. 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
eftected 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. Nothing 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
the next morning and misty ; at the same time
the daily change of temperature at the base of
the mountain would not exceed probably 12° to
il5°. 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 60° ;
others do not mind if the mercm-y 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 wliite 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 O. 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 off'ered
for sale in English catalogues, and yearly the
number is increased. No doubt varieties sur-
passing any that we have yet seen will be dis-
covered, though to look at a plant of O. Alex-
andraj, 0. vexillarium or O. triumphans in
bloom, it would seem hardly possible.

There appears to be a great difference 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 O. 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 Trojiic 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 annual
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 MON'THL Y

{.May,

tion of about 2.')°, say from 42° or 45° to 70°.
This lattt^r elevation is the home of some of the
finest O(lonto<;lots. I lind that our extreme Sum-
mer lieats are far more fatal to these than the
"Winter eold — in fact, it is the only eause of our
failuri- ; and if we ever expect to succeed witli
them, Ave will have to build houses facin<,' the
north, partly iniderground, 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 05"^, 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 G5° in Winter, and as cool as possible in the
Summer. I put mine in my Camellia house in
Summer, whicli 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 brown and rich yellow,
mottled and striped ; lip white and pm-ple,
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.

O. Inaleayii. This resembles O. 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 O. Insleayiiis yellow, spotted purple.

0. iTisleayii 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.

O.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.

0. 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-

ico. Flowers come with the young growth and'
are borne on a pendulous stem. Flowers wliite
in all parts spotted with reddish brown. The
bulbs look like a citrosmuin but are more
wrinkled. Blooms four inches in diameter.

<>. liiclonense ((iuateniala). Blooms in Nov.
on an upright spike. Sepals and petals brown;
lip lilac and sometimes white.

O.cariniferum. (Central America.) This has
long, branching flower stems. Sepals and petals
chocolate ; lip, white ; gets light yellow in a few
days. Flowers 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 O. cordatum, and
O. maculatum which resem])les it in bulbs and
growth, and is often sold for it.

O. liossii. Has very small bulbs and leaves.
Flowers on short stems two or tliree 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.

(). pulchellum. (Mexico.) Small bulbs.
Blooms nearly pure white and fragrant. This
also requires a half dozen plants to make a show.

0. Lceve, O. Uro Skinneri, O. 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.

O. Alexandra and its varieties O. Bluntii and
0. 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 as.
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 oi-chid.

0. 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.

0. 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.

0. pescatorei. This is another beautiful Xew
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. radiatum and O. luteo purpureum are beau-
tiful New 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 sufliciently
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 I

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. iStandish & Co., Royal Ascot Nur-
series, England. The only difference 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 curiositv.

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 jP/on's^
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 Forest Cemetery at.
Utica.

SCRAPS AND QUERIES,

Watering Small Plants. — W.M. G.,Niles,
Mich.,says : "Will you please inform me howyou
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
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
shines on the plants is a purely theoretical one,
and appears only in the writings of those who
have had but little actual experience. You may
take our advice, and water whenever the plants
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 GARDENER'S MONTH L Y

{.May,

The lady's letter is pu1)lisho(l in full, so that
we may take occasion to say that such inquiries
are always welcome. What one wants to know
is j^enerally the want of hundreds of others,
and we are very glad to help them in this way-
— Ei). G. M.]

Beai'tikil Cyclamens.— By what we read
in the English periodicals, we see how great has
been the improvement in Cyclamens; but a
sample from Mr. liarker, of Norfolk, Va., shows
that they are even more beautifully improved
than we supposed. This sample comprises
fifteen difl'erent shades of color or form. They
seem to be a mixture of three species, Cycla-
men coum, C. persicum and C. Europseum.

Seedling Veruenas.— G. B., Colora, Mo.,
sends bloom.s of a seedling Verbena. It is a
.soft and agreeable shade of vermilion. There
have been so many shades of Yerl)(>na intro-
duced of late years sime 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 Cobora scandens. — Speci-
mens from Mr. C. Th. Scluujren, florist of Cleve-
land, 0., shows this to be a remarkably beautiful
plant. "VVe 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, 15UFFALO, 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 difierent
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
the 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 l)etter ac-
complished in a well enriched and frcquontly-
mown grass sod.

It is known that the roots of the quince sufler
in light soil, or in cultivated ground. And I
Tiave 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 a.s these effect the roots, the
t)est treatment is protection by means of a thick

:SOd.

It was found that a large numl)er 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
beyond this protection were killed ; while a large
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,
besides a fair growth of wood. Last year there
were an extraordinary yield not only in quantity,
but in size and Ij^auty. The average income ,
from dwarfs, in grass, was S400 per acre,except-
the Vicar, which brought twice that amount,
and some B. Clairgeau and B. d' Anjou brought
S12 per bbl. in New York.

Having, during the past season, cultivated a
few rows of trees in the center of my dwai'f pear
orchard, to change the shape of the bed, 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 thev 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 — manure, 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 S30 per acre, at $3 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
this 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.

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
tells us he has had this Western Juneberry
under culture 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.]

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

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 failiu-es 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

AXn CARDEM.K'S .MOXrill.V

VMay,

set. The liartlott and F. Beauty have borne
two or three nice rrops, aiul the I'niit was exeep-
tionally fine. In the year 1^75 about one-
tifth of the orchard was seeded down to clover,
and as it become pretty well mixed with weeds,
the wliole was mown and placed around the
trees in the last mentioned one-fifth for a mulch.
In the Spring of 187G the clover came on finely
and made a large growth, and getting down
early, and the season at tiiat time l)eing ^iretty
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
tlie 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 severely. The Beurre Bose
and Bartlett ripened up their leaves early, and
made but small growth. Now 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
sod, 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 vobbed 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 off, consequent-
ly the disea.se already seated, and the tree weak-
ened, as before stated, gave way at that time ?
Now was this the frozen sap blight or wa-s it
something else ? 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. Bose 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, wliich he
did in the Sjiring of 1877, and planted it to corn.
The trees started up and made a nice growth,
particularly the F. Beauty and Vicar. The

fornur set a fair crop of fruit and carrioc! it
tlu-(>UL:h finely. Shortly after the first cold snaj),
say about Noveml)er '20th, the F. Beauty and
A'icar 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 dat(! tlie disease continues to make itself
manifest; and while the larger l)ranclies 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
<lis{-overed the freezing had been very light. Or
(lid tliey 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. Bose 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.

OUTSIDE CRAPE BORDER.

BY D. G. R., CANAKDAIGUA, 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 expected, i. c, insufficient
drainage and the roots almost all outside in a
temperature of 34° two feet below the surface,
and covered as you suggested. First, I drained
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 practicalh'.

An outside border may be of benefit when the

1878.]

AND HORTICULTURIST.

143

Toots come into action before the full develop-
inent 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 rope-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
•difier. 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 Avrangled 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-
necticut.

The need of some closer tests of merit in a
fruit, and a new deal of kinds, is best shown by
an example. There is a pear of the same sea-
son as the Buftum (perhaps a little earlier)
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-
cart. It is a Belgian pear, as old as Von Mons.
perhaps one of his seedlings. [Rone of our fruit
books but Elliot's has it rightly placed as to
I season, tree or fruit. It is nearly as large as a
Bartlett, ripens perfectly on the tree or in the
house, and does not readily Avilt. It is good as
j 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 butteiy,
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.

Xow, the Buftum, 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-
lows, it is simply good for nothing, not a whit
better than the common Harvest pear, Amire
Johanette.

The very fact that of these two fruits of the
same kind and season, the inferior is so known
and cherished, while its superior seems " born
to blush unseen, and waste its sweetness,"
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 MOXIIflA

[JAiv,

vote t>r l;i>tf. Tho chanros for whim nr intcrcHt
to {JO wroiifj, cviii under these, hespeakK the
wisdom of some lari^e, well-endowed horticul-
tural fiarden where kinds of promise should
have trial and test. About where that ouj^ht 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 oflered. which may
do till better are devised.

NOTES ON NEW FRUITS.

in W. S. CAHPKNTKU, RYE, N. V.

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-
maston, 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 j
d'Angouleme ; ripens October. Beurre d'As-
sompsion ; fruit of the largest size, an early and
good bearer; )'ellow and red, very handsome,
melting and juicy, not high flavored. Ripens 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. Ripens 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 Siininur (hauniontcl ; Iruit large,
yellow with a line red cheek, handsome and good
(juality. A promising Summt-r pear; Augu.st.
St. Theresc, one of Leroy's seedlings, of
France ; fruit medium, skin yellow andbright 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 xs 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 very 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 I 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.

BY

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 sulficiently 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 ])efore 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.

145

it may be used with confidence ;" and in another
place these words are used, " "Without being
•ignited;^'' also in another work it is recom-
mended to scatter sulphur upon the brick flues,
hut care must taken 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 nearh^ 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 you 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 ofi" 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