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THE

GARDENERS' MONTHLY

AND

HORTICULTURIST.

DEVOTED TO

HORTICULTURE, ARBORICULTURE AND RURAL AFFAIRS.

EDITED BY

THOMAS MEEHAN,

STATE BOTANIST OF PENNSYL\'ANIA,

FORMERLY HEAD GARDENER TO CALEB COPE, ESQ., AT SPRINGBROOK, AND AT THE BARTRAM BOTANIC

GARDENS, NEAR PHILADELPHL\. GRADUATE OF THE ROYAL BOTANIC GARDENS, KEW (LONDON),

ENGLAND. MEMBER OF THE ACADEMY OF NATURAL SCIENCES. AUTHOR

OF "AMERICAN HAND-BOOK OF ORNAMENTAL TREES,

" FLOWERS AND FERNS OF THE U. S.," ETC.

VOLUME XXV, 1883.

PHILADELPHIA :

CHARLES H. MAROT, Publisher,

No. 814 Chestnut Street,

iLX_.xjSTi^^Tio:srs.

Portrait of John J. Thonias,

Acroclinium roseum flore pleno, 2 cuts,

Adiantum tetraphyllum gracile,

Annual Growth of Wood, Cross Section Show

Anthurium insigne,

Aphelandra punctata,

Apple, Lord Nelson,

Begonia Davisi,

Begonia Hofgartner Vetter, Double

Begonia Socratina, .

Bowiea volubilis,

Canna Ehnianni,
Crinodendron Hookerianum,
Croton Cronstadtii, .
Croton elegantissimus, .
Cypripedium albo-purpureum,

Diefifenbachia amoena, .
Dieffenbachia carderi,
Dieffenbachia Leopoldii,
Diplanderia carissima,
Duthie Park, Aberdeen, Scotland,

Flower Garden Design,

Flower Garden Design, Dropmore,

Fresh Water Sponges,

Grape, " Black Corinth,"

Grape Vine, Large, Mr. Blodget's,

Lastrea Richardii multifida,

Leea amabilis,

Lilium auratum, A monstrous, .

Maratana nitcns,

Odontoglossum vexillarium,

Panax plumatuni.

Peach, " The Schumaker,"

Petunia nana compacta,

Pothos aurea, ....

Rose, "Andre Schwartz.'' colored plate,

Schizmatoglottis longispatha.
Steam Heating, 4 cuts,

Tropasolum " Hermine Groshoff," Doulple,
Twe dan Fa (in Chinese characters).

Vegetable Garden, Frogmore, Plan,
Xeranthemum annuum superbissimum,

I'ig.

B

M
O
P

R
S

Frontispiece.

S

. ' . ■ . 265

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349

203

• ^ . 45

. 138

120

'y*

.'.'.■ 89

38

loy

277

329
. 184

77

II

12

255
356

65

: . . 34

. 308

240

• 334

88

170

310

373

V
X

140
III

2

215

129

299

102, 103

53
93

303

53

^^

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CLUB

GARDENERS' MONTHLY

THE

HORTICULTURIST.

DEVOTED TO HORTICULTURE. ARBOR/CULTURE AND RURAL AFFAIRS.

Edited by THOMAS MEEHAN.

Volume XXV.

JANUARY, 1883.

Number 289.

Flower Garden and Pleasure Ground.

SEASONABLE HINTS.

Asking a friend, who had a beautiful rural resi-
dence, why she did not plant vines, or creepers as
the English would say, over the walls, she replied
by referring to a mutual acquaintance who had
done so with the result of making the walls so
damp that the vines had to be cut away. It so
happened that we knew all about the affair. The
vines were allowed to cover the eaves, over the
gutters and push their way in under the shingles
of the roof. Thus obstructed, the water made its
way down into the wall, froin the top under the
roof, and of course the wall was wet. Vines
should always be kept cut down below the roof
It is a little trouble to do this once a year, but we
cannot get even our shoes blacked without some
trouble. Those who know how beautiful and how
cosy looks a vine-covered cottage will not object
to the few hours' labor it requires to keep vines
from stopping up the gutter. Vines really make a
wall dry. The millions of rootlets by which they
adhere to the wall absorb water ; and an examina-
tion will prove a vine-covered wall to be as "dry
as an old bone." One great advantage of a vine-
covered cottage, not often thought of, is that it- is
cooler in summer and warmer in winter than when
there is but a mere naked wall. There are only a
few vines that will cling of their own accord.

These are the varieties of the English Ivy, the
Trumpet vine, and the different kinds of Ampelop-
sis ; and even the English Ivy will not stick to
smooth walls. But if the Trumpet vine or the
Ampelopsis be planted with the ivy, the latter will
cling to the other vines as well as to the wall, and
then keep safe hold. The evergreen Euonymus
makes a good self-climbing vine, though not as
much used as it really deserves to be. In order
to have the beauty of variety which the great
number of hardy vines affords, it is best to have
trellises over the face of the walls. These are best
made of strong galvanized wire. Iron hooks
should be fastened, by melted sulphur, into stones
sunk under ground, and others up under the eaves,
and the wires attached to these. Cross wires can
then be fastened to these, so as to make the meshes
about a foot apart. Properly done these wires will
last a lifetime, and the vines will, with a very little
help, make their way of their own accord up the
wires. Recently the writer noted a plant of the
red-berried Pyracantha' trained up over wires in
this way. Evergreen, and covered by bright red
berries, few things could make a cottage wall more
gay. Wires, trellises, and other preparations can
be . made .for this vine planting before the spring-
time comes.

The chief enjoyment in this department at this
season, lies in planning out the necessary improve-

73873

THE GARDENERS' MONTHLY

[January,

mcnts, arrangomonts, and work to be done during
the next active season. In gardening there are
two styles of flower-growing, — one which looks
to the enjoyment of beautiful flowers indivi'dually ;
the other for the effect which color gives to the
beauty of one's ground. In the first place, hardy
herbaceous plants, annuals, bulbs and such like
plants, are to be employed, and the flower-beds for
them must be arranged with this view, so as to
afford opportunities for individual examination.
There is nothing better for this than long, narrow
borders ; such, for instance, as the narrow belts
along the walks of a vegetable garden.

In thinking of what might be done to render the
garden more interesting, one might resolve to pay
some attention to the improvement of some com-
mon garden flower. .All we have to do is to take
note of some possible improvement we desire, and
select the seed of sucli as come the nearest to the
ideal. This is the way florists get their new races.
Take for instance the petunia. As a rule it grows
in a very straggling manner. We want a more
bushy and dense grower. Among our plants we
note one which is less rampant than the rest. We
save seed from this, and again the next season
select the least straggling, and so on, from year to
year, till the desired result has been gained. This
has really been done with this petunia. Herewith

Pruning should l)e completed as soon as possi-
ble. Some judgment is required in pruning flower-
ing shrubs, roses, &c., although it is usual to act as
if it were one of the mQ3t common-place oper-
ations. One of the most clumsy of the hands is
commonly set with a shears, and lie "goes
through " the whole place, clipping off every thing
indiscriminately. Distinction should be made be-
tween those flowering shrubs that make a vigorous
growth, and those which grow weakly ; and be-
tween those which flower on the old wood of last
year, and those which flower on the new growth of
next season, as the effect of pruning is to force a
strong and vigorous growth. Those specimens
that already grow too strong to flower well, should
be only lightly pruned ; and, in the same individ-
ual, the weakest shoots should be cut-in more
severely tlian the stronger ones. Some things, like
the Mock Oranges, Lilacs and others, flower on
the wood of last year. To prune these much now,
therefore, destroys the flowering ; while such as
Altheas, which flower on the young wood, cannot
be too severely cut-in, looking to that operation
alone.

In pruning roses, the fall-blooming kinds, which
flower on the new growth, ma\' be pruned as se-
verely as we wish ; in fact, the " harder" they are
cut-in the better. In this class are the Noisette,
Bourbon, Tea, China and Hyb.id Perpetual and
Perpetual Moss. Without considerable experience,
it is difficult for the amateur to distinguish these
classes. The best way to get over the difficulty is
to obtain the catalogues of the principal rose-
growers, in which each kind is usually classified.
Amateurs should pay more attention to the scien-
tific — if we may so term it — study of the rose, and
its classification and general management. No
class of flowers is more easily understood, and no
one affords so rich a fund of perpetual interest.

COMMUNICATIONS.

Petunia nana cuinpacia.

is an illustration of what we suggest with the
petunia in the hands of Haage & Schmidt, of
Erfurt, who, in common with other Prussian flor-
ists, bestow great care on improving everything.
They call it Petunia nana compacta ; but anyone
may get " nanas" or " compactas" with other gar-
den flowers, as this firm has witli petunias.

NOTES FROM TORRINGTON.

BY JAMES MORTON, GARDENER TO HON. L. W.
COE, TORRINGTON, CONN.

To most readers of the Gardeners' Monthly,
the name Torrington will in no way be associated
with horticultural pursuits. The rugged hills and
frowning rocks of western Connecticut imply but
little in the way of gardening progress. The in-
cessant humming of machinery and the noise of
the builder's hammer would be more impressive

AND HORTICULTURIST.

upon the mind of a visitor among us than the
floral embellishment of many of our homes. It is
to be regretted when one meets with such taste as
a house of snowy whiteness, blinds of a verdant
hue and endowed with the neatest styles of archi-
tectural skill, surrounded with a fence that depicts
a painter's talent, that inside chick-weed should run
rampant, and purslane and the milk-weed luxuriate
in unwonted freedom to the delight of crickets and
grasshoppers. But thanks to the enthusiasm of
many of our townsmen, and despite these happily
now isolated scenes, there is even here now in the
vicinity of Torrington much for the student of
nature to look upon in her wild and unassisted
state. How sweet to meet her at early morning
when the sun beams forth its rays of golden light
among the brambles and through the thickets,
changing dewdrops into pearls and revealing the
beauties of the woodbine and clematis as they
twine around any available support that comes
within their reach, and imparts a living richness
of verdure and beauty to many an uncouth rock
or lagging fence. Polygonatum multiflorum (Sol-
omon's seal), Arisaema triphyllum (Jack in the
pulpit) are to be seen waging a war for existence
as they push their way through a dense mass of
vegetation. Ferns of many forms adorn the wood-
land dells and bedeck the brows of many a crum-
bhng precipice. Side by side by the stately pine,
the button-wood and the sumach, lives and reigns
throughout the vagaries of our climate that beauti-
ful maiden hair — Adiantum pedatum — in all its
frailty and gracefulness. Pteris tremula and aqui-
lina, Athyriums, Polypodiums, Lastrceas, Blech-
nums and many others find dwelling places, if not
on terra firma, imbedded in the bosom of some
towering rock or peeping down from the limbs of
some aged woodland tree. The wild flowers that
array the wayside, the hill-tops and glen in gar-
ments of orange, pink and white are also a study in
themselves. But these wild scenes are not all we
have here now, for in few places has gardening
made more rapid strides than here under the
guidance and through the indomitable energy and
enthusiasm of the Hon. L. W. Coe, who now owns
one of the most charming residences and possesses
as rare and varied a collection of plants as is to be
met with in the district, and all has sprung up
within the past two years on a site that before
gave place to dwelling houses, barns, miry
swamps and gravel banks. A greenhouse and
two graperies now stand, where but a brief time
since, was a commodious homestead. The scene
is now changed. All has vanished — not a vestige

remains. Figs, grapevines and roses now flourish
over the spot where the maternal parent might
possibly have admonished an unruly child or
watched with delight the juvenile freaks of her
mirthsomc progeny ; and a bed of smilax now
graces a corner where might have been a bed-
stead, a bureau or perchance the favorite resting-
place of the family cat. The banana, the orange
and lemon, the date palm and pine apple now
thrive within a circle once hallowed by the sweet
communion of family intercourse. The green turf
now clothes where recently toads and innumer-
able amphibious creatures disported themselves in
joyous revelry. Rockeries, fine foliage beds, ger-
aniums and choice shrubs give an appearance to
the place that hitherto knew no beauty. The
dahlia stoops its haughty head to receive the
homage of the honey bee. The tuberose and
heliotrope shed their fragrance on the surrounding
air. The hollyhock, the sunflower and lily of
aesthetic fame, weep over the unhappy fate of their
less captivating floral gems. The Humea sways its
feathery plumes, and the Hydrangeas bend their
laden heads ; while the Agave stands unmoved.
Such revolutions as these, wrought in so brief a
period of time, but faintly illustrate the taste and
determination with which the beautiful art is now
pursued on the part of the worthy proprietor.

Our extent of glass at present is one conserva-
tory, two graperies and propagating or starting
house, with more in contemplation. The grape-
vines planted in January have this summer made
canes from eighteen to twenty feet in length, and
promise well for future fruition. In the conserva-
tory and greenhouse we have the following collec-
tion of plants brought here at considerable expense
within the past twelve months :

Ananassa sativa variegata
AUaraamla Hendersonii

■• neriifolia

Antlmriuui Schertzeiianuiu

•' graiidis

Alo(-a?iia Machoiiza

" metallica
Arala filicifolia
Ardisia crenulata
.lEsehynanthus Lol)bii
Antbericuni reyeiis
Acacia pubescens
Bilbergia bracliystacliya
Bertolonia guttata
Bougainvillea glabra
Begonias of many sorts
Cissus discolor
Cori)hya Australis
Cnrculigo recurvatuiu
Cainiisidiuni filicifoliiuu
Croton variegatuni
Wei.^nianni

Chorozenia spcctabilis
Clerodendron Balfourii
Cyperus alteniifoliiis
Cycas revoluta
" circinalis
Cordylina Veitcliii
Cyanophylluni magnificuia
Chaniierops huniilis

" Fortunii

exceLsa
Caladiuni argyrites
Bellymeii

" Matl. Heine

'• AVightii

Albert Edward

•• bicolor Splendens

" Meyerbeer

'• Excellent
Cyclamen persicuni
Calla .iEtliiopica
Dionaea muscipula
Dipiadenia amabilis

THE GARDENERS' MONTHLY

[January,

Dieffeubachia Bauinaiiii

Dracaena tcnninalis
" Sli'ephenlii
" ferrea
" Cassanova
" rcKina
" Ouilfoylei
" Hcnilersonii

Diplacus f^randiHurus

Euterpo edulis

Euphorbia Rplendens

I^pafit-ria rosea

I^atania borbonica

Musa Cavendishii

Mediiiilla iiiagnifica

Meyenia erecta

Mimosa ptidica

Myrsiiihylluni asparagoiib-

.Nfaraiita Zebrina
'• Mackoyana
" tubispatha
" rosalineata

" Jacquini.TBflora Nepenthes hylirida niacidata

Eucharis Candida " Rajah

" f^randillora Pilea muscosa

Erica liyenialis I'assiflora princeps

" antiunnalis •' (luadrangularis var.

Eugenia albiflora Pandanus Veitchii

Epiphylluin, C sorts Phyllantlius rosea picta

Ficus elastica Phoenix dactylifera

" repens Peperoiua argyreia

Gardenia florida Paniciiin variegata

" Fortunii . Plumbago capensls

Gloxiniag, many sort Reedia glaucescens

Hoya carnosa Russelia juncea

Habrothamnus elegans Rivinia tinetoria

Hibiscus rosea sinensis Rhynchospermum j asm i n -
Imantophyllum miniatuni oides

Ipomaea Horsfalliie Seafortliia elegans

Isolepis gracilis Stephanotis floribunda

Ixora Lobbii Sarraeenia Drummondii allia

" Javanica Tillandsia zebrina
" purpurea " leopardinuni

" cuneifolia Teconia jasminioides

" accuminata Tradescantia zebrina
" amabilis '• discolor

Jasminium grandifloruni " lucida var.

" de Bitean Thyrsacanthus rutilans

Kalosanthes coccinca Valletta purpurea

Luculia gratissima Yucca recurva
Libonia floribunda

ORCHIDS.

brides japonicum Epidendrum vitellinum majus

Brassia verrucosa Ltelia autumnalis

Broughtonia sanguinea Maxillaria picta

Calanthes Veitchii Oncidium flexuosum

" vestita " sphacelatum

Caelogjnie cristata Odontoglossum maculatuni
Cattleya citrina " Rossi majus

Cypripedium insigne " pulchellum

" Harrisianum Peristeria elata

" vennstum Phajus grandiflora

Dendrobium nobile Stanhopea tigrina
Epidendrum fragrans

FERNS.

Acrolepteris nidus avis Lomaria ciliata

Adiantum Farleyense Nephrolepis davallioides
" Capillus veneris " exaltata

" graclUinium Polypodium orleanum
" macrophyllum " cambricum

" pentedactylon Pteris cretlca albo-lineata
" pubescens " hastata

" concinnum latum •• longifolia
Athyrium filix-fccmina ■' scaberula

Asplenium viviparum •' serrulata

Blechnura Brasliensis Selaginella Wildenovii
Cibotium regale " caesia

Davallia canariensis " caulescens"

Qymnogramnia chrysophylla " japonicum

" Wettershallianum " Mertensii

Lomaria gibba " viticulosa

" " crispa Woodwardia radicans

Exclusive of this collection, we have a good as-
sortment of cactus, camellias, azaleas and most
of the nursery adjuncts for floral gaiety. And I
now ask, is it not a good twelvemonth's work to
bring this lot together? Palms from Astoria,
pitcher plants from South Amboy, camellias from
Waterbury, cactus from Utah, hlies from Hono-
lulu, century plants from Mexico and Achimenes
from England beyond the seas.

1 would go more into the appearance, arrange-
ment, &c., of many of these plants, but am induced
to keep reticent on that matter, lest some of your
readers might think I craved for egotistical fame.
My maxim is " Honor to whom honor is due,"
and as a gardener and a lover of all belonging
thereto, 1 could not let the efforts of my employer
in the furtherance of my calling pass unnoticed.

GARDENING NOTES FROM NEW ORLEANS.

BY MR. M. H. LESTER, NEW ORLEANS, LA.

Having a few spare moments I thought a few
notes might be interesting to some portion of your
readers.

Owing to the example of some people of taste,
gardening has assumed very respectable propor-
tions in this city in the last few years, and several
gardens " up town" will compare favorably with
those of any city in the Union.

Some people have got the impression because
orange and magnolia are used here for sidewalk
trees that everything else will grow quite easily ; but
the sooner that impression is modified the better.
Some things of course do better than in other places,
Pittosporum tobira, Cycas revoluta, Hedychiums,
Crinums, all the Ficus, including Parcellii, palms
and roses — teas and hybrid teas, all do well in the
open ground, and splendid specimens of each are
to be met with.

Here, on this place, bulbs, such as hyacinths,
anemones, ranunculus, and oxahs have the space
allotted to them nearly covered ; iris and gladiolus
well up and will be all cleared away to make room
for something else before you can break the ground
with a crow-bar in the North. This class of stuff
was scarcely known here a few years ago.

Seeds, In spite of all that has been said and
written concerning them, are still inclined to be
mean, particularly if they are choice, and you have
only a few. They mostly came up splendidly, but if
they get too dry one will probably lose them ; if
they get water at the bottom we are liable to lose
them ; and if they get water at the top we are sure
to lose them ; and when one does happen to get

1883.]

AND HORTICULTURIST.

5

them all right they have a fashion of getting small
by degrees, and beautifully less, until there is noth-
ing left to remind one of their once happy existence
but the label and the pot. Truly they are like the
ways of Providence — :past finding out. I find I do
better with such small seeds as begonias, lobelias,
mimulus, &c., by using a handful of small crocks,
bits of charcoal, or rough peat, on the top of the
pot or pan. Sow the seed and water with the rose.
I find they seldom .need anything more until they
are fit to handle, but even then they are not safe,
for about this time along comes a swarm of cater-
pillars and bugs', snails and slugs, and I often won-
der we don't all go crazy at once and be done with
it.

Pansies, Viola, Petunias, Dianthus, Coreopsis,
&c., are all pricked off in boxes to be stowed away
from frost — if we have any — and planted out
about the middle of January, some to do duty all
summer, and others to be burned up as soon as
real hot weather comes.

The thermometer has not registered lower than
60° outside at six A. M., this season, as yet (Nov.
15) ; Pointsettas are ablaze outside in the ground,
roses in basketfuls, and coleus look better than they
did in July or August.

EDITORIAL NOTES.

Single Dahlias. — The new race of Single
Dahlias, which is commanding so much attention
in Europe, has not yet made its appearance to any
extent in our country, but Mr. Wm. f^alconer writes
to the American Garden for November, from Cam-
bridge, Mass., that " Mr. Cullingford, of London,
an amateur horticulturist of most refined taste, sent
me, last spring, some seeds of single dahlias saved
from his own collection. These seedlings are now
in blossom, and display a general beauty and ex-
cellence at once gratifying and surprising."

Philadelphia Tairmount Park. — Philadel-
phians cannot boast of the high condition of many
of her public works, but they take comfort in con-
sidering that they get more for their money than
people get elsewhere. Horticultural Hall and its
beautiful surroundings, only cost the city of Phila-
delphia $15,000 in 1882, and the whole of Fair-
mount Park only $95,000, though it has 2200 acres.
On the other hand, Central Park, New York, only
one-third its size, had $400,000.

Roads and Traveling Comforts in China.
— Mr. Maries continues in the London Garden his

remarkably instructive sketches of Chinese travel.
Of the roads he says : " I went by steamer to Kui-
kiang and was favored with the use, of a nice bunga-
low on the mountains, inland from that place. There
are are no decent roads in China ; the main path is
generally only about six feet wide, and often paved
with irregularly shaped stones, or rather was once
upon a time ; now there are a few stepping stones
for a few feet, then a few yards of mud. If a horse
or coolie chair comes along, one has to either step
down into a mud rice field or dispute the way with
the comers. Near Kuikiang the Chinese are not of
the best disposition, and I avoided the villages and
generally turned off the road if I saw many people
coming. I was stopped several times by the na-
tives and told I had no right there, or that I must
go back. Once I had all the plants I had collected
taken from me by a priest and a gang of cut-throat-
looking fellows. I, however, fetched them again at
nig^ht. Once I was surrounded in a village, and I
thought tile curiosity of the natives would have re-
sulted in stripping me of all I had. The frightful
diseases with which some of the Chinese are
afflicted, it is sickening to behold. The miserable
wretches had made me almost mad to be clear of
them. Most indescribable skin diseases, others
just recovered from small-pox, others with toes and
fingers completely rotted off with disease. I have
many times walked two and three miles to avoid
the villages, and even then a crowd would follow
me, shouting " foreign devil," etc. The Kuikiang
Mountains extend from north to south of the
Poyang Lake."

Rose Centenario des Camoens. — The Jour-
nal des Roses is very enthusiastic over this new
rose.

New Golden Feverfew. — We can put up with
a Latin generic and specific name, in consideration
of the many advantages of an uniform system,
though the name be hard ; but " Matricaria eximia
nana aurea crispa compacta flore pleno "' seems a
little too much of a good thing. It is among the
latest of German novelties.

White Tigridia. — Everybody knows the pretty
summer flowering bulb, the Tigridia or Tiger
flower. We have the red Tigridia pavonia, and
the yellow conchiflora. The white, according to
Revue Horticole was raised and recently sent out
by M. Hennequin, of Angers, France. In habit
and general aspect it is said to be similar to the
older variety T. conchiflora, from which it seems to
have sprung. Its flowers are large, of a dead or
pearly-white color, marked at the base of each

THE GARDENERS' MONTHLY

[January,

division with large spots of a reddish brown or
chestnut color on a yellowish ground, forming a
fine contrast with the white of the petals. The
style column is of a bright yellow, of the form of a
long hollow sheath, terminated by three mottled
plates enclosing the style within them. This should
be quite an acquisition to our summer borders and
a good companion for the already known and ad-
mired varieties of this showy family.

SCRAPS AND QUERIES.

EUONYMUS RADiCANS.— It is Surprising that for all
the attention which has been called to the creeping
burning bush, there should yet be so little inquiry
for it. A correspondent says : " I should be glad
to know that its value for walls was appreciated.
I am told that there is a two-story house in Nash-
ville completely covered to the eaves with it, and
that it is very beautiful."

Datura arborea. — A lady of Charleston.
S. C, writes that she saw near that city a plant of
Datura arborea fully ten feet high and broad in
proportion, literally covered with fragrant blossoms
and buds in great quantity. .Such a plant~is

naturally a treasure to its owner. This plant is
often grown in northern gardens as a tub plant, to
be protected in winter from frost, and is always
appreciated. It deserves, however, a still wider
popularity.

Transplanting Seasons. — " R. O.," Philadel-
phia, writes: "Will you be kind enough to inform
me which season you consider best for transplant-
ing trees — spring or fall ? It is held by some that
fall is the best time, while others claim that spring
is preferable."

[This is one of the questions that can never be
finally decided. If trees are in good condition
when planted, and are planted properly, they will
only die from what happens to them after they are
planted. If the weather which follows is "awful,"
there may be ill-success with the planting. It may
be a terribly cold winter, or a terribly hot summer.
As we cannot tell in advance, one season is about
as safe as another. One thing we all know, which
is that spring is a more busy season than fall, and
on this account in our own practice we plant all
we can in fall. On this account it is the best for
us, and, when the winter does not prove too
severe, we find it the best on all other accounts. —
Ed. G. M.]

Greenhouse and House Gardening.

SEASONABLE HINTS.

The temperature of the greenhouse at this season
should be maintained at about 50°, allowing it to
rise 10° or 15° under the full sun,' and sink 10°
or so in the night. Though many of our practical
brethren differ from us — men, for some of whose
opinions we entertain the highest respect — we do
not recommend a very great difference between
night and day temperature ; we think 10° ample
allowance. It is following nature, no doubt, but
we would rather strive to beat nature. She can
not make the specimens we do, nor flower them so
beautifully or profusely ; and in many other re-
spects we think the practical gardener can much
improve on her red tape notions and old-fashioned
courses.

Many plants will seem to be full of roots, and

the temptation to repot will be very great ; but if a
plant is desired to flower freely, the fuller of roots
the pot is the better. Continual pot — tering is the
bane of plant culture. If the soil is so very much
exhausted that the flowers are likely to be small
and poor, a half inch of the old soil in the pot, on
the surface, may be replaced by a top-dressing of
rich compost. But watchfulness must be after-
wards exercised, or the plant will get over-dry, as
the loose soil on the top will often appear wet
when, in reality, all below is as dry as a powder
horn.

In many greenhouses we have noted lately more
attempts at a tasteful arrangement of the plants,
than used formerly to prevail, when the only object
of a greenhouse seemed to be a mere store place
for border flowers during winter. This is very
commendable, and might be much improved on.

1883.]

AND HORTICULTURIST.

Every few weeks the plant may be reset, and the
house made to appear quite different. In the end,
where the lowest plants once were set, now the
taller ones may be placed — here a convex group,
and there presenting a concave appearance.
Drooping plants on. elevated shelves, and hanging
baskets from the roof, make little paradises of va-
riety in what was once unbearable monotony.

Gardeners often wish to know the secret of
maintaining a continued interest on the part of
their employers, in their handiwork; and this is
one of the most potent — continued change and
variet) in the appearance of everything. Beauti-
ful flowers, graceful forms, elegant combinations,
all developing themselves with a healthy luxurious-
ness and everchanging endlessness, will wake up
an interest in the most indifferent breast.

The ability for this tasteful arrangement is often
one of the chief differences between a good gar-
dener and a poor one. Before us is a photograph
kindly sent us by Mr. Charles Joly, of Paris. It
represents a group arranged by the gardener to
Baron A. Rothschild, and, though of materials
found in most first-class greenhouse collections, it
is rarely that one sees such a beautiful combina-
tion from the same materials. As far as we can
judge from the photograph, the mass represents a
cone about seven feet high. It is capped by what
appears to be a plant of Alocasia metallica ; around
under the leaves of this, so as to hide the pot of
the Alocasia, are some half-dozen baskets of Ne-
penthes. On the ground there are arranged broad
leaved Caladiums and narrow leaved Dracaenas
and Pandanuses, with Dieffenbachias, Pothos, and
other plants, which not only by color, but by the
contrasts with the leaves of different sizes, are
made to gi\'e harmonious variety to the whole
group.

It is impossible to conceive of anything more
effectually arranged, and we do not wonder that
our kind correspondent, Mr. Joly, thought it worth
photographing and sending across the Atlantic.
All may not have these plants of course ; but our
idea is to call attention to the fact that great beauty
of arrangement may be contn\ed out of very sim-
ple things.

The more freely a plant is growing, the more
water will it require ; and the more it grows, the
more sun and light will it need. In all cases, those
which seem to grow the fastest should be placed
nearest the light. The best aspect for room plants
is the south-east. They seem hke animals in their
affection for the morning sun. The first morning
ray is worth a dozen in the evening. Should any of

our fair readers find her plants, by some unlucky
calculation, frozen in the morning, do not remove
them at once to a warm place, but {iip them in cold
water, and set them in a dark spot, where they will
barely escape freezing. Sunlight will only help the
frost's destructive powers.

COMMUNICATIONS.

BOUVARDIAS.

BV MISS W., QUAKER HILL, N. Y.

I would like to recommend to all lovers of beau-
tiful fragrant flowers the Bouvardias Humboldtii
and candidissima. They are such clean hand-
some-looking plants and their fragrance will per-
fume a. room. A. Neuner is beautiful, but if I"
could have but one shoot I would choose one of
the former. They are all profuse bloomers. Will
some kind reader of the Monthly please inform
me how to propagate them ? Also the best way
of heating a very small plant-room ? If anyone
has succeeded in using a coal oil stove for the
purpose, please state the kind.

[Bouvardias are raised by making cuttings of
pieces of the roots about this time of the year.
The small plants are set out in May, and make
strong blooming plants by fall.

There is so much uncertainty about the best
way to heat small rooms or plant-houses, that we
should be glad if some reader who has had actual
experience would reply to the lady's question. —
Ed. G. M.]

IMPROVEMENT IN ACROCLINIUM.

liY J. C. SCHMIOT, ERFl'RT, PRUSSIA.

I have taken the liberty to forward to \oiir ad-
dress, by to-day's parcel post, a bunch of Acroclin-
ium roseum, and roseum flore pleno (J. C. Schmidt),
the latter being a noxelty which I succeeded
in raising.

The single roseum (Acroclinium Hooker), a na-
tive of Texas, was imported to our country not so
very long ago, and immediately gained the favor of
nearly every one who saw it. Especially our flor-
ists found it to be a very good addition, and used
the little pink-colored, charming flowers freely to
fill baskets, arrange bouquets, and for general
flower work. Already — six years ago — I discov-
ered amongst the Acrocliniums which I cultivate on
a space of ten to twelve acres, single plants, the
flowers of which showed a small inclination to fill.

THE GARDENERS' MONTHLY

[January,

These few plants I picked out, and with the great- In a botanical point of view the improvement
est care I selected again and again the proper will have a special interest. Even those with little

plants to produce,
by-and-bye, a double-
filled flower.

Now I have suc-
ceeded in getting this
novelty nearly con-
stant — about twenty-
five per cent, of seeds
only, sown last har-
vest from good filled
flowers turned out
single flowers — and
after a period of six
years' unceasing care,
I offer my new Acro-
clinium roseum flore
'pleno (J. C. Schmidt)
as a very valuable
addition to the class
of everlasting flow-
ers.

The single Acro-
clinium being a very
favored flower, with-
out which the com-
position of flower-
work can not be
thought of, the new
Acroclinium roseum
flore pleno will doubt-
less obtain double

Acroclinium roseum flore pleno (J. C. Schmidt.)

FRESH Cl'T FLOWERS.

botanical knowledge
know that a compos-
ite flower, such as
this, asters, dahlias,
and so on, is not a
single flower, but a
mass of small flow-
ers. To form a com-
pound flower, we
may imagine a long
branch, with a flower
in the axil of each
leaf twined in a cir-
cular manner round
the branch ; but in
the compound flower
nature draws the
elongated branch
down, and coils it
around, as we would
make a coil of rope
on the floor. We
may assume that the
flowers would not be
as large as if they
had been left to grow
on an elongated
branch, nor is the
leaf in which the
flower would be ax-
illary expected to be

the favor from consumers, similar to Helichrysum ' so large. Indeed, in many composite flowers ail

and Xeranthemum, of which flowers the filled '. trace of the leaf is lost, and in others it only

varieties are always preferred exists as a mere scale beneath

to single ones. -^ I6£ii^'^^jj/-A each floret. In the original

The demand for material to , NrCI^'R i V^'n'^^i^ Acroclinium we find the original

work wreaths and bouquets of l^^'V'^riii V* } ^ ii 'fi^ ^*^^^ ^'- ^^^^ ha.se of each floret;

dried flowers is increasing from ^^^P^^%\t U ^'^^J^'^k^^^^/' ^" '-^'^ improved form this pri-

year to year, and every good Jg^^f^sl^ ' "'' '"w"^^^^ mary leaf, or scale, has devel-

novelty in this department is ^^^^^ ^^^y '/"'l^^'"^ y^^i oped until it is very nearly as

generally accepted with great ^^^^^^^^^ , ^^^^^^^^ large as the first tier of meta-

joy. ^^^^^^K^^y*«!^^^V'^"?^^^^fe morphosed leaves, usually

[Mr. Schmidt is in error in ^^^Sw^^rxr^'^^^^^^^ known as the involucre.

regard to this pretty plant being S^BO^P%fXA^^f^\^^^f^t^ Usually in making " double "

a native of Texas. It is an ^^Ww^illillkMfcF'^^^^ flowers nature operates on

Australian. In America those .. ^t^&^fSkilByMO^^ stamens or petals. In this

who prepare annuals for bed- _W\7\W ■^^ case the flowers are un-

ding out in May, often make good \Vl\ li changed, but the leaf scales

use of the Acroclinium. It is ^mlf have grown up among the

very beautiful even in its natural ^^ ^^i florets. It is the only case of

condition. In its present shape ^ the kind we remember in the

it will be still more desirable. dried flower. vegetable kingdom. The

1883.]

AND HORTICULTURIST.

original single flower is not shown in Mr. Schmidt's
article.— Ed. G. M.]

COST OF STEAM HEATING.
BY AUGUST D. MYLIUS, DETROIT, MICH.

I have had many inquiries about heating with
steam during the summer and autumn. To an-
swer all would take much time, and perhaps
would not satisfy every one. I can say that steam
heating will, 1 think, give more satisfaction uni-
formly than hot water or any other form of heat-
ing. At -least, 1 am well satisfied with mine. I
have two boilers in use now. It is best for those
wishing to put in steam to get a good steani-fitter
to do the job, and have him warrant everything to
work satisfactorily. I had my steam-fitting done
by a good mechanic . who warranted his work to
give satisfaction, and so it did. There are good
steam-fitters in every city who can do the same.
The price for steam heating is about one-third less
than hot water and gives just as good or better
satisfaction. Those who intend to put in steam
should see or write to a steam-fitter, tell him how
many and how large are the houses you wish to
heat. Better to show him the houses before
making a contract; then he can give an exact esti-
mate of cost to fit them with steam. The boiler
should be ordered by the steam-fitter, w^ho knows
just what is needed. One of my boilers is from
Pierce & Co., Buffalo, N. Y. It is an upright,
extra made for heating purposes. The other is a
horizontal boiler, made in Detroit by Stephen
Pratt. The first cost, complete, $400 ; the second
cost (boiler alone, no fixings) $200. Of course the
first heats double as much as the other. The two
heat six large houses. All complete in heating
order, pipes, boilers, &c., cost me for the six houses
about $1,500. The houses are 64x24 feet each.

PHARBITIS LEARII.

BY CHARLES E. PARNELL.

Pharbitis Learii, or as it is more generally known
and cultivated under the name of Ipomoea Learii,
is a splendid evergreen climbing or twining plant,
belonging to the natural order Convolvulacae. It
is a native of the beautiful and fertile island of
Ceylon, from whence it was introduced in 1839.
It is a beautiful evergreen species, attaining a
height of from twenty-five to thirty-five feet, the
shrubby stem being covered with a hairy pubes-
cence. The leaves are variable in form ; most
frequently they are cordate, but occasionally they

are three-lobed and of a deep green color above,
while underneath they are covered with a whitish
pubescence, and the beautiful deep purple-blue
flowers are produced in clusters from the extremi-
ties of the lateral shoots. They are very abund-
antly produced during the season. In color they
are of a rich deep purplish-blue, with five con-
spicuous bands of a lighter hue.

Although this plant is usually described as a
greenhouse climber, yet for training on pillars or
trellis work in the open air during the summer sea-
son its value is beyond all question. Good, strong
plants, placed in a well-prepared border, grow with
extreme rapidity and great luxuriance, and soon
cover an extensive space and produce flowers in
immense quantities ; and it is a fact worthy of re-
membrance that this plant will stand our hot, dry
summer without sustaining the least injury, and is,
moreover, perfectly free from all insect pests.

In order to flower this pretty climber to perfec-
tion in the open air during the summer season, a
good, strong plant should be placed in a well-pre-
pared border about the tenth of May, where, with
a little attention as to training and watering, it will
soon produce very satisfactory results. On the
approach of frost it can be cut back, taken up and
carefully potted, and if placed in the greenhouse in
a temperature of 48" or 50-^ and a light situation, it
will be found to be of value for another season.

The Pharbitis can also be grown as a green-
house climber where it will produce very satis-
factory results, if given an abundance of room
for its roots, a compost, of two-thirds well-rotted
sods, one-third well-rotted manure, and during
its season of growth an abundance of water at
the roots. At this time also it should be freely
and frequently syringed. After its flowering sea-
son is over it should be well cut back, and during
the winter water should be sparingly given.

The Pharbitis can be easily propagated both by
seeds and cuttings ; cuttings are best taken from
the extremities of the flowering shoots. By this
method the plants will flower much sooner, for if
the cuttings are taken from the lower branches
they will be found to require a considerable quan-
tity of space before they produce many flowers.
The seed can be sown in a well-drained pot of
light sandy soil at any season of the year, the
preferable time being March or April. Keep the
soil moist and shade from bright sunshine, and as
soon as the young plants become strong enough
to handle, carefully transplant into four-inch pots
and keep close and moist until well established ;
then gradually expose to the air, shift into larger

THE GARDENERS' MONTHLY

[January,

pots as often as it is necessary and plant out in the
open air, when all clanger of frost is over.

[Mr. Parnell does not in the least underrate the
beauty of this fine plant and its great merits for
summer decoration in American gardens. It be-
longs to the class popularly known in America as
the " Morning Glory," from its early blooming
peculiarities. It usually closes before midday.
The editor has not seen a plant for many years.
His recollection of it as a greenhouse plant is that
it was a great favorite with red spider. — Ed.
G. M.]

EDITORIAL NOTES.

Chrysanthemums at Fairmount Park, Phil-
adelphia. — The collection at Fairmount Park de-
serves more than the passing notice of the daily
papers. On a recent visit we found them to com-
prise probably the grandest collection in America.
We believe it embraces nearly two hundred varie-
ties, some having flowers actually six inches across,
and others as small as an English daisy. There
was also every conceivable shade of white, pink,
yellow, red, and purple among them. The plants
were remarkably well grown, being trained up to
single stems, but pinched back in their earlier
growth stages to make them bushy. Some were
three feet high, and nearly as wide. The Gardener,
Mr. Minguey, is justly proud of his success as a
grower of Chrysanthemums. The grand display
is made in one of the large houses devoted to bed-
ding plants in the spring. The effect on Chrysan-
themum culture in Philadelphia is very marked,
and the florists who grow Chrysanthemums have
been more than usually patronized.

Fairmount Park, comprising 2200 acres, is so
large that the money for maintenance and improve-
ment would form but a thin spread if laid over the
whole. The plan of the landscape gardener, Mr.
C. H. Miller, to have at least a few points very supe-
rior, is a very good one. His beds of foliage plants
in high keeping, have been highly praised by the
citizens the past few seasons, and this effort with the
Chrysanthemum has been another illustration of
the value of doing at least some things well.

Diamond Tuberose. — Our readers will remem-
ber that it. was charged by Mr. Thorpe and Mr.
Henderson in our columns, that they had good
reason for beheving that the " Diamond " was noth-
ing but the " Pearl " under a new name. As about
that time the introducers thought proper to with-
draw it from sale, in order to test it another year,
we did not think it necessary to print the articles

sent us in full. But as we see the plant again ad-
vertised, it is only proper to remind our readers that
the original charge has not been cleared away.

Potting Plants. — This is an operation which
every beginner considers himself skilled in, but
which is, nevertheless, often badly performed even
by practical gardeners. The first point to be no-
ticed is properly draining the pots. When a suit-
able outlet for the superfluous water is not made it
is hopeless to expect success, for no plant can thrive
in sour soil. In draining the smallest sized pots
one crock (piece of broken pot) over the hole in
the bottom, with the concave side downwards, cov-
ered with the roughest of the soil, is generally
enough. Indeed, a little rough soil in the case of
strong-growing, strong-rooting plants is often
enough. For plants in 6-six pots one large crock
covered with rough lumpy soil may be enough for
Balsams, or even Fuchsias, when growing rapidly.
For Heaths and plants of a similar nature, small
crocks carefully arranged to the depth of fully an
inch should cover the central one, and over the
small crocks a little moss, or the fibre from the peat
or loam, is necessary to prevent the soil stopping
the drainage. For a 12-inch pot from three to four
inches depth of drainage will be necessary, and
more according to size.

Having drained the pots, the next thing is plac-
ing in the soil. When the smallest pots are used
for potting cuttings or seedlings enough soil should
be placed in the pots, and pressed firmly down, that
when the roots of the plant to be potted rest lightly
on it the part of the stem which was at the surface
of soil before may be fully a quarter of an inch be-
low the rim of the pot. Holding the plant in this
position, in the centre of the pot, with the left hand,
soil should be placed into the pot with the right,
and pressed down firmly and level, the surface of
the soil being a quarter of an inch below the rim
of the pot. This space is for holding water. When
the plants are to be taken out of cutting boxes each
should be lifted out carefully with a good ball of
earth, and only as much being carefully removed
without bruising the roots as will reduce the ball so
that it may be easily introduced into the pot in-
tended for it.

When plants are to be shifted the same rule
should be observed. Plants do not need shifting
unless the soil in the pots is well occupied with
roots, and it is considered desirable or necessary to
increase the size of the plants. When the plants
are turned out of the pots the drainage should be
removed, and any unoccupied soil carefully picked

1883.]

AND HORTICULTURIST

off. It should then be placed on the soil (which ' the ball breaking, and so destroying the roots,
has been put in the pot and well firmed down previ- When a plant is potted the new soil should always
ously), and fresh soil packed, either with the fingers, be put in as firm as the old balLis, or when the

Dieffenbachia Carderi. (See page u.)

or a blunt piece of wood, rather firmly. Loose i water is applied it will run through the loose soil
soil holds too much water, and when plants which and leave the firmer portion, where the roots are,
are potted loosely are turned out there is danger of too dry. —Lotidon Journal of Horticulture.

THE GARDf:NERS' MONTHLY

[January,

NEW OR RARE PLANTS. bachias and Caladiums, but, as they have usually

[ a difference of habit, it is a convenience to plant

Two Beautiful Leaf Plants — Dieffenba- | cultivators to keep them separate. A great variety
CHIA Carderi, and D. Leopoldii. — Wc do not - of beautiful foliage is found among the Dieffen-

know whether botanists generally are disposed to j bachias, and they are among the handsomest of
admit any substantial difference between Dieffen- 1 this class of warm greenhouse plants. They were

1883.]

AND HORTICULTURIST.

13

both introduced by Mr. Wm. Bull, of Chelsea,
London, from South America, a few years ago, and
proved very acceptable to English plant lovers.
D. Carderi is described as having oblong-ovate
leaves, spreading or becoming somewhat deflexed,
of a rich dark green, strikingly blotched and varie-
gated. Owing to the ground color and the variega-
tion being about equally distributed, the plant is
exceedingly striking and attractive. D. Leopoldii
is a plant of resplendent beauty. The leaves
are oblong-ovate, of a rich deep lustrous satiny
green, traversed by a broad and stout ivory-white
rib, which is bordered on each side through its en-
tire length with a whitish band, and shows in strong
contrast to the color of the leaf surface, producing
a marvellously fine pictorial effect. It is one of
the most handsome of the Dieffenbachias yet intro-
duced, and was one of the twelve new plants with
which Mr. \V. B. gained the first prize at the Royal
Horticultural Society's show, held at Preston in
1878, and the first prize at the International Horti-
cultural Exhibition, held at Ghent in 1878.

Double Glo.xinias. — The latest novelty in
double flowers, is announced by the Revue Horti-
cole, as Double Gloxinias. They ought to be highly
prized if the double character is in any regular
form. They were raised by a gardener in Hun-
gary.

•-»•

SCRAPS AND QUERIES.

Spruce Oil Liquid. — Mr. G. Geduldig, of Nor-
wich, Conn., writes that he has used the fir tree oil

introduced by Mr. Rolker, on plants infested with

Scale, and finds it to "work like a charm."

AZ.A.LEA Miss Buist. — One of the last of the
late Robert Buist's many contributions to improved
garden flowers, was a seedling azalea, the stock of
which was purchased by Mr. B. S. Williams, of
London. It has just been placed on the market,
and is described as of the amoena type, but is pure
white "and a model as respects form."

The Double Bouvardia. — R. L. Templin, Cal-
la, O., writes: "A few days ago, while visiting a
neighbor florist, I was shown a very fine bed of
A. Neuner Double Bouvardias, containing 150 or
200 plants, that were propagated from root cuttings.

There was not one single flower in the whole lot.
Is it generally known that the double varieties will
come true from root cuttings ? When 1 received
my first plants from the originators, they sent me a
card stating that they could not be grown from
root-cuttings, as they would come single. I would
be glad to hear from some others who have tried
growing them from root cuttings."

[As a general rule plants which originate in
branches, known as sports, will not come always
true from root cuttings. Many kinds of variegated
plants will not reproduce the character by root
cuttings. It would be well for an originator of a
new variety in this way to caution, that disappoint-
ment might not arise from root-cutting plants. As
regards this Bouvardia, we have known them to be
raised from root-cuttings, and always so far, with
the reproduction of the double form. — Ed. G. M.]

YmiT AND Vegetable Gardening.

COMMUNICATIONS.

CELERY CULTURE.
BY PETER HENDERSON.

I notice at page 366, of the December number of
the Monthly, an article on celery growing by Mr.
A. D. Mylius, of Detroit, Michigan, in which he
says that he sows the seed in a hot-bed the ist of
March. That practice is no doubt perfectly cor-

rect for his section of the country, but he should
not have set that date as the proper time for sowing,
without a warning that in any other section where
the season is longer and the temperature higher,
that if sown in a hot-bed on the ist of March the
crop would be destroyed by its running to seed.
Our practice in the vicinity of New York is to sow
in the open ground about the ist of April, and
plant not sooner than the 15th of June, and in par-
ticularly fine growing seasons we find that even

14

THE GARDENERS" MONTHLY

[January,

when sown at that date a few plants will run to
seed, and I am satisfied that if sown in our latitude
or in any similar one, in a hot-bed on the ist of
March, a large proportion of the crop would
run to seed. In Britain the practice is almost uni-
versal of sowing in hot-beds about the ist of March.
There of course it is a necessity, because the tem-
perature is so much lower that it requires a longer
season to mature. There is no doubt that the
European practice of sowing in hot-beds is the cause
of a great deal of mischief here from the fact that
our great variety of climate is not taken into con-
sideration by gardeners who have had European
experience. I think it is safe to say that we have
at least a score of complaints every season of celery
running to seed from seeds purchased of us and
other seedsmen. In nearly all cases, however, we
find that the seed has either been sown in a hot-bed,
or, in some of the extreme Southern States, sown
too early in the open ground. Hence in giving ex-
perience in a special locality one should always be
careful to state that that practice may not be proper
for another section.

Michigan is proving to be an excellent latitude
for celery culture. Last season large quantities
grown at Kalamazoo were sent to the New York
market — and perhaps also from Detroit — that was
ahead in quality of anything we had raised here
that season, owing to the unprecedented drouth.
As a rule however, celery would not pa)' to ship
that distance, because it is rare indeed that our
crop fails in this vicinity. I have only seen it fail
twice — as it did in 1881 — in thirty years.

nishes a first class alcohol. The red beet, strong
in sugar, produces by fermentation a wine which
has been found fully the equal of any produced by
the grape in the meridian of the Southern Cross.

In all worldly troubles there is usually something
occurs to give relief, and it will only be another in-
stance of the beneficence of this law, if now, with
the inevitable fate of grape culture in the old world
clearly before us, the beet should arise for all the
purposes of wine -making, to give rehef to the dis-
tressed grape grower.

BEET WINE.

BY M. AUGUSTE DELELIL, GARDANNE-LES-MAR-
SEILLE, FR.\NCE.

All the world knows of the ravages which the
Phylloxera has made on the European grape for
some years past. The depredations of this terrible
pest have been in no ways exaggerated. Ingredi-
ent on ingredient, process on process, have been
tried, the experimenters having little more than
their labor for their pains. In view of this evident
result, some, with the encouragement of some
learned societies, have had the courage to propose
the total abandonment of the culture of this once
precious plant, because they have discovered all
they desire to replace it in another vegetable. This
is neither more nor less than varieties of the com-
mon Sugar Beet, which there is now no doubt for
wine-making purposes, can be made to succeed to
the famous heritage of the vine. The beet fur-

SOME REMINISCENCES OF THE CALADIUM
ESCULENTUM.

BY MRS. I). M. \V., CHARLESTON, S. C.

On my arrival in Charleston, S. C, more than
forty years ago, Tanyas, " Caladium esculentum "
were commonly sold in the Charleston market as a
vegetable; and among other things sent by a friend
as gifts to us as strangers, on our first going to
housekeeping, was a bag of tanyas. What was I
to do with them ? My Irish cook declared them to
be nothing better than rotten potatoes, she " knew
the nasty things well." So they laid on the floor
of the piazza till my husband came in ; he said they
were very nice — " Boil them a long while as you
would potatoes, and eat them wnth plenty of butter ;
make them into soup with a good piece of beef."
All was done as he ordered, a great dish of greyish
white mealy balls appeared on the dinner table,
enormous things, tinted with blue and red — very
discouraging to look at, worse to eat.

The next day tanya soup was carefully boiled
with all sorts of condiments to make it palatable ;
that was better, but two or three spoonfuls were
sufficient, and we have never tried tanyas as vege-
tables since, though I planted in my garden what
remained of the brown rough balls and reaped a
I harvest of delight in their lovely growth, which 1
! had then never seen in Europe.
1 On what is called the King Street road, the same
; summer, on the edge of a very muddy ditch, inter-
1 sected by another equally black and oozy, grew,
i apparently wild, a magnificent growth of tanyas.
i Year after year they increased and multiplied, till
they covered both ditches and much of the sur-
I rounding field. In those far-off times of which I
write the negroes had a legend that tanyas were
I originally brought by them from Africa, and cer-
tainly to this day they are eaten by them, and a
patch may always be found in their gardens.

[The editor's recollection of roasted tanyas is not
: unfavorable.]

AND HORTICULTURIST.

EDITORIAL NOTES.

A New " Yellows " Disease in the Peach. —
English journals have a good deal to say about a
new disease which has recently broken out among
peaches, and which they call " the yellows." As
it has always been stated that what Americans call
" the yellows " does not exist in England, it may
be as well to note here that what they now call by
this name is not the American disease. It is thus
described in the London Journal of Horticulture :
"The trees were afflicted in many instances with
the ' yellows' — that is to say, the points of the
young growths were yellow instead of a dark
healthy green color. This may be thought a rather
singular name for a complaint, but those who are
acquainted with the symptoms know the crops
obtained from such trees are of comparatively little
value till these same ' yellows' are prevented. The
trees when in this condition! unless too far gone,
flower freely and set good crops of fruit, which
appear to stone well, but the majority drop when
apparently near perfection."

In order to prevent confusion it will be best to
call their trouble " English yellows" when we are
referring to it.

Peach Yellows Law of Michkjan.— Mr. T. T.
Lyon supplies the following piece of history : "A
previous Legislature had enacted a ' Yellows Law'
applicable only to the counties of Van Biiren,
Allegan and Ottawa ; and difficulty arising from
its non-applicability to other adjoining localities,
and from the alleged insufficiency of some of its
provisions, a movement was in progress to modify
this law and make it general throughout the State.
The State Pomological Society was appealed to,
at the annual meeting in December, 1877, at Paw
Paw, to perfect a draft of the proposed law, and to
bring it before the Legislature with its endorse-
ment. It was after the discussion of the motion
to refer this matter to a special committee, that
Hon. N. H. Bitely, of Lawton, read an abstract of
the facts elicited during the discussion, in which he
stated it to be his conclusion that it seems inevitable
nothing but a stringent law for the destruction
of the diseased trees, applicable to the whole State,
diligently and energetically enforced, will prevent
the loss of every peach tree in the State. Without
such a law we may bid a long farewell to this most
luscious fruit which has so long been both a source
of pride and revenue to the State of Michigan.
With such a law, so enforced, the future of the
peach will be more hopeful. Mr. Lyon adds that

this can only be taken as the conclusion of Mr.
Bitely. We are confident, however, that it ex-
pressed (perhaps not in a sufficiently guarded man-
ner) the dominant feehng of those in attendance,
that the proposed application of the law respecting
nuisances to this disease, was legitimate and
proper ; and that, if we would escape the calamity
that had already nearly or quite ruined the peach
plantations of an entire county of our ' fruit belt,'
prompt and earnest action must be had."

Earliest Peaches in Texas. — T. V. Munson
says Musser and Ashby are the earliest. These
are followed by Baker and Alexander, Wilder and
Excelsior following.

Japan Persimmon in the South. — It is now
some six or seven years since the Japan Persim-
mon was- first introduced into Mobile by distribu-
tions made by the L'nited States Commissioner of
Agriculture. It has fruited three or four years in
succession in the vicinity of Mobile and Pensacola,
and found to do well there. Mr. Delchamps has
a flourishing orchard in the lower part of the
county, and Mr. Langdon has another in the upper
J part. Mr. D., who is perhaps the pioneer, in
experimenting with this new fruit, says that he has
three hundred trees, all doing well, and Mr. L. has
about one-third as many — his orchard including
no less than thirteen varieties, namely, Tanenashi,
Hiakume, Nihon, Hatsiga, Yamato, Kurokuma,
Royal, Daidaimara, Mikado, Gosho, Goshomara,
Imperial and Mino.

H.\RDY Apples in Ohio. — Judge Cheney, of

i Winchester, says that the most hardy are the

Roman Stem, White Winter, Pearmain and Milam.

American Peaches in Europe. — We reprint
from the London Garden the following letter of a
French correspondent, which we are sure will be
read with much interest by American peach
growers :

! "M. Raymond Aurrau, the proprietor of this
estate, who, for his remarkably successful cultiva-
tion (especially of American vines), has just ob-
tained the prize of honor at an exhibition at Dra-
guignan, was one of the first to plant on a large
scale that remarkably early peach, Amsden's June,
of which some thousands of young trees have been
imported from the Linited States. In the spring of
1879, a hundred trees were planted at Dt-capris on
the same piece of ground in which a number of
Jacquez vines were at the same time planted. In
the rich and deep soil of Decapris the Jacquez
vine makes the most luxuriant growth, but th
growth and development of Amsden's June pea/1i
on the same soil is quite extraordinary. PlatTted
three years ago, as one year's grafts of ordinary

i6

THE GARDENERS' MONTHLY

[January,

strength grafted on peach stocks in America, these
trees now have stems with an a\erage circumfer-
ence of 844, inches. The heads of those grown as
standards, about 3 feet high, measure over 5 >/< feet
in average diameter. These heads take naturally,
and almost without any pruning whatever, the
most regularly rounded form. 1 saw these trees
on the 28th of June last, and I may say, without
exaggeration, that I have never seen, except in
America, peach trees in the open air so well devel-
oped at the age of only three years. I never be-
fore had an opportunity of witnessing such exuber-
ant growth and such an abundant crop. Every
tree this year bore at least 105 pounds of fruit, and
there were some on which the crop must have ex-
ceeded 140 pounds. At this time (June 28th), at
D^capris, where the winter temperature is lower
than that of Hyeres and of the sea coast, and
where, consequently, fruit does not ripen so early,
Amsden's June peach had been gathered more
than ten days. The fruit, although too numerous
on every tree, was, however, tolerably large, weigh-
ing on an average 2;^ ounces each. It was par-
ticularly well colored, and I ascertained that it was
disposed of at the market in Paris at a very remu-
nerative price of from £■] to ^8 per 100 kilo-
grammes (about 350 Itis.). At even half this price
the entire crop of these 100 peach trees at Decapris,
which are only three years old, would yield the
very handsofne sum of from /"120 to ^160. If we
take into account, as we should do, that these trees
were laden with far too many fruits, and that the
thinning out of the half or three parts of theni a
fortnight or three weeks after flowering would have
had the effect of increasing the size of those re-
maining to such an extent that the sum total of the
entire crop would have lost nothing in weight, we
are led to affirm that the amount realized would
have been much more considerable. The fact is,
that the fruits would have ripened sooner if they
had not been so excessively numerous, and would
have attained the normal size and the usual
weight of Amsden's June, viz., from yA ounces to
4 ounces. Earlier and larger fruit, as is well known,
command far higher prices, especially in the Paris
markets. I may mention that the same vigorous
growth displays itself under the same conditions
amongst other early American peaches more recent
than Amsden's June, which have also been intro-
duced into cultivation in P" ranee, and especially in
the south. Of these, Alexander, Cumberland,
Musser, Waterloo and Downing are just as vigor-
ous in growth as Amsden's June. They all come
from America, grafted on peach stocks raised from
seed."

The L.\tkst Nkw STRAV\fBF.RRii-:.s. — A corres-
pondent sends the following account of the latest
remarkable new seedling strawberries to a New-
York paper. It is to be remarked that the descrip-
tions sent are wholly in the public interest, and not
from any selfish motive on the part of the writer,
he has not a sohtary plant for sale, and does not
ex^ct to have for several months to come :

eliogabalus Double Pearly,' is a large squat

berry, with blue eyes and a coy, winning mouth,
bursting all over with coquettish sweetness. It is
a good grower, but requires judicious tickling with
a straw to awaken it to a generous enthusiastic in-
terest in its own cultivation.

" ' Reddy the Blacksmith Round Top Seedling,'
is a good family berry ; but of no use in general
society. The last crop was a failure, owing to the
name, which we'ghed heavily on the berry, and re-
tarded its growth.

"' Blue Jeans Late Canadian .Songster ' used to
be fine, but has fallen into dissipated ways, and is
more or less stunted, and has an acid flavor, like
an old maid whose last hope has just been carried
off by a red-headed girl with freckles.

" ' Calithumpian Aurora ' is a beautiful boarding-
house berry, much admired by dealers. Owing to its
modest and retiring habits which impel it to grovel
on the cold, cold ground, it is enabled to pick up
and retain large quantities of sand and dirt, on
which account it is sometimes called 'Triumph of
Real Estate,' or 'True Grit.' This berry may also
be used by careful housekeepers in the place of
bath brick.

"'Tuscarora Conquest' promises to develop to
such wonderful proportions that two of them,
adroitly manipulated by street venders, could be
made to fill a box with bottom located about halfway
to the top. It also promises that each would be
sufficient for a short cake. However, it is not great
in size. It is probably as small as Conkling's
chances of becoming President. 'Tuscarora Con-
quest' is a slender, low-necked specimen of its kind,
and, when feeling well, is productive as a spring poet.
The best way to raise it is with a pair of ice-tongs.

" ' Eur Tippet ' I consider one of the finest berries
I have ever seen. This berry is so phenomenally
intelligent that it can be trained to jump through a
hoop and do light chores about the house. "

Jl'glans Pr/KP.vrturiens, or E.vrly Erl;iting
Walnut. — The California papers have been intel-
ligently discussing this variety of walnut. It has
been thought to be a dwarf — probably because
small or young trees are full of fruit. Mr. Felix
Gillett sums in the Rural Press, all that has. been
said of its dwarf character in these %vords : " In
my opinion, however, the Juglans Praeparturiens of
France, and the English Dwarf Prolific of America,
are the same thing, though it is not clear in my
mind why the Praeparturiens or fertile walnut has
gone in America under the name of Dwarf Prolific.
As to who ga\e it that name it seems, that nobody
knows. The name is far from being appropriate,
and serves only to bring confusion in names, and
gives a false impression as to the habits of growing
of the tree."

As regards the value of the \ariety in California,
Mr. John Rusk remarks: "We will soon see the
day when no other sorts will be planted than grafted
chestnuts and Pra;paturiens walnuts. To wait
from twelve to twentv vears for walnuts from

1883.]

AND HORTICULTURIST.

17

common sorts will not do when you can have them
ni bearing in three or four years."

The " Earlikst of All " Pea.— There have
been " Early " peas, and " Extra Early," and per-
haps " Double Extras," but now Mr. Saxton has
raised one he calls " Earliest of All." As the
patriot says of his flag, " long may it wave." Still
we fear there will be some still earlier, for during
the past two hundred years the interval from the
sowing in February or March to the gathering in
May or June, has not yet been bridged. There has
been, to be sure, an "early six weeks," but why
not an " early six days ? "

Flax in Mexico. — Mexico is progressing rap-
idly, and our exchanges show that numberless in-
dustries are being earnestly nurtured. Flax cul-

ture is receiving attention. In an article before us
the " Dodder" is classed among "insects injurious
to flax" — not a bad "idea, for Dodder, though a
plant, aftects other plants much as an insect would.

White Elephant Potato.— Cuts on English
circulars represent this as about the size of an old-
time plantation negro's foot. Large vegetables are
often more curious than profitable, but those who
have to scratch for a living, find much more weight
in a bushel of large than a bushel of small pota-
toes.

Feast's Scuffle Cultivator. — This vigorous
contrivance, first cuts up the weeds, and then by a
roller fork behind, shakes out all the earth from
the uprooted weeds, by which they are laid cut so
as to soon dry up.

Forestry.

EDITORIAL NOTES.

Forestry in America. — It is rather surprising
that while you may find a hundred men who will
write and talk that " something should be done" to
increase our forest area, scarcely one looks at the
matter practically, to see what can be done, and
endeavor to aid those who are actually trying to
do something. Such men as Sargent, Warder and
Douglas, deserve much more respect from their
countrymen than they have hitherto received.
They look closely into the actual details of Ameri-
can forestry, and spread the information necessary
to set people practically to work to remedy what
may in the future be a short timber supply. One
may talk till he is hoarse about the patriotism
which should plant trees because in a couple of
centuries the land will be a desert if they be not
planted, when he could get a thousand-acre plot
started by a ten-minute talk with one who could see
some immediate interest therein. He may write a
learned essay elucidating what European govern-
ments are doing in the way of planting forests, and
yet not take five minutes to remember what is best
to be done in a country where every man is, or
desires to be, a king.

To our mind there is little more needed in our
country, than practical knowledge, in order to

encourage forest planting. Sargent has made it
plain to us just where the forests are. There is
yet a good stock in some places, provided we can
get railroads profitably to the locations before they
rot away. W^arder has indicated what trees will
grow rapidly, and make profitable timber in less
than a very short lifetime, but beyond all Douglas
has demonstrated what it will actually cost to plant
forests, and is willing to go to any part of the
United States, and for stipulated figures, to either
plant and stop, or to engage to care for the planta-
tion for several years. In order that we might
write this paragraph understandingly, we asked
Mr. Douglas to give us some facts. The letter he
sends us is a private one, but in the interest of
forestry culture we believe he will not object to our
giving the following extract :

"We plant this section for the railroad company.
They pay the actual cost of breaking and cross-
plowing the prairie, which costs $4 an acre. We
prepare the land, furnish the trees, plant them four
by four feet, and grow them till they are four to six
feet high, and shade the ground till they require a
further care or cultivation, and are to deliver 2,000
trees four to six feet high on each acre, for which
we receive $30 per acre. In taking contracts for
the future we will charge $j per acre for breaking
and cross-plowing the land, as the cost of getting
the teams together, seeing that it is properly done,
measuring for the different plowmen, paying them,

THE GARDENERS' MONTHLY

[January,

&c., costs considerable and actually stands us about
$^ per acre.

" Then labor has advanced since three years ago,
so that we shall add ^5 per acre, thus making, in-
cluding breaking the raw prairie and everything
till the trees are delivered over, ^40 per acre, get-
ting the $s per acre at the time of breaking, $20
per acre when the trees are planted, and ^15 per
acre when they are delivered over.

" When the trees are deli\ered o\er they are to
be four to six feet, but most of them are much
taller, and two to two and a half inches in diame-
ter at the butt, perfectly free from weeds, and not
the least particle of danger from fires, as the
catalpa leaves are very much like pumpkin leaves,
and rot down. They need no pruning as 100,000,
four years planted, ten to fifteen feet high, are now
shedding their under branches, or at least they are
dead and will soon shed oft".

" I was to select land for another plantation when
I was out last month, but the land that could have
been bought three years ago at J(2.8o per acre, is
now worth $12 to #15 per acre, and on this account
he concluded not to purchase. This would not
make so much dift'erence as it appears to, as the
land will keep on increasing in value.

" We think this a reasonable price, taking all the
risks and care ourselves, and if any railroad com-
panies or forest planting associations should under-
take it, it would certainly cost more. Of course
we would take the contract to plant without the
further care — that is, $20 an acre for the trees and
planting, or $25 if the prairie is unbroken."

Now, one thing is clear from an effort like this
of Mr. Douglas, that he cannot continue to do, as
he is doing, unless some one sees that he has a
continuous succession of contracts. To get the
trees and to prepare the machinery for planting
some thousands of acres a year, and then have
two or three years of idleness — his young trees go
to the bonfire, and his whole machinery disorgan-
ized, will not do at all for cheap forestry planting.
He must charge more than it is worth for what he
does to cover the risk, or abandon the business.
It. ought to be the business of local or state agri-
cultural associations, or forestry conventions, to
look up railroad or mining companies, ship-build-
ing or large lumber interests of whatever class
they may be, show them that there is a way out of
their soon-to-be embarrassments, by profitably
planting more, and that a man like Douglas is
ready to do the job for them. If any legislation
is needed to encourage forestry planting, it is that
men like Douglas, who prepare millions of trees,
and men to plant them, should be reimbursed by a
bounty for the seasons when they fail to get any
contracts for their work, and have to let the trees
spoil and the labor machine rust for want of use. It
is in these directions, at any rate, it seems to us prac-
tical encouragement of forestry should take shape.

M.\HOG.\NY IN San Domingo. — In consequence
of the demand for mahogany of late, it has been
feared lest the supplies should fall short ; we are
assured, however, in a report of the Vice-Consul
at Puerto Plato, San Domingo, that the diminution
in the e.xports of mahogany is by no means to be
attributed to a scarcity of the wood, for the forests
are apparently inexhaustible ; but it is to be ac-
counted for through the absence of suitable ton-
nage for charter in the neighboring colony of
St. Thomas throughout the year.

The Census Forestry Report of Virgini.a.
AND West Virginia will now, we suppose, be
made as complete as those of any other of the
States. In our May number, page 67, we published
extracts from a letter from Prof. C. S. Sargent,
Special Forestry Agent of the Census, in which he
wrote us that for want of funds he feared he "must
defer indefinitely, if not abandon, the proposed in-
vestigation" of the forest resources of the Virginias.
We not only commented on the injustice that
would be done these states by such a treatment,
but went in person to Washington and laid this
matter first before Senator Davis, of West Virginia
(who has a business way of taking hold of all
matters that affect the development of the Virginias
that always leads to practical results), and then
with him before other Senators and Represen-
tatives from these States. In consequence, action
was taken that secured an appropriation, by means
of which a forestry report on the Virginias could
be made, and now Prof. S. P. Sharpies, the assist-
ant of Prof. Sargent, is in West Virginia and Vir-
ginia gathering the facts for this report ; he has
already visited the white pine and black spruce
region at the head of Greenbrier and Cheat rivers,
the great tulip-poplar, black walnut, white oak, &c.,
country on Cabin creek and Big and Little Coal
rivers of the Kanawha, and on Guyandot waters
in Kanawha, Boone and Lincoln counties. West
Virginia, gathering additional information from
parties informed in such matters about the timber
resources of all the Great Kanawha basin. He
has also inspected portions of the Blue Ridge and
Piedmont regions of Virginia. At this writing,
Prof. S. is on the head-waters of the Potomac,
along the West Virginia Central & Pittsburg R. R.,
looking into that finely timbered country.

We anticipate valuable results from these explo-
rations, and hope Prof. Sharpies will be given
ample time to work up fully a report of the forest
resources of these States. Each of our railway
lines should see to it that he has opportunity to
visit its tributary forests. — T/ie Virginias.

1883.

AM) HORTICI'LTURIST.

19

Natural History and Science.

COMMUNICATIONS.

CAN WHEAT BE CROSS-FERTILIZED?

BY A. \i:iICH, Ni:\V HAVICN, CONN.

In the MoNTMLV for November. 1882, Mr. Car-
man writes: "During two seasons past, I have
spent much time in crossing wheats. I have been
very careful to remove the anthers from each
flower while yet they were immature. Whenever
they (the anthers) showed a tint of yellow, an indi-
cation of approaching maturity, I have destroyed
the anthers. Nevertheless, seventy-five per cent.
of the heads from plants raised from the crossed
seed could not be distinguished from those of the
mother plant."

The attempts at crossing as recorded above do
not seem to have been successful, and if statements
long since given to the public are true they could
not have been otherwise. The cause of failure is
owing to the fact that wheat, in common with other
members of the grass family, is cleistogamous,
in all of which cases fertilization takes place
while yet the flowers are within the folds of the
sheaths. This characteristic can be seen in Vilfa,
Leersia and Sporobolus, as well as in wheat ; and
the remarkable fact also that when the terminal
flowers of spike or panicle escape confinement they
are less productive of seeds than those which never
reach the light.

As having a direct bearing upon this subject, we
may be permitted to quote a sentence or two from
an article on the cross-breeding of plants by the
late D. Beaton, written at the request of C. Darwin.
Mr. Beaton says :

" No kind of wheat has ever been naturally
crossed, and never can be. When the Royal
Agricultural Society talk about the wheat being in
blossom, they are just one month behind nature.
But what they and the bulk of the country people
take for the flowering of the wheat is one of the
most beautiful contrivances in nature as means to
an end. A departure from the law of nature, as it
were, to preserve food for man. The wheat is in
full flower, and the seed is fertilized while the ear
is yet in the folds of the sheath, before the wheat is
in ear. At that period the anthers might be said
to be sessile, or to have hardly any length of sta-

mens under them ; but as soon as the pollen is
shed, the husk of the anther might rot in such close
confinement, and endanger the safety of the staff of
life, now having just received vitality. To prevent
famine for lack of wheat, however, nature alters
her common process in this matter. As soon as
the anther is emptied of the pollen the filaments be-
gin to grow, and to push up the husk of the anther
away from the embryo seed, and by the time the
ear is seen the husk is well-nigh out of the scales
which enclose the seed, but stops not then nor till
the husk is dangling from a white thread, far off
from the entrance to the seed-case ; and when all
dangers are thus provided against, the farmer con-
gratulates himself if the weather is propitious, for
his wheat is in blossom I "

Thus it will appear that Mr. Beaton recognizes
no middle ground upon which to meet those who
believe that cleistogamous flowers can be cross-fer-
tilized, and from the evidence adduced Jie does not
seem to be much mistaken. I cannot speak author-
itatively in regard to wheat, but having bestowed
some attention upon several of the grasses which
belong to this class, more especially the different
species of Vilfa, it is safe to say, there is not one
chance in ten thousand that they ever cross. Even
this slim chance may meet the requirements of
those who believe that crossing is a necessity in
nature, although taking place only at very long in-
tervals. But there is an uncertainty about this
which must be removed, before we can see clearly
how much or how little species depend upon cross-
fertilization for their continuance in pristine vigor.

THE FERTILIZATION OF CALOPOGON
PULCHELLUS.

BY FR.\NK L. BASSKTT, H.\MMOMON, N. J.

This plant though not as grotesque as some of
the orchids, is not one that will lack admirers. The
lover of flowers is charmed by its beautiful appear-
ance, both the single specimen and the general
effect in the meadow, while the botanist finds it a
subject for no little study.

Probably its nearest relatives are Pogonia ophiog-
glossoides and Arethusa bulbosa. It differs in the
spiral development of the flower, which brings
the lip — the lowest division in its relatives and

THE GARDENERS' MONTHLY

[January,

most other orchids — in our plant to be the upper
lobe. When carefully examined the lip will be
found a subject of no little interest. It has near its
base a kind of hinge upon which it turns so as to
cover the top of the column. In freshly expanded
flowers the lip is found quite firmly erect and if
bent down with the finger will spring back. But
see what it has done, here are the pollinia attached
to it. Let us take another flower and watch the
operation. Notice how it draws them from their
cells and across the stigma. Now take an older
flower and we find the Hp has dropped spontane-
ously. From such an operation we would suppose
it had something to do with self-fertilization. Last
season I tried the experiment of covering a few spikes
of buds with gauze nets to see if they would be
fertihzed. After flowering every pod began to
grow and for a time looked as if they would ripen
seed. Then all but one began to wither and fall ;
this one grew and matured. Is it not possible that
the lip in this and other orchids was for this pur-
pose originally ? We see in the two other genera
mentioned as related, the same "beautiful beard"
which so nicely draws out the pollinia. These may
have once had the same relative position as the
Calopogon, but as they are now they could not fer-
tilize themselves this way, the lip being at the lower
part.

But this is not a question that can be decided
without further experinient. Next year I intend to
experiment more carefully and fully on the subject.

EDITORIAL NOTES.

On the Annual Grovi'th of Wood. — A few
months ago we were called on to notice Dr.
Hough's Elements of Forestry, and we stated that
cuts made to illustrate one point, did not always
represent the whole case accurately. Reference
was made to a cut of two year old wood of Eng-
lish oak "borrowed from Rossmasster's work."
which showed only four "hairlines" in one annual
circle of wood, when there should be a very much
larger number ; and that the dots should be on the
inner instead of the outer circle of the commencing
season's growth. In regard to this latter statement
two correspondents have written to us, one kindly
suggesting that the remark was "inadvertently"
made. But it was deliberately written, and was in
the writer's mind chiefly from personal examination
made during the Centennial year, in comparison
with Japan and other woods. That there must
have been some mistake the writer now believes

from the fact that though very much diff"erence ex-
ists in the appearances, the little holes or dots seem
always larger in the courses which commence the
season's growth than in those which follow, some-
times almost wholly disappearing before the
season's growth ends. In other respects, however,
the criticism seems just, and we give the following
illustration which we have had made for this
note. It is from the leading shoot, two years old,
of a ten year old English oak, grown at German-
town, and enlarged to a little over double its natu-
ral size.

This cut represents with tolerable accuracy a
cross-section of a two-year-old piece of wood. The
star-shaped outline of the pith is well represented,
then we have eighteen "hair-lines" to the apex of
the convex bend, and twenty-four to the concave
portion of the line. Small dots of uniform size are
scattered freely over the whole surface, though in
more or less perfect radial lines. When the next
season's growth commences the ducts are larger,
and seem to be arranged in a more or less broken
circle. In endeavoring to show this larger sized
duct, the artist has placed the "hairlines" together
closer than they are in the copy given him, and
this makes the commencement of the annual
growth appear of a darker shade than the other
portion of the wood. There is really no difference
in the color of the wood, or in the width apart of
the "hair lines," and there is nothing whatever to
show where the growth of one year ends and the
other begins except the more circular arrangement
of the dotted ducts, their greater number, and
slightly larger size. Those who are fond of look-
ing into nature for themselves will find a study of
wood with a good pocket lens very fascinating.
No two species will be found the same in respect to
the arrangement of these ducts, nor what for pop-
ular comprehension's sake we have called the
" hair lines " as seen in this cut. In some cases the
dots are of equal size, spread almost equally over
the surface, and giving not the faintest clue as to
where the growth of one season ends, or another

1883.]

AND HORTICULTURIST.

begins. Sometimes wc may bt.' able to tell with
considerable certainty the age of a tree from its
"annual rings," but many trees will not give it ac-
curately, and we arc not sure but those which seem
to give us the data with considerable regularity,
often vary from their plan.

In the cut will be noted some features which we
do not remember to have ever been referred to by
those elementary works which treat of the forma-
tion of wood. It will be noted that the outline
given by the bark is formed of segments of five
circles, and that the bark is of double the thickness
and forms a parallelogram where these segments
meet. These rectangular blocks of bark are op-
posite the bays in the star formed by the pith in the
center. The' center of the arm of the star corres-
ponds to the center of the arc in the outline of the
wood. From each sinus in the star to the rectan-
gular blocks of bark, are two nearly parallel lines.
The whole piece of wood is thus divided into five
sub-triangular segments. The little "hair lines"
crossing the two parallel ones, do not connect with
the lines enclosed by the triangle, but they are uni-
form in number with them.

It would be foreign to our present purpose to go
into any explanation of the morphological interpre-
tation of the pentamerous plan on which the trunk
of an oak tree is seen to be formed. All we have
room for is to give a brief explanation of what the
"hair lines" mean. There has been a great deal
of unnecessary mystery thrown around the forma-
tion of wood. We are told about the annual con-
centric " layer" of wood, and the cambium "layer,"
and other " layers," as if a new plaster of material
was placed over the old wood, which in time be-
came a solid layer stuck over the old one. The
idea is much as we might gather ffom the making
of a candle. The wick is first dipped into the
molten fat, then drawn out to cool — then dipped in
and out again, every time getting larger by the ac-
cretion of the cooling liquid. But wood is not
made in this way. There is no evidence that any-
thing which has life came directly from inorganic
elements. That which is alive came from that which
had life before it. All things spring from an egg,
and the cells out of which the trunk of a tree is
formed are no exception. Every living cell sprung
from a parent cell, and the cells out of which this
season's wood is formed, came in a direct line from
the cells of the year before. The mass of mucilage
between the bark and the wood, called by Grew
" Cambium," and which is supposed to generate
the cells which are to form a new " layer" of bark
and wood, does nothing of the kind. It furnishes

simply food for the new cells which push out from
the mother cells just behind them. Now the
"hair lines" in the cut show the successive
generations of these cells during the growing
season. In our piece of two year old wood, there
are twenty-four concentric circles in the year in-
stead of merely "one annual layer," in the sense in
which this expression is usually understood.

We have purposely avoided in this little sketch,
using the language of science to describe this pro-
cess of forming the annual growth of wood. The
object is to convey to those who are unacquainted
with this language, some idea of what they may
know more about if they care to pursue the study
further as a matter of science.

M.\LK .A.ND Fkmalk Flowkrs. — The especial
purposes for which the division. of all living things
into separate sexes was designed, has been stated
by the writer of this in former writings and dis-
courses, to be evidently as part of the plan which
makes continuous variation lie at the bottom of the
continual growth of new species in the world.
Further, the writer has shown that the law which
operates to produce the separate sexes, is in close
alliance with nutrition. There have been enough
illustrations given to show that the rule is for the
female flowers to be placed where they are the best
nourished, and just in proportion as the amount of
nourishment to any particular part of a plant pre-
vails, will the number of female flowers in that part
excel.

It is always, however, the part of the true
searcher for truth to make as prominent observa-
tions which seem to oppose his conclusions as
those which do. Usually in begonias we find the
rule prevail which we have indicated — that is, the
male flowers appear on weaker stems than do the
female. But we have now a species which seems
to go on the contrary side. The female stems ap-
pear much weaker than the male ones. The female
ones can be readily seen by the young seed vessels
which are placed at the base of the petals. The
male flowers have no such protuberance. A sep-
arate male and female flower is given, enlarged,
at the base of the picture, the larger one with the
numerous anthers in the centre being the male,
and the smaller, with the pistils in its centre, being
the female.

We have not yet had a chance to sec this species
in cultivation. It was introduced recently by
Messrs. J. Veitch & Sons, who say of it:

" Begonia Socotrana, a species of remarkable in-
terest both in its scientific and in its horticultural

THK r.ARDENKRS' M()^I'HL^■

[January

r-

,^'

'4 \

'u^/< m

^■^■^"%.

w

m

^,, *-'%-•

-WJHb)^

^MMMMIiliilli

Begonia Socotrana.

aspect, discovered in the island of Socotra by Dr. \ " B. Socotrana is a plant of very neat habit, with
J. B. Balfour, from whom we acquired our stock. I erect stems eight to twelye inches high, furnished

1883.

AND HORTICULTl'KIST.

= 3

with orbicular peltate leaves four to seven inches
in diameter, and producing a profusion of bright
rose-pink flowers, of which the males are fully two
inches in diameter. Its great recommendation is
its very free blooming character, and its flowering
in the depth of winter, when other begonias are at
re^t, thus prolonging the decorative season of these
beautiful plants."

TuBKRS FROM GRAFTED ToM-VfOES. — We have
recently noted that the statement that Dr. Beal
was authority for the production of tubers from a
stem of potato on which a potato had been grafted,
was scarcely accurate. From a note in the Gar-
detiers ChfOJiiclc, it appears that the experiments
were by Mr. Maule and Mr. Alexander Dean "some
"years ago." Without at all disparaging the state-
ments made, it does seem as if a few more experi-
ments would be desirable.

M. Carriere records in a recent number of the
Revue Horticole a case wherein he grafted a Jeru-
salem Artichoke on to the stem of the sunflower.
A curious result followed, viz., the formation of
tubers on the stem of the sunflower, no tubers
being found below-ground, although se\cral were
found on the stem just above-ground.

M. Carrifere is a botanist of distinction, and re-
garded as a very careful and accurate observer.
It seems incredible that he should say that "he"
performed the experiment and noted the results as
stated, and yet there be any mistake in his conclu-
sions. The observation is one having such a very
close relation to the important practical question
with fruit growers of the influence of graft on the
stock, that we feel there cannot be too many of
these experiments, and we hope they will be re-
peated next year.

The Hybrid Cotton Plant. — We were not
among those who ridiculed the idea that two
distinct genera, like the okra and the cotton would
hybridize. Unlikely as we think such a circum-
stance to occur, we like to hold ourselves open to
the chance of finding seeming impossibilides pos-
sible. The okra and the cotton arc not distantly
related, and hence we were quite willing to say to
those who professed they had found such a hybrid,
"Well, prove your case." The gentleman to whom
we wrote for such evidence declined to respond, and
we concluded it was a case wherein darkness was
preferable to light. This gentleman of course had
no right to respond unless he chose ; but as he had
taken the newspapers into his confidence, it was
but natural to expect he would have been glad of
the opportunity to tell all he knew.

We do not know now but this Southern hybrid
cotton, is really the myth we have hitherto sup-
posed it to be — but happening to take up recently
an account of the botanical congress held in Am-
sterdam, in the spring of 1877, we find a statement
by M. Del Chevalerie, Inspector of Agriculture at
Cairo, Egypt, that such a cotton had made its ap-
pearance among a mass of okra growing at
Chibinel-Kom, in Lower Egypt. It has the habit
of the okra plant in every respect — making a
straight, scarcely branching stalk, from eight to ten
feet high, but yielding cotton instead of the usual
kind of okra seeds. The plant is said to produce
double the amount of cotton to the acre of the or-
dinary cotton, though not equal in quality. The
plants and cotton were exhibited at Amsterdam,
and though' none of the botanists present seemed
to offer any opinion as to whether it was a true hy-
brid, beyond what the facts of its surroundings
when discovered might suggest, there was no dif-
ference of opinion as to its being a totally different
form of cotton to anything yet known.

Origin of the Treeless Prairies. — The ori-
gin of treeless prairies seems to be referable to an-
nual prairie fires, by the growing consent of those
who patiently investigate the matter, and thus one
of the great philosophical questions of the past age
is being finally set at rest. Up to, say, a couple of
years ago the belief of Professor Whitney prevailed
that there was something in the finely comminuted
soil of the prairies which so firmly enveloped the
seed as to prevent the necessary action of the at-
mosphere in inducing germination. Other hypoth-
eses — all, however, tending to the physical impos-
sibilities of tree growths — were in favor. In the
" Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences
of Philadelphia," for F.ebruary, 1881, probably the
first philosophic attempt to show the futility of all
these hypotheses appeared. It was there shown
that there was no moje reason why the seeds of
strong herbaceous plants should grow and form the
well-known flora of the prairies than the seeds of
ligneous plants ; that herbaceous plants or annuals
which could flower and commit their seeds to the
earth before a fire flew over them, could spread in
spite of prairie fires ; but that ligneous plants,
which required several years of growth before
seeding, could not spread when annually burned
down ; that, as a matter of fact, trees were being
raised by the million on the prairies by nursery-
men, and that wherever prairie fires were prevented
from occurring, the woodlands did actually en-
croach on the grassy prairie. This view now re-
ceives all the confirmation that is necessary from a

THE GARDENERS' MONTHLY

[January,

paper by Robert Ridgvvay in the " Proceedings of
the National Museum," wherein he shows that the
forest area of the Wabash basin has extended to
such an extent that numerous small grassy prairies,
which were common at the first settlement of the
country, have become transformed to woodland,
and that, owing to this encroachment, the forest
area of the valley is greater than it was fifty
years ago. There are now huge trees of oak and
hickory, eighty feet high, on what certainly was
grassy prairies fifty years ago. The question of the
origin of these prairies being definitely settled, the
anthropological one connected with it derives a
new interest. As the natural condition of the North
American continent is to be covered by a forest
growth and this forest growth has been kept down
by the agency of annual Indian fires, the Indians
must have been here before the subsidence of the
waters which covered the prairies, and the annual
fires following the regular subsidence alone kept
the forests from springing up. It is an excellent
illustration of the fact that the settling positively
of one important question only leads to the intro-
duction of other and often greater ones. — Inde-
pendent.

Temperatike and Hardiness. — We ha\ e often
called our readers' attention to the fact that the
hardiness of plants does not depend on temperature
alone. An evergreen will endure a much lower
temperature in England than it will in America,
while a deciduous tree, killed by a few degrees of
frost in England will endure zero in America. In
our climate one of the most delightful of very
hardy shrubs is Callicarpe purpurea. We have
known it to endure iS*- below zero, and how much
more we do not know. In contrast with this we
have the following from the London GardeJi : " In
one of the houses in Messrs. Veitch's nursery there
is a fine specimen of this old, but uncommon plant,
with its long, slender shoots completely wreathed
with dense clusters of bright purple berries, a little
larger than gun shot. We have hitherto seen this
plant grown in a greenhouse, but here it has been
grown with great success in a warm and moist
house. We have never seen a finer example, and
it well shows what a beautiful plant it is when
grown well. It will retain its berries throughout
the winter, and will be highly ornamental.

Foretelling the Weather by the White
Pine. — The Illustrirte Garten-Zeitung, of Vienna,
Austria, says it is the easiest thing in the world to
foretell the weather by observing the common
American white pine — Pinus strobus. If we are

to expect rain or snow within a reasonably short
space of time, the branches of the last two seasons*
growth will be pendulous. If such weather be a
long way off, the branches will be i-aised rather
than drooping.

Colored Flowers in the Carrot. — At a
recent meeting of the Academy of Natural Sciences
of Philadelphia, Mr. Thomas Meehan remarked
that the umbellule of colored flowers in the center
of the umbel of the carrot, was represented as
usually fertile in Europe and sterile in the United
States. He had always found them sterile in the
United States until this season, when he discovered
that those in the center of the first umbel of the
season were fertile. Those in the umbels from
lateral shoots were sterile. This had no doubt
always been the case, the laterals probably being
the only ones examined in former investigations.

Progress of Plant Knowledge. — Hippo-
crates described 234 species, Theophrastus fol-
lowed with 500. Pliny knew, as well as can be
made ojjt now, 800. Tonmefort, at the beginning
of the last century, described 10,146. Many of
these had to be united as not distinct enough for
modern science, till at the death of Linnajus 7,294
had been described. De Candolle, in the Theory
of Elementary Botany, made 30,000 named species.
Lindley, in 1853, gave the number as 92,920. Now,
in the neighborhood of 150,000 species are known,
with possibly an equal number not yet known.
Thus figures the Revue de r horticulture Beige.

The Relation df Heat to the Sexes ok
Flowers was discussed before the Philadelphia
Academy of Natural Sciences last year, as noted at
the time in these columns, and the important princi-
ple developed that it takes less heat to bring forth a
male flower, or the male parts of a flower, than it does
in the case of the female. This explanation is being
found the key to much that was supposed to be
among the " unknowables " before. In Europe,
or at least, the northern portion of it, where the
winter temperature is low till the spring actually
arrives, the male flowers, or organs of plants, re-
main inactive till the weather is warm enough to
bring forward the females also, when they receive
the necessary pollination requisite for fruitfulness.
In other countries, where there are occasionally
warm days or warm periods, the male flowers in
monoecious or diaecious plants are brought forward
to maturity, while the females, desiring a still
warmer temperature, linger behind. As a result,
some trees, like hazelnuts and walnuts, which pro-
duce regularly crops of nuts in some countries, be-

1883.

AND HORTICULTURIST

25

come barren in others. In our own country it was
shown, in the items which have been already given,
that the hazelnut or filbert often fails in this coun-
try, for this reason. It now appears that the same
law operates on the production of walnuts in Cali-
fornia. Mr. Gillett, of Nevada City, has recently
written an essay on this subject, showing that the
climate of that State advances the male flowers,
while the females remain quiescent. The male cat-
kins are all overblown and have fallen long before
the female flowers have been brought forward ;
and, hence, they are usually barren. In order to
secure successful walnut culture in California, they
have introduced a variety called the Juglans pras-
parturiens, which requires, both for the male and
female flowers, a higher temperature before the
flowers push. In other words, the variety blooms
later. With this they have great success. — Inde-
pendent.

On Be.\ctv in Birds' Nests. — At a recent
meeting of the Academy of Natural Sciences, Mr.
Meehan exhibited a nest of the wood pewee, and
remarked that, contrary to the statement of most
authors, it was evident that no glutinous material
was used by this bird in nest-building, but that the
structure was held together and bound to the sup-
porting limb by means of cobwebs. He com-
mented upon the adornment of these nests with
lichens, and considered the occurrence and uses in
such cases of mere decoration without any appar-
ent utilitarian intent.

SCRAPS AND QUERIES.

Orangks .\nu the Weather ln Florida. — A
correspondent from Orange county says : " I have
seen nearly all the large orange groves in the State
and find the crop medium to fair, and in great
demand (a $3 to $\ per bo.x, ready for shipping.
The country is overrun with buyers, and commis-
sion merchants predict a great scarcity and very
high figures before spring. We have had two
sharp frosts, which singed the pine apples and
guavas a little ; bananas have their tops blackened."

L.\wsoNiA inermis. — " J. W.," Houston, Texas,
writes : " I enclose a small branch of a plant I
found in a garden here, said to have come from
Havana. Will you please name it through the
Gardeners' Monthly. The plant is not hardy
here ; gets killed to the ground by the first white
frost, but would be apparently shrubby. The
petals are very curiously incurved and wrinkled ;
it has somewhat the appearance of Lythraceae, but
I have no works to refer to."

[The reference to Lythraceae is correct. It is the
Lawsonia inermis, and is the Henna plant of the
Egyptians, and is known to have been a favorite
with them for possibly three thousand years. They
make from it a dye with which to stain the points
of their fingers a pretty pink. We have an im-
pression that the plant, from its fragrance, is known
in some part of the South as the " Mignonette
bush" or "tree." — Ed. G. M.]

Literature, Travels and- Personal Notes.

COMMUNICATIONS.

LETTER FROM M. MAURICE VILMORIN,
PARIS, FRANCE.

It was my brother Henry who has received a
long deserved distinction by his recent promotion
to the Legion d' honneur, of which your most
devoted servant is not a member, and will not be
for a good many years yet, if he must earn as many
times the reward as his brother has, before he was
promoted.

I will acknowledge your kind mention of my
name, by a piece of interesting intelligence for the

readers of the G.a.rdeners' Monthly. Our French
National Society of Horticulture are studying the
project of an international show, to take place in
Paris in May, 1^84. The affair is not quite decided
upon yet, as the society is not wealthy enough to
take the necessary expenses upon themselves, and
co-operation from the Government, City of Paris,
&c., secured to them. Still there are a good many
chances that the scheme will result into the suc-
cessful achievement of the long thought of idea.
• Will you kindly insert a few lines in your exhaust-
ive paper, merely relating the fact as an on dit.
No international exhibition of horticulture is yet

26

THE GARDENERS' MONTHLY

[January,

announced for the spring:: of '84, that I know of,
and it is important to us to let people know that
something is contemplated in Paris.

[As our readers will no doubt perceive, the above
was not intended for ijublication just as received,
but it contains so much that is of interest to us all,
that we are sure of pardon for giving it just as it is
to our readers. — Ed. G. M.]

ACROSTIC EPITOME OF HORTICULTURE,

In < 'clcliratidii of this ;M:ii!;;i/.iiii-''s Twciity-fit'tli Yi'ai- <^f
Useiiilness.

I5V W.M. r. HARDING, MOUNT HOLLY, N. J.

The rosy-tinted morning

has dispell'd the shades of night ;
His quick'ning beams the warm sun threw,

in golden rays so bright ;
Early in creation's dawn,

when Nature saw the light.

Gardening, the first pursuit,

e'en since the world began,
Amused the famous Homo,

the historic primal man ;
Roseate, seem'd the .new-born world,

baptized in vernal showers.
Delights sprung up on every side,

with Eve among the flowers)
Eve, angelic maid, who first

assayed the charmer's part,
Naively, coy and beautiful,

enthralled her Adam's heart.
Eden's leafy garden then,

celestially serene,
Refulgent, gay and gladsome,

was a paradisic scene ;
Such was the fragrant flow'ry spot,

so blissful, yet terrene.

Marred by mischance, weeds began

t' usurp the place of flowers.
Oh sad the change it brought about

in Eden's happy bowers!
No more could sweets be gather'd then,

without severest toil,
To labor's curse consigned was man,

to cultivate the soil.
Happily, rich rewards still yield;

to delving spade and plow ;
Life's hopes remain to cheer us on,

though sweat may damp the brow ;
Yet just so much of Eden's left,

to make us happy now.

EDITORIAL NOTES.

Portrait of Mr. Barry. — A distinguished
Western horticulturist writes: "The portrait of
friend Barry is excellent. He is certainly worthy of
the honor you confer upon him. To him I owe my
first lesson on fruit growing. I then bought and

still have the " Fruit Garden, " by P. iiarry, 1863.
It was a good book then, and is a good book still."

SwTNOLiNc; Agknts.— Our readers will remem-
I ber that the publisher of the Gardjcnkrs' Monthly
put himself to the trouble and e.xpcnse of capturing
and prosecudng a fellow who took money from
people under pretence of collecting subscriptions
for the Gardenkr.s' Monthly. It was only sixty
days' imprisonment for several years' stealing, and
the publisher thought it was hardly worth, at this
rate, all the trouble to protect people from their
own imprudence. It now appears that some such
a fellow has been making a grand haul in the in-
terior of the State, collecting for the American
Agriculturist.

It is amazing that any one will pay money to a
stranger, before he gets the goods. Even the most
conscienceless tree-agent takes orders only, and
.generally delivers something before he gets paid.
It is wonderful that there should be any money in
a fraud like this of the " Magazine agent."

The Latk Mr. Euvvard Mekhan. — The writer
of the brief sketch in the last number, was not
without some fear that it might be considered par-
tial, as being dictated as much by affection as pub-
lic merit. He has therefore thought it might not
be without interest to the reader to copy the fol-
lowing from the pen of the Reverend Henry Ew-
bank, the well known writer on flower garden cul-
ture, to the London Gartien, of Nov. nth, 1882:

"This neighborhood has just now sustained a
loss which, I think, should have a tributary notice
in your columns. I refer to the death of Mr. Ed-
ward Meehan a few days ago at the ripe age of
eighty-four years. For more than half a century
he has been in charge of the beautiful gardens at St.
Clare, which are rather more than a mile from
Ryde. For considerably more than forty )ears he
was in the service of the late Colonel Francis Ver-
non Harcourt, formerly member for the Isle of
Wight, and latterly he has been in that of his
brother, Mr. Egerton Vernon Harcourt. Mr.
Meehan has passed away from us among the sin-
cere regrets of his numerous friends in this place.
It was impossible to know him without forming a
great regard for him. He had a kindly open-
hearted sort of way which was very attractive.
But it is more especially as a gardener and very
devoted lover of flowers that this reference is made
to him. Mr. Meehan lived for his trees and his
plants, and they paid him back in full. It was
very interesting to walk with him through one of
the most beautiful gardens in the kingdom — his
own creation under his master's eye at St. Clare —
and to hear him tell how fifty years ago he turned
out some magnificent tree — when yet a sapling —
from a small pot, or planted some striking shrub
which has now attained to great size. There is a

i883.]

AND IIURTILL'LTLKISI'

27

Piniis insignis in these grounds which looks as
though a century had passed over its head, and
which Mr. Meehan remembered when it was only
a foot high. And in addition to this a Judas tree,
which is quite worthy of the environs of Smyrna
itself; a Paulownia imperialis, which is smothered
in a cloud of innumerable bluish blossoms in early
spring; an Edwardsia grandiflora which grows
over the south side of the house in golden profu-
sion ; Fuchsias which are now of towering dimen-
sions ; Myrtle trees in abundance; Magnolias
which seem to have been cheated into a belief that
they are in the Southern States of America ; Ca-
mellias doing well in the open air ; Rhododendrons
that must be from twelve feet to fifteen feet high,
and which arch over one's head, so as to form a
canopy over a broad gravel path ; some Arbutuses
of the rarest sorts — all these and other things far
too numerous for mention in this place, were for
many years the subjects of his fostering care, and
they were like children in his hands. But it is also
as a successful grower of roses, and the winner of
the highest prizes at the local shows, that Mr. Mee-
han will be remembered in the Isle of Wight. The
rose was his favorite flower, and no one could per-
manently wrest from him the supremacy to which
he attained in cultivating it. The St. Clare stand
for cut blossoms used to be unrivalled in its way,
and a very enchanting sight it was when it had
just been set up with the greatest assiduity and
skill. But all this has now come to an end. The
trees and shrubs will not be less beautiful in the
gardens of St. Clare than they have been in by-
gone years, but tiie voice of the interpreter will no
more be heard among them. Mr. Meehan had a
strong scientific turn about him, as well as much
practical knowledge. In his early days he was
very fond of the study of botany, and he gave a
great deal of time to it. It was curious to note
how, when mind and memory failed him towards
the close of his life, the sight of a favorite flower
seemed to quicken his drooping faculties at once.
When he had begun to take little notice of what
was passing around him, and old and familiar
things were slipping from his grasp, he was often
able to give with accuracy the botanical name of a
plant, and to say a good deal about it. His kind
employers, Mr. and Mrs. Egerton Harcourt, knew
full well how to bring a smile on the old man's
face. The best roses of the season were the truest
cordials for him, and they were freely sent to him.
Ouite up to the end roses and other choice flowers
were strewn in profusion over his bed, and he
seemed to be all the happier for the solace they
gave him. His was no perfunctory round of duties
carried on for a livelihood, and only for that ; it
was the devotion of mind and heart to a favorite
study of which he never tired through life. It
should be noted here that Mr. Meehan has handed
on the torch of science to his son. Professor Mee-
han, a well-known botanist of the United States,
and editor of the G.a.ri)i:nkr.s' Monthly, a valu-
able work on American horticulture. He has left
behind him a family of several grown-up sons and
daughters, and more than one of them is treading
in his steps. The gardening fraternity have as-
suredly sustained an immense loss in his death,

and the Isle of Wight in everything that has to do
with trees or plants will not soon meet with his
equal."

Another correspondent adds :

" ' H. E.,' in his obituary of the late Mr. Edward
Meehan, omitted to mention that he is succeeded
by his son, Mr.. Charles Meehan, as gardener at
St. Clare. The latter is a devoted horticulturist,
and has many of those genial qualities so happily
possessed by his late much lamented father. —
F. E. Goudge, Clapfoti."

Return of Mr. and Mrs. Lemmon. — These
energetic botanists have returned safely from their
very dangerous expedition to the Huachuca range,
in the mountains of Arizona. The plants collected
are now ready for distribution.

D.\rley Dale. — This is what the printer should
have given it in Mr. Harding's interesting sketch
in the last Monthly, where it reads " Darby Dale."

Dr. Asa Gray.— The following sketch of this
estimable man is from BowditcJi s Atnericafi Flo-
rist, and will probably be new to most of our
readers. In regard to the criticism on " School
Botany " — or F. F. and G. Botany, there is this to
be said of it, that it was written under a great pres-
sure for want of time, and while the author was
preparing for a long journey to the old world.
Still though not equal to the other works of Dr.
Gray, it has " been of great service to those for
whom it was written :

" Probably every person in the United States and
in the British Provinces of North America who
has any knowledge of botany, has heard of Dr.
Asa Gray and has some idea of the work he has
done for his favorite science. At the present time
the masses of educated people have a much
greater respect for botany than they had twenty or
thirty years ago. They have learned that botany
does not consist simply in hard names; that there
is something more to learn about a plant than its
name and description.

"No person in America has done more to bring-
about this respect for botany than the subject of
this sketch. He has done much to show how
plants are constructed, how they grow, and how
they behave. He has frequently pointed out some
of the relations of botany to agriculture and horti-
culture, and the relations which plants sustain to
all of the organic and inorganic world. He has
done much to make botany popular, by his essays,
by his books, and by his teaching in Harvard Uni-
versity. In 1836, his first text book appeared and
was called ' Elements of Botany.' Since then at
various times, have appeared others, till now we
have ' How Plants Grow,' ' How Plants Behave,'
'Lessons in Botany,' 'Manual of Botany,' 'Field,
Forest and Garden Botany,' and the 'Structural
Botany.' These are all good, but the best of them
it seems to the writer, is 'The Lessons,' and the
poorest , 'The Field, Forest and Garden Botany.'

28

THE GARDENERS' MONTHLY

[January,

A new edition of the ' Stiuctiii al liotany ' has
just appeared. This has been ahnost entirely
rewritten ; much matter has been dropped, much
added, and the book brought up to the times.
He has omitted most that pertains to the anatomy
and physiology of plants, and also the illustrated
accounts of the prominent natural orders. The
work is adapted to advanced students, and it is the
best work we have in the English language on the
subjects on which it treats.

" In 1842, he was elected Fisher Professor of
Natural History in Harvard University, and has
occupied that chair ever since that time — a period
of nearly forty years. Until within about five
years, he taught the classes in botany at Harvard.
It may not be generally known that his name ap-
pears as first among the list of Professors appointed
in the University of Michigan. This position he
never filled, but soon resigned to go to Harvard.
As a teacher his greatest forte is in directing the
studies of his special or advanced students. He is
extremely fond of plants and everything that per-
tains to them. He admires their beauty ; he likes
to study all of their adaptations to the rest of the
world. It is almost impossible for any person to
work under his direction and in his presence, with-
out catching some of his inspiration. Nearly all
the leading Professors of Botany in the colleges of
the United States have been students of Dr. Gray
for a greater or shorter period.

" By many he is known for his valuable text
books just enumerated, but these constitute but a
small part of his work. He has described and
named a vast number of flowering plants which
have been collected in numerous exploring expedi-
tions. These descriptions appear in numerous gov-
ernment and state reports which need not here be
enumerated. These are very valuable contribu-
tions to science, but they are almost lost sight of
by the mass of people. One of his greatest contri-
butions was a work on grasses, sedges and the like,
the former of which are of such great value to the
farmer. One of his greatest works is ' The Flora
of North America,' begun in 1838. The first two
volumes were prepared jointly with the late Dr.
Torrey. They extended over the Compositae. Dr.
Gray has lately renewed the work and alone printed
part first of a third volume. In 1848 appeared the
the first volume of his 'Genera of the Plants of the
United States.' The object in this work was to de-
scribe a prominent species of each genus of plants
in North America. These were accompanied by
detailed drawings by Isaac Sprague, the best bo-
tanical artist in this country. These drawings are
marvels of accuracy and have never been excelled
in any land, and probably they were never equalled.
The text was prepared with great care. The work
only passed through two volumes. It is now rare
and costly. Dr. Gray was ready to continue the
work, but the artist could not be induced to do so.
He thought his drawings were not appreciated.

"In connection with his other work, Dr. Gray
did considerable towards maintaining and increas-
ing the botanic garden, greenhouse, etc., at Cain-
bridge. In the early part of his studies, he was an
industrious collector of plants, and he laid the
foundation for tht? great herbarium at Harvard.

He has made valuable contributions to botany in
a host of miscellaneous papers and reviews con-
tributed to the American Academy of Arts and
Sciences, to the American Journal of Science and
Arts, North American Review, Atlantic Monthly,
Transactions of the American Pomological Society
and to the numerous Journals of Agriculture and
Horticulture.

"In 1837 — 45 years ago — appeared the first con-
tribution we find in the American Journal of
Science and Arts. This was a paper read before
the Lyceum of Natural History in New York,
October 24, 1836. The subject was "Vegetable
Fecundation." Then soon follows other valuable
papers — one on synonymy of several plants of the
orchid tribe, notes on European herbaria, and a
botanical excursion to the mountains of North
Carolina. In 1853, Dr. Gray appears as associate
editor of the journal last named, and has held this
position up to the present time — a period of 28
years. One of his ablest articles was that in which
he points out the relation of the Floi-a of Japan to
that of Eastern North America. Almost every
work of any merit on botany that has appeared in
any country within the last twenty-five years, has
been ably reviewed by Dr. Gray in the American
Journal of Science and Arts. His own works were
reviewed by others. He has taken up many
knotty problems in botany, and has lived long
enough to see most botanists fall in with his con-
clusions on the subjects investigated.

"Asa Gray was born in Paris, Oneida county.
New York, November 18, 1810. He graduated as
Doctor of Medicine at Fairfield College in 1831 ;
received the degree of LL. D. from Hamilton Col-
lege in 1861. For some years he was president of
the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and
in 1872, president of the American Association for
the Advancement of Science. He is honorary or
corresponding member of any number of leading
foreign scientific societies. His name stands above
that of any other American botanist, and ranks
with the best of those in Europe."

TiTHE.s IN Canaua. — It is not generally known
that tithes are collected by law from the Roman
Catholic cultivators of the soil in Quebec. The
Illustrated yournal of Agriculture says that one
twenty-sixth of the grain the farmer threshes, by
law goes to the church. The only way by which
he can escape the tithing process is by a written
declaration, signed and sealed, that he has ceased
to regard himself as any longer a member of that
church.

Thk T.\nvah and Abo. — Wm. Bartram, in his
"Travels" published in 1791, notes that on the
plantation of "Jonathan Bryan, eight miles up the
Savannah River," he observed the "Abo, or Arum
esculentum in a low, wet place in the corner of the
garden. It is much cultivated in the maritime
parts of Georgia and Florida for the sake of its
turnip-like roots, which are excellent boiled or

1883.]

AND HORTICULTURIST,

29

roasted." He then goes on to say, "they have
likewise another species of the esculent Arum,
called Tannier, which are large and beautiful
plants, and much cultured and esteemed for food,
particularly by the negroes."

From this it appears that about one hundred
years ago the Tanyah was not considered the
same with Arum, or Caladium esculentum, as it
is now, and that there were two distinct roots of
this class known. What is this second plant?

The Virgin M.\ky.s Tree. — A ".Sycamore"
tree, probably Ficus Sycamorus, grew new Heli-
opolis, by Cairo, in Egypt, which was long re-
garded as a tree under which Joseph and Mary
rested in their flight from Palestine to Egypt. It
was supposed to be an old tree at that time. It
died in 1665, and another planted in its place in
1672. It is said to have got through the recent
military troubles without injury.

The Egl.wti.N'E. — The writer of this was
brought up among people who ought to know
what they meant when they spoke of the Eglan-
tine. This plant certainly was the Dog Rose, or
Rosa canina. American authors insist that the
Sweet Briar is the Eglantine, and, when the sub-
ject was discussed some years ago, so many "au-
thorities" were brought out that it did seem that
perhaps the writer was wrong in his belief. The
matter is brought to mind afresh by a chapter on
Rosa canina, in Revue Horticole, by Mons. Ph.
Petitcoq, who remarks "its common name is
Eglantine." As Eglantine seems evidently of
French origin, a Frenchman should be some au-
thority on a native name.

White Cr.-v.pe.s. — "Propriety" writes : "Why will
horticultural papers continue the absurdity of call-
ing green grapes 'white.' It is many years ago
since ^ first called attention to the absurdity, but
still the farce goes on."

[It certainly is disheartening. Let our friend try
his hand on human nature in another shape, he
may have better success in that quarter ; for in-
stance, why should we say, "the white man." To
our mind few of them are white. Many are
rather red than white, especially their noses in
some instances. — Ed. G. M.]

Legend of the Ro.se. — According to mythol-
ogy, the Rose was originally white, and some of
the prettiest ideas of ancient poetry are in connec-
tion with the origin of the red rose. The blood of
Venus, the blood of Adonis, and the blood of
Cupid have been severally credited with originat-
ng this beautiful flower. Theophrastus seems to

be the authority for the Adonis version. "Venus,
looking through the woods for Adonis, ran a thorn
in her foot, and from her blood entering the ground
around a white rose bush, changed -the whole to
red." This is the story which seems to attract the
greater number of modern believers, in so far as
there are believers in these ancient stories.

Another story is that Venus, irritated at the mis-
chief Cupid was continually making in the world,
gathered a rose branch and whipped with it the
mischievous boy. She whipped him till the blood
came, and red roses sprang from these drops of
blood, but the incorrigible little rascal still pursued
his pranks.

The white rose is dedicated to silence. Cupid,
forgetting the castigation Venus gave him, was
caught by Harpocrates toying with a nymph.
With some dread of another whipping, Cupid
offered him a white rose in order to engage
him to keep the flirtation quiet, and thus to this
day Harpocrates is represented holding a white
rose which he presses to his lips.

N.\POLEON Weeping Willow. — An erroneous
impression prevails that the Napoleon Weeping
I Wallow is something distinct from the Babylonian
i or common weeping willow. It is simply the com-
j mon weeping willow raised from the tree which
grew over Napoleon's tomb in the island of St.
Helena. Mr. John Smith, ex-curator of Kew Gar-
dens, says it came into special public notice in
1825, on account of a twig having been received at
Kew taken from a twig growing over Napoleon's
grave at St. Helena. To see this twig the crowd
was so great, that one Sunday before the hour of
opening the gates were burst open. The twig grew
into a fine tree forty feet high.

The Olic.'Vnder. — It appears from Pliny's de-
scription, that the Rhododendron of the ancients, so
poisonous to animal life, was what we call olean-
der. It still goes by the name oi Laurie?- rose, or
rose laurel, on the continent of Europe. They
value the plant highly and have red, white and
yellow, of many forms and shades, and doubles
and singles of all colors.

History ov the Lomb.\rdv P()pl.\r. — Names
are often misleading. People have often endeav-
ored to trace some relationship between the curious
variety of poplar and some European species, on
account of its name. But the Lombardy Poplar is
only so called from its having been introduced to
England from Lombardy. It has been traced
from Persia, where it abounds, and from the Him-
alayas, to the banks of the Po, and thence to the

30

lilK C.ARDKNKRS' MONTHLY

[January

margin of our Knglish streams. About a hundrecl
years ago Lord Rochfort imported from Turin the
first cuttings of the Lombard)- Poplar, which in-
troduced here the novelty of a pole clothed with
foliage.

Travels of riiii Indian Corn or ALa.ize. —
The Gardenet-s Chronic/e notes that "it is not sur-
prising, therefore, that this prolific grain should
have accompanied the colonists of various nations
over the whole of America from Chili to the chain
of lakes. It was introduced into gardens on this
side of the Atlantic within fifty years of the first
voyage of Columbus. It entered the Mediterra-
nean by way of Spain, and before the death of
Queen Elizabeth and her counsellors — two of whom
were noted gardeners, it reached the Levant,
where it became an important item in the trade of
the Venetians. It afterwards passed up the Dan-
ube to Hungary, and traveling eastward with the
merchandise of caravans, it gradually entered the
rice countries, and reached China and Japan."

Industrial Schools. — In a recent address in
Philadelphia, the Hon. Richard Vaux said : "The
time will come when the people will demand that
appropriations shall be made for the estabhshment
and maintenance of mechanical schools, so that
from them may be graduated young men whose i
diplomas will show that they are educated and {
skilled in the arts, and the peers of any other men,
no matter what their profession."

The fact seems to be overlooked that \ery few
lads come to love the trade or pursuit in which
they have been trained. We have agricultural
schools, and it is a well known fact that a very
small percentage of those who go to these schools
ever become farmers. Nurserymen know that of
the great number of those young boys who are
placed by their parents, or who get opportunities
to learn the business, it is extremely rare to find
one who finally cares for it. The great bulk of the
most successful in any employment are those who
took to it in comparatively later years, from the
love of it and not from early training.

So far as systems of education shall permit of
the development early in life of a love of industry
and mechanical pursuits in a general way, Mr.
Vaux's idea is well enough. Those who love
labor will soon find how to put it into useful prac-
tice.

Free Railroads and Canals. — It may be
well worth considering when we suffer whether
the remedy is not worse than the disease. There
are few people who suffer more from what appears

to them unjust raih'oad discriminations, than farm-
ers and gardeners. But it may be questioned
whether this is to be remedied Ijy some methods
proposed. New York State has resolved to try
the experiment of free canals. Instead of the
people who use them paying for tlieir use, about
one million dollars will have to be annually raised
by taxation to pay interest on bonds and running
expenses. This is intended as a blow at "rail-
road monopolies." This good, however, will re-
sult that we shall have a chance to see by experi-
ment how the rule of free roads in the hands of
State politicians actually works.

New Chicago Florists' Holsks. — Mr. E.
Sanders describes in the Praifie Farmer, the new
houses of Mr. F. F. Cauda, all heated with hot
water in the best manner, using two pipes or steam
boilers and some 7,000 feet of four-inch pipe. The
houses, three in number, are built east and west,
1 50 feet long by about 20 feet wide, and attached
with a fine take of roses and carnations, along with
a smaller stock of a mixed class of plants.

Miller & Hunt, of Chicago. — Mr. E. San-
ders says in Prairie Farmer : " Miller & Hunt, on
Halsted street, in Lake View, have acres under
glass, including eleven new houses erected this
year in Terre Haute, Ind., on purpose to get into a
good rose growing soil. Their houses are part
north and south, six in number and about 250 feet
each. Then a range lot of several more at right
angles to these, and some 300 feet in length. The
iTiost of the heating is done here by steam, although
a portion is hot water, and the great forte is
roses."

The Floral Cabinet — Published by the La-
dies' Floral Cabinet Company, of New Y'ork. We
noted some time since that Mr. C. L. Allen had
accepted the editorship of this magazine, now in its
ninth volume, and that this fact promised a new
lease of life in a magazine that had already done
good service. It has now changed its form to one-
half less, with the same amount of reading matter,
and has been changed in other particulars, which
more than ever adapts it to the floral wants of
ladies of culture and refinement. It promises to
be a very useful aid in the progress of intelligent
gardening.

Pennsylvani.a. State Horticultural Asso-
ciation, 1882. — From E. B. Engle, Secretary,
Chambersburg, Penn'a. This is one of the best
reports which come to our table, chiefly because
the secretary happens to be one who seems to have
the rare knack of catching the point of a speaker's

5-J

AND HORTICULTURIST.

31

remarks, and giving the substance in a few words.
The colored lithograph of a Seckel pear, and the
old Seckel pear tree is poor ; but the illustration of
Pennsylvania fruits in plain work very well done.
Of these there is the Cumberland Triumph cherry,
a magnificent fruit, quite equal to the Black Tar-
tarian, and the York Stripe and Pyle's red winter
apple. It is a good idea for a state society to rep-
resent its state fruits, especially when they are of
such a superior character that they will last for
many years, in all probability, before they become
obsolete.

Transactions of Massachusetts Horticul-
tural Society, 1882. Part I. — From Robert
Manning, Secretary. We learn from that excellent
report that rose culture seems to be growing in
popular estimation in Massachusetts. $3,050 was
the sum appropriated for premiums for the season.
The papers and discussions refer to the taste for
ornamental trees, which, the general remarks of the
speakers indicated, did not grow near as fast as the
ability of modern nurserymen to supply the want.
Apple and pear culture seemed to indicate much
the same. There are numerous varieties in exist-
ence far better than many which are popular. The
great want seems not so much the encouragement
of new varieties, as better means of making known
the great number of good things which we already
have. Flower culture, especially hardy flower
culture, was freely discussed, and an immense
number of good things pointed out as suitable for
the latitude of Boston. An interesting paper on
the yellows in the peach is by Prof. Penhallow.
He found fungi at^every stage of the disease, and
described the species he found ; but the discussion
which followed showed that Prof. Penhallow's able
paper had not the slightest effect on the minds of
those who listened in inducing them to believe that
the yellows was caused by fungus. Indeed Dr.
Goessmann, who immediately followed, remarked
that " the disease may be due to atmospheric influ-
ences ; on a sultry day, when evaporation cannot
be carried on, stagnation may result and cause
disease." It would be just as well to show, by
experiments, that there is no evaporation on a
sultry day, as to rise in a public meeting and say
it " may be" so. It is, however, but justice to say
that Prof. Penhallow's .paper only deals with what
he found after the disease'^appeared. There is no
doubt but the fungus, which .^causes the disease, is
at work for a year before there is any evidence
afforded by the appearances on the tree, and that
this disease can be communicated by digging up a
mass of fungus-infested roots, and placing it in the

ground about a healthy tree. This evidence,
already given in our pages, is worth more as
indicating the actual fungus origin of the disease
than any microscopical examination can be.

SCRAPS AND QUERIES.

To Intelligent Correspondents. — Ail com-
munications relating to advertisements, subscrip-
tions, or other business, must be addressed to the
publisher, 814 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia.

All referring to the reading matter of the maga-
zine must be mailed to the editor, Gcrmantown, Pa.

No express packages for the editor received un-
less prepaid ; and marked " Paid through to Ger-
mantown. Pa."

Fertilizing Moss. — Mr. E. A. Caswell writes:
" Permit me to thank you for inserting my reply to
Mr. Henderson. Although the foot-note seemed
to you requisite, it seemed to me quite to warp
my meaning. The word " impartial " was in no
wise meant to attack Mr. H.'s judgment, it meant
merely that the plants should all be under simi-
lar conditions throughout their growth. I wrote
a letter to Mr. H. so stating, and disclaiming
the intention, by the word, of calling him in ques-
tion. I have a pleasant letter from him saying
that he took no umbrage at my article and deemed
the phrase " sneer " hardly called for. This mat-
ter having been pleasantly settled, Mr. H. and I
propose to have a competition under suitable con-
ditions. Perhaps you will find it legitimate news
to tell your readers that the Dumesnil moss had a
medal (bronze) given by the Massachusetts Hor-
ticultural Society, and that a bronze medal was
given to it Saturday by the American Institute Fair,
and also by them one for plants grown in it Hop-
ing to find some day as much favor in the eyes of
agricultural journals as we have before these other
tribunals, 1 remain yours with thanks."

Advertisements. — Charles E. Parnell writes :
" Since the publication of the paper on single
dahlias in the December Monthly, I have received
many inquiries as to where they can be obtained,
I did not write the paper in question, and moreover
have not as yet cultivated them, so I cannot give
the desired information. I have answered all who
enclosed stamps for that purpose, but those who
sent postal cards remain unanswered, as it is
enough for me to reply without having to prepay
postage on queries that should be sent to the
editor."

32

THE GARDENERS' MONTHLY

[January,

[It is singular that so many should take it for' full name purposely, that they may not be charged
granted there is but one " P. " in the world. with using the columns of a public journal in mere

The paper was written by one of our English I advertising interest,
correspondents, and we always take it for granted i We suppose leading seedsmen have or will have
that when a writer fixes an initial and not the full ' the seeds to offer. These are the ones to write to,
name, the reason is that he does not desire corres- but not the editor — as our correspondent suggests
pondence about the matter. Hundreds of people [ — who, as editor, knows nothing of advertisers. —
write solely for the public good, and without their Ed. G. M.]

Horticultural Societies.

EDITORIAL NOTES.

Discriminative Premiums.— Over and over
again we have suggested a reform of the manner
in which premiums are given at horticultural soci-
eties. They lose half their value to the receiver
because no one knows why they receive them.
The public does not care to be told that Primus
had the first premium for cauliflower, or Secundus
for beets. It cares a great deal more to know what
the premium articles looked like, and we feel cer-
tain that modern horticultural societies, which in
many cases are now dragging along a iniserable
existence, will never revive till they do something
to bring widely before the public the real merits of
the successful exhibits.

The Germantown (Phila.) Horticultural Society
was first founded on the old plan ; but it got down
so low that it became entangled, as it seemed hope-
lessly, in debt. It could not even pay the premi-
ums it promised, and even these premiums were
scarcely thought worthy of being competed for
by good horticulturists, whether professional or
amateur. At last scarcely a score of persons at-
tended the monthly meetings. A new departure
was inaugurated about four or five years ago, the
main effort being to make the exhibits as instruct-
ive as possible. The result is that the society is
now out of debt, increases its premiums, has better
exhibits than it ever has had, and its rooms are
thronged during the meeting by all the best gar-
deners of the vicinity, as well as by numerous
ladies and gentlemen of the highest social stand-
ing. At the last meeting a new feature was intro-
duced by Mr. David Cliffe, Chairman of the Com-
mittee on Awards, in the direction indicated at the
opening of this paragraph. In announcing the

decisions of the committee he explained to the
meeting the various points of superiority, in other
words the reasons for the awards. It was highly
appreciated by the thronged assemblage, who
warmly applauded Mr. Cliffe at the conclusion.
It is something to have such instructive decisions
given verbally, and we are sure that that society
which shall be the first to go to the trouble and ex-
pense of giving such reports to the public, will gain
so much in the estimation of exhibitors, that it will
never need to go begging for something to fill the
hall.

Penn. State Horticultural Society. — The
annual meeting will be held at Harrisburg, Jan.
17th and 1 8th, 1883, and there is every indication
of an unusually full and interesting meeting. Ex-
cursion rates over the Pennsylvania, N. Central,
Phila. & Erie, and other roads, have been granted,
and orders for the sarrte can be had upon applica-
tion to the secretary. Tickets can be bought from
January i6th to i8th inclusive, good to return until
January 20th inclusive. Circulars with fuller an-
noi!incement will be issued soon by the Secretary,
E.B. Engle, Chambersburg, Pa.

Our Present System of Competing for
Prizes. — The London Garden accurately describes
the present system for premiums as the "victory of
the least bad," When judges shall be expected to
give their reasons for awarding premiums we may
know wherein the merit of the victor lies. It is
really remarkable that the old lazy system should
prevail so long.

Hall of the New York Horticultural So-
ciety.- — This flourishing society has purchased the
" Church of the Disciples " near Broadway, which
is to be converted into a horticultural hall.

'^^-^^%

A-

THE

VORV<

Gardeners' Monthly

AND

HORTICULTURIST.

DEVOTED TO HORTICULTURE, ARBORICULTURE AND RURAL AFFAIRS.

Edited by THOMAS MEEHAN.

Volume XXV.

FEBRUARY, 1883.

Number 290.

Flower Garden and Pleasure Ground.

SEASONABLE HINTS.

Just now we note much being said against the
use of knife or shears on ornamental trees and
shrubs. There are some who would not cut a tree
under any circumstances. Everything should be
natural. There can be no greater advocate of
nature, or perhaps it would be best to say of natural
ways in gardening, than the Gardeners' Monthly.
What has been termed the topiary art — the trim-
ming of trees and bushes to resemble everj-thing
under the sun — was pushed to extremes. But
without great violence being done to true taste,
some such art may surely be permitted. We all
like a neatly trimmed box edging wherever it is
proper to have an edging of box at all, and the
neatly trimmed live fence or hedge is also agree-
able. If, now, we allow some of the trees of which
the hedge is composed to grow up and form a
neatly-trimmed arch over a gateway, we cannot
see wherein good taste is seriously violated.- In
the Tower Grove Park at St. Louis the music-stand
is surrounded by a grove of osage orange, which
is sheared so as to allow numerous gothic openings
through the walls. One might say if a wall is
wanted, why not make it of boards or stone at
once ? But nothing will equal the luxury of sitting
under a leafy bower, while the air is actually cooled
by passing through the foliage. To our mind, this

foliage room, with its numerous window openings,
is one of the many successes of this pretty park.
Take, even, some gardens which have been criti-
cised ; as, for instance, the Italian garden at
Wellesley, where nearly everything is cut to some
form or other, while a whole garden served in this
way would be almost intolerable, as a contrast to
other parts it is peculiarly pleasurable, and it is
doubtful whether the many landscape pleasures
of these famous grounds would be half as enjoy-
able without the Italian garden. While the uni-
versal cropping and shearing which often takes
place at this season gives good excuse to those who
write down the entire use of the knife in this way,
the better course will probably be to use the knife
judiciously. The rule of good taste is expression.
If we were to find a tree or shrub growing entirely
naturally, and taking on some singular shape, there
is no doubt it would be as much an object of inter-
j est as profile rocks against mountain sides, or the
features of scenery in the great caves. Just how
far art may help these appearances good taste
must suggest.

In like manner there is rebellion against carpet
bedding, and the formal arrangement of flowers in
masses, or in beds of formal shape. Of course
this is often pushed to the extreme, but when we
see hundreds of thousands enjoying them, it is evi-
dent there must be an underlying element of natu-

34

THE GARDENERS' MONTHLY

[February,

ral feeling somewhere beneath such an edifice of
art. It will probably be a long while before this
style of gardening is abandoned. There are some
figures for flower beds which look out of charac-
ter. The figures should harmonize with the sur-
roundings. For a circular spot there are few
things prettier than the old " Dropmore Pear beds."
In old times this " Dropmore flower garden "
was popular for affording masses of four different
kinds. The walks between the four pear-shaped
beds were of grass or shells, or small cobble-stones.
Since carpet-bedding, a close form of mosaic work
has become popular, the walks are made with
stone-crops, or kinds of house-leeks, or of some
kind of neutral colored leaf plant. Besides this a
border of some other color is placed round the

whole thing, which gives it a pretty finish. We
give with this an illustration of what we mean.

The straight lines are only temporary, to aid the
drawing of the figures desired on the ground. To
make the larger circle of the pear-shaped outline
the compass or string has one end placed at b. For
the two smaller circles at a and c.

COMMUNICATIONS.

THE GOVERNMENT GROUNDS, DOMINION
OF CANADA.

BY WM. ROBERTSON, SUPERINTENDENT, OTTAWA.

Those grounds, from their natural position, ele-
vated as they are over three hundred feet above
the Ottawa River, make a grand impression on all
who have visited them. A finer view is seldom

seen. Looking from them to the southwest, you
have the Chaudrie Falls, Suspension and C. P.
Railway bridges, and as far as the eye can reach
the river wending its way upwards, dotted with
wood-c6vered islands. On the background, in the
distance, runs a chain of mountains covered to the
top with various sorts of trees, evergreens, &c. On
the opposite side of the river hes the city of Hull
with its vast piles of sawed lumber. On the north-
west, at the bottom of the slope, is the Rideau
Canal, Major's Hill Park, and the lower portion of
the city ; in the distance, peeping from the woods,
is the Governor's residence, with the river flowing
downward. This river is the scene of much activ-
ity in Suminer, from the vast quantities of lumber
passing by raft and barge to the different markets.
The grounds contain an area of about thirty
acres, without its surrounding slopes. About
thirty feet from the top of this slope, which is very
steep, runs a walk called " the Lovers'," beauti-
fully shaded by trees. At its center is a fountain
of water, with seats where the weary may drink
and rest. This walk runs all round the back,
which is formed somewhat like a D, the straight
portion being enclosed by an ornamental walk
and railing, in which is the entrance gates from
a street of the city.

The grounds may be considered as two flats ; on
the upper stands the Parliament building and Li-
brary ; on the lower two blocks of the Department-
al Buildings, facing as it were, and forming three
sides of a square, apart at the corners about two
hundred feet, in the center of which is about six
acres of grass. Down the center runs a walk fifty-
five feet wide, with two others running from the
upper part to the corners ; they are fourteen feet
wide.

On the upper part of this square stands a para-
pet wall, straight in the center, but sweeping
around and falling at both sides, to the side build-
ing. Back of this again, sixty feet at the nearest
point, runs two short walls which catch the eye
looking from the front, where the front wall be-
gins to fall at both sides, giving an elevated ap-
pearance to the building which stands above.
Between those walls at each side is a carriage
drive and sidewalk, rising to the upper flat with a
piece of lawn on each side, in which are ten flower
beds, five on each side.

The upper portion on the top of the slope has a
cedar hedge (arbor-vitae, Ed.), inside of which
runs a foot-walk. On this upper portion is the
greatest decoration of flower beds, embracing
thirty-six in number ; with two large borders, re-

1883-]

AND HORTICULTURIST

35

■quiring thirty-six thousand plants to fill them,
which may be called of three sorts — motto, design
in flower, and mass. The first is entirely made of
low-growing plants, which I will try to describe.
One is at the junction of two sweeping-walks, and
forms somewhat of a triangle, in the center of
which are the words "God Save our Queen,"
in Alternanthera amcEna, carpeted with Sedum,
surrounded by a border of Alternanthera aurea.
In a sort of fancy scroll work, apart from this, is
another of Pachyphytum aurem, filled between
with Echeveria Californica. Next to the grass
border is another, running in a line with this bor-
der, of Leucophytum Brownii, filled in with various
plants, as the second border divides it into sections.
Another is a circular bed, twelve feet in diameter;
in the center is a circle of Alternanthera with four
points running to the outer border, and the words
" Be true."" The center and points are carpeted
with Sedums. Between those points is another
device boi'dered with Silver Thyme, carpeted with
Oxalis trifolioides ; the outer circle is Echeveria
secunda. The third has also a circle in the cen-
ter with the words '.' Be kind," having eight points.
The circle and points are bordered with Golden
Feverfew ; center carpeted with Sedum ; points
with Oxalis trifolioides. Between these points are
figures bordered by Alternanthera, carpeted with
Sedum, with an outer border of Sempervivum.
Much attention is given to bring out contrast by
the color of the plants used.

My flower designs are made with flowering
plants, which grow as near a uniform height as pos-
sible, always taking care that the tallest is in the
center. One of the simplest that any one can
make is one I had this year. The bed is twenty
feet diameter, circular, with four points running
out five feet long, and the same where they leave
the circle. A Pandanus in the center, a circle
of Centaurea gymnocarpa eight feet diameter;
around this plant was filled rose colored Phlox
Drummondii, then a band of Phlox outside the
Centaurea, Fire Ball three feet, another of Snow
Ball, then a line of Teilanthera ; the outer a bor-
der of Cerastium tomentosum. Following around
the points forming an edging those points were
filled with Agcratum John Douglas. This is what
may be called a ribbon bed ; but I carry out many
designs in flowers, having various ways to keep my
lines distinct, which is a necessity for proper effect.
My method of doing this I will describe at some
other time. For massing I use such as Petunias,
Zinnias, Portulaca, &c. All those beds are cut
in the«grass in Gothic style, corresponding with

the order of the buildings. I always use some dis-
tinctive plant in color from the grass. All beds
have a border of some sort.

The grounds require a staff of fourteen active
men to keep them in order. They are divided ac-
cording to their different tasks, and soon become
very expert. Some trim the beds, which job is
done once a week, never allowed to get out of
shape, but as it were training them. Others attend
to the mowing of the grass. About fifteen acres of
this is done by a horse mower, and a hand one to
cut corners and slopes where the horse cannot go.
Some, again, clip the edges, and sweep the walks ;
others the watering. Every one has his portion
to attend to, and is expected to do it. These lawns
are mowed all the summer — at least once a week ;
in fast growing times twice, and never allowed to
show signs of burning for want of water. They
are always as green as a spring day morn-
ing, even in the month of July. Some of our
horticulturists who have visited them say that
they are equal to the best of theirs. My method
of treating these lawns I will give you afterwards.
The task has been a most difficult one, owing to
their high, unsheltered position, largely excavated
from the rock, and the nature of the soil found on
them, all mixed up with the debris from the build-
ings at their erection — sandstone cuttings and such
like.

My facilities for propagation for my beds have
been very limited, having only two greenhouses.
One, forty by twenty, contains a specimen of most
plants of a tropical nature, that I can find worthy
of growing. The other is sixty-seven by eighteen,
and contains all greenhouse plants that are to be
found in catalogues, on this side of the ocean.
This lack of glass, although very inconvenient, has
had its good results, as it has driven me to try
many plans, and I am now able to keep a large
stock of plants in a very small space. In public
places no one ever stops to enquire whether one
has proper facilities to do the work properly or not,
but would put him down as incapable if the work
be not done right.

Besides this, I use "twenty hot-bed lights for the
raising of annuals, which are pricked out as soon
as ready, into spaces furnished with bottom heat
by manure, so that they can be covered up at night
for fear of late frosts. From this I get much har-
dier plants than from under the glass, and it en-
ables me to do much with this small quantity of
hot-beds.

The grounds have been the admiration of every
one during past seasons. To use tlie common ex-

36

THE GARDENERS' MUNTHLY

[February,

pression of the many who have seen them — some
of whom have traveled through Europe and seen
much— it is the prettiest spot they ever put foot
upon.

THE AMERICAN BANNER ROSE.

BY PETER HENDERSON.

I see in your Editorial Notes, in the December
number of the Monthly, page 357, you state
that the American Banner Rose, "like all other
sports of this character, is liable to take self color
at times." This I think is a mistake. I have grown
it largely for the past three years, and have never
yet failed to see a flower come striped. In fact it
is not only the flower that differs from the plant
from which it is sported — Bon Silene — but the
foliage is entirely distinct, and has no resemblance
whatever to any other rose, being peculiarly veined
and of a leather-like texture, showing its whole
character to be unique and distinct — distinct
enough almost to be classed as a species. The
rose has been grown largely by the Dingee &
Conard Co., of West Grove, Pa., and by C. A.
Reeser, of Springfield, Ohio, and as far as I can
ascertain their experience has been the same as my
own ; that no plant has ever run back to the ori-
ginal. Nor do I think it ever will, as its character
is seemingly as firmly fixed as if it had been a
seedling instead of a sport.

EDITORIAL NOTES.

The Philadelphia Public S()lakes. — The
filthy condition in which the several little parks or
squares with which the city of Philadelphia is stud-
ded, has long been a surprise, not to say disgust,
to intelligent visitors to this city, and has often
been commented on in this magazine. Last year
there was some improvement, for which we gave
credit to the Commissioners of City Property.
This year they were wretched as ever. In regard
to these squares the public prints have the follow-
ing account of the proceedings of the Finance
' Committee of City Councils, sonsidering the appro-
priations for 1883 :

"The appropriations to the Department of Mar-
kets and City Property was next taken up. The
total amount asked for was $179,283, an in-
crease of ;$4o,32r over the appropriation of this
year.

"The items in the bill were approved until that
for the improvement of public squares was reached.
It amounted to $70,000, subdivided as follows :
Franklin, $20,000 ; Logan, $20,000 ; Rittenhouse,
$20,000; Jefferson, $10,000.

"Mr. Wolverton moved to strike out the whole

item, saying that the city's finances were not in a
condition to stand such an expenditure.

" Mr. Lex seconded the motion, stating that he
hoped that the squares could be improved out of
the surplus fund this year.

"Gen. Snowden moved to except 'Franklin
Square, $20,000,' from the motion to strike out.

"The motion was agreed to, making the total re-
duction in the bill of $50,000."

If these squares could only be kept decent, so
that those who believe that cleanliness is next to
godliness might have some encouragement, they
would not look so very bad, even as they are. Still
if they are "improved," they may have to be kept
cleaner, and it is a gain that even one a year falls
into the line of decorum.

Notes from Staunton, Virginia. — By an ac-
cident for which we are sorry, the following chap-
ter of good hints has been in the " wrong box," for
several months, till recently discovered :

" Thanks for the ' Seasonable Hints ' that opened
the June issue of the Gardeners' Monthly and
Horticulturist. If you will indulge in a few
more such, perhaps the barbarisms that we see on
every side may be curtailed. That is, provided
people will ever learn.

" 'Twas only two weeks ago that I passed some
public grounds where the officer in charge was
busily engaged in trimming (rather butchering)
Conifene — some of them handsome specimens —
from the ground, so as to leave a bare stem of over
five feet, and, to add to the beauty of the grounds,
was topping — perhaps you would say rounding off
— some beautiful English Lindens. At the same
time the \ineyard, consisting of Catawbas, Con-
cords and Delawares, were being trained on the
principle we Southerners adopt for growing the
Scuppernong.

"The season here in the Valley of Virginia has
been exceptionally cool. At this date, June 5th,
the mercury at 50' F. Roses just opening ; Co-
leus, Lantanas, Ageratums, &c., wilting under
the cool winds. Have you or any of your corres-
pondents any experience with the Pyrethrum as
a destroyer of the cabbage worm ? If so, how
should it be applied ? "

Rapid Growing Street Trees. — It is a great
mistake to choose the Silver Maple and different
Poplars for street trees, merely because they grow
fast. In a few years they are objectionable be-
cause they are so very large, and have to be re-
moved or hacked down. Such moderate growers
as Horse Chestnuts, Norway and Sycamore, or
Sugar Maple are much better, even though *i trifle

1883.

AND HORTICUI.TURISI-.

"hi

less rapid in growth. Few people complain that
they are too large for the streets.

Thk SPKiNfi BKArrv of Conh-kruis rKKi:s.-
Some one having stated in the Gardeners' CZ/r^i///-
^/i? that coniferous trees were monotonous, Mr. D.
T. Fish comes to their defence, and says : " Mo-
notony of color indeed I It is all very well to bring
this charge against Conifers in the autumn or win-
ter, when their leaves have reached maturity or
have begun to enter the sere, if not yellow stage.
But not our best deciduous trees can ri\ al the rich
interest and variety of Conifers in the springtide.
Take for example such a Silver Fir as P. Pinsapo ;
its catkins glow almost with the brilliance of coral,
and its grey shoots are soft and rich with verdure
that must be seen, as it is beyond description.
Then such Spruces as the Smiths and Douglas are
of the richest shades. The cones, too, of these
and many other trees, such as Pinus excelsa and
others, add a new feature of interest and beauty.
These added to the catkins, the showers of golden
pollen, the curious growing points of the wood,
soft and apparently as succulent as juicy Aspar-
agus at times, also; as in the case notably of P. Sa-
biniana, contrasted with the brown-grey masses of
sere and falling leaves, form a combination of light
and shade, interest and beauty, that can scarcely
be found among deciduous trees. And the odors
given out by Conifers are among the sweetest, and
perhaps the most wholesome in nature."

Mr. Fish's point is a very good one. The purple
male flowers of Table Mountain Pine, and the red
or scarlet of the Lawson Cypress are very attract-
ive, while the reddish brown of the new growth of
Alcock's Spruce may truly be characterized as gay.
There are few flowering plants more beautiful.

The Sack or Bac; Worm. — The time is coming
when that fearful enemy to the Arborvita; especially
will make its appearance. Though we have kept a
continual warning against suffering it to eat on,
without molestation, it will do good service by
again referring to it. The following good sketch
is from the pen of Prof. Rathvon in the Lancaster
Farmer. Hand-picking is the cheapest remedy :

"The spindle-shape cocoons you sent us some
weeks ago — e\idently taken from an v\.rbor\itce
tree — are the habitacula of a Lepidopterous insect
known under- the names of ' Sack-worm,' ' Basket-
carrier,' ' Drop-worm,' ' Sack-trager,i and other
names, but in scientific language it is called Thry-
ridoptery xephemreriformis, a name almost 'as long
as the moral law.' Perhaps if it knew the space
its name occupies in natural history, it would be
better mannered than it is. It is notorious as a
tree defoliator, especially cone-bearing trees, and

most especially, perhaps, the Arborvita;. It may
have a choice, but it is by no means restricted by
that choice, and will attack almost any kind of a
tree. We ha\c known it to be abundant on lin-
den, maple, elm, apricot, plum, locust, apple, pear,
various species of pine, quince, oaks — in short on
nearly all kinds except the peach, and we have
heard that it has been known in a 'strait' to attack
the peach. Many of the follicles now found on
trees are the deserted habitacula of the males of
last season, but a goodly number are those of the
female pupa filled with eggs, and now before the
trees ha\ e put forth their leaves, is the time to col-
lect and destroy them. If the season is favorable,
between the ist and 15th of May, the young will
be hatched from the eggs that have remained in
the sacks or baskets of last summer. If they are
left undisturbed until the last of May or the begin-
ning of June, the trees will be in full foliage, and
for a month or two the foliage will be tod dense to
see them. Each female deposits one hundred or
more eggs, and these eggs possess the possibilities
of the same number of caterpillars. These cater-
pillars are never nakedly seen, for as soon as the
young are excluded from the eggs they begin to
form their sacks, and these they carry with them
wherever they go, only protruding the head and
the three thoracic segments of the anterior part of
the body. No liquid' or powdered remedy can
reach them, nor can birds dislodge them from their
habitacula. If these insects are permitted to con-
tinue on the trees to their injury, the responsibility
must rest with those who own the trees they infest ;
for we know of no insect that is more accessible,
especially during late fall, winter and early spring."

NEW OR RARE PLANTS.

A Nl-:W Haw [HORN — CRAT.ECiLS brachvacax-
XHA. — In 1832, Drummond collected in the Red
River region, a hawthorn which has never been
properly made out. Mohr and Sargent also col-
lected imperfect specimens, and recently the fruit
has been collected by Letterman. These trees
looked at a distance like plum trees, with small
blue fruit; the ground under them (August 19,
1882), was covered with fallen leaves.

It is a tree twenty to thirty feet high, in very old
trees with rough bark, spines usually about six
inches long, curved. Leaves about two inches
long, lanceolate oblong, short petioled, leathery,
serrate, shining, with ribs almost obliterated.
Flowers among the smallest of the genus.

Canna Ehem.\nni. — There are few things more
beautiful in American decorative gardening than
the various forms of cannas, and good service is
done by those who endeavor to improve them.
Mr. H. A. Dreer sends us the following account
of a new one just intrcKluced :

38

THE GARDENERS' MONTHLY

I February,

'The most distinct of all Lannas on account of

Canna Ehemanni.

which place it foremost among decorative fohage
plants. Its most striking feature is the splendid
carmine red flowers produced on flower stems of
great length that unfold about twelve flowers to
each of the smaller branches. These flowers are
very large, and are used to advantage in bouquet-
making, or producing s])k-ndid effects on the
lawn."

Ami'ki.oi'sis Jai'onica. — Under this name the
Gardener s Chronicle says is being cultivated in
Europe our common Poison \inc, Rhiis toxicoden-
dron.

The Double E.sch,s( hoi.tzia. — Many doublfe
flowers do not produce many seeds, but it is said
the double form of this pretty Californian annual
produces some seeds, which reproduce the double
form.

Weigela CANDIDA. — This pretty white variety
noticed before in our pages in connection with the
nursery meeting at Rochester, and which will
probably supersede the old Hortensis nivea, forms
a colored illustration in FLllwanger & Barry's

the large oval nsa-Ensete-like soft green leaves | new descriptive catalogue.

Greenhouse and House Gardening.

SEASONABLt; HINTS.

This is the season when many things will require
re-potting. Many have a set time and season to
do this ; but some things require re-potting at
various seasons. The best time is just before they
are about to make a new growth. Camelias,
azaleas, and many plants, for instance, start at this
season. It is not necessary to re-pot so often as
some think, especially if bloom, and not very large
specimens, is chiefly wanted. If the pot is very
full of roots, and the plant growing weak, it may
need re-potting.

In potting, see that some provision is made for
allowing the water to readily escape, by putting
broken crocks over the hole. Use soil rather dry,
and ram it firmly about the old ball. Prefer pots
only a little larger, to very large shifts, as less liable
to accidents. Trim the plants in a little, if un-

shapely, to encourage the new growth where
wanted.

Sometimes the plants get "sick," which is known
by unhealthy, yellow leaves. This is usually by
over-watering, generating a.gas, or, as gardeners
term it, a " sourness," destructive to the roots.
The remedy is to cut the plant back a little, shake
out the soil, and pirt the plant in a small pot with
new soil and place the plant in a house only mod-
erately warm, and which is naturally moist, so that
the plant can live for a while without requiring
much water. It will generally recover.

Many who have but small houses, and wish to
have a variety, are troubled with valued plants,
becoming too large. To keep them low, as soon
as the plant has matured its growth, cut it down
as low as may be desired. As soon as it shows
signs of breaking forth into a new growth, turn it
out of the pot ; shake or tear away the old ball of

1883.]

AND HORTICULTURIST.

39

roots and put it into a small pot as it can Ipc got j
into; and when it grows again, and fills the pot |
with roots, rc-pot again as liefore.

COMMUNICATIONS.

LARGE COXCOMB.

!iv s. w. \\i:hi;, ( iiari.icsion, s. c.

During the past summer my attention was
drawn to some " Celosias " growing in the garden
of an amateur in this city. There were only two
that grew to any size. The largest measured 30x18
inches. The plants in height were not over two
feet and a half, and were never transplanted.
During their entire growth they received no atten-
tion save the driving of a stake to support the
flower. Seeing a description of the Chelsea cox-
comb in the Monthly, I thought I would write you
about this .South Carolina one.

CARNATION— JAMES A. GARFIELD.

RV AIGUST D. MVLUS, DlCTRc )1 1 , MUHKiAX.

The best colored carnation I have at present is
President James A. Garfield, a seedling raised by
Messrs. Breitmeyer & Sons, of Detroit. The plant
is very robust, and proves to be the best for win-
ter blooming of all colored sorts, on account of its
sweet scent and very large flowers, it being double
the size of other carnations. In every way this
carnation is perfect, and I am sure in a short time
it will take the place of the kinds now used for
winter blooming. In fact there can not be too
much said in praise of this carnation. The color
is a rich vermillion. This firm raised another good
carnation which they named Mrs. Carfield. The
color is like a Chinese pink.

pipe for the purpose of radiating heat ? How many
horse power boiler is required to heat such a house
(100x20 feet) ? Can three or four ^uch houses be
heated in the same proportion, that is if it requires
a five-horse power boiler to heat one house, will it
require a twenty horse power to heat four such
houses ? Is steam heating cheaper than hot water,
regardless of the cost of pipes ? Does steam heat-
ing work as well in an ascending as it does in a
descending pipe, or would the condensation of the
steam in the pipes cause trouble in keeping up the
circulation of steam in the ascending pipe ? Can
a steam boiler be safely left at ten o'clock at night
until se\en o'clock in the morning, or is it neces-
sary to watch it more closely than fo'- hot water
boilers ? What style of boiler would you recom-
mend where economy is an important item. Any
one who has had experience in steam heating (for
it is experience that we want), that will kindly
answer the above questions through the columns
of the Carde.ners' Monthly, I think will confer
a favor on a large number of its readers.

HEATING GREENHOUSES 'WITH STEAM.
• r.V K. HOLLLV, HI nSON, N. ^.

Having been very much interested in reading
the various articles which have appeared in the
Gardeners' Monthly during the last year, and
wishing more information on the subject, I would
now like to ask those who have had experience the
following questions :

How many radiating pipes of one inch or two
inch size, are required on each side of a hundred
foot greenhouse, and twenty feet ;wide, to easily
keep up a night temperature of 65 when the ther-
mometer goes down to '15- below zero? Are two
one-inch pipes as good or better than one two-inch

THE MEALY BUG ON COLEUS.

1!V WALTER ELDER.

The mealy bug has got among the Coleus fam-
ily, and done damage the past three years, threat-
ening to drive them out of culture. Propagators,
by whose carelessness the bug spreads in this way,
will be the first to suffer by the calamity, and it is
time to look into it to save their customers from
disappointment and themselves 'from loss. The
bug is fond of the heat and moisture of a propa-
gating house, and multiplies fifty times as fast as
Coleus plants do. It can easily be destroyed.
Make a weak solution of carbolic acid soap and
Paris green or sulphur. When the cuttings are
prepared for planting, dip them in the solution, all
but the lower cut ends. Hold them there for a
minute in bunches ; then lay them upon their side^
and shade them from sunshine and dry air. Let
them lie a few hours with the lower cut ends open.
They will not lose by evaporation while wet ; the
end cuts will partially callous, and will not be so
apt to rot when planted. After being well rooted,
and transplanted singly into small pots, dip them
in the solution as before, but not the roots. Cover
them wholly for shade, and when partially dry
plant them. Once a week after that, syringe them
with the solution.

To purchasers, I would say before planting, dip
the plants in the solution, spread the fingers over
the mouths of the pots, and turn the plants under-

40

I'llK CAKDKNERS' MONTHLY

[February,

most. Then dip the plants (not the pots); set
them in a warm, dark place, or shade them. In
two days afterwards set the plants in the beds to
grow. To those who do not know the bug and its
ways of multiplying, I may say it locates itself at
the forks of stems and leaf-stalks, and is very dif-
ficult to dislodge. When a white down appears on
the plants, it means that there are hundreds of
eggs to hatch you;ig bugs. They are almost as
minute as are the spores of mildew. Brush off
the down with a very small painters' brush, or
make a brush of horse hairs to do it. It will then
be well to syringe the plants with the solution once
a week for awhile. That may not kill the live
bugs, but will check their ravages, and may kill all '
the young breeds from the eggs. Gardeners who '■
have garden frames with glass sashes, may set the '
plants in them after dipping ; then put on sashes '
and shade the plants one day and night. Keep
them there two weeks; dip them again and
plant them out; examine every plant carefully. 1
have not seen the bug upon anv of the other orna-
mental foliage plants.

[Mr. Elder's warning is well-timed, for the mealy
bug has undoubtedly shown a growing taste for
the Coleus. For hard woody stems the following
has recently been recommended by the London
you7'nal of Horticulture. It would probably not
be so for soft wooded plants, like Coleus, but
every good hint in the warfare against insects is a
gain: "Common gas tar that was used here, about
a fourth of tar to equal quantities of clay and
water, one man keeping it well stirred during the
time that another man was applying it to the vines,
rubbing it well over all the cane, eyes included.
We had some Lady Downe's more affected with
bug than any others, and were prepared to remove
them in spring if they suffered from the treatment
we gave them. In their case the tar was used
much stronger than the quantity given above, but
the dressing had not the slightest ill effect, as the
eyes broke as freely as those on the other canes in
the same house. We paint all the wires and raft-
ers in the vineries with paraffin oil, as it is no use
trying to get rid of mealy bug on vines by cleans-
ing the vines only." — Ed. G. M.l

EDITORIAL NOTES.

Large Greenhouses. — Mr. Charles Joly, in a
paper on the Glasgow Botanical Gardens, notes
that the greenhouse at the Crystal Palace, at
Sydenham, is 535 metres long ; one at the Indus-

trial Halace at Paris, 192 ; I'alni house at Kcw, and
a house at Laekcn, each 120; the new one at Glas-
gow, 106. A metre is about 3 1-3 feet.

Lii.iiM H.VRKlsi. — Lilium longiflorum, or rather
as has been already noted in our columns, L. ex-
imium Harrisi, is being introduced with great favor
among English floriculturists.

F-LRcrRic LuiUT i.\ Pl.\nt (Growing. — Some
time ago the newspapers were 'full of the wonder-
ful accounts from England that plants could be
made to grow all night by using the electric light,
and this would be a great aid in forcing fruits and
flowers in winter. It was noted at the time in
these columns, that plants had been found in
America to grow almost as freely by night as by
day, and that however valuable in England, we
could hope for little advantage from it here. It
now appears that it has been tried in France, with
no difference between the ordinary growth and
that with the light.

Fragrance OK the G.\rdkma. -This once pop-
ular flower is likely to be superseded by the double
Tabernajmontana, which is just as sweet, just as
waxy, and in every way as conspicuous, yet pro-
duces flowers more freely and more continuously
than the Gardenia. The foliage also has some
resemblance to that of the (iardenia.

Soil for Fuchsi.as. — Gardening Illustrated
says: Fuchsias like a rich soil freely drained con-
sisting of turfy loam, old thoroughly decayed ma-
nure or leaf-mould in about equal portions, with a
good sprinkling of charcoal dust and sand, and, if
at hand, a handful of bone-meal may be added at
the last shift. Should they be required to bloom
for a long time .and continuously, they must be
well fed. They are often well grown under vines,
the moist atmosphere necessary for their proper
development and the partial shade of the vine
foliage seeming to benefit them materially : bear
in mind, however, that where the vines are closely
trained and the foliage becomes dense, the shafle
will be too much for the fuchsias.

An Indoor Fr.-vme. — A lady furnished a de-
tailed account to the Gardeners Chronicle of her
contrivance for starting seedlings in early spring
in place of a hot-bed, the substance of which is as
follows : A stout wooden box was made about
twenty inches square and about eighteen inches
deep. This was supported on four legs, a hole
was made in the bottom and boxed round ; then
about two inches of cocoa-nut refuse was placed
over the bottom of the box, and packed round a
common tin baking dish ; on this were placed two

5-J

AND HORTICULTURIST

41

or three strips of wood to support a sheet of per-
forated zinc with a hole in it, through which was ;
let in a common two inch draining pipe in a ver-
tical direction, so as to enable water to be poured
into the dish. Over the zinc cover was a layer of ;
broken pottery, and over that a quantity of fine ;
sandy soil, filling up the box to within six inches of ,
the top. An ordinary square garden hand-light,
with upright sides and pyramidal top, was put over
the whole apparatus, and a lamp was placed under
the hole in the bottom of the box. The seeds were i
sown in small pots, which were sunk in the soil to
a greater or less depth, according to the amount of
heat which they required. The steam from the j
hot water passed through the holes in the zinc, and
kept the soil moist and warm, raising the tempera-
ture at the surface to about 70 Fahrenheit. Of
course the water in the baking dish required tp be j
renewed to replace the loss occasioned by evapo- 1
ration, and a little practice soon taught how often
this should be done. As the frequency must de-
pend on the depth of the baking dish, &c., each
experimenter must ascertain for himself, by occa-
sionally putting a stick down the draining pipe, and
noticing the depth of the water below ; for if by
carelessness he allows the water to entirely evapo-
rate a hole in the tin will be the result. As the
young seedlings grew it became necessary to pro-
vide more room for them in a longer box, or one
two feet wide and four feet long, not heated with a
lamp, but with a special tank to be filled with hot
water every twenty-four hours, and with a tap for
drawing off the water which had cooled, and a
bent pipe at the side for filling it, which, being no
higher than the top of the tank, prevented danger
of over-filling. It was covered with sliding lights.
This box, not being so warm as the other, answered
well for receiving seedlings already started.

Prize Orchids. — The orchids which obtained
the chief premium at the New York Horticultural
Society in October were grown by Mr. W. H.
Clements, gardener to Mrs. M. J. Morgan, and
were: Odontoglossum Roezlii, Cypripedium ni-
veum, Cattleyea Triana; delicata, Oncidium vari-
cosum Rogersii, Cattleyea labiata pescatoria and
Cattleyea Exoniensis.

A Good Rose. — Referring to the Horists' es-
tablishment of Miller cK; Hunt, of Chicago,
Mr. E. Sanders remarks, in the Prairie Far-
mer : " A fine little rose for bedding and cem-
etery work, pure white and always in flower, dwarf
and pretty, called Mille Annie Marie de Montraval
(a most unfortunate name, and Frenchy ), that we

think is well worth extensive trial. Such kinds as
Niphetos, Cornelia Cook, Duchess of Edinburgh,
and Perle des Jardins (the crack roses of the day)
are grown in immense quantities, while the total
number catalogued is something like two hundred
kinds.

A (luou List of Greenhouse Ferns. ^The
following is the list of Mr. F. Roenbeck, of Ba-
yonne, N. J., whigh obtained the first premium at
the October exhibition of the New York Horticul-
tural Society : Adiantum Haysii, Adiantum Mun-
dulum, Adiantum Aneitense, Adiantum Roenbeckii,.
Adiantum Wigancii, Adiantum denticulata, Adian-
tum Bausii, Adiantum gracillimum, Adiantum ste-
latum (new seedling), Adiantum decorum cuni-
forme, Adiantum Farleyense alcicorne. Gleichenia
flabellata, Gleichenia dichotoma, Gleichenia dif-
carpa, Gleichenia spelunca;. DavalliaTyermania,
Davalliacanariensis, Davallia canariensii, Davallia
alpina. Polypodium plumula, Nathrodium con-
taminans. Hyminodium crinitum, Nephobolus
Lingua, Nephobolus corimbiforum, Nephobolus bi-
color, Thamnopteris Australasica, Thamnopteris
Nidus, Lygodium dichotoma, Platycereum grande,
Platycereum Willenka, Platycereum Wollenkii,
Platycereum majus. Aspidium aristata.

NEW OR RARE PLANTS.

The Diamond Tuberose. — Our readers will
remember that on the appearance of the " Dia-
mond " tuberose last year, evidence was offered
us tending to show that it was the Pearl under a
new name. As the introducers withdrew, in order,
as it was stated, to " fairly test it another season,,
before sending it out," it seemed but justice to give
them the chance before saying anything more
about it. No opportunity has been afforded us to
judge of the difference between the two, but we
note that the stock has been placed on the French
market, while it is denied to our own.

Under these circumstances we feel justified in
expressing our belief that the French are going to^
pay dearly for a "novelty" in the name of the
Diamond, which they could get in the shape of
Pearl bulbs for perhaps half the price.

Odontoglossu.m VEXILL.A.RIU.M. — The increas-
ing taste for orchid culture in America will render
the following representation of a very beautiful
species particularly acceptable to a great number
of our readers, and even those who never saw an
orchid house, or an epiphytal orchid growing, will
enjov looking at a picture of that which they would

42

THE GARDENERS' MONTHLY

February,

certainly love to possess. The name Odontoglos- cies is the largest, and perhaps the showiest of this
siHTi is hard to pronounce, but means simply the very beautiful genus.

^^fjilfipm-

Odontoglossum vexillarium.

tooth-tongued orchid. It is one of the most beau- It was introduced a few years ago by Mr. Wm.
tiful of the great family of orchids, and this spe- Bull, from Columbia, in South America.

I883.J

AND HORTICULTURIST.

43

A New Water Lily. — Mr. E. Sturtevant has
raised a new variety of lily from Nymphaea De-
voniensis, which, though not a species, Dr. Asa
Gray thinks may be called N. Sturtevanti, provided
a cross (x) is placed before the name in writing it.
According to the description the flower is paler
than the original. N. Devonicnsis was produced
from N. dentata, which is a white flowering spe-
cies, N. Devoniensis being dark red.

Camellias and Roses. — Since the taste for
winter roses grew so wonderfully, the Camellia has
been undeservedly left far in the background.
There are few more beautiful sights than a well-
grown and well-formed Camellia. It is the gen-
eral impression that there will be a reaction in fa-
vor of this beautiful flower before long. The
English seem to foresee this, and among the an-
nouncements of new plants by Mr. Wm. Bull we
note " Cafnellia Don Pedro " has a prominent place.
A colored lithograph adorns the December Florist
and Pomologist.

New Chinese Primula. — The new Primula
which Mr. Maries collected for Messrs. Veitch, at
Tchang, will probably be useful for hybridizing pur-
poses on account of its distinct habit ; no other
cultivated Primula that we know of possesses fo-
liage which lies, as it were, flat on the soil. The
delicate mauve-tinted flowers with their bifid petals
will doubtless become larger, and hence more at-
tractive under cultivation. — The Garden.

SCRAPS AND QUERIES.

Raising Fine Seeds. — A correspondent from
Sarnia, Ontario, writes : " I find a good plan to
sow small seeds like Begonia, &c., on a very soft
brick, dug out enough to hold say one-quarter of
an inch of soil. Place the brick in a pan of water.
The brick draws moisture enough to keep the soil
in a nice condition. If this is any use, publish it.
Have been a subscriber for three years, and am
much pleased with your paper."

[This is also a capital way to raise ferns, orchids
and other fine seeds. Sown on a shallow brick,
set in a pan of water, they will be almost sure to
grow, the only care required being to see that the
water is always kept in the pan. When done in
the usual way, these fine seeds are sure to be
washed away by the watering pot, no matter how
carefully the watering is tended. — Ed. G. M.]

Chrysanthemum Maywood. — Mr. James Tap-

lin, Maywood, N. Y., writes : " I have to-day
mailed to you flowers of my new single Chrysan-
themum Maywood, which received a first-class
certificate at a recent meeting of the New York
Horticultural Society. I sent with it flowers of the
ordinary Marguerite, or Paris Daisy, that the two
might be compared."

[These were semi-double, and a great advance
in improvement on the original. — Ed. G. M.]

P'lR Tree Oil. — Mr. Robertson, of the Govern-
ment grounds, Ottawa, Canada, writes : " I have
also tested the Soluble Fir Tree Oil Insecticide, and
think that its merits cannot be too well known. I
have used it on the most tender plants, diluted to
about half a pint to one gallon of water, and it not
only cleanses the plants from insect life, but adds
appearance to many foliage plants. I do not wash
it oft", as I have seen recommended, and as yet
have been unable to see any injurious eft"ect from it.

" It must be of great value to those growing
house plants, or where greenhouses are attached to
a house where smoking cannot be done. I would
recommend it to such people. In it they will find
a remedy that they have much longed for."

Seedling Carnations. — "J. S.," Louisville,
Ky., says : " I send you this morning a sample of
a Seedling Carnation that I raised two years ago.
I have tried it out of doors and in the greenhouse,
and find it to bloom better in either situation than
any other I know of. It has a very compact habit.
The flower spikes get about fourteen inches high.
It is a free, robust grower, and is easily cultivated.
I have about one hundred strong plants on a bench
which are loaded with buds and flowers. There
are fully one-half more buds on them than on any
Carnations I have seen or raised. What do you
think of its shape and color?"

[These appeared to be fine flowers, but being
addressed to the publication office in Philadelphia,
instead of to the editor in Germantown, they were
nearly rotten before they came to hand. — Ed.
G. M.]

Aiding the Draft of Flues. — Under date of
December rSth, a correspondent from Sarnia, On-
tario, furnishes the following excellent hint : " About
this time many a poor florist will be grumbling if
he has smoke flues — how they smoke. Stop it by
making a small hole in the chimney, say for seven-
inch thimble at the base. Put a few handfulls
of shavings in the chimney. Light them. Then
start the fire in the furnace, and everything will
work like a charm. No smoke and good draft."

44

THE GARDENERS' MONTHLY

[February,

Besides this it may be of service to remind the
reader of ,thc admirable plan of Mr. Harris, of
Philadelphia, as described in our magazine by Mr.
Peter Henderson, in which the flues after going the

round of the house, takes its upright position right
above the furnace. This is practically a perpet-
ual bunch of burning shavings at the outlet of the
flue.

Fruit and Vegetable Gardening.

SEASONABLE HINTS.

When fruit trees are grown with root or other
crops, it is well known that such root crops will
not do without manure. In this operation the
trees steal a little intended for the root crops.
Hence trees so grown are very likely to have a
green, nice color, in strong contrast with neglected
trees in grass. It must not be forgotten that trees
need as much food as any other crop, and that
there is no better way to feed them than by apph -
ing at this season on the surface ; give them some-
thing, if only ditch cleanings. Pruning of fruit
trees should be completed as soon as possible, and
as a general thing the least pruning the better. In
apple or pear trees, strong stout sprouts are apt to
come out along the main branches of the tree.
These are best cut out, as in time they take to
themselves the food destined for the branches be-
yond, and in this way injure those branches. At
other times a branch for some time bearing becomes
weakened by some cause, in which case it is often
a benefit to cut this off back to a vigorous sprout.
This is particularly the case when bark gets what
the gardeners call hide-bound. In this case
the branches are bettered by slitting the bark long-
itudinally, or by cutting back to a young sprout as
aforesaid.

Some have found injury to the trees from slitting
hide-bound bark. The writer practiced it for
years on apple and pear trees, and always with ex-
cellent results. In pruning dwarf pears cut out the
weaker branches where pruning is believed to be
at all desirable, even to thinning out the spurs,
rather than cut back the strongly vital wood which
many do.

The grape is very apt, when trained on trellises,
to get its bearing wood weakened. In this case it

is always wise, in pruning, to watch for a chance
to get a strong young branch from near the base
as a renewal cane.

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 dry
ground, it has a beneficial effect. Many persons
of small places have grapes in damp ground, 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 surface, 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.

In the vegetable garden the work for Februar)"
will for the most part consist of preparations for
future operations, and particularly for dealing with
the manure question. All those kinds that are
grown for their leaves or stems, require an abun-
dance of nitrogenous manures ; and it is useless to
attempt vegetable gardening without it. To this
class belong cabbage, lettuce, spinach, &c. The
other class which is grown principally for its seeds
or pods, as beans, peas, &c., do not require much
manure of this character ; 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., are much better
for them. For vegetables requiring rich stable
manure, it is best that they have it well rotted and
decayed. Nothing has yet been found so well fitted
for the purpose as old hot-bed dung ; though to the
smell no trace of "ammonia " remains in it.

1883.]

AND HORTICULTURIST.

45.

COMMUNICATIONS.

: market. The tree is a strong grower, and appears
I to be very hardy.

THE LORD NELSON APPLE.
BY CHARLE.S A. GRKEN.

While there is no dearth in the varieties of apples
now before the public, I have thought there was
room for the Lord Nelson, of which the cut given
herewith represents an average specimen. Though
well known in England, I have never seen it men-
tioned in any catalogue in this country. It was
brought to my notice by my neighbor, whose father,
being a man of remarkalilc fancy for fine fruits

Lord Nelson Apple.

and flowers, brought the scions to this country
when he adopted it as his home. Though an early
winter apple, I first tested it late in January, and it
will keep later. It is growing in an orchard with
nearly all of our leading varieties, and is notice-
able for abundant yield of good sized, fair, mer-
chantable fruit, peculiarly free from worms and
other defects. Charles Downing identifies it \vith
the Lord Nelson of the English books. John J.
•Thomas says if it is always as good as the speci-
men he has seen it Is worthy of cultivation, its
beauty adding much to its value.

Fruit large, oblate, yellowish skin, shaded and
streaked with red and russet. Stalk long. Cavity
medium. Flesh white, crisp, tender, juicy, some-
what aromatic, mild sub-acid. Quality good to
very good. It is an apple that will be prized for
eating out of hand or for cooking, and sells well in

IMPROVEMENT OF THE PERSIMMON.
BY H. I". HILLENMEYER, LEXINGTON, KY.

I have sent to-day by mail samples of persim-
mons for your inspection. They are not ripe, and
of course not edible, though they will house-ripen,
like pears. A ripe persimmon is not suited for
shipment, being so tender, and the object of send-
ing these is simply to call your attention to the
marked difference in the three samples. The seeds
from which all our bearing trees
were raised were gathered from a
tree in an adjoining county, in the
>>s. autumn of 1863 or '64. The trees —

some two hundred — were permitted
:. to fruit in nursery row, and then

such types as pleased us best were
saved. Though seedlings from one
tree, there were strongly marked
differences in size, quality, color
J I and time of ripening.
' The sample with bright blush is

an early variety, the fruit being
nearly gone, having ripened gradu-
ally since the last of August. The
other sample, of similar shape, is
just beginning to ripen, and the
green, egg-shaped ones will not be
fit to eat before Christmas. The
first when ripe is so tender that it
must be eaten from the tree, while
the third is fully as firm in texture
of flesh as an Early Rivers peach.
The persimmon is, I think, one of the neglected
native fruits. The samples indicate how readily
changes from a type may be obtained, and I think
that the same care that has developed so wonder-
fully the oriental species, would work a like result
in ours.

In our next fruiting of seedlings grown from the
very best specimens, we hope an improvement in
fruit quite as marked as between that of the first
seedlings and the fruit of the original tree.

I will also send you shortly some seedless per-
simmons, in which I feel a great interest. Should
this feature prove constant — a fact that we hope
to determine next year — I think it will be a great
step gained.

Even though we do not improve this fruit fur-
ther, it still has merits to recommend it. Our trees,
in the twelve or fifteen vears that thev have been

46

THE GARDENERS' MONTHLY

in fruitage, have never failed to yield full crops.
At this writing the earlier varieties bare of leaves,
but gorgeous in their wealth of fruit — crimson and
gold — are as attractive as the most brilliant trees
grown for the beauty of their autumn foliage. I
do not especially love this fruit myself, but I
do enjoy the gusto with which my little ones visit
this department of the orchard months after apples
can no longer be found, and even after chipmonks
have gathered the last stray nut.

[It is a good idea to try to improve the native
persimmon. It is likely the original Japan persim-
mon was no better than our own, while the supe-
rior hardiness of the American would give it great
advantage over its Asiatic ally. Those sent by
Mr. Hillenmeyer exhibited a wide range of varia-
tion.— Ed. G. M.]

[February,
Vines very vigor-

FRUIT NOTES FOR 1882.
BV B. 15. GOOD, MANCHESTER, YORK COUNTY, PA.

Keiffers Hybrid. — Fruited here for the last three
years, and a more worthless pear I never tasted. I
could never yet ripen one fit to eat. For pickling
they answer admirably.

Brighton Grape. — This grape has done perfectly
well here thus far, ripens early and keeps a long
time on the vine, and the fruit is simply delicious.
The bunches should be thinned out to about one.
half, as it is hable to overbear.

Lady Washington. — This superb grape fruited
here for several years, and to my taste is perfection.
The vine is a strong, vigorous grower, and seems to
be perfectly hardy. Bunches very large, and when
ripened in paper bags, the berries are nearly trans-
parent. If this grape holds out on further trial as
it did so far, it will be one of the most valuable
grapes we have.

Prentiss. — Fruited here for the first time the past
season ; a vigorous grower and healthy. Bunches
of medium size, very compact. Not of best quality
in my estimation, although it may prove a valuable
market grape.

yefferson.—Y^ot fully tested, but the vine is a
strong grower and perfectly hardy. Fruit of first
quality.

Moore's Early. — This grape has disappointed
my expectations. Bunch small ; many bunches
will set only a few berries, and the fox odor is
much more prominent than in the Concord or
Worden's. This latter is a much better grape in
every particular, though about a week later.

Black Eagle. — For an amateur grape I have
great faith in this one.

Duchess. — Not fruited here,
ous, healthy and hardy.

Pocklington. — A strong, rampant grower, wood
and leaf of Concord type.

.« ■ »-

EDITORIAL NOTES.

Bau Seeds.— It is an old story that a bad work-
man is the first to quarrel with his tools. If a tree
does not grow or a seed come up, it is not uncom-
mon to remember that the tree had poor roots, and
to feel sure that the seedsman must have given
roasted or old seeds. Mr. Thomas Christy, in a
recent work on the Cinchona, thus gives his ex-
perience with difterent gardeners on the same lot
of Cinchona seeds. He says :

"There is much more intelligence required in
the germination of seed than many people attach
to it. P or instance, I took some Cinchona out of
a packet that had arrived and handed it to three
men. One lot of seed came up as thick as possible to
be, hardly a seed failing to germinate. The second
man's pan had a fair sprinkling of young plants,
but the third man's pan had no signs of any Cin-
chona plants in it at all. All three men were pro-
fessional gardeners, and nothing was said to them
about the experiment ; each did his best."

Phylloxera in France. — Reports as to
whether the French are finding any positive relief
from the phylloxera are contradictory. The fol-
lowing extract from a French report partly ex-
plains the contradiction:

" In the department of Herault, which produces
between a fifth and a sixth of the entire French
vintage, thanks to the energetic efforts of its vine-
growers, who have had recourse to American
vines for the purpose of replacing the vines which
have died from the effect of this insect scourge,
this department is fast recovering from its first
scare, and is rapidly regaining its old position and
former confidence. In the Charentes, the great
cognac producing districts of France, unhappily,
the same is not the case. There the proprietors
appear to have resigned themselves to what they
have come to regard as inevitable, and cereals are
fast taking the place of the vine. On inquiring the
reason for this we were informed that of the two
most generally accepted remedies for the destruc-
tion of the phylloxera, one, that of the employment
of insecticides, such as sulphur of carbon and
sulpho-carbonate of potassium, has been found too
costly ; while, owing to the rocky nature of the
soil and the small surface of earth, the land is
said, on the other hand, not to be suitable for the
planting of American vines."

Tex.\n Prosperity. — The wonderful growth of
some Western towns may be fairly rivalled by
others in Texas. In 1873, the writer visited Deni-
son, which was then limited to about a score of

1883.]

AND HORTICULTURIST.

47

newly erected buildings. Now we see by a Texas
paper it has a population of 7,000, and is the seat
of numerous industries. Of gardening it is said
that " within five years the annual revenue from
fruits, wine and vegetables, shipped from Denison,
will reach at least a half million dollars a year ;
125,000 packages of peaches, apples and plums
have been shipped this year, besides twenty or
thirty thousand quarts of blackberries, sweet and
Irish potatoes, and other vegetables in large quan-
tities ; 20,000 pounds of grapes have been shipped
since May 18. Early in the season, the shipments
go North ; later, they go to Southern and South-
western Texas. A great many melons are also
shipped North from Denison. In short, the fruit
interests of Denison are simply immense, and it is
just now getting fairly started."

Our correspondent, Mr. T. V. Munson, is
credited, in the paper from which we quote, with
having much to do with this great gardening pros-
perity.

Autumn-bearing Raspberries. — The literature
of fruit culture has become so thoroughly occupied
by the market growers, that we are apt to forget
that there are other delicious things in the world
besides those which have good carrying properties,
and that autumn bearing raspberries are among
these good things. To grow them well they must
be cut down to the ground in spring, and the
suckers kept down. They bear from the end of
the young wood. We notice that the English mag-
azines regard the Belle de Fontenay, and the
Marvel of Four Seasons as different. This is not
American experience.

American Apples in England. — The Garden
says : " The prospects were never more favorable
for shipments from America to England than they
are this year. The American apple trade, formerly
monopolized by Liverpool, has during the last few
years (in consequence of direct steam communica-
tion), been gradually diverted to London, which
market now competes favorably with that of Liver-
pool.

The Primo Strawberry. — This variety is re-
ceiving praise in various quarters for its behavior
the past season.

The White-fruited Versaillaise Currant.
— Under this name a new variety has appeared in
France, raised by M. Bertin, of Versailles. It is
said to resemble the original in every respect, ex-
cept that the fruit is a little less acid than that.

The Waste Bones of a Large City. — At a
recent meeting of the Franklin Institute of Phila-

delphia, Baugh & Sons presented the Institute with
samples of products from animal bones made at
the Delaware River Chemical Works. They stated
that Philadelphia produced daily from 80,000 to
100,000 pounds of bones, all of which, by the art
of the chemist, are converted into useful materials.
Bone oils, ammoniacal liquor, bone black, carbon-
ate, sulphate, nitrate and muriate of ammonia, fer-
tilizers and sizing glues are among the products,
samples of which were exhibited.

Substitute for Cotton. — Mr. Thomas Christy,
Fellow of the Linneean Society, kindly sends us an
account of some new commercial drugs and plants,
which have achieved some note in England — the
account printed on some very beautiful paper pre-
pared from the fibre of the " white fir " (Abies),
which is probably what is known in this country as
the silver fir (Abies pectinata). This wood, he says,
can be delivered in England, enough to make a ton
of pulp, for $20, while a ton from the famed Es-
parto grass costs |8o. Cotton costs over $100 per
ton. Cotton machinery will do to spin fibre from
fir as well as from flax and other fibres. These
are separable into fine film by a new chemical
process. We fancy the great difficulty would be in
keeping up a cheap supply of fir fibre. It may be
cheaper than cotton now, but it takes many years
to grow as much fir wood as we could grow cotton
in one year, from the same acreage, and this must
tend to increase the price to the. continuous de-
mand, while cotton is already at its highest price.

Dandelion Rum. — As is generally known the
product of fermented sugar is rum. By mixing
sugar with chips, old leather, potatoes, parsnips,
currants, rhubarb, cabbage, the rum is flavored,
and we get as many varieties of " domestic wines "
in that way as one can desire. The dandelion is
the latest addition to the list of these flavored rums,
and is prepared as follows, according to the Lon-
don Journal of Horticulture :

" To make four gallons, pour four gallons of boil-
ing water over the heads of one gallon of dande-
lion flowers, let it stand till cold, then strain off ;
add three pounds of loaf sugar with half of the
peel of four lemons and four Seville or sweet
oranges ; boil half an hour the other half of the
peel with the oranges and lemons sliced put in at
new-milk heat with a little yeast ; let it stand three
or four days to ferment ; then place it in the cask.
In a week add half a pint of brandy and stop up
the cask. In six months either bottle or draw from
the wood, and if it is desired, add a few more dan-
delions."

Large Celery, — G. D. Moore, of Arlington,
Mass., raised a stalk of celery the past autumn,

48

THE GARDENERS' MONTHLY

February,

which weighed seven pounds. It was thirty-eight
inches long and twenty-four inches round.

Good Pkas. — In a discussion on peas before the
Massachusetts Horticultural Society, Mr. Ware
said : " Among peas, the American Wonder, which
originated in Canada, is rightly named. The vines
are very small indeed — there are more peas than
vines ; it is a sweet, wrinkled variety, and a great
acquisition. A succession of green peas is neces-
sary to a perfect table, and this can be obtained, as
with corn, by planting a succession of varieties.
For the earliest, Mr. Ware recommended Dan
O'Rourke, or any of its class, then American
Wonder." Mr. Atkinson remarked that there is
very little difference in the ripening of Carter's First
Crop and the American Wonder peas ; the latter
is much superior to the former, and he would plant
only the latter. After the first planting he would
plant only Champion of England. Hon. Marshall
P. Wilder had planted ten or fifteen varieties of
peas, and found Dan O'Rourke a little the earliest.
Breck's Excelsior is a splendid variety — about as
early as the Dan O'Rourke. His selection of peas
would be the same as Mr. Ware. John B.
Moore could not conceive how any one could
eat any other than a wrinkled pea. The Ameri-
can Wonder is all that has been claimed for it, and
so nearly as early as the Dan O'Rourke that it is
not worth while to plant the latter. McLean's Ad-
vancer is good. Yorkshire Hero is more satisfac-
tory than Champion of England ; it is of equally
good quality, a better cropper and not so tall.

The Favorite Tomato. — This is a new West-
ern introduction, and dares to place itself in com-
parison with Paragon, Acme and other popular fa-
vorites.

The Cabbage Butterfly. — A correspondent
of Gardening Illustrated says: "Wash the cab-
bages well with strong soot and water, and on the
first dry day dust the ground about the cabbages
with quicklime, and pick as many of the caterpil-
lars off as you can find ; and during the winter
gas-lime the land and leave it in ridges to catch
the frost, and very few insects will trouble you
again. The odors emitted from gas-lime are so
pungent that neither moth, butterfly, nor mole will
remain on land that is dressed with it."

Ornamental Vegetables. — Tricolored Cel-
eriac. — Sentiment seems to be a necessity of ex-
istence. That which we eat and that which we
admire, can only center in the same individual
with violence to human feelings. Yet there are

some who can eat without compunction the horse
which has been petted, and Prof. E. D. Cope has
recently expressed his disgust that " a foolish preju-
dice " keeps wretched Arctic explorers from eating
one another in order to save a portion of their lives.

However, sentiment goes on, and real lovers of
flovvers will, we suppose, to the world's end, regret
that so much flower garden beauty should be ruth-
lessly destroyed by a mere white frost.

Little by little, however, we can introduce flow-
ers which after petting and loving for a season,
we can turn to and devour, if we follow Prof.
Cope's Arctic advice, or the lead of the hippophagi.
Cabbages and beets for floral decoration have
already been introduced, and now we have a pretty
turnip-rooted celery. The Erfurt raiser of it says :

" Amongst the numerous ornamental-foliaged
plants, so important for the picturesque character of
modern gardens, the above variety has been ad-
mired as one of the most beautiful by many cus-
tomers, who visited my establishment. In general,
it resembles the old well-known soup celery, but
its vigorous leaves of a dark glossy green are richly
and most elegantly streaked with a silver-grey hue in
the midst of the leaflets and decorated with a
broad creamy-white edging. This arrangement of
colors fits that variety admirably for effective
groups, the beautiful appearance rendering it a
striking contrast to other plants, especially in
autumn, when the petioles get a violet-red tint, so
that the plant grows a true quadricolor.

" Besides, my Celeriac comes nearly true from
seed, giving at least eighty per cent, of variegated
plants, and finally it is fit for kitchen-use, particu-
larly for the decoration of dishes and fish-plates."

Improved Cucumbers. — The following extract
gives an idea of how these improvements are
carefully studied out :

" I received this new fraine cucumber from a
man who is known as one of the most skillful
and successful vegetable growers, and therefore
can recommend it confidentially as a very supe-
rior improvement. I am told that he was not satis-
fied with all the introductions of frame cucumbers
of the last years, and therefore he busied himself
in endeavoring to raise a more profitable variety.
He succeeded in a surprising manner by crossing
Noa's forcing with Queen of England. It ramifies
more than Noa's forcing, and produces twice as
much cucumbers, attaining every one a length of
two feet and more. The flesh is very firm, ex-
tremely delicate, the peel being agreeably green
with some clearer stripes. But the greatest value
of this new variety is its extraordinary longevity ;

1883.]

AND HORTICULTURIST.

49

it blooms and fructifies from spring till autumn
without ceasing, wherefore it was called as above."
. In America, where cucumbers are raised by the
millions, these little points are not appreciated.
Long Island farmers alone grow for the New York
market three millions a year.

Poison in Mushrooms. — An article in a late
number of the London Medical Times, asserts that
all niushrooms are more or less poisonous, and
that the washings which they usually undergo in
cleansing them, and the subsequent cooking, have
the effect of removing the poison, but the water in
which they are cooked is pronounced " highly poi-
sonous."

It is surprising what an amount of nonsense is
started by papers which ought to know better.
Mushrooms are rarely washed, but simply peeled,
and then cooked. Gardeners when working among
mushrooms, often eat them raw — in quantities.
No one was ever known to be injured thereby.
In stewing mushrooms the water in which they are
cooked is used with the vegetables. No one ever
died from eating stewed mushrooms.

There are poisonous sorts of mushrooms, but we
are writing of the edible kind.

SCRAPS AND QUERIES.

Good Keeping Plums. — An Abingdon, Va.,
correspondent writes, under date of November
25th, 1882 : " I send you by mail a small box con-
taining one-half dozen plums. They have been
gathered more than a month — picked up on the
ground under the tree the 20th of October, and
laid away in a paper box. One or two of them had
rotted, but I think those I send you are sound.
They grew on a tree I grafted two years ago on a
stock of a wild plum growing in a clump. I don't
think they are fair specimens ; have seen the fruit
one-third larger. The tree from which I obtained
the grafts grows in this country, and as far as I can
find is undoubtedly a seedling — an old tree grow-
ing on a clump of rocks. They are used by the
parties in the neighborhood for preserving and
jelly making, and said to be fine for the purpose ;
good to eat, too, when ripe. I saw .the tree once
only in fruit, about the middle of October, and
there were ripe plums on the ground, and on the
tree both ripe and green. The family where they
grow say they have picked them up off the ground,
under the leaves, at Christmas. I send you some
of the leaves also. I call it the Campbell, after
the family where it grows. What do you think

of it ? Is it worthy of propagation ? I had in-
tended to send them when first ripe, so as to show
you the true flavor, &c., but neglected until now."

[We find it difficult to decide what to say about
these plums. It is certainly very late to have plums.
The leaves and wood indicated that the plant be-
longed to the common American red plum, but the
fruit was rather like improved European "sloes."
—Ed. G. M.]

Seedless Persimmon. — H. F. Hillenmeyer,
Lexington, Ky., says : " I send by mail to-day sam-
ple of seedless persimmon. The tree is some forty
years old, and has always borne such fruit — not
one in a hundred having seed. The tree is heavily
loaded this season, and the samples are hardly as
good as last year. We hope to fruit this variety
on our own place next year, and if among other
trees, bearing and non-bearing, the peculiarity be
preserved, I think it will be quite an advance."

[The common persimmon varies in the number
of its seeds in different trees. Sometimes we find
four or more, sometimes two only, and in some
rare cases none. The matter is of some interest to
physiologists, who often wonder whether the fleshy
envelopes of fruits can mature in the absence of
pollinization. As the seedless persimmon could
probably get pollen from other trees, it would per-
haps indicate that the flowers were pollinized, but
that some latent weakness prevents the ova-
ries . from perfecting, though fertihzed. As to
the practical worth of a first-class persimmon with-
out seeds, there could be no question. It would
rank with the seedless grape, as well as the currant
of commerce, which is a small grape without seeds.
—Ed. G. M.]

Tangerine Oranges.— A Palatka (Fla.) corres-
pondent says : " I send you by this express some
extra fine Tangerines, raised by Mr. F. C. Coch-
ran, of this place. The tree is three years old, and
bore 260 fruits."

[They weighed five ounces each, were dark red
and flattish, and in flavor delightful. — Ed. G. M.]

Boardman's Tree Paint. — There are a num-
ber of washes that will kill insects on the bark
of trees, and otherwise guard the bark of trees from
insect attack. It is not always convenient for peo-
ple to have these ready mixed to hand, and it is
therefore an advantage to them to have something
safe at once to apply, though it may cost more
than simple remedies. Boardman's Tree Paint is
well spoken of, though it has not come under our
direct observation.

Seedling Pears from California. — We re-

50

THE GARDENERS' MONTHLY

[February,

ceived in the fall a box of pears from Mr. A.
Broeck, of Santa Clara, most of them russetty,
some very large, and all of them of delicious qual-
ity. It is, however, extremely difficult to distinguish
the exact diff"erence between pears grown in a dis-
tant part from those with which we are familiar on
our own grounds. We selected two looking like
Sheldon and Clairgeau, and sent them without ex-

planation to one of the best " pearists " in our
country, who pronounced them first-class speci-
mens of the two varieties already named. It so
happens that the grower has those two kinds on
his own grounds, and is therefore fully qualified to
judge of their difference. We can only congratu-
late California on these first-class accessions, fol-
lowing on the heels of Mr. Fox's great successes.

Forestry .

EDITORIAL NOTES.

Seeds or Plants for Starting Forests. — i
Whether it is best to sow seeds in beds, and to
transplant for forests, or scatter the seeds on the
ground and leave the rest to nature, seems to be I
one of the valuable questions to come up in the fu- j
ture of American forestry. Though no doubt i
there will be cases where either one may be better j
than the other, as a rule plants will be better than j
seeds. Governor Furnas, of Nebraska, is of this 1
opinion. He was among the first to make tree cul- j
ture on the prairies a great success.

Woods and Foretsts of South Australia. —
Annual Report of J. Ednie Brown, Conservator of
Forests. The expenses during the year, ^5,787,
and the receipts ^^5,581, showing that the depart-
ment has been nearly self-supporting. 189,710
trees were planted, and young saplings in
natural growth cared for by clearing brush from
around them. At the end of the year, including
both classes, 212,560 young trees were living and
doing well ; 239,336 acres of land reserved for for-
ests, have yet to be planted. The amount of acre-
age planted is 4,042. The number of trees doing
well from the Board's work is 440,000.

An experiment was made to sow seeds broadcast
instead of setting out young plants. Pinus pinea,
Pinus insignis. Eucalyptus globulus, and E. ca-
lophylla were employed. The only resultis"a few
nice plants of the Eucalyptus and the Pinus pinea,"
but the failure of the experiment "may have been
from unsound seed." It is surprising that such a
suggestion should be made, as any one should be
able to tell whether the seed was unsound before
sowing it. But the "experiment is to be repeated

with the best seed only." The kinds of trees
used in timber-planting are chiefly from the many
species of Eucalyptus or Gum trees. Among
European trees, Pinus halapensis, Pinea, maritima,
Austriaca and laricio, are used to some extent.
Pinus insignis of California seems to be very
largely grown and other Californians being tried
on a limited scale. Of a thousand Catalpas
tested last yedr, the report speaks highly of its
drouth-resisting qualities. Though the dryest sea-
son ever known, the loss among them was only
5 per cent. The American ash is also growing in
favor. A most remarkable commentary on popu-
lar names is that white cedar in this report is
Melia Azederach — the China tree of our Southern
States.

Forestry Laws. — We have a circular protest-
ing against a duty on foreign lumber from Mr. M.
C. Read, of Hudson, Ohio. In it he says :

" In the Dominion of Canada are millions of
acres of land which, from the nature of the soil,
must be perpetually devoted to forest growth.
They constitute the natural sources of a supply of
lumber for the productive arable and pasture lands
to the south of them, in the United States as well
as in Canada.

" The time is at hand when we shall be wholly
dependent upon this source of supply, or upon the
artificial growth of timber in our own country, if
the present rate of destruction of our forests is con-
tinued.

"The increased price of lumber, caused by a tariff
upon importations, benefits only the lumloermen.
It tends to the development of no other industry.
It does not increase by a single foot the amount of
lumber we are capable of producing, but, on the
contrary, diininishes the amount by tempting the
lumbermen to now cut trees which, if spared,
would rapidly increase in value, while it imposes a
needless burden upon every man in the country

1883.

AND HORTICULTURIST.

51

who is not directly interested in the profits of kim-
bering.

" It imposes a burden upon the people now, and
promises a greater burden in the future, when they
become wholly dependent upon the foreign supply.

" If the tariff upon lumber is continued, the
work of our Forestry Associations will be vain
and fruitless ; for pecuniary considerations and the
immediate money results will control those who
own forests which can be converted into salable
lumber."

We are not disposed to say much about tariffs in
the Gardeners' Monthly, because we wish to es-
chew everything that bears on partisan politics.
People can get all they want of this elsewhere.

But we may say without prejudice to this unpar-
tisan attitude, that we mistake the American For-
estry Association, if its work is simply the preser-
vation of old forests. At one hundred years old a
forest is ready for the axe. The lumber decreases
in value every year the tree stands after that. It
is far better for the country that where there is no
chance to get a two hundred-year-old forest to
market, the wood should be girdled or burnt off,
and the land put to agricultural uses. Forestry
associations should bend their efforts towards
planting new forests instead of merely protecting
old ones ; and if in this view a duty on lumber
should encourage forest planting among us, it may
be well worth even a Forestry Association consid-
ering how far it would be judicious in the nation
to go.

It is now generally conceded that it would be
quite proper to "protect" forestry planting, but just
what that protection should be, we must leave to
the politicians.

Duties on M.\hogany .\nd Rosewood. — A
Canadian correspondent sends the following : "Can
anything be less in accord with the spirit of the
age, which is supposed to favor the reduction of
taxes as much as possible on articles affecting the
poorer classes, while collecting duties on more ex-
pensive articles of luxury ? On examining the
lumber tariff I find that exactly the contrary rule
obtains, for the same duty is imposed upon spruce
and the inferior qualities of pine, costing at the
mills from six to eight dollars, as upon the clear
and finer qualities, costing five times as much,
while mahogany, rosewood and satinwood, costing
hundreds of dollars per thousand, are admitted
duty free. This is the country for the poor man ;
for the lumber to provide shelter for his family he
must pay from twenty-five to thirty per cent, duty,
while the rich man can finish off his mansion or
palace in mahogany or rosewood duty free ! "

As far as the mere politics involved in " duties
on lumber" are concerned, we must leave that to
other papers. We will only say that iYi this part of
the world the poorest people buy articles made
of mahogany and rosewood — as much, perhaps,
in proportion to their incomes as rich people do,
and the rich man buys as largely of pine and
spruce, in proportion, as the poor man does. We
fancy the duty has no reference to the wants of
rich or poor, but has reference to the encourage-
ment of the home production of timber. The rea-
son why mahogany and rosewood are duty free, is
probably that no amount of " protection " would
lead to their culture in the United States.

Perhaps a duty on foreign lumber leads to a
more rapid consumption of native trees than is
immediately desirable, but if it lead to planting of
new forests, it will do no harm in the end.

Sp.\rk Arrestors. — The intimate connection
which sparks from locomotives have with forest
fires renders every attempt at improvement of in-
terest to the forester. We recently noted the
praiseworthy efforts of a Boston railroad in this
direction. We now have to record that at a recent
meeting of the Franklin Institute of Philadelphia,
a paper was read, describing Rufus Hill's spark
arrestor for locomotives, which has been put upon
213 locomotives built at the Baldwin locomotive
shops, and has been found to work well. Mr. Hill
is master mechanic of the Camden and Atlantic
Railroad, a road always foremost in endeavoring
to meet popular demands for railroad comfort and
convenience.

H.\BITS OF THE AsPEN. — Mr. Douglas notes the
curious and very interesting fact that in the Rocky
Mountains the aspen only seems to make one in
forest succession after the forest fire has been over
the ground. The following from the Gardeners'
Chronicle also has a similar bearing on this point :

"The aspen trembles all through Europe. It
may have commenced its curious habit in the Cau-
casian range, where it is still a prominent tree, but
historically it has always been dispersed over Tur-
key and Russia as far as the Frozen Ocean, and
there is nowhere such a trembling of aspen leaves
as in the woods around Moscow, where innumer-
able seedlings sprang up after the conflagration of
1 813. The aspen is found in the bogs of Denmark
at all depths, while the alder, birch and hazel do
not occur below the oak level. Like the Scotch
fir, therefore, it is one of the primaeval trees of
Europe. It is also a native of the woods of Inver-
cauld, near Braemar, where it ascends to a height
of 1,600 feet. It travels into Sutherlandshire, loves
moist situations and woods, overhanging the High-
land lochs. The margin of Loch Katrine and the

52

THE GARDENERS' MONTHLY

February,

islet of the 'Lady of thi- Lake' are its favorite
sites." I

OsAGK Oran(;e for Silk Wokms. — Col. M. B. !
Hillyard, who, perhaps, more than any living man !
has devote. 11\ given time and money in building
up Southern industries, says: "But I warn every
one against hoping for any success in a business i
point of view, in the use of the osage orange. The |
difficultv in securing sufficient leaves, by reason of

thorns ; the dangers of the succulent leaf, at the
late stages of the silkworm, aside from any mooted
points on this food, ought to prevent any one using
the osage orange, except to learn on. The food
answers for a year as food, while you learn silk
culture, and until your mulberry trees can be used ;
but I think the great authorities will agree that, ex-
cept as a diversion, silk culture on osage orange
will prove a failure."

Natural History and Science.

COMMUNICATIONS.

CROSS-BREEDING WHEAT.

BY MR. E. CARMAX, NKW YORK CITV.

Mr. Veitch, replying to my remarks regarding
the cross-breeding of wheat, says that "the cause
of failure is owing to the fact that wheat is cleisto-
gamous," and that necessarily fertilization takes
place while yet the flowers are within the folds of
the sheaths. There was no failure in the first
place, and in the second if there had been it would
not necessarily have been due to the fact of the
flowers being cleistogamous. A sharp-pointed
stick serves to part the palets and glumes, thus re-
vealing the pistils and stamens. If then the an-
thers be removed, while yet immature, and pollen
be introduced from other varieties of wheat, any
seeds that form must be cross-bred.

The peculiarity I noted in the remarks to which
Mr. Veitch refers, was that so many of our cross-
bred seeds should so closely resemble the mother
parent. I have crossed no less than 2,000 flowers
of wheat, and we have now growing thirty kinds,
which are different from either parent. All the rest
have been rejected because they could not be de-
termined from the mother variety.

It is very plain to those who have tried to cross
wheats that they cannot cross through natural
agencies — wind or insects. But it is just as plain
that a cross can be easily effected by carefully
spreading apart the sheaths, removing the green
anthers and inserting other anthers when ripe
(or gathered pollen), when the stigmas are re-
ceptive.

EDITORIAL NOTES.

Spiral Growth. — Vegetation, as is well known,
grows in a spiral direction. Speaking of animals,
and in relation to the development of different
forms, in a receijt lecture in the hall of the Acad-
emy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, Miss
Grace Anna Lewis remarked : " There is also a
tendency to ascend in a spiral, arising from the
conflict of these two forces, so that we find why
animals rise in grade from lower to higher, and
why they must continue to do so as long as the
animal world is in existence. There also appears
to be a balance of forces between the different
branches, one presenting clusters different but
complementary to the others. Thus, on the whole,
the animal kingdom appears to arise by systems or
pairs of branches, by what is termed a method of
bichotomus branching."

EvAPOR.VriON FROM DeAD BRANCHES. — The
Neia York Tribune is reported as giving its readers
" the novel discovery of Professor Bessey, who has
demonstrated that the evaporation from a moist
piece of dead wood was exactly like that from a
living leaf. Now, when a dead branch is large
enough to keep continually moist in the interior, it
will in dry air constantly lose water by evaporation
from its surface. This water so lost is taken from
the tree, and must have been supplied directly or
indirectly by the living portions. Moreover, it
must be remembered that a living branch is well
protected against loss of water through evapora-
tion, by the epidermis which covers all its surface
when young, or the impervious corky bark which

1883.]

AND HORTICULTURIST.

53

is always found on it when older. When a branch
dies, these protecting devices soon fall into decay,
and the water, so carefully guarded by the living
parts of the plant, is wasted by evaporation."

If the Tribune had read the (iARUENKRs'
Monthly, it might have given that news to its
readers long, long ago.

DouBLF. Trop.eoll.m, Hkrmink Grosshoff. —
Mr. Henry A. Dreer sends us specimens of a new
double Tropjeolum of which we give the following
illustration. The old double " Nasturtium " or
Tropaeolum, was of a light red color ; this is border-
ing on the crimson. Besides its great value as an
ornamental plant, it is one of those interesting va-
riations from a normal type which lovers of natu-
ral historv love to studv. As ever\ one knows the

Double Tropaeolum Hermine Groshoff.

common "Nasturtium " has a long spur projecting
from the calyx. The scarlet or zonale geranium is
very nearly a Tropaeolum, and has a spur like it,
but it is united wnth the flower stalk, and can only
be well detected by cutting the stalk across. In
the case of this Tropaeolum the spur has disap-
peared with the doubling of* the tlower. The same
thing occurs in the doubling of Aquilegias or
Columbines.

Defenck IN Birds' Nests. — "T.," Wilmington,
Delaw^are, says : "Noticing your remarks on the
nest of the wood pewee, I would ask if you have
seen that of the great green-crested fly-catcher ?
The former decorates with lichens, the latter inva-

riably with a snake's skin. I have seen hundreds
of the nests, and have never seen one without the
snake's skin. The lichens serve to, conceal the
nest of the pewee, as they do that of the humming-
bird, which always uses them and conceals its nest
eftectually, but why does the fly-catcher use the
snake-skin? Is it to terrify robber birds? It
builds in a hole in a tree, often not far from the
ground. The skin is woven in around the margin
of the nest, and is made very conspicuous."

American Habits of Earth-Worms. — At a
recent meeting of the Academy of Natural Sci-
ences of Philadelphia, Mr. Meehan commented
upon a collection of leaves inserted by earth-worms
in their burrows in the manner described by Dar-
win, who, it \\\\\ be remembered, states that such
leaves are drawn in by the worms either by the
ape.x or petiole, as may present the least resistance.
The collection had been made by Mr. Edward
Potts, from his own grounds, and consisted of wil-
low leaves, although peach leaves were sometimes
employed in the same way. These leaves being
lanceolate, or as much tapering at the one end as
the other, were inserted indifferently at the petiole
or at the apex. It was supposed that their use is to
line the burrows, and thus protect the worms from
the cold and moisture of the earth, although por-
tions of the leaves are evidently softened by the
secretions of the worms and used as food. A wil-
low leaf will l^e drawn entirely into a burrow in the
course of three days. The habits of earth worms
as illustrated by the specimens exhibited were
commented on by Messrs. Heilprin, Potts and
Leidy.

XERANTiii:Mr.\i annltm slperbissiml'm. — Re-
ferring to Acroclinium in our last, it was noted that
in a composite or aster-like flower, there were many
methods by which the flower became, in popular
language, "double." We give here a case where
another of the " immortelles " has become double,

Xeranthemum annuum superbissimum.

but in this case by the tubular florets in the center,
taking on a broadly ovate form, as in some dahlias.
Besides the instructive lesson it affords, it is a

54

THE GARDENERS' MONTHLY

February,

highly ornamental plant, and is pronounced by
Haage & Schmidt, the Erfurt seedsmen, as the
best of all the Xeranthemums."

Handsome Birds' Nksts. — A correspondent
suggests that the wood pewee covers its nest with
lichens to disguise it — to make it look like a dead
branch — that its enemies may be deceived, and
not that it has any love for beauty.

Pink from the Arctic Region. — Among the
interesting souvenirs of the De Long Arctic Expedi-
tion, are some pine cones, which do not seem to be
of the known American species. They have been
placed in the hands of Mr. Josiah Hoopes, author
of the Book of Evergreens, for determination.

Formic Acid and Honey. — Honey, according
to A. Vogel, says the Scientific American, contains
on an average one per cent, of formic acid. Ob-
serving that crude honey keeps better than that
which has been clarified, E. Mylius has tried the
addition of formic acid, and found that it prevents
fermentation without impairing the flavor of the
honey.

CiTV Smoke. — Smoke will soon be at a premium.
From 2,800,000 cubic feet of smoke given out by
say 1,000 cords of wood, 12,000 pounds of acetate
of lime, 200 gallons of alcohol, and 25 pounds of
tar may be obtained.

Variation in Cotton Plants. — A writer in
the Dixie Farmer, says there is as much trouble in
keeping a breed of cotton pure, as a breed of corn
or melons. There is a constant tendency to vary
from the type. He behexes it to be caused by the
visits of insects.

Wet Weather and the (Growth of Trees.
— It is said that some scientific society has insti-
tuted a series of experiments to find out in the far
away past which were the wet and which were the
dry seasons, by having examined the thickness
of annual growths of wood in old trunks. It is
surprising that any intelligent body in these days
should not know better than this. Wood is not
plastered over the old series, as a painter would put
one coat on the coat which had gone before, but is
an act of vital power proceeding from the cells of
wood of the preceding year or season's growth.
The amount of wood deposited depends very much
on the food to be had in the vicinity of the little cells
which have to make the new mass. If, say, at ten
feet from the ground, there be a little branch with
leaves having a chance to make food, the annual
ring of wood will be thicker just below than at two
or three feet lower down. In fact if we cut a trunk

across at half a dozen places, and take any one
side of the trunk for examination, we shall find
the "annual ring" of any one year varying in
thickness. One section would tell us it rained that
year like a deluge, while another section of the
same tree would tell us that particular year was the
dryest on record. However, if this is not sufficient,
it may be as well to add that Sir Herbert Christi-
son, the great Scotch chemist, has made some cu-
rious observations on the effects of a cold wet
season in diminishing the normal growth of trees.
He found on careful measurement that, comparing
1879 with 1878, eleven deciduous trees — not oaks
— made on an average 41 per cent, less growth in
last year than in the year before. Of seventeen
pine trees, the average deficiency was 20 per cent.,
so that heat appears to have more to do with the
making of wood than moisture has. It is strange
that the growth of the oak, which drops its leaves,
seems less dependent on heat than that of the pine,
which we usually associate with very cold regions.

Absorption of Water by Roots. — Prof.
Goodall in a recent lecture, say^: " Aquatic plants
absorb water through the surface of all sub-
merged parts. Plants fixed in the soil absorb
water through the superficial tissues of the young-
est roots ; and chiefly through root-hairs. Leaves
of such plants absorb no moisture, even when wet
by rain. When a plant is torn roughly from the
soil, nearly all these root-hairs (which are delicate,
elongated cells, thickly clothing a short portion of
the youngest roots just behind the root tip), are
left behind, and the power of the plant to absorb
water is ended. The idea that the tip or spongiole
absorbs water has been exploded by experiments,
as also the idea that when these root-hairs, or the
portions of the root which bear them, are torn off,
water is absorbed by the wounded part. The whole
work (except in the case of coniferous trees, which
have no root-hairs, and absorb water by the newer
parts of the root, but never by the tip) of forcing
water into the plant, against a pressure of 3 to 5
atmospheres, is done by these minute and delicate
root-hairs.

Heliotrofism in Sun-flowers. — Mr. Thomas
Meehan exhibited flowers of Helianthus mollis,
and remarked on the popular fallacy of sun-flow-
ers turning with the sun. The original " sun-
flower " connected with the Ovidian stories of Cly-
tie and Phcebus, was the European Heliotrope, and
even that did not turn with the sun in the modern
popular sense. It simply grew where the sun
loved to shine, and the plant did not flower till the

1883.J

AND HURTICLLTLRIST.

sun had reached its summer solstice. The mytho- Crossed Asparagus.— We see it stated that the
logical story is founded on the fact that the plant Gardeners' Monthly is opposed to the idea that
continued to open its flowers as the sun declined, asparagus can be crossed. Nothing is further
or, as Ovid might say, its affection for its beloved from the fact. The Gardeners' Monthly was
was in proportion as the lover fled from her to his , really the first to show, even many years ago, that
winter quarters. The Helianthus was named sun- ' the asparagus had separate sexes, and that it really
flower simply because the flowers resembled the could not seed at all unless crossed ; that is to say,
sun, and there is no relation between it and the that one plant must have the pollen from another

sun-flower of mythology.

Yet there are peculiarities worth noting.

plant in order to produce seed. The position of
Trav- the Gardeners' Monthly simply is that there

elers across the American plains, where sun-flow- cannot be any special variety, such as some
ers abound, have often observed a great propor- named plants have been sent out. But there is no
tion of flowers facing one direction, but there were reason why there may not be an improved race.

always some in others, and these exceptions seemed
to prevent any generalizations as to special points
of the compass being favored more than others.
He has growing in his garden plants of Helian-

If, for instance, a female plant which is a strong
grower and delicious eating, is fertilized by a poor
wiry plant, the progeny may be expected to be in-
ferior. If fertilized by one as good itself, the prog-

thus mollis, from seeds gathered by him some i eny would be superior. There can be no ques-

years ago from near Odin, in Illinois, and the flow- i tion about which seed would produce the best re-

ers always seemed to have, to a great extent, a gen- suits. The plants would not be uniform, but there

eral southern leaning, but until this season he had would be a general superiority. There can be no

notthoughttomakeexact figures early enough tobe special \ ariity of asparagus, but there can and

satisfactory. This season he found the first flowers there ought to be great care in the selection and

open on the 7th of August. The upper portion of isolation of plants intended for seed, if one wishes

the flower stalk is curved, so that when the flower to keep at the top of the heap with first-class as-

opens some quarter of an inch of stem is at right 1 paragus.

angles with the lower portion, and the face of the

a ■ ,.1 I, ■ ^ 1 T4. u .1 Oil from Pine. — An important industrv, ac-

nower is exactlv horizontal. It was subsequently ^

r J ^1- ^ ..u d • J • .u- t, ■ » 1 cording to La Xature, has sprung up within the

found that the flower remained in this horizontal _ ^ .._ .. ..

position till the last disk-floret had expanded, occu-
pying about three days, when the whole head com-
menced to take an erect position, taking about
three days more to fully accomplish. Commenc-
ing to open on the 7th of August, by the nth there
were sixty-eight flowers expanded, all facing ex-

last few years in the French department of Landes.
It consists in extraction and applications of oils
from pine. These oils are of two sorts, the heavy
(pinoleum), obtained by distilling the resinous
wood at a low temperature, and used for painting
and wood-preser\ ing ; and the light oil for illumi-

,, ,. . • 1 * ^u • r nation, got bv distilling in special apparatus, and

actly southeast on opening, but on the evening of 1 *=" ■ . ^ ^, . ,. , ...

,., , c luui-ji J ijurified with chemical agents. This light oil has

this dav three were found which had changed^ " . . 1 r

round to northeast, with a slight tendency up from
the horizon. On the 14th there were seventy-
three flowers open, twenty-one of which faced
northeast. On examining the matter carefully the
inclination to the north was found to be due to a
slight spiral or uncoiling growth during the ad-
vance from the horizontal rest to the erect position.
All do not do this, but uncurve rather than uncoil.
While this accounted for the northward advance,
often as much as ninety degrees in so many flow-
ers, it still left the reason for the original facing of
the flower to the southeast among the many prob-
lems of plant life yet to be solved.

He referred to the several reasons offered in ex-
planation of polarity in the leaves of the compass
plant, pointing out the unsatisfactory character of .A(,ency. — Nehcmiah (irew, in 1682. first suggested
all of them. fertilization as the use of pollen by flowers. Cam-

the same chemical composition as oil of turpentine
(CjoHie), and distils at the same temperature (150'^
to 160), but has the advantage of not resinifying.
It contains neither pinic nor sylvic acid. .\s it
does not emit vapors except at a high temperature,
its use for hghting purposes is quite safe. Its lu-
minous intensity is greater than'that of petroleum :
it contains 88 per cent, of carbon, while petroleum
has 82 per cent. Two similar burners showed the
pine oil to have an advantage of 33 per cent, in
luminous intensity : the consumption was also less.
In the department of Landes roots and old stumps
of pine, formerly unutilized, are now made to ren-
der considerable quantities of oil.

Fkktili/..\tion of Flowers hv Insect

36

THE GARDENERS' MONTHLY

[February,

erarius in 1694, and Vaillant in 171 7, completed
■Crew's observations, but the doctrine was not uni-
versally admitted till 1729, when Linnzeus pub-
lished his excellent treatise " De Nuptiis et Sexu
Plantarum et Sponsalia Plantanim. Kolreutcr,
1 761, was the first to suggest cross-fertilization,
through the agency of wind or of insects. Spren-
gel, in 1793, submitted that the fertilization of a'
hermaphrodite flower by its own pollen was the
exception. Andrew Knight, 1799, ad\ocated that
a plant would not continue fertile by its own pol-
len through many generations. Robert Brown
confirmed many of these \iews by observations on
Asclepiadacea; and Orchidaces. In 1862, Darwin
issued his work on the "Fertilization of Orchids^
and the evidence he offered has been confirmed by
the observations of Hildebrand, Axell, Delpino,
MuUer, Lubbock. Slade, &c. Since then Haekel
and others have believed that the views of the
others claim more for the relations between color
and insects, than the facts warrant, but 'the subse-
quent observadons of M. Musset seem to indicate
that Haekel's views are unsound. — Abridged from
Revue de l' Horticulture Beige.

Honey Dew.— We give place to the following
from a correspondent of the London Garden, in
order to call attention to a question we regard as
by no means settled :

" Bee-keepers will rejoice greatly at what they
regard as honey-dew, the deposit of which is very
heavy this year, as aphis are more than usually
prevalent, the undersides of the leaves of limes,
sycamores, cherries, and most other trees, being
quite covered with them, and, as a natural conse-
quence, the foliage below is heavily coated with
their excreta, which they exude in such quantity as
to form a glutinous paste, and varnish the leaves
quite over. Many look on this so-called honey-
dew as a sort of distilled sweetness brought about
by atmospheric influence, and never dream of
aphis, or think it is the discharge from any insect,
else they would not be found, .as I have seen them,
licking the nectar off, and appearing to enjoy it,
till they knew from what source it came, when they
soon showed disgust, and a violent fit of expecto-
radng seized them. ♦ Hop-growers, and those con-
nected with gardening, know only too well what
honey-dew means, and when they see it are well
aware that the enemy is at work sucking the vital
energ'es out of the plants, and crippling their
growth. What is wanted now is a good down-
pour of rain to wash the foliage, and cleanse it of
both parasites and honey-dew ; for though the latter
may be good for the bees, qnd go far to\yards as-
sisting them to fill their hives with honey, it stops
the pores of the leaves, and prevents free respira-
tion, and thus interferes with their health."

Now many of us have seen honeyed liquid ex-
creted from aphides, and are therefore quite ready

to agree with the notion of the animal origin of
honey-dew as generally accepted.

But the writer is quite sure he has seen numbers
of cases where trees have swarmed with aphides
without any honeyed surface to the leaves below
them, and on the other hand some few cases, espe-
cially on the linden, where no trace of any aphides
existed. Only last season he saw the whole brick
pavement beneath the shade of two American
plane trees in front of the Wills Hospital in Phila-
delphia, covered with stains from drops of liquid
which had fallen from the trees. Myriads of flies
were feasting on the sweetness wasted there. So
far as the eye could tell at that distance from the
ground, no aphides were visible. By the aid of a
sun umbrella handle, some of the lower leaves*
were gathered, but there were neither aphides be-
neath or any appearance of varnish on the upper
surface of these shaded leaves. Across the street
were other plane trees, the branches almost reach-
ing those on the other side, but no sweet liquid was
under these as in the other case. It is inconceiv-
able that trees so near together should swarm with
aphides in one case, and have none in the other.
These street trees were left with regret that they
were not growing nearer where some close atten-
tion might be given towards unraveling the mys-
tery. It seems, howe\er, inconceivable that even
though aphides should have been in extraordinary
numbers on the tops of these trees, they should be
able to excrete enough honey, not only to cover
the myriads of leaves with a gloss below them, but
have still some to spare to splash the brick side-
walk as with a hose. Though we have to give
some sort of an assent to the aphid origin of
honey-dew, we cannot help feeling there is some-
thing back of it all not yet explained. — Ed. G. M.

Th?: L.\cqukr Tree of J.a.pan. — The precise tree
which produces the gum used to make the peculiar
lacquer work of Japan, is now ascertained to be
from the Stagmaria verniciflua, a tree genus closely
allied to the Rhus or poison vine family. There
are vast plantations of the tree in Japan. Each
tree is tapped, and during four months juice enough
to fill a three-ounce bottle exudes. One thousand
trees yield about 12,000 gallons. It is said that
the exact manner of its preparation has not yet
been discovered by Europeans.

M1GRATION.S OF Birds. — An Illinois friend says:
" I take great interest in everything touching the
habits of small birds. I have no doubt the food
question has much to do with their migrations. The
robins left us very early last fall, owing to the fruit
and late berry crop being a failure."

AND HORTICULTURIST

57

Literature, Travels aiw Personal -Notes

COMMUNICATIONS.

NOTICE CI' THE LATE JAMES HAGGERTY,
OF POUGHKEEPSIF.

Sunday afternoon, December 17th, 1882, James
Haggcrty, the celebrated rose grower and florist of
Poughkeepsie, New York, departed this life. Fif- !
teen years ago he began to complain, and during
that whole time he did not enjoy many well days. I
He was mostly always troubled with dumb ague,
supposed to be malaria, but this last year he suf-
fered severely from a bronchial disease. A trip
across the ocean helped him somewhat, but after
he came home it was the same thing over again.
A visit to the famous Catskills last summer, and
the pure air of the Adirondacks, failed to restore
his health, and death pursued his victim until he
relieved him on the above mentioned day from all
earthly troubles.

The funeral took place at eleven o'clock on Wed-
nesday morning next. It was largely attended.
Florists and friends from all parts came to pay their
last tributes to the deceased. An eloquent funeral
sermon was delivered by the Rev. Dr. Hear. A
black pall covered the casket. Large silver
handles hung from the sides. A plate with name
and age (51 years), together with some beautifully
arranged designs in choicest flowers, covered the
top. While waiting for the services to take place
we took a run through the establishment which the
deceased had erected with such ingenuity, con-
ducted with such prudence, and diligently attended
to at all times. A side hill with a number of ter-
races, one above the other, about 10 feet wide and
200 feet long, is planted with all leading vari-
eties of the best roses, most successfully grown
and literally covered with buds. Nothing less than
an acre of ground is covered with one glass roof,
and by the pillars supporting the roof.

Marechal Niel and other best running roses are
trailing from pillar to pillar, and large numbers of
this cjueen of flowers are cut daily. Bougainvillea,
with their charming blooms, Bignonia venusta,
with large bunches of golden trumpets, change off
with the running roses, and are loaded with flowers.

The sides are planted with bouvardias and bUiilax
in beautiful festoons. Four large houses, over 100
feet long each, are planted with (ien. Jacqueminot
roses and look very promising. One house with
Pearl des Jardins roses, healthy and productive.
Two houses with carnations, full of flowers, and
one with violets, &c.

These are the principal buildings. It looks as if
it woulc^ cost a fortune to run this concern; but it
has so far paid expenses, and by proper engineer-
ing thousands of roses and other flowers have been
cut and sold daily and resulted in large profits.
By his works, as a self-made man, the deceased
created for himself a monument which will be re-
membered as long as Poughkeepsie's history.

Trusting that the widow, three boys and two
girls, pro\e themselves worthy of this famous
property, which stands superior to anything of the
kind in the State, if not indeed in the United States,
we close these few well merited remarks regarding
a dear friend whom we esteemed- \ery highly.

'•Iic(|uiesoatin iiace."'

UNDER THE HAWTHORNS— No. H.
m WM. T. H.ARDING, MOUNT HOLLY, N. J.

It is doubtful if any writer of prose or poetry
ever had the graphic power to vivify rural scenery
w^th a reality so true to nature as had the gifted
Burns, and his happiest efforts are often mani-
fested when delineating the wild and picturesque
scenes so peculiar to the romantic features of
Caledonia. His ardent admiration for trees and
flowers is often expressed with a fervor akin to
adoration; and the "milk-white hawthorn bush"
seems especially to have been one of his arboreal
favorites. And with a descriptive eloquence un-
surpassed, how exquisitely in poetic metaphor he
pictures an old hawthorn, as it appeared to his
vivid imagination in the gray dawn of the early
morning, and charmingly invests it with an interest
bordering on veneration. As an instance of his fe-
licity of expression, I quote his sentimental allusion
to the hawthorn, in the idiom of Bonnie Scotland —

• The liavs tlioin I will pu", wi" its locks o" siller gray,
Wlieii like an aged man it stands at l)reak o' day.''

5«

THE GARDEXKKS' MiJMHLV

[February,

His comparison of an ancient thorn, drooping
like an old man with the weight of years, is an apt
one. And whoever has looked upon one, after the
manner of the poet, will readily recognize in the
imagery the bending form of a gray-haired sire,
and possibly tbe ideal of "John Anderson, my Jo,
John," whose "locks are like the snaw."

It occurred to the writer when examining some
very old hawthorns while in England, in i88i,how
much several of them bore a resemblance to
Burns' figurative tree.

It was on a blithe May morning, "when nature
painted all things gay," I quietly meandered along
a well-worn foot-path, by the side of hedgerows
flecked with pretty flowers, and Which in irregular
lines divided the green meadows, to a spot where
I had, when a little urchin attending school^ spent
many a happy hour. The same old hawthorns 1
had in boyish eagerness often climbed up to gather
the red ripe haws from, were still growing there,
and to all appearance as vigorous as they were
more than fifty years ago. The destructive fingers
of time seemed to have touched them gently,
and during the long interval which has elapsed
since I last saw them, their familiar features had
scarcely changed. And yet, while remaining the
same old trees I knew in days gone by, there was
undoubtedly an increase in the circumference of
their deep furrowed trunks, the largest of which
measured more than eight feet in girt. On this oc-
casion the heads of these venerable old thorns
were each beautifully covered with its annual
crown of white blossoms, so fragrant and fair.
And as I viewed their well-remembered forms, the
floodgates of memory seemed to open and pour
out the pent-up recollections of the many strange
mutations of the past. To secure a souvenir
seemed as natural as the suggestive language ot
Burns was to prompt my desire " to pu' its locks of
siller gray," which I devotedly did, to keep in re-
membrance.

The verdant fields were prettily bespangled with
a variety of spring flowers, from which I brushed
the morning's dew, as I leisurely left the old haunts
of my youthful days. Continuing my pleasant
peregrinations, I soon reached Dunstall Park, to
view the handsome groups of the various species
of hawthorn for which it is famous.

In this paper I shall omit mentioning the usual
variety of interesting large-sized old forest trees,
and splendid collections of ornamental low trees
and shrubs, or beautiful landscape effects usually
found in such like places, and confine my remarks
to the very comely kinds of Crataegus oxyacantha.

or poet's hawthorn, which pleased me most of all.
And niethought, as I looked around, how gratified
must be the owner of such exquisite scenes, " where
every prospect pleases."

Near by where 1 stood were several thrifty
handsome common English hawthorns, which
have been the subject of many a sentimental
theme by both ancient and modern writers, with
whom it always seems to have been a favorite. A
little distance off grew some excellent specimens of
C. o. alba plena, or double white thorns, and pure
and pretty indeed are its superb companions, C. o.
rubra plena, or double scarlet, with its single sister,
the well-known C. o. coccinea, or common scarlet
thorn, which is an old and much admired little
tree ; while another member of this interesting
family is C. o. rosea, whose rosy blush is not so
high colored as the two preceding kinds, and of
which the planter had made liberal use in the ex-
tensive park around. Another red variety of
striking appearance, known as C. o. rubra splen-
dens — well named, and of vigorous growth — made
pretty clusters here and there, w-hile near by the
margin of an ornamental lake, standing singly,
was a bush of the very distinct C. o. Douglasii.
Its peculiar though pleasing habit will always se-
cure it a place where only a few kinds are grown.
Its handsome foliage and great profusion of flow-
ers and fruit enhance its value.

Among these most effective park or lawn orna-
ments, I noticed C. o. filicifolia, or fern-leaved
thorn, a very curious kind ; and C. o. variegata,
W'hich specially commends itself in either of its
three interesting phases of foliage, flowers and
fruit. C. o. rotundifolia, a round-leaved kind,
formed \ ery pretty objects, as did the more robust
C. o. grandiflora, with flowers grand enough for
either bridal wreaths or May coronal. C. o. tana-
cetifolia, the tansy-leaved kind, was one of the
many remarkable varieties around me. And form-
ing agreeable contrasts with their interesting com-
peers, was a fine specimen of C. o. platyphylla,
with its handsome broad leaves, and C. o. macro-
carpa, remarkable- for its large haws and excellent
habit.

There were several other beautiful kinds inter-
spersed about and worthy of mention, but to avoid
being tedious to the patient reader, will refer to but
two others, C. o. stricta, which assumes a close,
upright form of growth, and its contrasting com-
panion, C. o. pendula, of drooping or pendulous
habit. There were many fine examples of Ameri-
can species, but having previously referred to and
described them in the November Monthly of

1883.]

AND HORTICULTURIST.

.59

l88l, will conclude my remarks with the type I
began with.

That the neat and graceful hawthorn should
elicit admiration from all intelligent beholders is
not surprising, when we consider how much its
picturesque form has contributed to make replete
the charm of many a fine landscape. And that
scenes of social enjoyment and domestic happi-
ness should often occur about them, is most natu-
ral. Being such a companionable little tree, fre-
quently found about our homes, we are apt to re-
gard it with kindly feelings wherever seen, as a re-
minder of some cherished spot. And when
found, as we often come upon it in the seclusion
of some forest recess or deep sequestered glen,
where its extreme loneliness claims attention, we j
feel as though we had discovered an old familiar j
friend. And while poetic lays, romantic legends,
pleasing narrative and authentic history have* the
power to charm, will the legend of the Glaston-
bury thorn ever fail to interest the reader.

In quoting the following account from Loudon's
Arboretum et Fruticetum, of 1854, I will briefly j
premise it with the statement that I have been a
frequent witness to the peculiarity of the remark-
able subject at issue, having seen it bearing blos-
soms and fruit at the same time in December, Jan-
uary, February, March, April and May.* It is
known as Co. proecox, the early flowering or Glas-
tonbury thorn, and which, according to the Ro-
mish legend, once formed the staff of Joseph of
Arimathea, and still exists within the precincts of ^
the ancient Abbey of Glastonbury :

" It is said that Joseph of .Arimathea, after the
burial of Christ, came to England, attended by
twelve companions, to found the first Christian
church in this island, and guided by Divine im- i
pulse he proceeded to Glastonbury for that pur-
pose. It was Christmas day when he arrived at 1
the spot where, he had been commanded to build a !
church to the honor of the Virgin IMary, and find-
ing that the natives did not appear inclined to be-
lieve in his mission, he prayed to God to perform a
miracle, to convince them. His prayer was imme-
diately answered, and, striking his staff into the
ground, it immediately shot forth into leaves and '
blossoms. And still blossoms annually on Christ-
mas day."

... . I

While dwelling on this romantic subject, I can-
not refrain from giving the historical account of the

*All of the many hawthorns raised from this remarkable
tree retain the peculiar habit of blossoming and fruiting at an
untimely season, often to the amazenaent of the credulous
rustics, who regard them with superstitious awe.

C. o. regina. Queen Mary's thorn. "The parent
tree is in a garden near Edinburg, which once be-
longed to the Regent Murray. It is very old, and its
branches have somewhat of a drooping character.
The tree is thirty-three feet high ; the trunk di-
vides into two limbs at fifteen inches from the
ground, one of which is one foot four inches in di-
ameter, and the other one foot. The tree is healthy
and vigorous, though if it be true CJueen Mary sat
under its shade, it must be nearly three hundred
years old."

Both Greeks and Romans honored the hawthorn,
having dedicated it to " Flora," whose festival be-
gan on May. day. And in many parts of rural
England "Merry May-day " is still annually cele-
brated with innocent amusements, such as dancing
round the Maypole, decked with garlands of haw-
thorn blossoms. And I pleasantly remember hav-
ing seen a pretty little maiden, the village beauty,
crowned with May or hawthorn blossoms, while
her lovely young maids of honor sang the happy

refrain —

•• With ple.'i>m>'> :iliounding.
The May -pole .-surrounding,

We crown her the Queen of May-day; &e."'

I would like to continue the subject, but as this
is my second attempt to interest the gentle reader
in behalf of the hawthorn, I must reluctantly leave
much unsaid. I would fain add to the theme ;
but if my desultory remarks may only persuade
the good tree-loving people to plant them about
their homes, I shall have accomplished my pur-
pose.

From a Germantown nursery catalogue be-
fore me, I see an excellent selection may be
be made of hawthorns, suitable for beautifying the
home surroundings.

EDITORIAL NOTES.

Gardening .\nd Business. — We have occasion-
ally heard malicious remarks when some amateur
horticulturist failed in business, that "gardening
would ruin any man." It is often forgotten that
hundreds will spend on one evening party, or some
other luxury, what few amateur gardeners spend in
a year. When Mr. Mechi, the celebrated agricul-
tural experimenter failed, the ill-natured wrote of
the " natural result of so much experimenting,"
that it "took a farm in the city to keep his farm in
the country," and so forth. His daughter has at
length been provoked to a reply in the London .
Times. A Mr. Pell had been rehashing the old
dish of scandal, and the lady replies :

6o

THE GARDENERS' MONTHLY

[February,

"Alluding to the circumstances of my father's
death and connecting them with his farming oper-
ations, Mr.' Pell says , ' the result was not a suc-
cess.' I beg to state distinctly that my father's ruin
was attributable solely and simply to the failure
of the Unity Bank, in which, as a shareholder, he
lost more than every shilling he possessed. To his
successful farming, among other causes, he owed
the delay of a catastrophe which had for some
time been inevitable. It must remain a question of
taste whether Mr. Pell has done wisely in affixing
a stigma of ' agricultural loafers ' to the many high-
minded and honorable men who from all ranks of
society have attended the Tiptree gatherings and
witnessed the experiments conducted at them. In
conclusion, I may add that during the last suffer-
ing days of my father's life liis thoughts were not
so much with himself or his troubles, not so much
with family or friends, as with the cause he had
long served faithfully and loved so well."

Giant Horse Tails. — When some geologists
tell us some sorts of coal may have been formed
in times when there was little wind by the falling
on the ground of the spores (the analogue of pollen
in flowering plants) of cryptogamic plants, we
naturally think of our small ferns, horse-tail and
similar plants, and wonder as to how such things
should be. But the plants were large, and prob-
ably the spores sized accordingly. The Gardeners'
Chrotiicle aptly remarks :

"Representatives of the marsh vegetation of the
ancient coal period would appear still to exist in
South America ; at least specimens of Equisetum
giganteum from Brazil, which is said to have aerial
stems of thirty feet, were exhibited by Mr. W. T.
Thiselton Dyer, at the Linnean meeting on June
1 5. A forest of these would certainly carry the
mind back to the time when our now coal beds
were luxuriantly flourishing in the marshes of the
period."

Sub-Tropical Plants for Industrial Culture
or Naturalization — by Baron Ferdinand Von Muel-
ler, has been translated into the German language.
It shows alike the interest of the German people in
all that relates to industrial improvement, as well
as their appreciation of the work of the distin-
guished Austrahan botanist.

The London Journal of Botany — announces
that unless better supported it will step out at the
end of another year. In contrast with this is the
support given to the two American magazines, the
Botanical Gazette and the Bulletin of the Torrey
Botanical Club, which though a long way from
being gold mines, add to the number of their
readers from year to year. With botanical taste
growing continually, it is amazing to hear of poor
support to botanical magazines. But the fact is
that there is so much new in the " New Botany,"
that readers expect more than a mere chapter or

two, in the old style. The advanced botanist in
these days, can scarcely go to the fields or woods
for an afternoon jaunt, or take up a dried specimen
without seeing something new and worth telling,
and this is what the modern subscriber expects to
read about.

Varied Tastes in Food. — A reporter of the
Philadelphia Press called on Mr. Murrey, the chief
cook of the Continental Hotel of this city, and
gives us the following sketch of taste in cookery :

" Mr. Murrey is an enthusiast in this matter. He
has read the Bible from Genesis to Revelation,
and carefully conned every word written therein
about food ; Shakspeare is his constant companion,
and he has collated over three hundred extracts
from his writings referring to different dishes, prin-
cipally salads ; agricultural I'eports, which are too
often to others a waste of paper, he scrutinizes with
anxious eye to discover whether the tomato has
be^n successfully grafted on the turnip, or if
the carrot could not in some way be combined
with the succulent cucumber ; farmers' journals,
giving the latest discoveries in the cultivation of
fruits and vegetables, are to him precious presents, ■
and, in a word, any book bearing upon food is of
more value in his eyes than if it were on finance.
And so, when the Press reporter approached Mr.
Murrey with a request to be allowed to look at his
collection, that gentleman, with evident pleasure,
willingly agreed to submit it to inspection. And,
in truth, it is a remarkable collection. He has, in
one series of volumes, over ten thousand bills of
fare, and in his library over five hundred books on
cookery, and on matters appertaining to that sub-
ject. ' You are quite an enthusiast in this matter,'
remarked the reporter.

"'I am,' was the ready response. 'I have been
fifteen years making this collection, and if 1 live
eighteen more it will be the finest in the world.
May I ask you if you are interested in the subject.'

The reporter stated that he was — practically. That
settled it. Instantly Mr. Murrey opened his book
cases, emptied one shelf after another, piled up
English, French and German works on cookery
and pastry making, and so forth, and then to cap
I the climax he ordered up the reserves in the shape
! of the ten thousand bills of fare above referred to.
'There,' said he, with honest pride, 'there is a col-
lection of which I am proud — where is its equal?'
"The writer gave the conundrum up and then
I went to examining the bills of fare.
' "There were menus from Philadelphia, New
York, Boston and Chicago ; from Paris, from Rome
and from Berlin ; from St. Petersburg, from Vienna
and from Copenhagen ; bills of fare printed on
white satin ; on plain commercial note; on delicate
tints, with letters of gold. There were bills of fare
where royalty had sat at the table, where states-
I men had dined, where heroes had wined ; there
were bills of fare which recalled the days when
' Daniel Webster was entertained at the great dinner
in the Revere House, Boston, on January 18, 1856;
I when John Welsh departed to England as the
American minister; when the Grand Duke Alexis,.

1883.

AND HORTICULTURIST.

61

of Russia, was entertained in New York ; when the
foreign commissioners to the great Centennial had
their farewell banquet in St. George's Hall, with
President Grant in the chair ; bills of banquets,
public and private ; of great hotel dinners in the
Old World and the new ; of restaurants, American
and continental; of dishes ranging all the way
from plain 'pork and beans' to 'sante de daisans
iiu fumet de Gibier.' Some of these bills of fare
are well worthy of the closest attention, whether
regarded from a literary or an epicurean stand-
point; and, as a curiosity, the following bill of fare
at the banquet to His Imperial Majesty the Sultan
of Turkey, served at the Guildhall, London, during
his visit, is worthy of some study :

"Potage poutoisc a I'Albion ; potage a la Vic-
toria.

"Ris de veau a la Lucullus; filets de poulets a
I'ecarlate ; cotelettes aux haricots verts ; croustades
a la reine.

"Cailles a la Macedoine; crevettes en caisses,
aspics de foies gras de Strasbourg; salade a la
Russe; filets de soles a la \^enitienne; buisson de
trufifes de Perigord ; chartreuse a la Pariseinne;
homard a la Venitienne.

"Saumon a la royale; galantine de volaille aux
truffes; pate a la Francaise; jambon; pulets rotis;
lanuge de boeuf ; carre d'agneaux aux concombres;
filet de bosuf a la Choisy.

"Celestine de fraises; peches a la Belle Vue;
gelee au vin de Madere; gateau a la Princesse;
ananas aux croutons ; compote d'abricots.

" ' I find ' said Mr. Murrey, as the writer hastily
closed the last of his volumes of his collection of
bills of fare, ' I find that there is even great differ-
ence in the tastes of Americans who come from
various sections of this country. Now a Phila-
delphian will call for terrapin, calve's head a la
secret, fillet de boeuf, etc.; the Bostonians, although
it sounds so like satire to say so, do actually want
pork and beans, when away from home ; if not
that, then rare roast beef seems to be their favor-
ite diet ; the Western men, too, are great beef-eat-
ers, and are fond of fowl and game — solid food
generally ; Southern men are, as a rule, vegeta-
rians. They are great salad eaters, and they can
appreciate a salad when it is well made. Lamb is
a familiar dish with them, and they can ask for it
in a score of different w^ays. By-the-by, how many
kinds of salads do you think there are ? '

"The reporter guessed a dozen.

"'There are hundreds,' continued Mr. Murrey,
enthusiastically. 'Yes, hundreds. Why people
know scarcely anything of this subject. Do you
know that over one hundred dishes in different
styles can be served of Indian corn ? Why this
subject is inexhaustible.'

"The reporter admitted the latter proposition.

"Mr. IVIurrey continued: 'Men come in here
who have traveled all over the world, they ask for
a certain dish, and not one of the waiters can im-
agine what they mean. They come to me. There
are thirty-six hundred different dishes, and it is
hard to keep the run of it. But we find it out. Oh,
yes ; we have all kinds of men to deal with. When
Dom Pedro was here he asked for some queer
dishes, but he always expressed himself delighted.

People have got over that old idea of crowding
a hundred dishes on one bill of fare. It is not
considered en regie now. A few clever dishes,
well cooked, and of the very finest quality that
can be got, is what is wanted now. Ten dollars
per head is about the outside price for a banquet
nowadays, but twenty was not considered exorb-
itant three or four years ago; of course that in-
cludes wines. And speaking of wines — '

" At this point the reporter begged to be excused.
The sight of ten thousand bills of fare and five
hundred cookery books was enough in one after-
noon, and the wine question was postponed. The
interview, however, demonstrated that Philadelphia
contained the champion collector — so far as is at
present known — in this department of literature."

Mss. Typographical Errors.— .\nnoying as
they must always be to the author, are not always
without a show of excuse on the part of the compos-
itor. " Had " can be written so as to be perfectly
made, and yet have the appearance of "has" to the
typo, and "e'er" to look exactly hke "e'en." Of
course, if the compositor thought of anything else
than to pick up each letter, he would know right
from wrong by the sense. But when there is a
choice, the wrong path is generally chosen ; and
this is what happened in Mr. Harding's acrostic.

Early History of Garden Flowers. — The
Florist and Pomologist, in a kindly notice of the
late Edward Meehan, remarks : " He was one of
the earlier improvers of the fuchsia and other gar-
den flowers. His son. Professor Thomas Meehan.
is Professor of Botany in the Academy of Natural
Sciences of Philadelphia."

It may be worth noting that the improvement of
the dahlia was among the earliest of his hobbies.
" Springfield Rival," perhaps, among the first to
bring this flower up to the florist's standard, was
one of his raising.

He used to experiment largely with seedling
{ chrysanthemums, but he took one called " Web-
ber's Queen " as his standard of excellence, and
could never feel that he raised one equal to it.
I The first hybrid fuchsia ever raised, was proba-
j bly "St. Clare." Fuchsia fulgens was introduced
I from Brazil about 1840. At any rate, in 1841 it
I bloomed at St. Clare, and was used as the male
parent. The female parent. Fuchsia longiflora,
was still standing, making a plant probably fif-
teen or twenty feet high when the writer saw it
four years ago.

I The seedlings bloomed the following year, " St.

I Clare " being considered the best of them. So

strict was Mr. Meehan's idea of honor that he re-

; fused money offers for the plant, because the

work on it was done in his employer's time, and it

62

THE GARDENERS' MONTHLY

[February,

was given to a leading nurseryman in exchange
for new or rare plants, as were all the other good
things he raised. The beautiful Chanthus puni-
ceus was raised by him from seed brought home
by a New Zealand missionary, and the Diplacus
aurantiacus, set down in botanical works as of
" origin unknown," was a cross of his between Di-
placus glutinosus and D. puniceus.

He was among the first to start the present pop-
ular race of silver-leaved geraniums. There was a
loose growing variegated kind known as the
"Mangles" long in cultivation, and an old scarlet
known as the " Salmon." This last was the male
parent. From this cross came " St. Clare," which
was such a decided advance that it has scarcely
yet gone out of cultivation. This was given to or
exchanged with the same florist, we believe, to
whom " Springfield Rival " dahlia was given.

Professor Meehan's title comes chiefly from his
position in the State Board of Agriculture of Penn-
sylvania, though he also holds that honorary title
in other bodies. His position in the Academy of
Natural Sciences (except as Senior Vice Presi-
dent) is simply Vice Director of the Botanical Sec-
tion, to all three of which he has been annually
elected for some years past.

A Pleasant Note from a Young Gardener.
— A correspondent says : " I do wish that some of
our older plant and fruit growers would favor us
occasionally with notes of their experience. It
would prove of great benefit to all young garden-
ers, myself included, as I am not yet thirty, and
feel I have much to learn from persons older than
I am."

Sir Hugh Allan. — The death of the principal
owner of the jVUan line of steamers reminds us
that horticulture, as well as business enterprise,
loses a zealous patron. His residence at Montreal
was one of the beauty spots of the Dominion, while
the more extensive grounds on Lake Memphrema-
gog furnished a specimen of excellent taste in
landscape gardening as adapted to wild lake
scenery.

The Montreal suburban residence is apparently
on about ten acres of ground, and the building is
a model' of elegance and taste in the hands of
abundant wealth. The walled-in kitchen and fruit
garden abounds in the best kinds of fruits, and
along the most protected sides are extensive
ranges of glass, in which peaches, grapes and
other fruits are raised to great perfection. The
several planthouses are connected with the " ball
room " front of the dwelling-house, though they

extend away a long distance from the dwelling,
and in the main appear as distinct structures. New
and rare plants are added as they appear, though
majestic specimens of the older and valuable spe-
cies have their honored places. Perhaps the point
of excellence which has made the most lasting im-
pression on the writer of this, who made a hasty
call in September last, was the perfect neatness
and cleanliness which pervaded every part of the
grounds. Not a dead leaf, rotten branch or weed
was to be seen anywhere. To our mind there is
nothing tests the ability of a gardener as this.
The general rule is for places like this to be laid
out, with work enough for a dozen men to keep in
order, but which the proprietor who never thought
of this at the outset, insists must be kept up by
half or less. Even when enough to do justice to
a large place is allowed, the gardener too often
falls into slovenly ways. By this -test we should
regard Mr. Dunbar, Sir H. Allan's gardener, as
among the head of the class.

Joseph E. Johnson. — The Salt Lake papers
note the death of Joseph E. Johnson, who is well
known to horticulturists and botanists for the in-
terest he took in developing the floral 'knowledge
of Utah Territory. In compliment to his zeal and
industry many plants bear his name, as for instance
Dalea Johnsonii, being very beautiful flowers.

He was a printer, and a man of indomitable
energy. He once went to a new settlement and
started a newspaper, setting up the type and
printing the whole paper himself, with only a tree
and wild nature for the printing office. St.
George's, in Utah, especially owes much to his
energy.

At the time of his death he was engaged in push-
ing a new settlement in Arizona, and it is not long
since the writer of this had a letter from him speak-
ing in glowing terms of his prospects of success.

The Regulative Action of Birds on Insect
OsciLL.\TiON. — By S. A. Forbes. In the " Bulletin
of the Illinois State Laboratory of Natural History,
December, 1882, is a scientific paper of great prac-
tical utility in regard to the influence of birds in
keeping down the canker-worm. The paper is so
full of important details that it is impossible to give
a brief abstract of it, and those who are able to get
it will do well to read the whole. The facts have
a great bearing on many practical questions be-
sides the one which Mr. Forbes proposed for solu-
tion. The point we have often made, that there is
really a very narrow line between insectivorous and
frugivorous birds, is clearly brought out here.

1883.]

AND HORTICULTURIST.

63

Birds will not starve. When they cannot get veg-
etable food they take to animal, and the reverse
under other circumstances. Mr. Forbes shot his
birds on the 24th of May, 1881, and 20th of May,
1882, and the contents of the craw showed that all
the birds fed on animal food. At that early season
there are few seeds to be had. Some birds had
seeds of asters and other Compositae, bristle grass
(Setaria, which by the way has the name of pigeon
grass in this paper), and seeds of a few other plants
which perhaps were kept from distribution. under
the snow. Birds like the woodpecker seem to have
no compunction about stealing the farmer's new-
sown corn in a pinch ; and such kinds as the yel-
low bird, riot on insect food.

An interesting item in this experience is that dif-
ferent birds seem to prefer different kinds of in-
sects, but on analysis this is found not so much a
matter of gastronomies as of strength or peculiar
habits of the bird. The robin for instance was
found to use cut-worms and other terrestrial crea-
tures, to an enormous extent. The canker worm,
which abounded in the orchard, was barely
touched. The yellow bird had two-thirds of the
total amount eaten of canker worms. We can see
that the superior strength of the robin, and its
habit of being frequently on the ground, give it
advantages for searching for earth-loving creatures
which the yellow-bird does not possess.

As to the leading question proposed, the influence
on keeping down the canker-worm, the great ques-
tion remains in how far does the enormous number
eaten by the birds, aid the fruit grower? It is evi-
dently the design of nature that a very large pro-
portion of that which is created shall serve as food
for the others, and that after all this has been ac-
complished, there shall still be enough left to repro-
duce the species. The forty-five acres of apple-
trees of Mr. J. W. Robinson, in Tazewell County,
Illinois, wherein these birds were caught, has been
infested by canker worms for six years to such an
extent that the orchard looks annually as if fired.

Under the pressure of little other food, even
graminivorous birds -have been compelled to feed
on canker worms. Millions must have been an-
nually destroyed, but still the annnal destruction
to the leaves of the trees goes on.

To our mind the law is that man must be his
own great protector. In the war against insects
retail efforts are of little avail. He must either
guard his trees so that insect enemies cannot get
at them, or wholesale destruction be completely at
command.

Horticultural Directory for 1883, twenty-

fourth edition. Published at the Journal of Hor-
ticulture office, London, England. This gives a
complete list of the nurserymen, seedsmen, florists,
gentlemen and ladies who have fine gardens, and
their gardeners, of England and the " Continent,"
which seems to include the United States, Japan
and the rest of the world outside of the British
Isles. As an illustration of how words change in
time in different parts of the world, we note that
the districts here are divided into "London, Metro-
politan and Country." In this part of the world
metropolis is the chief city of a country, and Lon-
don would be regarded as the metropolis of Eng-
land, and metropolitan that which related to the
city. But in England, as we judge from the Direc-
tory, metropolitan is apphed to the towns and cities
for some thirty miles or so surrounding the city,
or distinct from the city itself.

SCRAPS AND QUERIES.

To Intelligent Correspondents. — All eom-
munications relating to advertisements, subscrip-
tions, or other business, must be addressed to the
publisher, 814 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia.
I All referring to the reading matter of the maga-
I zine must be mailed to the editor, Germantown, Pa,
No express packages for the editor received un-
less prepaid ; and marked "Paid through to Ger-
?nantown, Pa."

Pores in the Annual Layer of Wood. A

correspondent says : "Will the editor of the Gar-
deners' Monthly, please help a reader who
somehow cannot make out what he means to say
on page 20 of the January number. A cut used in
Dr. Houghs' "Elements of Forestry," represented
the porous part of the annual layers of oak wood,
as the inner part of the layer, that is, as the first
formed portion of the annual growth. I under-
stood the editor to say, two or three months ago,
that the cut was wrong in this respect, and that
this porous part, consisting largely of ducts, really
belongs to the outer or latest part of each layer.
Now, on reading the editorial notes on page 20 of
the January number, I can't make out whether the
editor means to tell us that the cut was right or
wrong in this particular. It must be either one
way or the other, and I presume the editor is clear
in his own mind about it. But either he has not
expressed his mind altogether or else the writer of
this inquiry must subscribe himself

A Dull Reader."

[The cut in Dr. Hough's " Elements of Forestry "
was right in that respect. The editor of the Gar-
deners' Monthly was wrong. Ed. G. M.j

64

THE GARDENERS' MONTHLY

[February,

Horticultural Societies.

EDITORIAL NOTES.

Premiums at Horticultural Exhihitions.
— The Georgia Horticultural Society has adopted
a by-law which provides that iio medal, diploma or
money shall be awarded by this society as a testi-
monial of excellence for any fruit, plant, flower or
vegetable offered for exhibition. The verdict of
the special committee shall be the highest commen-
dation of the society. We should hardly suppose
that such a great departure irom established cus-
tom will be a success. But there is nothing like a
practical test, and we are glad the Georgia Society
undertakes it.

It seems to us the true line of reform is in dis-
criminating verdicts, the jury giving the reasons
for the excellence, and the society taking the steps
by wide publicity to do honor to their own verdict
and to the merits of the exhibitor. The most
praisefui verdict is of little satisfaction to the ex-
hibitor if he has to put the record of it between the
covers of some book in his library. To be of any
real value to him he must "blow his own horn,''
in regard to it in the end. If the societies \vere to
take this "blowing of the horn" in their hands,
it might then be some fair set-off for the lack of
money premiums. At any rate we are glad that
the action of the Georgia Society, looks like the
beginning of the examination into the old stupid
system of competition which we have so long urged
as needing reform.

Reports of Horticultural Societies. — It is
a pleasure to note that the efforts of the Garden-
ers' Monthly in the line of judicial comparative
reports of committees, are being seconded by Mr.
Murkland, the Secretary of the New York Horti-
cultural Society. In his last annual report he says:
"And here just a few words to our Committee
on Plants and Flowers, and I speak as to men who
have the honor to frame a report each month which
is read in many different states and abroad, as the
report of one of the leading horticultural societies
in our Union. Noteworthy exhibits, too, should
be described in such a manner that readers who
have not been privileged to attend our meetings

may have the exhibition tables spread before them
in your report. Pardon me if I refer to some of the
reports of the past year. For instance, in that of
last March we find the following: 'From Wm.
Bennett, a Dendrobium aggregatum majus. Ex-
tra good.' There are many such comments
throughout the reports of the year. Undoubtedly
the specimen was 'extra good,' but had I not seen
the plant I would have wondered what an extra
good plant was like, and if I were an inexperienced
orchid grower, with a specimen of the same variety
fifteen inches high, having four spikes of thirteen
large perfect flowers each, I would have, from
reading the report only, vainly wondered how my
plant compared with the one shown. And it must
be remembered that besides our membership in
New Y'ork and vicinity we have members in Mas-
sachusetts, .Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Illinois,
Ohio, Wisconsin, and Michigan, whose personal
contact with our exhibitions is confined to reading
your reports."

Amateurs and Florists. — In future there will
be two classes of exhibitors in the New York Hor-
ticultural Society. Those who grow plants or
flowers for sale will not compete with those who
grow for pleasure merely.

The American Pomological Society.— This
body meets only biennially. The next session will
be held in Philadelphia on the 12th, 13th and 14th
of September, 1883.

President Wilder is working hard to make this
meeting one long to be remembered, in which
effort he is seconded by President Schaffer of the
Pennsylvania Horticultural Society.

Hall of the New York Horticultural
Society. — This building, costing $100,000, has
been purchased solely by the Amateur Horticul-
turists of New York, in the pure love of horticul-
ture. Thirty-six paid for the whole, of whom sev-
enteen subscribed $5,000 each, six $2,000, and
thirteen $1,000. It is interesting to note that of
those interested in horticulture in New York, there
are more able to give $5,000 each than of lower
sums.

THE

GARDENERS'

Monthly

AND

HORTICULTURIST.

DEVOTED TO HORTICULTURE, ARBORICULTURE AND RURAL AFFAIRS.

Edited by THOMAS MEEHAN.

Volume XXV.

MARCH, 1883.

Number 291

Flower Garden and Pleasure Ground.

SEASONABLE HINTS.

In our last we gave a design for a set of flower
beds, with some remarks favorable to the bedding

system of flower gardening, as forming a pleasing
contrast to other methods of ornamenting gardens
and grounds. Herewith is another. They each

afford hints from which all may profit, even though
it is not possible to imitate the pattern.

In all cases, if flowers have been growing in the
ground many years, new soil does wonders. Rich
manure makes flowers grow, but they do not
always flower well with vigorous growth.
If new soil cannot be had, a wheel-
barrow of manure to about every fifty
square feet will be enough. If the garden
earth looks gray or yellow, rotten leaves —
quite rotten leaves — will improve it. If
heavy, add sand. If very sandy, add salt
— about half a pint to fifty square feet.
If very black or rich from previous years'
manurings, use a little lime, about a pint,
slacked, to fifty square feet.

With March, in the Middle States, comes
the annual clearing up — the final dressing
over the grave of buried winter, and the
planting of it with spring flowers and green
things. The lawn is always the first con-
sideration, for the " strip of green grass "
is often the vivifying germ which warms
the citizen's heart into active love for coun-
try life. Much as the lawn plays a part in
English gardening, it is of much more
account with us. Our heats render the grass
particularly refreshing. Our droughts are some-
what against our great success — but the charm

(i(>

THE GARDENERS' MONTHLY

[March,

of having it, makes every effort for its attain-
ment desirable.

It is well to. remember that good health is the
preservative of life, and that good, nourishing
food is the key to health. Healthy grass will keep
green in a dry time easier than weak grass. This
is why top dressings of rich fertilizing materials is
such an advantage to a lawn. Continual mowings,
though the essential practice in making a lawn
beautiful, weakens the grass, but the application of
good food helps it to recover. At one time the
mowings were left on the grass, to make a fertilizer,
as it was said. This is not considered good prac-
tice now. The shade from the dead grass weakens
the living grass in a considerable degree, though
not perhaps to the same extent that mowing does.

As this is the season for work, and not for long
essays, we may, perhaps, crowd in a few brief
hints from experience, especially as the reasons for
them have probably been often given in our pages.

Planting trees will require particular attention
now ; but do not be in a hurry the moment the
frost is out of the ground. Cold winds are very
hard on newly set out trees. Wait till they are
gone. Always shorten in a little the shoots of all
trees planted. They will grow the faster for it, and
are more certain to live. Evergreens should be
left to the last.

D'g garden soil only when the ground is warm
and dry. Do not be in a hurry, or you may get
behind. When a clot of earth will crush to powder
when you tread on it, it is time to dig — not before.

If perennial plants have stood three years in one
place, separate the stools, replacing one-third, and
give the balance to your neighbor, who has none.

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 other during the summer season.

The rule for pruning at transplanting is to cut in
proportion to apparent injury to roots. If not
much worse for removal, cut but little of the top
away. Properly pruned, a good gardener will not
not have the worst case of a badly dug tree to die
under his hands. In nurseries where these matters
are well understood, trees " never die."

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 thaw
goes away. It makes all smooth and'level.

Hyacinths, tuhps, lihums, and other hardy
bulbs set out in the fall, and covered through the
winter, should be occasionally examined, and

when they show signs of active growth, must be
uncovered ; in this latitude this is not safe until
towards the end of the month.

COMMUNICATIONS.

VICTORIA REGIA IN THE OPEN AIR.

BY E. D. STURTEVANT, BORDENTOWN, N. J.

In response to your request for an account of my
manner of flowering the Victoria regia in the open
air, I will say first that I have never claimed that I
started the plant otherwise than in heat under glass.

My tank is 20x30 feet and i 5 inches deep, built
of brick and cement. In the center is a pit 4 feet
square and 2 feet deeper than the main tank.
This pit is filled with a very rich mixture of loam
and stable manure. The tank is situated only a
few feet from a greenhouse. Two four-inch hot
water pipes (flow and return), are extended from
those within the greenhouse to the tank outside,
reaching a foot or two inside the wall, and left en-
tirely open at the ends. When heat is required in
the tank a fire is kept up in the greenhouse boiler,
and the circulation of the water between boiler and
tank, maintains the desired temperature. Some
might think that water thus heated, coming from
the inside of a boiler, and passing through rusty
pipes, would be injurious to the plants growing in
it. But their perfect health and rapid growth tes-
tify to the contrary. Perhaps, Mr. Editor, you
can tell us why it is so. My theory is that the ex-
posure of the water to bright sunshine and air, and
the absorption of impurities by aquatic plants
themselves through the under surface of their
leaves, counteracts any bad effects of this manner
of heating. This plan is not to be recommended
in growing the Victoria under glass. Of course it
is desirable to have the plant started early in order
to insure early bloom. I place the seed in water
kept steadily at a temperature of 85°, being care-
ful always to keep the water sweet and pure. I
find considerable difficulty in getting the seed to
germinate. In January, 1882, one started but
after growing awhile was lost. No more germi-
nated, until April 25th, when one was discovered.
This plant was carefully tended and shifted on
until the loth of June, when it was planted in the
open air tank and the heat turned on. It then had
leaves only five inches in diameter, but soon began
to grow rapidly. After being well established it
sent up a new leaf every three and one-half to five
days, each being six inches more in diameter than
the one preceding it. In August they reached a
diameter of six feet (exclusive of the perpendicular

1883.]

AND HORTICULTURIST.

67

rim, which was two inches high), and filled the
tank from end to end, crowding upon the side
walls, for the tank was too narrow to allow the
plant to spread properly.

The first flower bud was discovered in the crown
of the plant on the 21st of August. This opened
on the evening of the 3d of September, and pro-
duced a flower twelve inches across, and so power-
ful was the fragrance that it could be perceived
several rods distant. During the hottest weather
of summer no artificial heat whatever was given to
the plant, but during September and October, a
fire was kept up. A fresh flower was produced
every three or four days. As cool nights came on
it became more difficult for the buds to expand.
The last days of October were quite warm for the
season. On the first day of November a fine bud
(with the help of loosening a few of the petals,
which stuck together at their points), expanded
into as large and perfect a flower as any preceding
it. About the same time a quantity of perfectly
ripened seed was gathered, being the product of
the first flower which opened.

The plant was then allowed to perish. At this
writing (January i6th), I have a young plant
started and hope to flower the " Queen Lily " much
earlier next summer than I did last. I have been
informed that a gentleman residing near Boston,
once spent ^9,000 in growing this famous plant
under glass. I am confident that if it were more
generally known with what little trouble and at
what comparatively small expense it can be grown
in perfection in the open air, its culture would be-
come more common.

For my own part I consider myself amply re-
paid for my trouble in the results obtained. A
gentleman in Georgia writes me that he grew the
Victoria to great perfection of leaf, flower and
ripened seed in a carp pond last summer, first
having a strong plant to start with.

SUMMER ROSE CULTURE.
BY C. E. PARNELL, QUEENS, L. I.

In the Gardeners' Monthly for August, 1882,
page 231, Miss M. W. says: "I have some fifty
roses, many of them choice varieties, mostly month-
lies, and I would like to so manage them as not to
lose one, which if I do will be contrary to my past
experience. They grow and bloom well nearly all
the summer, yet I think there must be some fault
in potting in the fall, as many die during the win-
ter and some after they are brought up from the
cellar in the spring."

I infer from the above query that the roses are
intended for summer and autumn blooming, and
if their growth is vigorous I would, ask why take
them up at all ; why not protect them well during
the wintei season and thus obtain larger and
stronger plants, and more abundant bloom ?

In order to protect tender roses properly during
the winter season, they should be pegged down to
the ground as close as possible, and covered up
with six or eight inches of leaves or rough litter ;
over this place some evergreen branches, in order
to prevent the leaves from being blown away.
This covering should not be applied too early, not
until hard freezing weather sets in, say from De-
cember 1st to 8th. In this latitude it is soon
enough, for if the covering is applied sooner the
shoots may be smothered and destroyed by decay,
a certain result of too early covering. In the
spring this covering must be gradually removed,
a portion about the middle or end of March, and
the remainder about the loth of April, according
to the season. If the roses are well established
and are strong healthy plants, they will survive the
winter, and if Miss M. W. will adopt this method
she will obtain more satisfactory results than by
taking the plants up and potting them. I hope
she will try this plan and report the result.

SUMMER FLOWERING VINES.
BY MR. A. THORPE, WASHINGTON, D. C.

Noticing an article by Mr. Parnell on Ipomaea
Learii being valuable as an out-door summer flow-
ering climber, I thought that mentioning a few
others which like I. Learii are grown in England,
as stove and greenhouse climbers, but whose mis-
sion in this country is to embellish our rural and
city gardens with their beautiful foliage and lovely
flowers, might interest some of your readers, as 1
believe they are not generally known. I refer to
the following :

Ipomcea insis^nis. — This species has purplish,
rose-colored flowers, which are produced abun-
dantly ; the leaves are five-lobed, the buds before
opening resembling a small bunch of grapes ; has
tuberous roots, and propagates freely from cut-
tings made at a joint ; when touched by frost can
be cut back and kept dormant during the winter
months in a cellar or greenhouse.

Ipomcea Horsfallia. — This beautiful species is
very similar in appearance to the preceding, with
this difference, that the leaves and buds have a
bright glossy look as if varnished, and the flowers
are a fine crimson ; is also very hard to propagate

68

THE GARDENERS' MONTHLY

[March,

from cuttings, but unites readily grafted on its own
tubers or those of I. insignis ; can be wintered over
in the same manner.

Ipomaa Michauxii. — Another tuberous rooted
species, has beautiful satin rose colored flowers,
which are produced in great quantity ; very hand-
some foliage ; propagates freely from cuttings ;
would ripen seed in the Southern States, and can
be wintered over like the two preceding varieties.

Ipomcza gratidiflora. — (The Queen of the
Night. ) It is a native of the East Indies ; is called
by the Hindoos the Moon flower, and is as much
admired by them as is the sunflower by Oscar
Wilde and his disciples. Too much can hardly
be said in praise of this grand Ipomasa ; it will
without doubt cover more space and produce more
flowers than any other summer flowering climber ;
it is a gross feeder, and a barrowful of well rotted
manure is not too much for it ; it can be planted
with the finest effect in a great many positions,
summer houses, verandas, fences, outhouses, etc.,
which are improved by a covering of its cool,
green foliage, and large white deliciously-scented
flowers. It is not uncommon in Washington to
see it covering a three-story front, run up on wire
or stout string. This and I. Learii are first-rate
varieties for florists to handle, as they both strike
as easy as coleus from single eyes and can be win-
tered over in two-inch pots in a temperature of
55° or 60°.

Stigmaphyllon ciliatuin—Uas beautiful yellow
flowers, resembhng an Oncidium, from which it
derives its popular name of the Butterfly Vine. The
leaves are fringed with hairs and are a bronzy
green color ; is tuberous rooted and can be wintered
over like the tuberous rooted Ipomeeas ; propagates
freely from cuttings.

Antigonen leptopus~\iz.s beautiful racemes of
rose-colored flowers borne on the end of the young
shoots, is tuberous rooted andean be wintered over
like preceding ; propagates freely from cuttings.

Manettia cordifo/ia.— Bright scarlet tube-shaped
flowers ; small dark green leaves, which are almost
hid by its multitude of flowers ; does splendid on
low fences, trellis, balloons, &c. ; propagated easily
from root cuttings.

Clitoria ccerulea. — Fine blue pea shaped flowers;
free flowering ; of medium growth ; has a fine
effect on a fence. There is also a white flowering
variety, C. alba, which is good, but not so showy
as its blue brother ; are chiefly got up from seed,
which they produce freely.

All the vines named like good rich soil and a
warm sunny situation.

SINGLE DAHLIAS.

BY GEO. S. WALES, ROCHESTER, N. Y.

The Single Dahlia seems to rage in London, and
it looks as though we should have a pretty severe
attack here. I flowered them last season for the
first time. They were very satisfactory, although
there were several impediments to the best results ;
viz., I sowed my seed late, and the exceedingly
dry fall was not at ,all favorable to free or fine
flowering. They are as easily grown as the petu-
nia. Seed was sown in April (it should have been
done March ist) in box in greenhouse, transplanted
into two and a-half inch pots, shifted into four-inch,
and planted out of doors. They grew very fast,
and most of them made very bushy plants three
feet high. I was surprised to find such large tu-
bers ; some had burst asunder the four-inch pots.
Although my seeds were started in the greenhouse,
would recommend using the cool ends. They
might be easily started in the window box in the
house, and when transplanted put into a cold
frame until weather suitable for planting out should
come. Some that were kept in pots were brought
into the greenhouse and continued a long time in
bloom, being much admired ; if intended for house-
blooming, which I think is the most advantageous
way of using them, would advise growing them in
six or seven-inch pots, plunged during the sum-
mer. They did not bloom profusely with me, but
were full of buds, and undoubtedly, had the
weather been more favorable, they would have
been covered with flowers. The colors were white,
scarlet, dark red, orange and terra cotta shades.

NOTES ON FLOWER GARDENING.

BY J. B., FREDERICTON, N. B.

Several of your correspondents protest against
the present system of bedding out tender exotic
plants, &c., in several recent numbers of the
Gardener's Monthly ; also in Harper's Maga-
zine oi March, page 517. The writer says (hav-
ing reference to the material used at present) :
" Yet even these, beautiful as they are in their
prime, make for half the summer a colorless, disa-
greeable blot on the lawn. Planted in June, they
rarely cover the ground until August, and for the
intervening time the bed in which they are planted
is a mass of almost naked earth. Before the mid-
dle of October they succumb to the frost, and
for eight months more they do nothing to hide the
bare earth in which they are .planted. Eight
months of ugliness is too high a price to pay for

1883.

AND HORTICULTURIST.

69

two months of beauty. Yet these bedding plants
have become the fashion, and fashion is uncom-
promising in its demands. The gardeners natu-
rally encourage people to buy them, because they
bring a good price, and are easily propagated.
Thus the C9ntinued useof e.xotic plants for bedding
is likely to increase rather than diminish, unless
the taste is subjected to rigorous criticism. The
only remedy is for men and women of true taste
to insist on a better example on their own prem-
ises and among their friends. They should not
inveigh against color, but should persistently de-
mand from their gardeners permanent plants of
color which would be beautiful for a large part or
for the whole of the year." The writer gives a num-
ber of names which he suggests — dwarf ever-
greens, vines, &c., less perishable, would be very
good and more permanent.

I have no desire to criticise his good article, but
would like to reason or make some little inquiries.
The gardeners are not to blame, surely, for en-
couraging people to buy what they have raised to
sell ; for what business man does not encourage
the sale of his merchandise ? But that the fashion
must be followed under all circumstances is
certainly folly. There is no law, either in Canada
or the United States, to prohibit ladies or gentle-
men from planting their own pleasure ground or
garden as their means and taste direct. This would
be common sense. In one of our local papers the
editor quotes from a Paris paper, which will illus-
trate my meaning. Each leading dressmaker of
Paris makes dresses according to his or her own
fancy, and if possible different from all others.
Hence the variety in styles. Those who wish
may apply this to gardening. As between ladies'
fashions and flower garden fashions, I think the
former are the neatest. So with reference to the
present style of flower gardening, it is neat, rather
than gaudy — a modest style. There is the Golden
Dwarf Feather, which stands the winter here 30^
to 40^ below zero. Also the Golden Thyme Sage
variegata will stand out from the middle of May
to November. The dwarf variegated grass — Poa
rivalis variegata does well for sections ; it stands
out here until November, as do several kinds of
Dusty Millers. These are used in quantity in the
present style with pansies. The various kinds of
Echeverias may be planted out here from the mid-
dle of May to the latter end of October, are easy
to winter propagate, make pretty patterns with
other things of dsvarf kinds. These, with others,
are hardy enough and make the season quite as
long as the flower garden is appreciated. Of course

there are the Coleus, Canna, Alternanthera, Gera-
niums, &c., which are bedded out in quantity,
though not in their beauty, all through the season.
But from my own experience inLedding out some
of the dwarf Retinosporas enumerated in Harper s
Magazine for bedding do not give satisfaction
here. They are slow in growth. They may do
better with you. As to these hardy herbaceous
plants being recommended for general cultivation,
I think that day is past. There seems to be a
craving in human nature for that which we have
not. Rarities, new forms and colors and exotics
are more appreciated than those hardy thino-s.
But all are good in their place. Every garden of
any extent should have aspiring double Holly-
hocks, improved perennial Phloxes, tall, hardy or-
namental trees, lilies, roses and early spring bulbs,
as one of your correspondents mentions. In con-
clusion, I think the gardeners do not fear our
friend's rigorous criticism in reference to easy-got
money. In my very small way of selling, I aim
to raise what the people want, tender or hardy.
When the people cease to want these tender plants
the gardeners will soon stop raising them. My
experience in selling generally has been that those
who buy in any quantity want to spend as little as
possible. Th'ey all would like a very nice, neat,
well-kept garden. But their means are often an
obstacle in the way, so that the garden must be
furnished as a matter of course each year. But it
is not so much quality as quantity with most that
have to buy. Coleuses look showy, and we can
sell them cheap. Such has been my experience
with the sale of material for the flower garden.
Those who are able to keep gardeners do things in
a different way.

[The improvement of style in flower gardening
is a very interesting topic, and our correspondent's
views will attract the attention which they deserve.
There is much to be said both for and against the
present favorite massing system, and for the her-
baceous plants, permanent vines and shrubs and
other methods of adorning grounds. But we must
not forget that the human mind loves variety and
change, and some will be perfectly willing to have
flower beds bare for months if the result is some-
thing unique which they have not seen before in
the other half.— Ed. G. M.]

EDITORIAL NOTES.

Two P'iNE New Bedding Plants. — Mr. H. A.
Dreer sends us two new plants, Coleus "Progress,"
and "Gynura aurantiaca." The latter has been

70

THE GARDENERS' MONTHLY

[March,

well praised in Europe as a bedding plant, and
from the looks of this specimen we think it well
deserves all the good things said of it in the old
world.

Rosa polvantha. — The chapter on this rose
by our correspondent from Louisville, Mr. E. Hib-
bard, has been translated into French, and appears
in the January number of the Joiir7ial des Roses.

Clearing Wkeds from Walks. ^Salt is sotne-
times applied to gravel walks and roads in a liquid
state, or in the form of strong brine used quite hot,
or as near the boiling point as possible. This is
said to be very eftectual in preventing the growth
of weeds. Sundry other solutions are also recom-
mended for the purpose. But I know of nothing
more effectual than a liberal dressing of dry salt,
sufficient to whiten the entire surface of the gravel.
A slight sprinkling is of little use, and may even
increase rather than diminish the evil which it is
intended to cure. In applying such a dressing as
has just been recommended, it is, of course, neces-
sary to exercise caution, in order to prevent the
salt coming in contact with the grass, box, or
other plants, which may form an edging to the
road or walk operated on. In my garden last year
some walks which were salted early m the season
have been free from weeds all summer. — Garden-
ing Illustrated.

The Derby Arboretlm. — This beautiful plot
of eleven acres, given some forty years ago to the
city as a public park, by a citizen named Strutt,
and laid out in arboretum style by J. C. Loudon,
the distinguished landscape gardener of that
day, has recently been opened freely to the
public amidst the universal rejoicings of the
citizens of Derby. Mr. Strutt willed that the
ground should be given on condition that it should
be open free on Sundays, that the working people
of the w^eek might enjoy it on that day, and as
often in the week as the funds would permit. Only
now has the corporation been able to carry out
the wish of the founder, and make a free park
every day in the year.

It may be noted as showing the greater wealth
of arborescent plants adapted to American garden-
ing over those in England, that though every effort
was made to put in the Derby arboretum every
ligneous plant that would thrive in Britain — two
plants of each kind — the number of species and
marked varieties was only 401 — 802 plants in all.
While at the American Centennial, 750 species and
marked varieties from the Germantown nurseries
were on exhibition, and 1,000 had been prepared

ready to ship to Paris for that exposition, had not
the strict " letter of the law " been invoked by
Senator Krantz, the Director, who could not think
it proper to treat with an American citizen directly,
instead of through the government, for space
wherein to plant them.

Rose Jean Ll\bai'D. — In correcting proof of
a correspondent's article, we were taken to task
for changing the n for a u. We now note from
the Jou}~nal des Roses that the name is as we
guessed — Liabaud, not Liaband.

The Mist Tree. — This is commonly known by
this name, though sometimes as Green Fringe,
but in England the common name is Wig-tree.
Botanically it is Rhus cotinus.

Cactus Hedges. — These are becoming popular
in Texas.

Hedges of Conifer.e. — In America we have
learned that any kind of coniferous plant makes a
good evergreen hedge if trained in a coniferous
style. Hedges of Scotch pine, white pine, Nor-
way spruce, hemlock spruce, red cedar and arbor
vitae are not uncommon. There are, however, a
few of the rarer kinds not yet come into use
which would add much to the pleasure of our
present variety of these. The London Journal
of Horticulture says of the Californian arbor vitas :

" There are few if any conifers that will form a
more beautiful hedge than Thuja gigantea, usually
sold under the name of T. Lobbi. It is hardy,
retains its bright green color throughout the winter,
and is close yet elegant in appearance. T. occi-
dentalis is cheaper and makes a good hedge, but in
light soils is apt to get thin at the base. We have
seen ornamental hedges of the Cedrus deodara,
Abies excelsa and Cupressus Xootka^nsis (often sold
as Thujopsis borealis), and good, compact fences
of Cupressus Lawsoniana ; but the firmest, closest
and most durable of conifer hedges are those of
the yew, but it is of somewhat slower growth than
most of the other trees named, and its dark color
may not suit your taste. In planting to form
hedges young trees should be inserted from one to
two feet apart according to their size, the ground
being trenched and manured to promote free
■ growth."

It mav, however, be remarked that here in Phil-
adelphia, Thuja gigantea is of a yellowish green in
winter, as well as the Thuja occidentalis, the
common arbor vita% though it is more shining
and vigorous than the common form. The Law-
son cypress, and Californian white cedar (Liboce-
drus decurrens), are the brightest green in winter
that we have. The yellow cedar (Cupressus
Xootkaensis), makes a dense hedge, but that has
a vellowish cast in the winter time.

1883.]

AND HORTICULTURIST.

71

Greenhouse and House Gardening.

COMMUNICATIONS.

FLOWERS IN NORTH WINDOWS.
BV MRS. R. B. EDSON.

" How do you manage to keep your north win-
dows full of flowers all winter ?" was asked of the
writer not long since. While claiming nothing
original or unusual in the management — for there
is a certain "management" about it — it might per-
haps be of service to some unfortunate believer in
the no-flowers-in-a-north-window theory, to give in
the Monthly the reply given to the above ques-
tion.

The windows above referred to are two long
windows reaching to the floor, and facing north-
east. To begin with early October, fuchsias, tu-
berous-rooted begonias, salvias and carnations.
All but the last flower quite as well, and last much
longer in full beauty than if exposed to full sun-
shine.

Chrysanthemums are by this time showing
color. By first bringing in the most advanced
ones, and following them up by later sorts, Christ-
mas is reached with but little diminution of attrac-
tiveness. Like most other flowers, they remain in
perfection three times as long as when in full
sunlight.

During this time the geraniums are kept in a
south window. A chamber where it does not get
cold enough to freeze is a good place, or any south
or southeast exposure, where they can get the
benefit of the sunshine three or four hours daily.
They will soon be full of buds, and as soon as they
begin to open they are placed at these north win-
dows, and go on blossoming as if nothing had
happened. The trusses average a full month
without fading, and the individual flowers are
much larger than if bloomed in a south window.
By a little care in changing them occasionally,
giving each their turn in the south windows, there
is no difficulty about having an abundance of ge-
raniums in perfection in north windows till May.
Of course these plants are not old ones that have
flowered all summer, and become axhausted, but
young plants, rooted in the spring — or at the
latest in August — and specially grown for the pur-
pose by being kept in pots and the buds rubbed off
through the summer.

Chinese primroses and oxalis also bloom finely
in a northern exposure, and these need no prelim-
inary preparation. I had in October some young
plants of Salvia splendens, which came up from
self-sown seed. Some of them have been in
flower ever since, and still are at this writing, Jan-
uary 18, and one has not yet bloomed but is full
of buds. They are kept in the north windows
continually. Among annuals, Nicotiana suaveo-
lens succeeds admirably. Given the same treat-
ment as geraniums, it will go on flowering for three
months without a ray of sunshine. I am trying
for the first time this winter, the Calendula, or
double pot marigold, treating them as I do the
Nicotiana. They are marvels of luxuriant growth,
well filled with buds, and just now coming into
flower finely. For green and white foliaged
plants, I find Geranium Happy Thought, and
Coleus Retta Kirkpatrick — this last for the upper
shelf — the best and most showy for small plants.
For large plants, Palms, Ficus elastica, Cyperus
variegata and Aspidistra variegata are all well-
known, admirable sorts, beside a host of others. I
only intended, however, to speak of flowering
plants in this brief note.

NOTES BY THE WAY.
BY WILLIAM F.\LCONER.

Pteris iremula. — Hardy and wild in Connecticut!
Where? (See page 3.)

Euonymus radicans. — You have, more than
once, called attention to the usefulness of this
evergreen for covering walls. We have it here,
and I like it much for covering boulders in the
rockery and the like ; but with us, at any rate, it
does not grow enough for an effectual wall vine.
It is quite hardy and a pretty evergreen.

Steam Heating in England. — In conversation
with several practical horticulturists in England, a
month or two ago, I found they had a strong pre-
judice against heating greenhouses by steam. They
were not at all surprised that the method gave sat-
isfaction in America and was being adopted to a
considerable extent by our florists ! Don't be too
egotistical, John, American florists may know quite
as much as you give them credit for.

The Lime Kiln System of Heating.— Yes, just

72

THE GARDENERS' MONTHLY

[March,

think of it to-day and what it was ten years ago !
We remember that system at the Marquis of Sahs-
bury's, at Hatfield, and at the Glasgow nurseries,
and elsewhere in the kingdom, and the furor it
created at that time, and the cry that went up
throughout the land regarding its efficiency and
economy ! But where is it to-day ? As Mr. Bullen,
the curator of the Glasgow Botanic Garden, said
to me : " It went up like a rocket but came down
like a brick."

Pharbitis Leari. — Seeds cost about one cent
each and you can get them from our leading seeds-
men. They germinate readily and the plants grow
vigorously, indeed there is nothing delicate about
them beyond their being tender. Started early
and planted out in rich soil and an open exposure,
it blossoms freely the first season. Like most of
the rampant morning glories it grows too much for
my taste for greenhouse work. Indoors it is a
bait for red spiders and mealy bugs ; it requires
daily hosings to keep it clean.

Chrysatxthemums. — You refer, page lo, to the fine
show of chrysanthemums in the Fairmount Park.
So far as individual blossoms are concerned, I have
seen nothing in this country to equal some that I
saw in England last November, when the chrys-
anthemums were in their glory, but when it comes
to handsome specimen plants, and lots of blossoms
on a plant, you need not go to London, but instead
drop into Horticultural Hall, at Boston, on
" Chrysanthemum Day," and I think you will agree
with me that Walcott, Woods, and Clark show
finer plants than you can see at English shows.

Seedling ChrysaiitJiemiims. — In addition to the
seedlings raised and bloomed in 1881 by my neigh-
bor Dr. Walcott, he raised and bloomed a great
many more last year {1882), and from seeds saved
by himself from his own plants in 1881. Some of
these seedlings are of good merit, especially two
named President Parkman and President Wilder,
and for which the Massachusetts Horticultural
Society has awarded him a silver rhedal. Another
he calls "C. M. Hovey," is also a good flower.

The Chrysanthemum, ever since its introduction
into Europe, has been a favorite in cottage as well
as pretentious gardens, because it blossoms so
copiously in late fall ; sometimes a severe nip of
frost mars it in its early bloom, but again, in mild
seasons, its duration extends into November.
Apart from the ordinary section commonly grown
as pot plants, there are varieties of C. Indicum
nanum remarkable for their early blooming, com-
ing into blossom as they do in August and contin-

uing in beauty till their stronger relatives begin to
flower. Friend Burbidge has just written a book
on the'Chrysanthemum ; Mr. Robinson, of the Gar-
den will publish it.

HOT WATER AND STEAM HEATING.
I;Y WALTER KLDER.

In reply to the inquiries of your correspondent,
E. Holley, I may state: ist. The number of
radiating [pipes required to heat his plant-house
100x20 feet will depend on its situation, the work-
manship and material in its construction, and the
free flow of the pipes. 2d. The greater surface
a heated body exposes to a cold atmosphere, the
more heat it gives out. Many pipes emit more
heat than few ; so that the bore of the pipes as a
whole equal each other ; smaller pipes are more
economical. 3d. The ascent and descent should
be as gentle as possible. 4th. Hot water is safer
and as cheap. W^here gentle heat is needed the
water is not allowed to boil, but to make steam it
must boil; 212- Fahrenheit boils water. Plants
could not live in that, but the steam carries off the
heat to the colder parts of the house. There is
danger from explosion by steam, but there are
safety valves for both hot water and steam systems
to prevent this danger.

For forcing cut flowers, and propagation of trop-
ical plants in winter, steam heating and many
small pipes are best. Either hot water or steam is
preferable to drying brick flues.

They both will maintain a good heat from 10
P.M. to 7 A. M., but if the temperature outside falls
greatly through the night, or a fierce frosty wind
strikes against the house and sweeps over it, the
temperature inside the house will surely lower.
Much depends on a careful fireman and the kind
of fuel he uses.

The cheapest and safest plan with the iron pipes
js to let the furnishers put the whole up and strictly
follow their directions in the future management.

All the boilers advertised in the Monthly are
great improvements on those of long ago. It is
about fifty years since I first saw both hot water
and steam heating used in planthouses, and forc-
ing pit frames for pineapples, in North Europe.

The larger the boiler surface exposed to fire, the
more heat it takes in, and the flow of the heat goes
faster and farther, either by water or steam. In
that there is a large economy in fuel.

[These general hints will be found very useful
to the novice,°but we may remind the reader that
though the question has been often asked in our

1883.]

AND HORTICULTURIST.

73

columns, no one has answered why hot water pipes
must be made to ascend. Hot water as well as
cold will travel faster going down hill. Ed. CM.]

MARECHAL NIEL ROSES UNDER GLASS.
BV \V. F. MASSEV, TOWSONTOWN, MD.

We have here a house 16x75 ^^^^> which is used
as a Marechal Niel rose-house. This house is
span-roofed, and contains five plants, two of which
will have to come out in the spring, as they are
getting too much crowded. These vines are
planted in one line through the center of the house,
and are both budded and on their own roots as
follows : Plant No. i is worked on Noisette,
Madame Longchamps. No. 2 is on its own roots,
as also is plant No. 3. No. 4 is worked on a
free-growing pink Noisette, name unknown. No.
5 is worked on Solfaterre. As this house has
become noted hereabouts for its production of
buds, it may be of general interest to note the
difference in these plants. No. i is at the
southwest end of the house (which runs north-
east and southwest), and in winter is shaded by
the brick gable end of the house more than the
others. It has made strongest growth of any, and
produces more bloom than any two of the others,
but seldom gives as many buds at Christinas, on
account of its position in reference to the sun at
that season, though its eastern bloom is usually
magnificent. Nos. 2 and 3 have made a fair
but moderate growth, but nevertheless are the
most unproductive plants in the house. No. 4
has grown splendidly, and next to No. i is the
most productive of all. This is our Christmas
plant. No. 5 has grown enormously, and though
in the most favorable position in the house has as
yet proved rather unproductive in comparison
with the other budded plants. These roses are
now in their eighth winter, and the stems of Nos.
I and 5 measure in circumference over twelve
inches each. I have never kept any account of
the number of buds cut in a season, but have on
more than one occasion cut 250 buds at one cut-
ting, nine-tenths of which were from the three
budded plants. Just now I am in a quandary.
The house is too full of wood, and some of the
plants must be removed. A gentleman in this
neighborhood, of large experience, prophesies that
my budded plants will eventually die from decay
at the point of insertion of the bud stock. There
is, in fact, some bursting of bark and slight decay
at this point. The plants at the extreme ends of
the house (Nos. i and 5) would fill the house in

one summer if all the others are removed, but be-
fore removing any I would like to hear the expe-
rience of others with budded roses under glass, as
to their permanency. My practice with these roses
has been to rerpove the glass from over them in
May and let them grow unchecked during the
summer.

The sashes are replaced in October and the
plants pruned. At this Autumn pruning I try to
preserve a full supply of strong, well-ripened canes
of the summer's growth, and prune out the weak
growths and the old stunted stubs. These long
canes will, if well ripened, soon be strung -with
buds on short side shoots. These are the buds for
Christmas and midwinter. After this crop is about
over, I go over the plants again, and spur in the
shoots that have bloomed close to the cane. This
usually gives me an abundant bloom for Easter,
and on till the glass comes off again. Many
critics say I prune too much, but with me "the
proof of the pudding is the eating of it." I get as
large crops of buds as any one I know of, and am
perfectly satisfied with the pruning. Your corres-
pondent, on page 360 of December number, says
the plants on their own roots will decay, though
mine show no signs of it. Now which am I to
remove, the budded plants or those on their own
roots ?

HEATING A SMALL PLANT HOUSE.
i;V R. W. DAWSON, LITTLE ROCK, ARK.

1 see by the January number that Miss W., of
Quaker Hill, N. Y., makes inquiries about heating
a small plant room or greenhouse. I have a green-
house 11x24, that I have kept warm all winter so
far, with oil stoves, and I have no trouble in keeping
heat anywhere from 50° at night to 80^ in the
daytime. I use two oil stoves. Each has two
four-inch wicks, and so far I have used about one
gallon of oil for each stove every twenty-four
hours. I have the stoves on the ground, under
the bench, fastened by wire to the bottom of the
bench. I have common stove pipe, which runs
the full length of one side, and across the end,,
and one-third the way down the other side. Then
it runs up, and out at the top of the house. I
have a common elbow where the pipe coinmenced,
and under that I set one stove, and two-thirds the
length further down (or 16 feet from the first) I
have what the tinners call a T elbow, that is an
elbow in the shape of the letter T. So that the
'. pipe connects all the way. The piping is up high
enough, so that I can take stoves from under the

74

THE GARDENERS' MONTHLY

[March,

pipes and trim and fill them, and the cold air
passes up into the pipe, and so keeps the green-
house in a nice even temperature. I have gera-
niums, pinks, fuchsias, hibiscus, heliotropes, ver-
benas, tuberoses and other plants in bloom, and
everything seems to be doing well, so that by
spring I shall have more than the house full. The
thermometer outside has been down to 10° above
zero two or three times this winter, yet I have kept
the greenhouse with only the two stoves, so that
the heat has never been lower than 48^^ at any
time. For a small greenhouse, I think the oil
stoves are just the things in connection with stove-
pipe.

By the way, I like the Gardeners' Monthly
very much, and shall soon send for some of the
books your publisher has for sale, as I want every-
thing that talks and teaches about flowers. I
think some of them almost talk. Pansies seem to
laugh every time you look at them.

CULTIVATION OF STRELITZIA REGINA.
BY CHARLES E. PARNELL.

In the Gardeners' Monthly for May, 1882,
page 141, H. G. C. asks for information concern-
ing the Strelitzia regina.

In reply I would say that the Strelitzia regina be-
longs to the natural order Musaceae, and that it is
a native of the Cape of Good Hope, from whence
it was introduced in 1773.

It is a plant of tropical appearance, having long
oval leaves produced on leaf stalks from three to
five feet in length, while the singular flowers are
produced on stout erect flower stalks which are
somewhat longer than those of the leai stalks.

Each stalk produces four or five splendid large
flowers which open in succession from a curious
horizontal spathe-like bract, and stand up like a
crest of purple and gold, the lanceolate shaped
sepals being from three to four inches in length
and of a rich orange yellow color, while inside of
them are the three hastate upright light blue
petals which enclose the stamens and style, the
whole forming a peculiar and singularly attractive
flower.

The Strelitzia is a plant of easy culture, requir-
ing during the winter season a ' temperature of
from 55° to 60^, a compost of two parts turfy
loam and one part well rotted stable manure, give
good drainage, and at all times an abundance of
pot room for its thick fleshy roots. When grow-
ing water freely, but when in a dormant state do
not supply quite so much, yet it must be kept moist

at all times, and an occasional watering of liquid
manure water is beneficial. During the summer
season the plant should be placed or plunged in a
sunny situation, care being taken as to watering.
Propagation is effected by division of the plant.
This should be done very carefully in order not to
injure the thick fleshy roots, and when re-potting
take care of the roots, for if they become injured
they are liable to decay and thus materially injure
the growth of the plant.

AIDING THE DRAFT OF FLUES.

BY E. S., EMPORIA, KANSAS.

I am just a beginner in the florist's work and
have many things to learn yet. I may stumble on
something that may be of use to others and it is
no more than right I should make it known.

During the last ten days we have had cold,
damp, disagreeable weather. At the commence^
ment of this kind of weather, my furnace refused
to draw, and consequently the pipes used to heat
the greenhouse remained cold. I asked every one
whom I thought ought to know what the matter
was, and for a remedy I got plenty of solutions
with remedies, most of which I tried with no suc-
cess. At last I thought of the manner of starting
up a sluggish fire we used to practice in the an-
thracite coal regions of Pennsylvania, viz., to throw
cold water on the burning coals'. This I did by
putting about a quart of water in a manilla paper
sack and tying it, then tossing it into the fire, clos-
ing the furnace door quick, and in an instant it ex-
ploded, clearing the furnace and pipes of the ac-
cumulated gas, and in twenty-five minutes the
pipes, which had been cold for thirty-six hours,
were hot, and the furnace stopped smoking at once.
I have tried this four times during the past ten
days with the same effect each time, and while the
wind was in different directions, so now my pipes,
which are cement drain tiles, heat as well or better
than they did the first day I made a fire. Should
any one who uses soft coal experience like difficul-
ties with myself, I am sure a trial of my experi-
ment will prove satisfactory.

[This appears to be one of the many valuable
discoveries which, after being made, one wonders
was never thought of before. Every one knows
by this time light air ascends because a heavier
column of cold air forces it upwards. Light air goes
upwards in the same manner as a stick in water is
forced to the surface. Gravitation draws down the
heavier water and the lighter stick has to go up.
When we light a fire for the first time in a damp or

5-]

AND HORTICULTURIST.

75

cold chimney, all the heat the little fire makes is
absorbed by the neighboring bricks, and there
is very little warm air left for the heavy column of
cold air in the chimney to force up. In fact it
presses down on the fire and rather forces the
draft out of the furnace door than upward. The
expansive power of a little steam would therefore
most likely force the column of cold air onward
and the weak amount of heat from the fire would
naturally follow. — Ed. G. M.]

A PRODUCTIVE ROSE.
BY JAMES W. DOHERTV, NEWPORT, R. I.

The following are the number of roses I have
cut from one Marechal Niel rose-bush in one year :

Oct. 28 137

Nov. 4 mi

" 6 50

" 11 320

" 19 130

Dec.

1....

2...
24....
31....

Jan. 12.
" 13.
" 14.
" 21.
" 28.

974

~28

.30

a5

38
129

46

403

Feb. 4.
" 11.
" 18.

March 18..

" 22..

" 2.5". .

30..

April 1 .

10.
12.
13.
1.5.
16.
21.
2.5.

May 7.
10.
18.
24

30.

. 250
. 255

. 95

600

. "Too

. 196
. .323
. 75

694

. "300
. 200
. 80
75
. 12
. 310
. 2:S0
. 152
. 33
. 30

1422

. ~50
. 25
. 2.5
. 30
. 25
. 130

285

June 1 12.5

7.
10.
11.
13.
14.
16.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
26.
27.
28.
29.
30.

July 1..

"" 2..

" 3..

" 4..

" 0..

" 7..

" 9..

" 10..

" 11...

" 12..

" 13..

" 14..

" 15..

" 16..

" 18..

" 19..

" 20..

" 21..

" 22..

" 23..

" 24..

" 2.5..

" 26..

" 27..

50
45
100
54
51
51
57
45
26
31
16
18
16
10

_730

6
6
5
10
18
7
6

10
18
18
15
19
19
18
5
20
19
10
18
20
5
44
21
30
50
52
87
66

622

Aug. 1.
" 2.
" 3!
" 4.

103

112

178

207 I

250!

213,

113

131

131 1

77

79

69

70

47

40

10

1,830

Sept. 10...
'• 13...

Oct.

4

5

18
30
21

118

45
23
63
50

30
33
45
43
31
14
19
29
31
10

519

Total 8,806

HEATING BY COAL OIL LAMPS.

BY N. BUSBY, BURLINGTON, N. J.

Having had a short but very satisfactory experi-
ence in the use of coal oil stoves for heating small
conservatories, I would have no hesitation in rec-

ommending them. I use mine at present more as
an auxiliary.

Having built an addition last year to my green-
house, and not wishing to go to the expense of en-
larging the flues, I procured a No. 3 Florence
stove, holding about three quarts, with three wicks,
and would not be without it. One night, with the
thermometer outside at 18^, I raised the tempera-
ture some 6^ in twenty minutes, and that in a house
12x30, glass on three sides. The heat is steady as
long as the fuel lasts. By actual test, with the
above mentioned supply, mine has burned fifteen
hours. I think seriously of putting one in my
fernery next fall. I think Miss W., of Quaker Hill,.
N. Y., would find one of these stoves the very
thing for the purpose she desires.

NOTES ON HOT WATER HEATING.
BY SAMUEL C. MOON, MORRISVILLE, PA.

"Get the water into an expansion tank at the
highest point as quickly as possible and let all the
pipes descend from that tank through their whole
length until they re-enter the boiler."

This is the substance of a remark once made by
an old experienced florist and boiler-maker of
Philadelphia, when conversing about greenhouse
boilers and hot water heating. Since then I have
acted upon the suggestion and put it to a practical
test, and am thoroughly convinced that it is the
most rational and effectual plan for heating green-
houses.

The circulation of water in pipes is caused by
the variation in the specific gravity of water as its
temperature varies. It is started and kept in
motion by the application of that at the lowest
point.

The warmest water always rises to the highest
accessible point, tending to create a vacuum in the
place whence it emanates, while cooling water is
continually settling towards the lowest point and
will enter the boiler by the lowest inlet, to replace
that which has arisen.

" Hot " and " cool " are only comparative terms
and we may say that the only " hot " water there
is about a greenhouse heater is in the top of the
boiler, because it commences to cool immediately
upon leaving it, therefore it should commence to
settle or flow down hill from that time. For this
reason the water should rise perpendicularly from
the top of the boiler into a capacious expansion
tank situated several feet above it, and then flow
down hill all the way around the houses until it re-
enters the boiler at its lowest part, having a reg-

!(>

THE GARDENERS' MONTHLY

[March,

ular descent throughout the entire length of from
six to ten inches in one hundred feet.

There is then no need of expansion tanks in
any other part of the arrangement.

Where the position of the boiler or the construc-
tion of the buildings will not admit of such an ar-
rangement, take the shortest practicable line to the
highest point accessible, and make the expansion
tank there. I am not prepared to say what the
elevation of the tank should be, but believe that
for large boilers it should be at least ten feet.

Heat is the disturbing influence that starts and
keeps the water in motion. The rapidity of circu-
lation (upon which depends the heating capacity
of the water), is governed by the amount of pres-
sure upon it and the intensity of the heat in the
furnace. Therefore it is necessary to have the ex-
pansion tank elevated considerably above the
pipes so that there will be a head of water exert-
ing a continual pressure on every part. A dis-
placement of water in any point is then quickly
felt throughout the whole system.

A gradual descent of pipe all the way around,
with as few bends and turns as possible is the sim-
plest plan that can be adopted, and will give the
most perfect and economical results ; however it is
possible to make an endless variety of digressions
from this rule, and still keep up a circulation
which will be more or less retarded by every varia-
tion from the direct course.

A pipe may vary from a straight line in any
way, provided there is a vent-hole for the escape
of air at every point where it changes from ascend-
ing to descending grade. It may have a grade of
ten inches in ten feet, or drop perpendicularly for
several feet, and then fall only a very few inches
in the next hundred feet, if necessary, but all such
irregularities should be avoided as far as possible.

It is a matter of the first importance that there
shall be no elevated points in which air can accu-
mulate, because water will not circulate freely
through pipes which contain air chambers.

There is always a considerable quantity of air in
water, some of which is expelled by heating. This
may be observed by standing a tumbler of water
in a warm place. In a short time small bubbles
of air will be seen on the inside of the glass which
gradually rise to the surface of the water and dis-
appear.

The air which is liberated from the water in a
boiler or its connections rises to the highest part
and flows on top of the water as long as it
can ascend, but it will not flow down hill. If
there is an opening at the highest accessible point

the air will escape, if not, it remains there occu-
pying space which should be filled with water.

Sometimes heaters which worked very well at
one time become deranged by the settling of a
pier or other disturbing cause, making a depression
in a pipe at one spot, thus forming a barrier to the
flow of air which wholly or partially checks the
circulation of water.

The remedy for such a defect is to straighten
the pipe so that the air can rise to some higher
point of escape or else drill it at the summit of
each undulation, and insert a stop-cock or other
arrangement which can be opened occasionally or
constantly for the escape of air.

There is, however, no necessity for vent-hole or
other opening throughout the whole system of
pipes if the expansion tank is at the highest point,
and all the pipes descend from it through their en-
tire circuit. In such an arrangement the air which
is liberated in any point can always ascend, and
will find its way up to the tank and escape there.

NEW OR RARE PLANTS.

New Double Bouvardias. — Messrs. Nanz &
Neuner send us flowers of two double scarlet bou-
vardias, one more double than the other, which
seem to be of the leiantha class. They are there-
fore very distinct from those heretofore raised, and
will probably add a new item of interest to these
very popular winter blooming flowers.

DiEFFENBACHiA AMCENA. — This is one of the
Arum-like family, now becoming so popular among
leaf plants. It is thus described by Mr. W. Bull,
the introducer: "An effective variety of this
showy race of Arads, obtained from the tropical
regions of South America. Its oblong acute leaves
are of a deep green, marked with very abundant
elongate blotches of white and pale yellow, which
are as well defined on the under as on the upper
surface. It is a very attractive plant, on account
of its bright and abundant maculation." (See cut

page -JT.)

^

SCRAPS AND QUERIES.

Steam Heating. — We shall have an illustrated
article in our next by Mr. C. F. Evans, of Phila-
delphia, on " Steam Heating," which will explain
very clearly much that mere letter press will not.

Growing Carnations.— The following letter
to a distinguished botanist has been handed to us
with the suggestion that the writer would perhaps

1883.]

AND HORTICULTURIST.

n

find a reply in our pages. We shall have much [ "What fire heat would you give carnations or
pleasure in replying to any further inquiries, should roses night and day, also what sun heat to pro-
duce cut flowers, esp'ec'ally in winter.

these not be cle.ir cnouirh

" Carrick, Pa. : 1 thought I would drop you a few i " What amount of moisture ought to be kept in
lines asking you[^if you would be kind enough to a greenhouse to grow the above ? When growing
give me the following information : | wood to produce flowers, also when flowering, or

^-

78

THE GARDENERS' MONTHLY

[March,

is it better to keep them flowering and growing
at the same time, as I have a hygrometer.

" Which will produce the most flowers, and the
quickest way ? By growing plants (when first put
in greenhouse) cold, and when they have formed
their buds pretty well, to force them with fire heat,
or to force them as soon as put in, until they have
formed their buds ; by having a moist atmosphere
and then flower them with a dry atmosphere ? For
I have noticed that I get more flowers of my plants
that are outside when a dry spell comes, but I
have never been able to find out those points, for
I either dry too much or not enough.

" Has there ever been such an instrument,
equally simple and efficient, as the thermometer,
with which we may ascertain the proportions of
its gaseous elements, so as to regulate the con-
stituents of an atmospheric volume as easily as
we can its heat ?

" Now the reason I ask you these questions is
this : I am a poor man and have started in the
flower business on a small scale. I never was able
to go and learn under some good man. I know
nothing about botany ; all I know I have studied
myself, and if you will please be so kind as to give
any or all the information you can I will be ever
so much obliged. From what I have heard of you,
you surely must know something about flowers,
and I hope to be able to compensate you in the
future should you do anything for me. For I
never want a man to do anything for me for noth-
ing. Perhaps you may know of some good books
that I can get on raising carnations, roses, violets,
hyacinths, and lily of the valley ; or is there any
books published on botany that would be of any
practical benefit ? Hoping you will do me all the

favor you can, and that you will please excuse my
inquisitiveness, as I am an entire stranger to you,
I close for the present, hoping to hear from you
soon and oblige."

[Winter blooming carnations do not like heat,
but desire all the sunlight they can possibly re-
ceive. Nor do they like a moist atmosphere.
Florists put in the cuttings about February or
March, in boxes, and about May set the young
plants out in a rich piece of ground, pinching them
back several times 'during the summer to make
them bushy. When frost is imminent, the plants
are taken up with balls of earth, and set in benches
in the houses. A temperature of 55° is quite
enough to force carnations.

There is no instrument in use among florists
similar in value to a thermometer for the purpose
indicated. Cultivators have not found the need of
any such instrument.

There are no especial works devoted to these
flowers, but the correspondents of our Magazine
keep the readers posted on all that is new on these
topics, and are generally ready to give all they
know of older matters whenever inquiry is made.
—Ed. G. M.]

Window Plants. — H. C. W., Saxton's River,
Vermont, asks : " Will you please inform me
through the Monthly if Anthurium Scherzeri-
anum, Lapageria, Doryanthes Palmeri, can be
grown in a large sunny bay-window ? If so, will
you give the necessary culture.

[These plants require atmospheric moisture to
thrive properly, and are scarcely the plants for a
bay window, as we generally see them contrived.
—Ed. G. M.]

Fruit and Vegetable Gardening.

SEASONABLE HINTS.

However much some may regard the cause of
fire blight in the pear a mystery, there is no doubt
about its being far less serious than it was a few
years ago. The leaf bhght and other blights are
still about the same, but these are trifles as com-

'•ed with the fire blight which would often de-

stroy comparatively large trees in a few days. It
is now clear that Mr. Barry's original advice to the
sufferer was sound. This was that the best rem-
edy for a fire-blighted pear tree was to take it out
at once and plant another in its place. Those
who followed this advice from the first have
many of them plenty of pears now. In all the
discussions on this question, some things have

•]

AND HORTICULTURIST.

.79

been found which are undoubted. For instance,
the fact that a new tree placed in the spot where
one has been killed, and yet thriving perfectly
afterwards, shows that the evil was not in any way
connected with the soil. And then the fact that in
some districts where the disease did appear, there
were often many trees wholly uninjured is against
any idea of general climatic influences against the
success of pear culture. It is no serious cause for
discouragement, even should any one believe that
there has been nothing learned about the origin of
the trouble. He may yet have pears, if he will
but set out trees. Those who believe that fungus
spores enter through the bark and cause the
trouble, will continue to wash the bark of trees
if they can get time or opportunity.

Whitewashing the stems of orchard trees has a
very beneficial effect in clearing away old bark
and destroying the eggs of innumerable insects.
The white color is bad ; throw in a little soot or
some other matter to make it brown. In green-
houses sulphur has been found of benefit in keep-
ing down mildew. Possibly if mixed with the
whitewash in tree dressing, it might do good
against fire blight, and such like fungoid troubles.

In fruit growing, remember that fruits are like
grain and vegetable crops, in this, that they must
have manure to keep up the fertility. Unlike
vegetables and grain, however, their feeding roots
are mostly at the surface. It is best, therefore, an-
nually to top-dress fruit trees. If manure cannot
be had, any fresh earth from ditches or roadsides,
spread a half inch or so under the trees, will
have a wonderful effect. Indeed, we do not know
but that for the pear tree a thin layer of road sand
is one of the best of manures. We have seen
apples thrive amazingly with a coating of coal
ashes.

The gooseberry and currant also do well in par-
tial shade. In fact, if you would have the goose-
berry and currant in great perfection, get a lot of
old brushwood and cover the rows closely, so that
the plants will have to push through, and you will
be astonished at the growth and healthfulness of
the bushes. The decaying wood also furnishes an
excellent manure for them. The finest currants
ever grown can be had by mulching with old
chestnut burrs, or even saw dust.

It has been noted that the grape vine thrives
amazingly when it gets into an asparagus bed.
These are generally elevated, and are thus dry,
while the rich soil necessary for asparagus, is also
good for grapes.

In planting fruit trees aim to have them so that

the hot dry sun will not have full effect on the
ground about the roots. The great heat in this
way injures the trees. Many who have trees in
gardens plant raspberries under them. The partial
shade seems to be good for the raspberries, and
helps the trees. Blackberries would no doubt do
well in the same situation ; and strawberries it is
well known, do not do badly, grown in this way.

COMMUNICATIONS.

CELERY CULTURE.
BY A. D. MYLIUS, DEIROIT, MICH.

I wish to endorse what Peter Henderson says in
[ the January number about Celery sowing. At
I least one-third of the sowings of the ist of March
I with me goes to seed. But still there is profit for

me, at least, in the venture. I get more than
} double the price for this early celery than for that
j which I sow in April. But it must be understood
; that only a small lot is sown in a hotbed ; for the

call for celery comes only when the weather is
j getting cool. The advantage in early celery is

that it is all sold in July, which gives time to plant
I a second crop of celery on the same ground.

Celery pays me better than any crop I can raise
i on the same amount of land. My soil is just
1 suited to this crop. I grow from 200,000 to 300,000
I every year. Of course the price is generally but

one-half that sold in New York city, being but

25 to 50 cents per dozen for extra good, and

second quality 1 5 to 30 cents per dozen.

EXPERIENCE WITH PHYLLOXERA.

BY D. RHIND. G.\RDENER TO MR. F. F. THOMP-
SON. CANANDAIGUA, N. Y.

On the west shore of Canandaigua Lake, Vine
Valley and Naples, are to be found extensive vine-
yards, where are grown hundreds of tons of grapes
annually. On visiting the owner of one of these
vineyards he was very anxious to show me what
he supposed to be a new discovery. First he
drew attention to an odd plant here and there
among his Catawbas, the fruit of which was ripe,
while the others were about three weeks back-
ward. I suggested digging to see how the roots
looked, which was done. We did not find any
Phylloxera, as they had taken all the bark off and
moved on, leaving the roots cankered, dead or dy-,f;(|
ing. We then examined an older plantation of

8o

THE GARDENERS' MONTHLY

[March,

Catawbas, on which the fruit was ripe also. This
the owner attributed to the fact that he had let
grass and weeds grow, instead of keeping the
ground plowed and clean, as is the system gener-
ally. It was quite evident the vines were deterio-
rating rapidly ; two-thirds of them were dead. We
went to digging again, and sure enough there we
found Phylloxera, giving its own color to the roots,
it was so numerous. All we afterwards examined
were more or less attacked. In going over a plan-
tation set out last spring many were dead, most of
them just alive. The ground was in good condi-
tion. I was asked what I thought was the matter.
It seemed to me that the young plants got infected
from pieces of roots from an old plantation which
stood there lately, which would indicate that the
ground would require a good rest before planting
with vines again.

I have been greatly troubled with the Phylloxera
on the foreign grape vines here in the houses, and
must confess it has the best of me as yet. How-
ever, I have not lost hope ; and if all who are
fighting it would publish their efforts it might be
conquered. I have tried hellebore dissolved in
water, strong enough to kill earthworms ; also salt
of the same strength, and tobacco water made by
steeping the stems, and using it as strong as is
customary. All of these were applied at the rate
of twenty gallons to the cubic yard. Holes were
made a few inches apart, with a round stick to let
it get down. The vines were not injured, but it
did not kill or drive away the pest. Only one
kind was used on a vine. I then tried crude pe-
troleum, and it killed the vine. Well, I presume
you would like to know what next. I took away
the soil from the roots for some distance, gave
them a good wetting, and sprinkled air-slacked
lime and soot, equal parts, on and around them,
and filled in with fresh soil. The vines made a
good growth last summer, and had some fruit.
Some of the bunches were seventeen inches long,
and well proportioned. I was so well satisfied
with the last experiment that I have treated
another house the same way.

[In connection with these very timely, sugges-
tions of Mr. Rhind it may be as well to note that
suctorial insects cannot be successfully destroyed
by the poisons which destroy those feeding in the
usual way. The potato beetle dies from Paris
green, because it eats the poison with the leaves it
feeds on ; but we may cover an aphis with Paris
green when feeding on a plant without doing the
insect any injury, because it sucks the juice from
the interior of the plant. Whatever is employed

against the Phylloxera must be that which will
destroy it in some other way.

It may also be noted that though the Phylloxera
is a fearful scourge to the grape grower, it is often
charged with trouble which properly belongs to
fungus. During the last two years we have seen
many cases where this mistake has been made. We
have noted at least two distinct forms of fungus
operating on grape vine roots, the effect of which
in interfering with the healthy growth of the vine,
is precisely the same as when it has been attacked
by Phylloxera. In the one case the young grow-
ing fibres are attacked, usually in spots. Some-
times entirely girdling the young growth. The
brownish and destroyed tissue can be seen with a
good eye, or better, by a pocket lens.

The other fungus parasite covers the surface of
the older as well as young roots with a blackish,
warty excrescence. It is more often seen on vines
one or two years transplanted, and in such cases
the vines do not grow to any extent, and fre-
quently dwindle away altogether. — Ed. G. M.]-

THE CODLING MOTH.

BY CHAS. D. ZIMMERMAN, BUFFALO, N. Y.

In the July number of the Monthly, page 208,
is an extract from the Canadian Horticulturist,
referring to the codling moth, which says : " I set
two traps on the 20th of last August, and caught
over one thousand moths in one night. The trap
is a glass lantern set in a tin pan of water, an inch
or more deep."

It would be interesting to know if the moths
caught were Carpocapsa pomonella. In my ex-
perience of several seasons' collecting, mostly in
large orchards with both light and sugar, I have
never seen C. pomonella at either. Nor have I
ever seen one about my lamp at an open window,
where apples and codling moths abounded in the
near vicinity. The only instances in which C.
pomonella appeared to be attracted by light, were
on the inside of cellar windows, where they tried
to make their escape to the open air.

In placing a lamp on one side of a breeding
cage, in which a number of C. pomonella were con-
fined, they invariably sought refuge on the op-
posite side, and often concealed themselves, while
other species of moths would approach the light.

Many different forms of the trap (which, accord-
ing to Downing, was first discovered by Victor
Adouin, of France), are recommended by horti-
cultural writers for the destruction of the codling
moth, which, if my observations are correct, can-

1883-]

AND HORTICULTURIST.

8i

not be captured in this way. The use of these
traps may be recommended for the destruction of
many other species of moths, and also for the Lach-
nostera (white grub beetles.)

The only practical methods of preventing or de-
stroying C. pomonella are by the use of Paris
green or paper bands.

CULTURE OF THE HARDY GRAPE.

BY JOHN WOODING, PENCAYD, PA.

It might be considered almost superfluous to say
anything on this subject, as so much has been
already said by others in articles and published in
book form, giving the various opinions and differ-
ing methods of culture. This reminds me of a
parson I once heard of, the rector of a small vil-
lage in the old country, who had his sermons
printed to last him, one for every Sunday in the
year, and when he got through he started on the
same batch again. So with grape culture, it will
stand going over again. It would be impossible
for me to enter into details on this subject here. I
don't think it would be necessary even if I could,
so \ will be brief and sum it all up in a nutshell.

If good grapes are expected it is necessary they
should have good material to grow them in. A
prepared border should be made, excavated two
and a half feet deep and four or five feet wide, with
a layer of four or five inches of rough materials at
bottom, such as brick bats, old mortar, oyster
shells, &c., to act as a drainage. This is an im.
portant element in the matter, especially if the
ground is heavy, in which case the border should
be filled up with rotten sod and a good mixture of
cow dung. Horse dung is not suitable for grape
borders, as it contains too much fungus. Three-
year-old vines should be selected for planting.
Vines which have been grown in pots can be pro-
cured of any nurseryman in the neighborhood at
a moderate charge. They should be planted about
six feet apart, in a straight line up the middle of
the border, and not allowed to bear fruit the first
year. The second season they may be allowed to
bear four or five bunches on each vine ; and if
everything goes well a good average crop may be
expected the following year.

As to the management of vines I think pruning
may be done any time, from first of January to
middle of March. If this matter is delayed longer
than the latter time they are apt to bleed too
much, which is injurious to the vines, as grapes
grow on the wood they make the current year. It
is indispensably necessary that this growth should

come from the preceding year's wood ; hence the
necessity of pruning down to within two or three
eyes of the last season's growth. I find the system
of pruning generally in vogue is to leave old canes
year after year, until they have no good eyes or
joints capable of producing fruit bearing wood, ex-
cept a little growth at the extremities of the canes,
which you have to depend on for your next year's
fruit, and very poor stock at that. I think this sys-
tem ought to be discouraged and instead young
canes layered of the preceding year's growth in the
spring, which when sufficiently strong and well
rooted will take the place of the old cane which
can be cut away.

In the process of growth and fruiting, if the lat-
ter comes too thick, the vines should be gone over
and the bunches regulated out with the thumb and
finger according to your own judgment and the
strength of the vines. When the young shoots
have made growth three joints from the fruit, one
joint should be pinched off, leaving two from the
: bunch, thus giving a tendency to check the flow
of sap, which is favorable to the fruiting. This
j operation will need repeating again during the
[ season. . Vine borders should be mulched at all
times with about four or five inches of cow dung.
A good sowing of bone dust in the fall of the year
will be beneficial. Mulching protects the roots in
, winter, keeps them moist in summer, and acts as a
I stimulant to the vines. The coarse manure may
be raked off in the spring and the rest lightly dug
in with a fork and the border again mulched im-
mediately.

DESTRUCTIVE INSECTS.

BY WALTER ELDER.

There are four specially destructive I have no-
ticed within a few years back, and as I have pre-
vented their ravages I will relate my experience for
the benefit of others. The first is a smooth, pale-
green worm, an inch and a half long, which I first
found feeding upon the leaves of Mignonette and
Sweet Alyssum, in smali numbers. The hue depends
somewhat on the color of the leaves it feeds upon.
Another has destroyed thousands of acres of the late
cabbage crop. Three years ago last fall I found
the worms in vast numbers upon my cabbage
plants. I syringed a portion with a strong solu-
tion of carbolic acid soap, with flowers of sulphur
in it, and on the other portion dusted air-slacked
lime. All the worms were killed.

One season I dosed the cabbages before the
time for the appearance of the worms, and the

82

THE GARDENERS' MONTHLY

[March,

plants were untouched by the pest that year. So j
by taking time by the forelock, I learned that " pre-
vention is better than cure." The worms come in
August ; apply the cures early in that month. Last |
year I syringed with carbolic soap, with Paris
green in it. All the worms were killed, and no
second brood followed. [Dangerous. — Ed. G. M.]
There is another worm which feeds upon the
leaves of the quince, and still another, found upon
the hop vine, both of which can be stopped from
coming by syringing the leaves with the aforesaid
mixture.

VEGETABLES.

BY ISA.\C HICKS, OLD WESTBURY, L. I., N. Y.

I want no more of the Acme tomato ; they
rot badly. Tielden and Trophy are good for all
seasons. I have a nice lot of the Perfect Gem
squash. They are small but prolific and the best
I have had, keeping good thus far.

For the first crop of peas I wait for the little
Gem. They are so much better that one can afford
to wait for them. At the same time plant Alpha
and Champion. After these are up nicely, plant
another row of Champions for later. Our most
successful asparagus raisers for market plant
much wider apart than formerly. To obtain the
superior Oyster Bay asparagus, 2>% to 4 feet be-
tween the rows, and 16 or more apart on the rows.
Then throw on the manure liberally and the
growth will be true Colossal, equal to Conover's.
What do we hear about the Japan Chestnut?
Who has them to bear ? Are they hardy ? The
tips of those we have were killed last winter, and a
very mild one, too. Further south probably they
will succeed finely and if all that is claimed is true,
they will be an acquisition indeed, even more so
than the persimmon.

EDITORIAL NOTES.

Culture of Fruit Trees. — The Country Gen-
tleman advises to try good and poor cultivation on
alternate trees in long rows, so as to make a satis-
factory test as to the best methods of treatment.
Would it not be better to decide first what is good
and poor cultivation ? In an essay on the "Culti-
vation of Orchards," now before us, the author
says : " I would recommend every one to prune
whenever he finds his knife sharp," and still
another, who says : " I would not on any account
prune an orchard tree. The necessity for knife
pruning is in itself an evidence of bad culture."

Farming in New England. — Mr. J. W. Chee-
ver — excellent authority — in a report to the State
Board of Agriculture of Massachusetts, says:
"What New England soil most needs is men who
have faith to cultivate it ; and there is plenty of
evidence that such men are becoming more nu-
merous, and that the number will increase, as ag-
ricultural knowledge increases, until New England
shall be noted, not only for being the birthplace of
great and good men, but also the home of those
whose love is too strong to forsake her."

The Japan Persimmon. — Last fall Mr. Nelson,
gardener to Mrs. Chandler, in Germantown, Phil-
adelphia, fruited and exhibited before the Ger-
mantown Horticultural Society noble specimens of
the Japan Persimmon. They were like small
oranges rather than specimens of the ordinary na-
tive fruit. This plant was a small one, left behind
by the Japanese after the Centennial International
Exhibition in 1876, and planted in Mrs. Chandler's
garden, which is much sheltered, as most city lots
are. During the winter of 1 880-8 r it froze to the
ground, but sprouted up strongly from the roots
the next summer. During the winter of 188J-82
it was protected by boards on two sides, the boards
facing northeast and northwest. It went through
the comparativ.ely mild winter without injury, and
this summer made a bush of about six feet high,
and was loaded with fruit. Mr. Nelson says there
was much difference in the size of the fruit on the
bush. Some were no larger than marbles, though
many were of the huge size as those exhibited.

The Advantage of Bringing Peaches
Early to Market. — During an address to the
North Texas Horticultural Society, Mr. H. Tone
said that " the man who brings the first peaches to
market sells them readily for $4. The next day
he comes with five bushels and grumbles because
he is obliged to sell them at $2.50. On the third
day he comes with twenty-five bushels, and finds
his neighbors in with as many more, and every
man of them considers it downright robbery when
he is offered the standard price of a dollar and a
half, when the fact is that peaches, even at fifty
cents a bushel, make double the profit of any crop
of cotton, corn or wheat that can be raised."

Red-Leaved Endive. — A red leaved endive is
announced by the Italian seed merchants. As the
common endive, besides its use as a salad, is used
to ornament dishes before it is eaten, a red leaved
form will be very desirable.

Sugar in America. — The Boston Journal
thinks it useless, after so many years, trying to

1883.]

AND HORTICULTURIST,

83

protect the effort to make sugar in America. Mr.
J. J. Gregory, of Marblehead, takes up the Jour-
nal, and shows that there has been remarkable
progress of late years, and the American Agricul-
turist gives the following figures in support of this
position :

"The fact is well established that some varieties,
especially the "Amber" and the " Orange," will
yield a large amount of crystallizable cane sugar,
and that the cane contains the largest percentage
of sugar at the time the seeds are ripe. It is found
that after the cane is cut, the cane sugar in the
juice rapidly changes to grape sugar, and that the
cane should be worked up within a few hours after
cutting it. The making of sugar, on account of
the expense of machinery and the skilled labor
required, cannot be profitably followed by individ-
uals. There needs to be co-operation among
farmers to establish and operate sugar w-orks on
the same plan that cheese factories are carried on,
or they may agree to cultivate a certain number of
acres in cane, provided capitalists will establish
factories to work it up. In several Western States
companies have erected factories and cultivated
their own cane on a large scale. These have gen-
erally been reported as financially successful."

Good Potatoes. — Referring to potatoes, Mr.
Benj. P. Ware, in a recent address before the
Massachusetts Horticultural Society, remarked :
"As to potatoes, since the Early Rose was raised
and sold for three dollars a pound, and a cow given
for a single tuber, farmers have seemed to be
crazed on the subject, and we have been flooded
with new varieties, many of which are seedlings
from the Early Rose, and some of them are better.
Burbank's Seedling is a better cropper, keeps well
and is white and of excellent quality. The Early
Ohio is earlier than the Early Rose and has the
requisites of a first-class variety. Goodrich's Seed-
ling originated near Haverhill, and received a
prize offered by the Essex Agricultural Society for
the best seedling potato. It is a strong grower,
keeps well and is a firm variety. Clark's No. i is
excellent. The Bell is probably the best new va-
riety ; several persons who have tested it in com-
petition with twenty others claim for it better qual-
ities than are possessed by any other ; it is very
productive and remarkable for its uniform size ; of
pinkish color."

Green Corn. — Mr. B. P. Ware believes that
the early varieties formerly raised were not
sweet, but now we can have sweet corn from the
earliest ripening to frost. The Marblehead is
earlier than any other — even the Narragansett or
Minnesota. The stalks are small and the ears are
produced near the ground. Mr. Ware recom-
mended to plant three or four varieties, which

would become fit to use in succession, and in this
way two plantings would be enough. Next after
the Marblehead comes Crosby's Early, then
Moore's Early, and for a late variety either the
Marblehead Mammoth, the Burr's Improved, or
Stowell's Evergreen.

Squashes. — At the December meeting of the
Mass. Horticultural Society, Mr. B. P. Ware,
told what he knew of squashes, naming first the
Butman, of American origin, a beautiful variety,
with fine colored flesh and excellent quality, a
good keeper, and showing handsomely at fairs ;
very desirable for amateurs, but not sufficiently
productive for a farm crop. The Marblehead
squash, Mr. Ware thought a sub-variety of the
Hubbard, obtained by selection. It generally
commands a higher price than the Hubbard, but
does not crop so well. It is very similar to the
Butman, and, like that, desirable for amateurs.
The Essex hybrid was raised by Aaron Low, of
Essex, by crossing the Turban and Hubbard, and
is a very remarkable variety, uniting the form and
fine quality of the Turban with the hard shell and
keeping properties of the Hubbard. It is a very
rapid grower, so that it may be planted as late as
the 4th of July, or in connection with a potato
crop, every fourth potato row being left vacant and
afterwards planted with squashes. When planted
late, it avoids the maggot, the worst enemy of the
squash, which has probably deposited its eggs else-
where before this variety is ready. The American
improved Turban is the best early variety, not ex-
cepting the Marrow.

Onions and Celery. — " Chronicler," in some
notes recently received from him, refers to the use-
fulness of the essays on the culture of onions and
celery recently published by D. Landreth & Sons.
The essays, he says, are complete guides to culture,
giving facts as to growth and profit. He predicts
that before many years pass by Northern growers
will find much profit in the exportation of these
vegetables to our Southern States and to the

tropics.

«-•-»

SCRAPS AND QUERIES.

Campdell Plum. — Mr. L. B. Case remarks : " I
am anxious to see a point more thoroughly made
known to the horticultural world in regard to the
Campbell Plum, page 49, Gardeners' Monthly,
but of course that can only be satisfactorily ob-
tained next summer when the tree is in foliage,
flower and fruit. So please keep an eye on your

84

THE GARDENERS' MONTHLY

[March,

Virginia correspondent for the information. I an-
ticipate in the near future an entire change in
many forms of our choicest fruits, and perhaps the
plum will lead in the change, for it is certainly
among our choicest fruit and now seems to re-
ceive a special attention from many of our leading
horticulturists."

Improved Persimmons. — Mr. L. B. Case, re-
ferring to this fruit says : " Undoubtedly we shall,
at no very distant day, secure choice and service-
able forms of our native persimmon, worthy a place
in every fruit garden."

Budded Apple Stocks. — WiUiam Bustrin, Dal-
las, Texas, says : " Referring to the subject of
growing apple trees from buds, I would like to say
something of my experience in Texas. Small seed-
lings set out in spring, and budded in June, made

excellent trees by fall. Parties to whom I sent
these trees reported them the best they had got
from any one for many years."

Kieffer's Hybrid Pear. — Mr. Edwin Satter-
thwaite said at the recent meeting of the State
Horticultural Association at Harrisburg, January
i6th, 1883: "I have fruited the Kieffer three
years, and had last year more than one hundred
bushels of the fruit, of uniform large size and as
perfect in shape as if made in a mould, and all
ripening of a rich golden yellow color, quite a
number with a beautiful red cheek, keeping for
weeks after coloring and when perfectly ripe of
uniform good quality. It must be borne in mind
that this pear is not fit to eat until perfectly ripe
and soft, which it commonly is not until long after
it begins to color."

Forestry.

EDITORIAL NOTES.

Practical Forestry. — There is an im-
mense amount of practical knowledge yet to
be evolved before forestry culture can be
made a great success in our country ; but the
rapidity with which Americans learn when they set
themselves seriously about learning, will enable
them to plant and manage forests with tolerable
success whenever forest planting shall become an
everyday business. Even in the old world, where
they have had ages of inducement in forestry
planting, they still find they have neglected to
work out many valuable problems. For instance,
the French arboricultural journals are now discus-
sing whether it is best to set out one year old
plants when a forest is to be founded, or whether
it would be better to take plants several years old.
Now at first thought, the usual forestry essay
writer for the newspaper would say at once, take
the young seedlings, by all means. They are
cheaper ; they take less handling ; they are planted
more rapidly ; they are more certain to grow ; and
they recover from the check of transplanting in a
much shorter time than larger trees. But on the
other side are some considerations seldom thought
of. In the case of small trees, many more are
planted than are necessary to form a permanent

forest, because young trees need the protection of
one another against wind and weather in infancy,
and there has to be the labor of thinning after the
young trees have grown. Then it is found best —
nay, almost essential to profitable forestry — that
the forest of young trees to grow ' rapidly into
profit, must be as well cultivated as crops of corn,
and thus we have four or five years of hard work
in the case of the seedling plant. Now plants for
a forest of a thousand acres, sown thinly in a nur-
sery plot, may be grown on a half acre for five
years at a comparatively low cost. They need not
die in transplanting more than one year old, if the
planter understands his business, and there need
not be more than one year's difference in the re-
sult of check to growth from the larger size.
There is no doubt but in these five-year old seed-
lings there would be four years gained in interest
on ground and labor expenses, with no necessity
for the cost of labor in thinning as in the other
case, as they could be set just where they are to
remain.

As we have said, it is an unsettled question in
Europe, and they are doing there just what we are
often apt to do, writing about it with hours on hours
of labor on each other's opinions, but so far as
we see, no one attempting to solve the matter by
figures. It really looks as if the larger tree

1883.]

AND HORTICULTURIST.

85

notion might carry the day if the two plans were
fairly tried side by side with each other.

But the whole matter shows how much there is
to learn before forestry planting will yield all the
rapid profit it is capable of doing.

Pines of Mount Deskrt IsL.\Nn. — A lady
kindly sends us cones of the pines growing in
that part of the country. They prove to be the
common white pine, and the " yellow " or " spruce"
pine, Pinus mitis.

The " Hardy " Catalpa. — We have often ob-
jected to this name, because it implies that the
Eastern species is " tender," while everybody
knows that there are large timber trees in the East
over a hundred years old, many of which must
often have experienced a temperature of perhaps 20°
or 30° below zero. Whenever we have suggested
this, the answer has been that the Eastern Catalpa
dies back when young, or loses its leader and
hence is apt to make a more or less . crooked
trunk, and that the Western one never does. This
has been one of its leading recommendations. We
have had some doubt about this difference to any
material extent, but have had to take the positive
statements as they have been given us. Mr. H.
C. Raymond, of Council Bluffs, Iowa, now writes
to the Iowa Homestead that in the north half of
the State the young trees will be often killed back
but will recover and increase in hardiness with
age.

This is precisely the character of the Eastern
form. We are inclined to the opinion expressed
in the beginning of the Catalpa enthusiasm, that
while there is no doubt of the essential distinct-

ness of the two species for forestry purposes,
planters will not go far wrong in having a valuable
timber tree, by selecting either one. Its value is
chiefly in timber for posts and railroad ties ; but
planters should remember that the future of for-
estry will require other species of wood as well as
Catalpa wood.

A Public Forest in the State of New
York. — Senator Frederick Lansing's bill forbid-
ding the sale of 660,000 acres owned by the State
in the Adirondack region, was passed by a vote of
24 to 5, January 23d. It is a good indication of
increasing public appreciation of the need of pre-
serving the wooded character of that part of the
State. The timber there, if cut at all, should be
cut only under rigid control, and with the most
careful provisions for immediate rewooding of the
cleared ground. So well says one of our ex-
changes.

MORUS multicaulis. — This large, broad-leaved
variety of the Morus alba was introduced by Perot-
tet from the Philippine Islands to France in 1824.
It was soon after introduced into the United States
and used largely in the early experiments with
silk culture. In consequence of disease it has al-
most disappeared from cultivation. One of the
last to survive was on the ground of Mr. Samuel
Chew, on the old battle ground of Germantown,
but it has recently been cut down. It had become
a very large tree.

Amount of Tannin in the Bark of Some
OF the Trees in the United States. — United
States Forestry Bulletin, No. 24, C. S. Sargent,
Special Agent in charge, gives the following :

botanical namk.

Gordonia Lasianthus

Prosopis juliflora

Rhizopliora mangle

Exostenima Caribyeiim

Qnercus :ilba

inacrocarpa

Prirrns

Mulilenbergii, old tree. . .
Mulilenbergii, young tree

vil■en^;

Kmoryi

rubra"

tinotoria

Kelloggii

fakata

nigra

densiflora

Castanea vulgaiis, var. Americana

Picea nigra

Engelmanni

Engelmanni

Engelmanni

Tsuga Canadensis

Mertensiana

Mertensiana

Pattoniana

Pseudotsuga Douglasii

COMMON NAME.

REGION.

Ivoblollv Bav. Red Bay Southern Atlantic . . . .

Mesquit. Aigaroba 1 Mexican Boundary . . . .

Mangrove Gulf Coast

Semi-tropical Florida.

White Oak Atlantic

Burr Oak, White Oak "

Chestnut Oak Southern Atlantic

Chesnut Oak, Yellow Oak Atlantic

Live Oak Southern Atlantic . .

Black Oak Mexican Boundary.

Red Oak Atlantic

Black Oak, Quercitron Oak "

Black Oak i Pacific Coast

Spanish Oak Southern Atlantic . .

Black .lack. Barren Oak Atlantic

Tanbark Oak, Chestnut Oak Pacific Coast

Chestnut Atlantic

Black Spruce, Red Spruce Northern Atlantic . .

Interior Pacific

Hemlock I Northern Atlantic.

" I Northern Pacific. . .

Red Fir. Yellow Fir Pacific

Percent-
age of
Tannin.

1:1. 14
4.04
.•U .04
.5.81
u.i)!l
4. .50
6.25
4 38
10. :«
10.46
9.70
4..5C
5.(10
6.7(i
8. .50
4..SC
16.46
6.25 I
7.20 I
20., 56
17.01
12.60 I
13.11 I
14.42
15.87
15.72
13.70

Percent-
age of
Ash.

2.35
8.71
6.70
7.16
(i.ll
8.05
3.83
8.38
6.23
8.89
15.09
4.43
5.73
8.64
4.32
6.28
.3.84
2.00
2.84
2.75
2.32
0.7.5
1.31
1.44
1.49
2.48
I. .56

86

THE GARDENERS' MONTHLY

[March,

Natural History and Science.

COMMUNICATIONS.

ON THE FERTILIZATION OF WHEAT.
BY MR. A. VEITCH, NEW HAVEN, CONN.

I have no reason to doubt the correctness of
Mr. Carman's statement that in his experiments
with wheat some of the offspring differed slightly
from the parents. But it is an open question
whether those differences were due to the means
he employed or to the inherent tendency of this
plant to vary, without the aid of cross-fertilization.
It is admitted that crossing cannot be accomplished
through natural agencies, and if so one of two
things must be true, either the earliest inhabitants
of the globe understood cross-fertilization as prac-
ticed by Mr. C, or all the varieties known until a
recent period were the result of cultivation, pure
and simple. We cannot believe that the first
method was known at an early date, otherwise the
ancients do not receive as much credit from the
moderns as they deserve. And we are assured that
in the wheat plant varieties have been obtained
without the aid of artificial crossing.

No better illustration can be given of this vari-
able tendency than is presented by the experiments
of M. Fabre, of France, on /Egilops ovata, an
annual grass common in the south of Europe, and
still used as an article of food by the poorer classes
of Sicily. In 1838, M. Fabre sowed the seed of
this grass, and continued the process for eight
years in succession, at the end of which time he
obtained a fair sample of wheat. This was dis-
puted at the time and caused quite a controversy,
the substance of which was published in the Lon-
don Gardener s Chronicle, in the year 1846 or
1847. A similar series of experiments was con-
ducted by Prof. Buckman, of England, between
the years 1855 and 1859, which resulted in con-
firming M. Fabre's reports in every particular.
In the latter case modification took place by the
disappearance of the awns of the palets and the
shortening of those which spring from the lateral
ribs of the glumes ; the ears at the same time los-
ing their fragility, and the increase of the grain in
size, &c.

Whilst these experiments were in progress, con-

siderable variation would no doubt be observed
in the annual crops, and we cannot suppose that
in either case a point was reached beyond which
no further change could take place. Varieties so
obtained may possess characters that are compar-
atively stable, but secondary traits such as color
and size of grain, large or small ears, earliness or
latenesss, weight of straw, &c., might all occur
through diversity of soil, climate, &c., and these we
claim to be the chief agents in producing the dif-
ferent varieties of wheat. There is nothing in this
but that might be accomplished by an unintelli-
gent people impelled by the pressing law of neces-
sity, acting upon their natural instincts and sa-
gacity.

Whether .-Egilops ovata is to be regarded as the
prototype of the varieties of wheat in cultivation has
not yet been determined, but from the ghmpes we
obtain of its use by the earhest settlers of Europe,
it undoubtedly has played an important part in
this connection. We know that before history be-
gan to be written, and whilst the Europeans made
war upon each other and the brute creation, with
weapons made of stone and bone, .Egilops was
not unknown to them as an article of food. For
in the lake dwellings of Switzerland it has been
found associated with the relics of that primitive
people in such a state of preservation as to leave
no room to doubt its relationship with wheat.

In all the accounts which have come under our
notice in reference to the amelioration of this grain,
no mention is made of crossing having been re-
sorted to as a means to that end. Perhaps there
is not now a true hybrid in cultivation. If there
is, how, where and from what species obtained ?
It is true Mr. Carman tells us he has crossed
wheats hundreds of times, and Mr. Beaton as un-
equivocally asserts that to do so is impossible.
When statements are so opposite a fallacy must
lurk somewhere, and all we are after is to know
the facts of the case. As Mr. Beaton was a close
I observer and painstaking experimentaUst, I have
' hitherto placed much confidence in his statements,
and chiefly because they are in harmony with my
j own observations on related cleistogamous plants.
1 It would seem that there is something in the econ-
: omy of such plants that requires concealment; but

•]

AND HORTICULTURIST.

87

if by such handling as has been described, nature
can be made to swerve from the ordinary course by
the invasion of her private compartments while per-
forming special work ; and if Mr. C. has been suc-
cessful in getting in advance of the normal process
of fertilization in his experiments, nothing remains
for us but to accept his conclusions, however op-
posed they may be to preconceived opinions.

THE HABITATS OF PLANTS.
BV W. F. BASSETT, HAMiMONTON, N. J.

The adaptation of plants to different climates is
an interesting subject for observation, and some
curious facts are brought to light in botanizing in
different sections.

Some plants seem to do equally well in similar
soils without much regard to temperature or
humidity. Gerardia quercifolia and pedicularis and
Lupinus perennis are examples of this class, grow-
ing in light soils both North and South. On the
other hand, Trientalis Americana and Medeola
Virginica, which are common in rich woodlands
in Massachusetts, are only found in low peaty
lands here in New Jersey, and Aspidium thely-
pteris and Onoclea sensibilis, found only in swamps
here, grow everywhere by the roadside and in pas-
ture there, and still more notably, .Arls ema triphyl-
lum, which at the North is freely distributed in
rich woodlands everywhere and sometimes remains
in grass fields, is only found in the wettest swamps
here, growing directly out of the water. But per-
haps the most singular fact connected with this
plant is that the acrid taste, which is not only char-
acteristic at the North, but so decided that no one
who ever tasted will forget it, is absent in our spe-
cimens, and the bulbs can be eaten with impunity.

Curiously enough, we find Epiga;a repens in
great abundance near the top of Hoosac Mountain,
growing in cold, damp soil, and exposed to the
raking west winds, while here it is equally abundant
in our dry, sandy, half-open woodlands, more or
less exposed to the scorching summer sunshine of
such localities; Cypripedium acaulc, also — which
is abundant everywhere here, growing on our
lightest soils. At the North we only found it in
damp forests where beech and spruce formed a
considerable portion of the timber. We should
hardly expect to find plants peculiar to rich wood-
lands in the North growing on the sea beach here,
but there is a place in Atlantic City called Hill's
Creek, where we find several of them apparently
at home.

In this place the Myricas and other shrubs have

so stopped the drift as to form a line of low sand-
hills around a few acres of half-marshy land, only
leaving an open side not much exposed to wind,
and with a narrow belt or border gently sloping
from the sand-hills to the marsh, sheltered from the
hot sun by a low and spreading growth of red
cedars, holly, &c., and here in the mixture of sand
and leaf mould we find Geranium Robertianum,
Trientalis Americana and Mitchella repens in
abundance, and a few plants of Aquilegia Can-
adensis, which we have never seen elsewhere on
the yellow drift or sand barrens. We also find
Asplenium ebeneumand Arenaria lateriflora, which
is, according to Gray, a New England plant.

EDITORIAL NOTES.

The Forking of Ferns. — Botanical periodicals
often have notes from correspondents about the
forking of fronds in ferns, a feature not found in
the normal condition. There are very few species
which do not at some time or another give illustra-
tions of their power to fork ; but so far as we know,
no attempt has been made to show under what
morphological law these departures are brought
about. Horticulturists, however, have rendered
botanical science great service by showing that
these singular variations in ferns can be repro-
duced by spores.

A number of crested or divided forms of ferns
are under culture, and one at least, Nephrodium
molle, gives its crested form in great numbers
from spores. It is not so very long ago that peo-
ple were d'scussing how to distinguish a species
from a mere variety, and the power of reproduc-
tion from seed or spores would then have been de-
nied to a mere variation. Now we find that every
variation comes under the laws of heredity, and
the fact has been of great value to those who be-
lieve that species have been evolved from some
prior form. A variety is in fact but an incipient
species.

Aside from the botanical interest of these depart-
ures from the normal condition, many of them are
of great beauty and horticultural value. Here is
a crested form of Lastrea Richardii, introduced by
Messrs. Veitch, of Chelsea, near London, who
give the following account of it :

" A beautiful crested Fern for warm conservatory
and intermediate house, sent to us by Charles
Moore, Esq., of the Botanic Garden, Sydney, N.
S. W.

" Mr. Thomas Moore, the eminent authority on

THE GARDENERS' MONTHLY

[March,

Ferns, in his notice of this new variety in the I which is one of the handsomest of all known ferns,

Gardeners Chronicle (or ]?in\\d.\-Y 22, i%%\,y/n\.es: the fronds differ in having their ape\ and the

' The typical form of this fern is a New Caledo- apices of the pinns multifidly cut into numerous
nian plant. In the variety now under notice, narrow-pointed, spreading, finger-like lobes. The

1883.]

AND HORTICULTURIST.

plant has fronds three feet high, including the
stipes, which are a foot long, numerously devel-
oped from a short decumbent caudex. The pinnae
are upwards of 4 inches long in the broadest part,
and terminate in a densely fingered tuft of about
fifty long, narrow, acute divisions, the apex of the
frond dividing into two or more branches consist-
ing of about seventy of these small finger-like
Segments. Its bright green color, its small pin-
nules, and the bold crested apices with their nu-
merous narrow divisions, give this plant a singu-
larly elegant character, and mark it out as a very
ornamental useful fern for the decoration of the
hothouse.' "

BowiEA voLUBiLis. — Some years ago our
friends of the Cambridge Botanic Garden, gave the
editor a specimen of this singular plant, which he
keeps and treasures not only for its graceful char-
acter as a garden ornament, but also for its botani-
cal contrasts with its near neighbors, the asparagus
and similar plants. The common asparagus would
be resrarded as a beautiful garden ornament if it

Myrsiphyllum does, it would be very valuable to
cut flower people. But in the writer's experience
it dies down in autumn, and positively refuses to
push up in the winter. Messrs. Haage & Schmidt,
of Erfurt, have recently introduced it to commerce.

DuR.'VNu's Oak. — This species, named by Prof.
Buckley for the late Elias Durand, of Philadel-
phia, has recently been re-discovered by Mr. Ch.
Mohr in Alabama. It is now regarded as a good
species.

Remarkable Discovery in Textile Fibres.
— Cotton is the only vegetable product which
yields an ultimate fibre which can be spun directly
without further process. The fibre of hemp, flax
and other plants is compound. Ekman has dis-
covered and patented a process by which these
compound fibres can be cheaply reduced to ulti-
mate ones. The effect of this discovery on cotton
culture is looked forward to with much interest.

Kalmia and Sheep. — Dr. Thomas F. Wood,
the distinguished physician of Wilmington, North
Carolina, tried to kill a young sheep by feeding it
Kalmia angustifolia, but failed. It would not eat
it, though hunger was an aid to the effort. Then a
decoction of the leaves and fruit was forced down
its throat, but it \omited, and more and stronger
was given to it. After several days of desperate
illness, persistent vomiting, &c., it finally recovered.
The doctor believes, from his observations on the
case, that, though the shrub is a gastric irritant,
and has some intoxicating properties, it would be
difficult for a sheep to eat enough of it to cause
death. On the whole, a morbid appetite might in-
duce a sheep to eat a great deal of it, and thus
cause death, which, however, he thinks, must be
rare. The paper is in the February number of the
American Agriculturist.

SCRAPS AND QUERIES.

Bowiea volubilis.

were not so common as a vegetable. Its foliage is
surely graceful, and its red berries in autumn are
equal to the holly in rich beauty.

This plant, Bowiea volubilis, has dry seed ves-
sels, devoid of color, and the foliage is not as fine
or feathery as the asparagus, but its twining habit
gives it some advantages over its kitchen garden
relative. The root is not fibrous as in asparagus,
but round like an onion, though as solid as a gla-
diolus. If it could be made to grow in the winter
■season, as another neighbor, the " Smilax," or

The Seasons in Italy. — A correspondent at
Venice says: "Wheat can be ripened with us by
the end of June', but in Europe it does not as a gen-
eral thing ripen before the month of August, and in
some parts not before September."

The American Crab Apple. — J. A. C, Day-
ton, Ohio, writes : " Will you kindly tell me, as well
as other readers, through the columns of the Gar-
deners' Monthly, what are the particular dis-
tinctive characters that separate the native Amer-
ican crab apple from the original form of the cul-
tivated apple, or in fact, from all other species of

go

THE GARDENERS' MONTHLY

[March,

the apple ? I do not know where to obtain the de-
sired information from books and must ask of those
who have made fruit a study. Who originated the
Hewes' Virginia crab apple, and would it prove
perfectly hardy here ? Is there any other culti-
vated apple of native American origin or with part
native crab parentage in cultivation ? If so, should
be glad to know the address of those who have
them."

[Pyrus coronaria, the native American crab
apple, differs from Pyrus malus, the cultivated
species in many botanical characters, among which
arc that the leaves are often slightly lobed, as in
some hawthorns, the veins are straight and the
petioles very slender. The old world species never
has any tendency to be lobed, has the leaves thick,
the petiole stout and the veins incurved. In the
American the petals are long clawed, and they are
short clawed in the European. There are other
minor differences recognized by botanists. It can
be popularly distinguished by the delicious odor
of the fruit, which has obtained for the species the
common name of "sweet scented crab."

So far as we know it has never been improved,
though it well deserves a trial in that line. Hewes'
Virginia Crab, is but a small variety of the old
world species, at least this is our belief without
.any specimen before us. If it be of the American
species the fact would most probably have sug-
gested itself to the writer in former examinations.
By the way, who was Hewes ? Where did he find
this crab? Such a magnificent cider apple de-
serves a niche in special history. — Ed. G. M.]

Various Inquiries. — " Chautauqua," Proctor,
N. Y., says : " Is the grapevine cleistogamous :
/. e., is the stigma fertilized by its own pollen be-
fore the cap falls off ?

Volume 23, page 308, Berckman's grape ; does it

ripen in July and is it anywhere for sale ? I am
unable to find it in a catalogue.

Volume 23, page 205, cheap boiler, water backs.
No hardware store in Buffalo knows what it is.
Do you know where and who manufactures it ?

Volume 24, page 178, Strong's method of graft-
ing. What is it?

I will look under the 7tom de plume " Chautau-
qua" in Gardeners' Monthly for an answer."

[Cleistogamous, as generally understood by
those who use the term, would hardly be applied
to the grape vine. The violet has two distinct
kinds of flowers, one as we generally know them,
with colored petals, the other without petals, and
which in fact never open their buds at all, but
mature seed without opening. These are properly
cleistogamous flowers in the purely botanical sense.
In the grape vine the corolla remains over the pis-
til in such a manner as to favor the reception of its
own pollen. It is not adapted to cross-fertilization,
unless the operator removes the corolla and ap-
phes the pollen before its own has had a chance
to reach the stigma. It might be called a self-fer-
tilizer and not cleistogamous, though the results
are much the same. t

The Berckmans could probably be had of those
who secured Dr. Wylie's hybrids. Probably Mr.
Berckmans could tell.

" Water backs " is a common term in this part of
the world in connection with ordinary kitchen
ranges or stoves. It is a small boiler at the back
of the range which furnishes warm water for
kitchen or household uses. What do they call
them in Buffalo ?

Mr. Woodbridge Strong's method of grafting is
simply to cut or chop a gash in the side of the
branch, cut the scion wedge-fashion, and stick it in.
It is among the most valuable facts ever given the
readers of the Gardeners' Monthly.— Ed. G. M.]

Literature, Travels and Personal Notes.

COMMUNICATIONS.

LETTER FROM ITALY.

BY S. M.; BELLAGIO, LAKE OF COMO, ITALY.

Being here in Italy for the last five months, I
reproach myself for not offering, as far as my abil-
ities go, a few remarks of interest to your readers

concerning this country, in return for the many
hours of instruction and interest which I have re-
ceived from the Gardeners' Monthly for the last
twenty years. I shall begin with a comparison of
our country with Italy, and will state at once that
the main point of similarity is the warm summer,
and the main point of dissimilarity is the winter,

AND HORTICULTURIST.

91

which is harsh to severe from Delaware to Maine,
and is, here, without frost or ice, except among the
Alps. Nature has indeed lavished on our country
her treasures of fertile soils and of minerals, but
she has given us also a hard winter, limiting our
productions, and giving us the task to provide for
innumerable wants unknown in milder climates.

Hence we cannot grow the lemon and the or-
ange except in parts of Florida and Cahfornia, and
even there get them destroyed by frosts that will
happen, say once in a decennium. It is true our
oranges are of a good kind, but the best of our trees
will not yield anything like the Italian trees. In
Sicily a good orange tree in bearing yields on the
average five thousand oranges a year, a good
lemon tree ten thousand lemons a year, the fruit
coming along mostly all the year through, and, of
course, equally so the blossoms. Competition is
therefore out of the question, just as little as we
shall ever be able to compete for sugar with the
West Indies, where the cane is perennial, while it
has to be replanted every three years in Louisiana.

Now the lemon, the orange and the olive are
rich sources of income in Italy, and none of them
require any particular care — the olive hardly any.
The olive tree grows freely all over the country,
except on the Alps ; the lemon and orange trees
grow freely and abundantly in the southern half,
and with nursing and in sheltered positions, also in
some portions of the northern half of this country.
Next in point of importance here is the vine, and,
in one sense, the whole country may be called one
vast vineyard, for the rocks and the hills and the
mountains are terraced and walled and cultivated
by the hand of man to produce the grape. At a
distance, you would think those heights were inac-
cessible, except to goats, and worthless, except for
timber. You get near them, and you find that
wherever a man could find a place to put his foot
down and not fall off, there he has planted a vine.

The wine is of a quality which cannot compare
with French wine as to flavor or taste, and hence
is not exported. There has been for the last two
years, a good demand for it from France, but that
was owing to the failure there, and only for the
manufacture of and mixing with French wine.
Otherwise it is all drunk on the premises, that is,
consumed in Italy. Your readers must know that
water is considered here a blessing of heaven as an
article to wash with, or for navigation, or for driving
a mill, but nobody thinks it is made for drinking.
The same notion prevails in France. This explains
the enormous quantities of wine required. On the
other hand there is never — " hardly ever "—any

drunkenness or intemperance. During five
months' stay in Italy I have seen but two individ-
uals the worse for drink.

Now we in America can certainly raise grapes
which will make good drinkable wine. The grapes
though, which we have raised heretofore, do not
make a desirable kind. Those of Ohio are unre-
liable, and one year's wine does not in the least re-
semble last year's or next year's, nor is it drink-
able, except the quality happens to be unusually
good. Again, the California wines are much too
heavy and heady to be fit for daily use. But then
we have such variety of soil, that, with care and
study, we would surely produce the right article.
But would it be wanted, when produced ? Who
can and will give our people the taste for it, and
thus redeem them from the curse of whisky and
from the stupefying beer ?

Pardon the digression, and I proceed.

Some other fruits are grown here which we have
not, at least not in perceptible quantities. There
are, for instance, figs enough raised here to ex-
clude any importation of them, and to make them
a common fruit for dessert, both fresh and dry.
Likewise the Japan medlar, and the apricot, and
divers kinds of plums, none of which, I believe
grow with us at all, but are here quite common.
Nor have we the fruit of the stone pine, which,
however, to my taste, is nothing to deplore. I
could go without them all the rest of my days, as
well as without the artichoke, which is served up
here the greater part of the year.

But whilst we have not a good many of the
Italian fruits and vegetables, Italy has most of
ours, and of tolerable quality, too, and in abun-
dance. She likewise grows all our cereals, Indian
corn included, which goes here by the name of
Turkish grain ; also hemp, flax, rice sufficient
for her own consumption, and, on her mountains
raises a great many head of cattle— enough to en-
able her to export a good many millions of dollars'
worth of them, every year, to her neighbors,
France and Switzerland.

Coming, however, down to the lowlands and
plains, the absence of good grass is very striking.
It does not seem, though, to affect agriculture,
since cattle, sheep and horses look, as a general
thing, in good enough condition. But the horti-
cultural eye, and the eye for beauty, miss the
grass sorely. And this brings me right into your
particular department. The Italian taste for gar-
dening is not ours, nor that of the English or Ger-
mans. Theirs is the architectonic style, handed
down to them from their predecessors of the land,

92

THE CiARDENERS' MONTHLY

[March,

the Romans. And proof positive it is, that, spite
of Virgil's charming Gcorgics, spite 'of Horace's
coquetting with the country, the Romans had no
taste for it. Nor "have the present ItaHans. Their
gardens and villas are for show, not for that enjoy-
ment which our gardens give us in the way of
peaceful emotion, of pleasant occupation, of com-
muning with our " Mother Earth," of greater near-
ness to God the Creator. Now trees and grass, the
alternation, in other words, of light and shade, and
also the mixing and blending thereof, promote
these pure feelings, and are the delight of our
Northern eyes and hearts.

Moreover, the Americans have the high privi-
lege over the nations of Europe, that we still have
nature about us in untutored woods. Such are
hard to find in Europe. Forestry is an art there,
and iheans the cultivation, conservation and gen-
eral management of trees. They get all that, it is
true, and, like a well-dressed, respectable gentle-
man, they are a virtuous sight. But the original-
ity of mature, the individuality, the poetry are
mostly gone or out of sight. As yet, I say, as yet
we have the woods, the forests, the native growth,
the underbrush and all in our American country,
but it won't take another hundred years, and we
may be worse off than Europe. We may not have
their forests, swept and trimmed and well ordered
though they be ; we may possibly have next to
none at all, if we continue going on the principle
of not caring who takes the hindmost.

Root out of your mind, American stranger
in Europe, your sweet memories of woods and
grass, and let us look round in Italy where so
much is to be enjoyed nevertheless.

Small as this country is, we can enjoy the great-
est diversity of climate, consequently also of pro-
ductions, mode of life, etc. First, as to the north-
ern half, all north of Rome. Hill, dale, valley,
pasture land, ice-clad mountains, rivers, • lakes,
swamps and plains alternate. The most remark-
able feature is, that from the cold mountains you
can descend into the subtropical " Riviera," or the
north shore of the Mediterranean where, although
you have right behind you the relatively cool dis-
tricts of Piedmont and France, as far as the coast
itself is concerned, you enjoy a climate similar to
that of Naples. There you see in the month of
March hedges, garden hedges, of roses, of fine
kinds of roses, such as we are proud of having in
beds and pots, rank of growth ; ditto of oleander,
lemon and orange trees in the open ; fuchsias, gera-
niums and many similar things of a height, strength,
nav, robustness, that make vou look twice at them

before you will believe it. In the same way, you
see other acquaintances and old friends in a new
condition. Very many of the plants and small
trees of our green and warmhouses, reared and
kept there like fine ladies in their parlors, here ap-
pear, like everyday folk, in the gardens of Nizza,
San Carlo, Genoa, etc., and, like everyday folk, are
all the stronger for it.

Magnolias also abound on this " riviera " and
here, as well as throughout Italy, keep their leaves
all the year round. Palms will also flourish in a
good many spots, but the date palm will not ripen
its fruit, and, on the whole, the palms do not look
" to the manor born " with the exception of one spot.

That spot is the garden of the gaming-house of
San Carlo. Partly the favorable situation, but
mostly the immense care and lavish expenditure
of Monsieur Blanc, the lessee, have produced this
spot and made it an ideal one. People call it Par-
adise for short. Here the flowers, plants and
trees of all zones are made to look at home. By
the way " Paradise " is no inapt name. The gam-
bling saloon is in the centre of this garden. Here
is the fall of man, and penitent is he driven hence
by remorse.

But we must not linger on the seashore, how-
ever attractive, both as to color of the water, which
is sparkling, and alternating from blue to green, or
as to picturesqueness of bold, rocky scenery all
along, and remarkable vegetation. Let us dive
inland.

I said we miss grass. I now say we also miss
trees in Italy. There are alpine pastures, some few
meadows, and there are also royal forests ; other-
wise the northern half of Italy is bare of trees.
Population has crowded them out; the soil got to
be precious. Hills and mountains, by means of
walling and terracing, are cultivated to their very
tops. The rains wash constantly down the soil
and the walls will only retain some small portion
of it. Nevertheless the hills and the mountains,
as well as the plains, teem in Italy, and, were it not
for this kindness of soil and climate, so many mil-
lions of men could not live on this relatively small
peninsula.

One system of cultivation seems to prevail all
over Italy. I would call it the bedstead system.
The land is laid out in regular uniform plots, resem-
bling bedsteads. Round its edges grow sometimes
olive trees, but mostly mulberry trees, whose fresh
leaves during the months of May and June, feed
the silkworms. To produce a great variety of
these leaves, and of fullest nourishment, the trees
are regularly trimmed every winter so as to have

AND HORTICULTURIST.

93

only four branches from the top of the trunk, at
the height of about fifteen feet from the ground,
from which four branches the new twigs start.
Where silk is not made, maple, willow or some
other tree gets trimmed the same way. They all
serve the purpose of props to vines, which are
trained from tree to tree, and thus form a live trel-
lis round the field. The field itself is parcelled off
into srnall plots of wheat, oats, Indian corn, inter-
planted with potatoes, vegetables, melons and what
not. It is incredible, in fact, "the diversity of
things grown within that bedstead shape, and that
such happy family will peaceably grow tegether,
without jostling and without killing one another, is
the wonder. The soil is precious, the most must
be made of it, and the untiring industry ot the
Italian farmer and the favoring elements do the
rest. Neat as it looks, it looks unpleasant to us
liberal Americans, who have so much ground and
to spare.

Allow me now to come back to gardening proper.
It does not compare in one sense with our own
gardening or with English gardening ; it is neither
such trim and careful work nor as thorough. The |
difficulties here are too few. Our best productions,
no matter in what line, are but the triumphs over |
ourselves, and man is not called out in Italy as
much as in Pennsylvania to show his mettle. Of
course this sentiment must not be carried to ex-
tremes. Both at the equator and at the poles man j
must knock under to nature, he can tame her but
little there ; he can never make her his servant,
and his victories there won't show much. But if
in Italy one-half of the trouble were bestowed, say
on roses, or peaches, or anything else, I say one-
half only of your or your neighbor's endeavors in
Pennsylvania, what results there might follow I

Once in a while, but at very wide intervals, you
meet with a lawn here or an English garden.
Otherwise the architectural is the Italian style.
Parterres, ribbon beds, geometrical figures, circles,
walls of evergreens, mostly of evergreen oak, mar-
ble steps, a fountain, ever so many busts and
statues, grottoes, pieces of water with Neptune,
the naiads, dolphins, swans, boys in the middle or
round about, a sun dial, or a mosaic floor, arbored
walks, with stone flooring, ruins of antique temples,
or of an ancient castle, summer houses built of
solid thick stone, and very cool inside, these are
the features of an Italian garden, whether in the
city or in the country, far too stiff and too stony
for my taste, but often very perfect of their kind.

I may in future give you details of a few of the
Italian show places.

THE CHINESE NATIONAL FLOWER.

i;V MRS. C. r,., FRANKTOWN, NEV.'VDA.

I have never seen in print the story or legend
the Chinese have about their national flower, "Twe
dan Fa," a variety of Poly-
^ B ^^ anthus Narcissus, which

^^1 ^ w blooms at their New Year, in

/^'^■^ February. A man died and

« left two sons. To one he

yT I J .left all his good fertile land

'^\^\w '^"d house; to the other he

' left nothing but a little piece

^ -^^^ of poor, stony, wet ground,

•^\\ '^hat no rice or anything else

y \^ would grow on. He was in

i \^JI distress, and had nothing to

eat, so his god took pity on
him, and one morning he looked, and the ground
among the stones was covered with beautiful
white flowers, and the god told him to care for
them and sell the plants to buy food. Sokhe pros-
pered and became richer than the other brother,
and his ground was the only place the flowers
could be had."

There is a double form of the flower, and they
(the Chinese) consider it fortunate for the flower to
be double. Last year my Chinese cook brought
me three fine bulbs — they come in clay. A friend's
cook had given her some, and the first one to
bloom for her was partially double, and the first
one of mine was single. My cook was quite an-
noyed, but my others were double — one like a
small rose, with nine large trusses on one cluster
of bulbs. He was quite pleased, as he said it was
"good too me ; you sabe good, good ; heap plenty
to you." Another time the same cook gave me
some, and I had one bloom in January. He went
off when he saw it in bloom to keep his New
Year. He came back in a day or so, and when he
came into the house he went to where the flower
was and said to it : " You heap cheatee me ; you
no sabe anything ;" they use the Spanish sabe for
know. It had bloomed too soon.

[The Chinese read from tl'ie top down. The
three characters are the Chinese words. — Ed.G. M.]

EDITORIAL NOTES.

What is a Garden. — It is a great comfort to
find once in a while a judge deciding by the rules
of common sense, instead of higgling over the
meaning of words. Before us is a report of a trial
in England. A lady willed to another her "house

94

THE GARDENERS' MONTHLY

[March,

and garden." A low evergreen hedge divided the
garden, on one side of which were solely fruit trees;
and vegetables, low fruits and flowers on the other
side. It was contended that the fruit part was not
a garden, but an orchard. The judge decided that
if this were to be admitted, the lady would have
died intestate so far as the orchard was concerned,
but the fact that she made a will showed she had
no intention of dying intestate. It was not to be
supposed that she had forgotten that she owned
an " orchard " when she made the will, and the
presumption was that she intended the orchard to
go as the garden. He declined to discuss the dif-.
ference between the words orchard and garden,
and with the testator's intention clear in his mind,
ruled in favor of the defendant, the cottage holder.
Justice Parsons' head is level, as Americans might
say.

Practical ^■Esthetics. — It is said that the
great poet of the sunflower saw little else that was
beautifuj in our country. Our gardening is not
beautiful, nor was there any beauty in Niagara
Falls, but the American Agriculturist ssiys he saw
beauty in a swindle out of $i,6oo, which the "son
of Tony Drexel" treated him to in New York.

Charles Crucknell. — We notice in our last
an advertisement of Mr. Crucknell, who is well
known to our readers as one of the most intelli-
gent of the many contributors to the magazine.
Before his removal to Missouri he was engaged in
Pennsylvania. If the Missourians have no chance
to retain his services, we are quite sure those Penn-
sylvanians who were sorry to have him leave them,
would be very glad to see him back again.

Dr. C. C. Parry. — The demand for the beauti-
ful new species of rose, Rosa minutifolia, has been
so great in Europe that Dr. C. C. Parry has been
induced to make another botanical excursion into
Lower California, chiefly with the view of supply-
ing the wants of nurserymen everywhere for it. He
was to leave the end of January. It is fortunate
that horticulture is the means of inducing this in-
trepid botanist to brave again the dangers of this
inhospitable region, as no doubt other new things
will still turn up.

John Ellis. — Mr. Ellis died recently in Cal-
ifornia, as we see by a note in the Rural Press.
He must have been beyond sixty years of age. He
was one of the most intelligent horticulturists in
the Union, though with some peculiarities, which
those who knew him intimately charged probably
with justice, as well as from the attractions of his
many good points, to occasional mental aberra-

tions. As an able horticultural writer he was well
known a quarter of a century ago, as " Fox
Meadow." In California, his work in laying out
the grounds of the Capitol, and the State Univer-
sity receives high praise.

Mr. John W. Slater. — Among recent deaths
is that of this well-known florist of Alexandria,
Virginia, in his seventy-second year. He was one
of the many model men of whom horticirlture in
America has such good reason to be proud. Start-
ing in life with no capital but great intelligence, a
high sense of probity, and good common sense and
industry, he hved to become comparatively wealthy,
and to exercise a wide-spread influence in shaping
the course of things around him. Judging by the
Star of his city, few men have dropped out in Alex-
andria more sincerely regretted.

A Sound Mind in a Sound Body. — Dr.
M'Carthy, of Dayton, Ohio, remarks that of all
occupations there is none which requires so close
a union of mental activity with physical energy as
the various pursuits of gardening, which therefore
make a human being as near perfect as he was
designed to be. He remarks that:

" There is no other occupation better adapted to
effect this than that of the horticulturist, whose ever
varying duties call into frequent action the numer-
ous powerful muscles that erect the spine, expand
the chest, propel the body, sustain its burthens and
perform its heavy work, as well as the smaller ones
that move the hands and work the fingers in the
innumerable skillful digitations so necessary and
effective in training, fostering and directing his
delicate plantlets. The voluntary muscles, useful
and indispensable as they are, are hke well-grown
indolent persons, who will do nothing of their own
accord ; they need constant supervision and direc-
tion. They are, however, obedient, docile and
efficient — work well under a master, making the
best of servants."

The Hill Cumorah. — A very pretty hill is
Cumorah, between Palmyra and Canandaigua,
New York. Besides its beauty, it has interest
: from being the place where Joseph Smith reported
he found the plates from which he wrote the Book
of Mormon.

Gardening for Young and Old, by Joseph
Harris : New York, Orange Judd Company. In
the preface, Mr. Harris says he would particularly
urge young people to turn their attention to seed
growing, not that he wishes to see horticulture di-
verted to a mere money-making business, aside
from its refining and nobler influences, but would

1883.

AND HORTICULTURIST.

95

like to see both kept in view. The work seems to
have for its main object the encouragement of hor-
ticulture among the young, and because of this
very style will be welcome to older folks. Many
of us who are whitening with age, learn more when
we are taught as if we are children than in any
other way. We regard this as a good, useful book,
even though it riiay tell nothing new to those who
have already had an extended experience.

Colorado as an Agricultural State, by
N. E. Pabor: New York, published by the Orange
Judd Company. Those who only know Colorado
by reading about it, imagine a dry, barren country,
and think of what such a country must be for ag-
riculture ; while those who see it for the first time
do not think much of Colorado from first impres-
sion of the agricultural prospect. But a short ac-
quaintance dispels the illusion. Irrigation does
better than nature. It does not pour when enough
has already been provided, and refuse a drop to
earnest supplication. By irrigation we can water
when we please, and stop whenever we please, and
the plant enjoys this good treatment so much thatit
does its best in return. The writer of this has seen
fifty bushels to the acre from wheat on the Arkan-
sas, and there is scarcely an agricultural crop
common in the East but may be made to yield
considerably more in Colorado than an Eastern
farm ever knew. It is evident, however, that it re-
quires a greater amount of intelligence to farm
on this plan, than it does on the " trust to nature"
system. A work like this of Mr. Pabor's is just
what the man of intelligence needs. It will be a
necessary companion to the Colorado immigrant,
unless he is willing to spend years in learning for
himself what he could here get the track of by
a few hours reading. Not only the agriculturist
but those interested in any pursuit will profit by a
perusal of the work.

Forestry Bulletin No. 23, United States
Census, has just been issued. It gives an estimate
of the consumption of wood as fuel in the United
States during the census year. Also a map of the
United States showing the character of the fuel
used on the areas marked on the map. Over
32,000,000 people use wood yet for domestic fuel,
and for these no less than 7,361,992 cords, $15,067,-
651 in value, in the great coal state of Pennsyl-
vania alone. We have to look in the future for
something else besides fence posts and railroad ties.

Annual Report of the Director of the
Arnold Arboretum, 1881-82. — From Prof. E. S.

Sargent, Director. Annual Report of the Director
of the Royal Gardens, Kew, 1881, from Dr. J. D.
Hooker, Director.

We are glad of the opportunity to notice together
the annual reports of these two excellent institu-
tions, established in the old and the new world,
the one in a vigorous infancy with a promise of a
long and useful life, the other old in years, but as
young and flourishing in useful work as it ever
was. From Prof. Sargent's report we notice that
the New Sylva of the United States, which will give
colored plates of all the trees of our country, is in
a good state of progress towards completion.

Among the many useful chapters in the Kew
Report are those relating to new facts in coffee,
gutta percha, India rubber, and especially cin-
chona. In connection with the last named it may
be noted that the experimental plantations in
Jamaica have proved a great success wherever
they have been made at elevations between 2,500
and 5,000 feet, but have failed at lower ones. The
Director of Kew Gardens believes that at no dis-
tant date Jamaica will produce enough bark to
supply the demand from the United States. Dr.
Alfred S. Kennedy, of Philadelphia, has for some
time been enthusiastic in his belief that it would
succeed in some parts of the United States, and
desires the United States government to attempt
its introduction. For our own part we do not know
of any place where it is likely to succeed. Un-
fortunately the United States has no "government
stations" in different parts of the countries where
knowledge from actual experiment, under the direc-
tion of intelligent gardeners, could be obtained.
The experimental grounds under the direction of
the State Colleges may some day supply this de-
ficiency, and many of them could do so well
already. No doubt Professor Hilgard, of the Uni-
versity of California, could soon tell whether it
was worth while to invoke government aid for Cin-
chona culture in any part of California.

Les Plantes Potageres, description et cul-
ture des principaux Ifegumes des climats temp^r^s,
par Vilmorin, Andrieux et cie. Paris, 1883.
(Kitchen Garden Plants, and the principal legumes
of temperate regions, with their description and
culture.) This is a magnificent work of 650 pages
by this world renowned seed firm, profusely illus-
trated by fine engravings and giving minutely the
histories of everything known. It is amazing what
numbers of plants are under culture, of which
little is as yet known in our country. Though
the French language is now widely understood in

96

THE GARDENERS' MONTHLY

[March,

America, we believe an English translation issued
here would have a wide sale, and we submit the
idea to the enterprising authors.

The Virginias. — Among the many magazines
issued, the bulk are passed over with a momentary
satisfaction, and that is all. Those which are of
a permanently interesting character are few and
far between. The Virginias (old Virginia and
new Virginia), edited by Major J. Hotchkiss, of
Staunton, is one of these substantial serials. It is
devoted wholly to the development of the indus-
tries of these States. It seems to us that no one
who has either direct or indirect interests in the
iwo Virginias, but will profit by reading it.

SCRAPS AND QUERIES.

To Intelligent Correspondents.—^// com-
munications relating to advertisements, subscrip-
tions, or other business, must be addressed to the
•publisher, 814 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia.

All referring to the reading matter of the tnaga-
zine must be mailed to the editor, Germantown, Pa.

No express packages for the editor received un-
less prepaid ; and marked " Paid through to Ger-
mantown, Pa."

Hawthorns. — "E."says: " The racy sketch of
hawthorns in your February number, by your in-
tellectual correspondent, W. T. Harding, of Mount
Holly, N. J., will kindle a glow of pleasing remem-
brance of youthful days in every British-American
heart. I remember well the blossoms in May,
and the haws in November. It is the British
hedge-thorn, which poets and orators have made
' famous, that caused all other species to be highly
prized. Burns paints it with silver and gilds it with
gold in expressing his ardent love for " Highland

Mary : "

"How richly grows the gay green birch !
How sweet the hawthorn's blossom !
As when beneath its fragrant shade
I clasped her to my bosom."

Improvement in Young Gardeners. — "Chip"
sends the following pleasant note: "The first re-
quirements of successful gardening is close and
always prompt attention. It is so in every busi-
ness ; but irregularity in gardening is from the first
start failure. No matter how fine a theorist, it will
help you nothing if you are not prompt in practice.
Close observation and study of nature is your
surest guide. Take advantage of sunshine ; reg-
ulate your glass structures at once ; in stormy and
gusty weather secure as much as you can ; start

your fires early in cold days. In fact be prompt,
always on your guard. Do not think : " I will do
this or that, yet a little longer delay will not hurt."
My friend, that is just the most fatal to your suc-
cess. I know some of us have more on hand than
we can always properly attend to ; but study, with
work, helps things along. It is a poor excuse to
have no time for study. But always look to your
main work first.

"Now, Mr. Editor, whether to publish this, my
first attempt of ever writing for the Monthly or
any other paper, you are the best judge ; and if
you find it worthy of space, I hope a well mean-
ing advice will not offend."

Inquiries from Correspondents.^ — It is not
unusual for correspondents to apologize for "troub-
ling the editor." The editor cannot write private
letters to inquiries, except as a matter of personal
business or to personal friends ; but when the
answers may benefit other readers as well as the
one who inquires, it is a pleasure to respond.
Questions, therefore, suitable for reply through the
columns of the magazine, are always welcome.

The Late Mr. Edward Meehan. — Mr. Fal-
coner writes : " Well do I remember the lamented
father of the Editor years ago. On visiting St.
Clare, I met him there, a tall and genial gentle-
man, lithe and active, and an enthusiast in his
garden. It was there I saw' for the first time a
multitude of plants growing out of doors that I had
used to know only as inmates of greenhouses.
And he was keen to tell their history to the boy,
and I as eager to glean the information from his
patriarchal lips, for he had then passed threescore
and ten. I was in England in November when
I read his obituary in the Garden. I was grieved
to lose him, and disappointed in thus being unable
to meet him, for I was going to the Isle of Wight,
and intended visiting him."

The Gardeners' Monthly for 1883. — It is not
unusual to receive numerous compliments from
subscribers when renewing their subscriptions, but
this year they seem more numerous and cordial
than usual. Many thanks to all for their good will.
As a specimen J. D. Y., Clinton, Iowa, writes :

"Please continue the Gardeners' Monthly.
I cannot get along without it. It has so many good
things in it. Strong's article on side graftings
alone, in one of the numbers, is worth the price
of it to me this year. I tried it on some grape
vines in August, also on cherries and plums, as
well as roses, and they all lived and are to-day
looking fresh and plump."

THE

GARDENERS' MONTHLY

AND

HORTICULTURIST.

DEVOTED TO HORTICULTURE, ARBORICULTURE AND RURAL AFFAIRS.

Edited by THOMAS MEEHAN

Volume XXV.

APRIL, 1883.

Flower Garden and Pleasure Ground.

COMMUNICATIONS.

A RETROSPECT OF SUMMER.
BY JAMES MORTON, TORRINGTON, CONN.

In pursuing this terrestrial journey of existence,
amid the many turns and vicissitudes that too fre-
quently befall the uncertain destiny of man, it is at
all times cheering to learn of the progress of each
other on the winding pathway that we tread. If
good and fortunate, that we might endeavor to
turn our wavering thoughts and guide our energies
in a similar course ; and, if otherwise, to be warned
against treading in such footsteps. And among
gardeners in particular, much might be learned,
and many evils surmounted, that thwart the way,
and clog the wheels of their onward progress, by a
clear and frank acknowledgment within these
pages of some of tl^eir successes and failures alike.
It is all very well to write of one's success, but why
not have a line or two on failures as well ? And
now from a small standpoint I will proceed to
make a few remarks on some things that have
done well here, and some that have not, which,
from the limited scope of my observation, and the
limited resources at command, must not be taken
as a criterion of things in general throughout the
bright spots of this land, where the starry banner
of horticulture has been unfurled.

The soil in this district is light and sandy, on a
subsoil of calcareous loam, hence its moisture-
retaining properties are small, and a dry time has
a ruinous effect, and never in the memory of the
oldest inhabitant have they experienced so long a
drought as last summer. About July 4th, we had
a copious downpour for a couple of days of that
refreshing liquid, and since then (save but a few
showers at intervals, hardly sufficient to lay the
dust), until September nth, we never had the
ground wet enough for vegetation to rush with
any stimulus. Consequently many things suc-
cumbed outright to the scorching rays of an almost
tropical sun, and most of what struggled through
was weak and puny, and got prematurely ripe.
The spring was late and cold, nothing starting
until late in the season. Colens, for weeks after
being planted in their summer quarters, dwindled
in the chilly atmosphere, and promised poorly for
a good display, but with the revival of — to them — a
more congenial temperature, although far into the
season, they assumed a new life, and went ahead,
making a good show. The best, I find, for mass-
ing, is the old Verschafeltii. A large bed of this,
with a wide margin of Stevia var., the latter kept
pegged, had a pleasing effect. Hiawatha looked
good for a time soon after it began to grow, but as
the season advanced it showed a tendency to
flower, and the leaves it produced were smaller

98

THE GARDENERS' MONTHLY

[April,

than at first, and of a paler and less beauteous
hue than heretofore, for which reason I consider it
only middling for bedding purposes, and hardly
that. Gloria d' Automne did pretty well, but not
assuming its rich markings so vividly as a few
plants kept indoors as a means for perpetuating its
species. A dark-leaved variety, with a purple tint
on the veins, of which I don't know the name^
served its purpose in good style for lining through
the lighter sorts, or intermixing with such as Stevia
variegata, or Centaurea gymnocarpa. Meteor,
Monarch, Golden Beauty, Delight, Perfection,
Aurora, May Queen, Monitor, James Vick, Colum-
bia, Jewel, Triumph, and President Garfield, while
they stand pre-eminently suited for indoor culture,
have not here any special merits for open air bril-
liancy. Alternantheras have not assumed their
rich golden and crimson tints this season, notwith-
standing the brightness and dryness of the summer.
Golden Feverfew (Pyrethrum parthenifolium au-
reum), has been a signal failure. It looked good
for a time after planting, but soon began to damp
and spoil the effect where planted. Mesembry-
anthemum cordifolium variegata is a plant I
thought unmatched for carpet bedding, but here,
beneath the rays of a scorching sun, it is worth-
less, never producing its sparkling leaves and
stems as is its wont in a more salubrious clime.
Browallia elata, I find, is a good thing for a rib-
bond border ; so, also, Chrysanthemum frutescens.
Lobelia erinus compacta made an admirable
line for the early part of the season, but later on
it drooped its tiny heads all round, began to
damp away in the center, and finally most of it
disappeared long before the others ceased to be
gay. Asters do not finish well here ; they grow
and bud with amazing vigor, but ere they reach
the summit of their beauty they turn prematurely
brown and die away. Dahlias do pretty well, but
many of the buds, for some reason or other, never
come to anything, rotting away, while other
blooms make a profusion of beauty. Heliotropes,
tuberoses, geraniums, verbenas, phlox, salvia,
pansies, gladiolus, ageratum and many varieties of
hhes appear to do best here. Achyranthus, too,
wherever planted, seems to be the leading feature,
and thrives under many circumstances.

Among vegetables, corn, peas and beans are
very poor, the latter so late that many won't get
filled ere the frost overlaps us with its icy mantle.
White corn got prematurely ripe from the intense
heat and dryness of the atmosphere. Beets, pota-
toes, onions, tomatoes, cauliflower and celery are
all good. Melons were also a good crop, and gave

hopes of a plenteous yield of fruit. But ere they
reached maturity, I went through the hills one
morning and espied some footmarks that seemed
as much out of place as that solitary one Robinson
Crusoe beheld in the sand, on his desolate island,
together with a broken fence rail, which were vivid
indications that the marauder had been at work;
for gone were the melons, and naught but the sere
and shrivelled leaves remained to compensate for
the time so vainly spent in a hopeful endeavor to
mature what nature nurtured until the hand of
greedy man tore ruthlessly away.

Such episodes as these metaphorically sip the
honeyed nectar of the gardener's pride,- and plant
with burdocks his bed for roses, testing his abil-
ities to refrain from vindictive thought or supplant
his ruffled feelings with more hopeful views than
his first impulses presenced. But fortunately in
the gardener's career such incidents dwell in an
inferior minority. Still, though most of his toil
and exertion invariably give pleasure, they are
not all devoid of pain. It is nice to scatter the
tiny seeds and watch them burst and spring forth
from their moulded beds, and then behold the
weak and puny buds develop into flowers of un-
equalled beauty. It is also nice to trip o'er the
dewy-crested lawn, and brush the shining drops
away in quest of some fair specimen of the floral
tribe ; but is it nice to find on going through one's
plants in the morning, that the slugs had directed
their peregrinations through some pans of seedling
Gloxinias, leaving nothing but their slimy trail
behind? Or, how is it for fun to find your neigh-
bor's cats all squatted in the pansy beds, or bask-
ing in the rays of an evening sun upon his boxes of
geranium cuttings ?

I fear I have traveled wide of my mark and
lost my subject in the sentiments of a gardener's
care ; therefore I will add the remaining shred to
my tree of retrospect. If the past season has had
its glories mingled with adversities, his patience
will bear him o'er its lacking features, and forti-
fied with the knowledge of the past he must ulti-
mately achieve victory over hi§ failures, and then
in such hopeful contemplation, can say : What if
the past season was unfavorable, the coming will
be better.

CANNA EHMANNL
BY MR. A. NEUNER, LOUISVILLE, KY.

Being familiar with the nature of this strikingly
new Canna, we wish to give a few hints to your
readers about the treatment of tubers after frost
has killed the leaves. Unlike other varieties of

1883.]

AND HORTICULTURIST.

99

Cannas the leaf-stalks of this sort are more fleshy,
and the new eyes or side-shoots less prominent, and
unless the tubers are kept growing after taking
them from open ground before frost touched the
leaves, or if leaves have to be cut off after frost
killed them, the opening and drying off has to be
domr very slowly, and in a warm house, or the
roots will invariably rot. The only really safe
way I found to be to cut off only a part of leaves
and bury the roots under a bench in a light and
warm place when vegetation will be kept up all
winter, or at least until new shoots show them-
selves.

Then only it will be safe to divide the roots too.
Canna Newtonia iridiflora has the same habit and
foliage, and requires same treatment. Its sole dif-
ference is in the color of its flowers, being of a
lighter red.

I may mention that we have succeeded in
raising a beautiful yellow blooming Canna, flowers
same size as Canna Ehmanni.

FLOWER-BEDS.

BY MR. N. ROBERTSON, GOVERNMENT GROUNDS,
OTTAWA.

The beauty of a design is to have it brought out
so that any one can tell what is meant, without
being told, as is the case in many instances. To
show a distinct pattern with flowering plants,
requires a considerable amount of attention and
care to be properly done, for which I practice two
plans that may be of some advantage to your
readers.

To keep my colors from intermixing I use two
plans, one is putting a line of some stiff growing
plant between the colors, to harmonize and be
trimmed to line and height. Say it is a red, I use
Achyranthes, and for a white, Cineraria mari-
tima, or some such plants. My patterns are
drawn on the bed, and they are planted on the
lines. Another method is planting short stakes
around my lines, not to show above the plants,
and running stove-pipe wire on them, and turning
the colors to their respective sides. All this may
seem a good deal of trouble, but will well repay
by a distinct pattern, for this is the main point in
all such work, and I would especially advise all
who try such beds with flowering plants, to evade
intricate patterns, or acute points,' and not less than
bands of two feet wide, for considerable mass of
color is required to give effect.

With plants such as Alternantheras, Thymes,
Pyrethrums, &c., and low growing plants, as

Echeverias, Semperviyums, Sedums, &c., any
design almost can be carried out ; the first can be
clipped into any form, and the last will not out-
grow their position.

My designs are all planned, drawn to a scale,
and colored nearly to that of the plant to be used ;
during the winter months, calculating the quantity
I may require — and being sure to have plenty to
plant close, as our summer seasons are so short that
early effect is required. This study of my patterns
I consider a very important part ; for let any one
go out in the spring without this preparation — and
he will surely make many mistakes which this will
obviate.

When my beds are dug and made firm, I have
them raked smoothly ; I then put a plank across,
raised on blocks at each end ; if the bed should be
wider than can be reached in this way, I put two
feet into the end of a plank, resting the feet in the
bed, and the other end on the grass, or walk; from
this I draw my plans, and plant, never treading on
my bed after it is raked. For this purpose I use a
large wooden compass, rule and line. The com-
pass is extremely useful where you want to follow
a curved or irregular edge, setting it to the distance
you want, keeping one point to the edge, and
marking with the other. The planks I use in the
same way when doing all my summer trimming of
the beds, thus leaving no unsightly marks.

I mentioned in a late number of your paper
that my facilities for keeping over such a large
quantity of plants (about twenty-five thousand), is
very limited, and had driven me to try various plans,
and have them look ornamental as well. The
greenhouses are visited by many, especially during
the session of parliament, and it would not do to
have them otherwise than neat and tidy. My pas-
sages being wide enough to admit of a box four
inches wide and five deep, attached to the front of
my benches, this box runs all round, and is filled
with the different varieties of Alternanthera,
which when broken up in the spring and put in
the hot-bed, gives me a large quantity of it, and
gives a fine finish to the benches, as a border.

As to other plants, such as Echeverias, Semper-
vivums, Pachyphytum, Verbenas, &c. In the first
two only offsets are saved, and put closely into
boxes made of a uniform height and width, painted
green, filled with sand ; the last two are made of
cuttings, and treated similarly ; the boxes are
placed on the front of the benches in another
house, and look very ornamental, the back portion
of the benches being filled with other plants.
These are samples of many things I use in this

THE GARDENERS' MONTHLY

[Apnl.

way. Sometim&s I save the. old roots and put
them on some out of the way place, and they
soon push up young plants which arc taken off
in the spring and make nice plants.

With Such things as geraniums, when taken up
in the fall, only the cuttings are saved, and boxed
up in the same manner in boxes of sand, and put
on a shelf all round, close to the glass, where they
are not much seen, and by the month of March are
all rooted and potted up ; by this time they can
be put in hot-beds, and are in the best order pos-
sible for bedding' in the latter end of May, which
is as early as we can put anything out with safety
here. Such plants as Salvia officinalis, Mesembry-
anthemum cordifolium and the Thymes are all done
in this way. Any amount of cuttings can generally
be got from them early in the spring in this way,
from which I make large quantities grown in the
hotbeds. Only in a very few cases do I ever keep
over the old plants, and that where plants grow so
slow that one year is not sufficient to grow them
large enough to be useful, such as Leucophyton
Brownii, &c. All this will be nothing new to prac-
tical men, but will be of benefit to many who are
not acquainted with this way of keeping over large
quantities in a small space, as to which I have
many inquiries.

HOPE FOR CITY TREES.

BV MARGID DIGRAM.

A drug store on upper Broadway, N. Y., between
the squares — possibly it is directly opposite the
Union — may now be seen of evenings brilliantly
illuminated with electricity. The light is not fur-
nished in a large globular lamp, as we have here-
tofore seen it, but is broken up into a multitude of
jets, each of which is surmounted by a vase-shaped
shade, if I may so term it, of clear glass, which has
a broad line of ornament chased or ground upon
it.. This shade is especially mentioned because it
seems to be a helpful feature. The light given off
from the small jets is not silver colored as in the
spherical lanterns, nor of a rich gold color as in
the gaslight, but is somewhere between the two;
resembling, in fact, that which we see in the stars,
and casting off, like them, scintillating beams or
radiant lines of light.

From this upper Broadway pharmacy, I suppose,
the new method will spread until every city, town
and village within the Union is as richly furnished.
Now this fact, it seems to me, is of some interest
to the arboriculturist, and to the lover of ornamen-
tal trees. With the actual departure of the gas-

light, and its accompanying nuisance of gas waste,
the tree grower, if he is a lover of his kind, should
make an heroic attempt to again carry his vegeta-
tion within the city limits, and regain and plant
the streets which have too long suffered from his
absence.

It would be well, if in the cost of each tree set,
should be included also a fee for the care of it for
a number of years, say five or ten, the oversight
to cover the two or three weeks immediately fol-
lowing its first insertion in the ground, and subse-
quently a semi-annual inspection and cleansing
from insects. Though the majority of town resi-
dents seemingly labor under the impression that
arboreal vegetation will take all necessary care of
itself, it is a mistake, and tree growers as a body
should see that they are better informed, and keep
them so by periodically refreshing their wonder-
fully short memories.

EDITORIAL NOTES.

Strong-Rooted Perennials. — Many perennial
plants are betterfor being occasionally transplanted,
but there are others where the rule will not apply.
At a recent meeting of the Massachusetts Horticul-
tural Society, C. M. Hovey said that "the Fraxi-
nella should be grown from seed where it is
wanted ; it makes strong woody roots, with no
fibres, and is very difficult to transplant. The same
is the case with the Asclepias tuberosa, which he
esteems the most beautiful of all our native plants."

Failure in Narcissus and Daffodils. — A
Germantown correspondent last year asked us
about the failure of some old beds to make good
flowers. At a recent meeting of the Massachu-
setts Horticultural Society, Mrs. H. L. T. Wolcott
said that " her narcissus buds failed so that she
gave up in despair, but she took them up and
reset them, and every bud gave a flower."

Rose Niphetos. — This, which has become so
popular with cut flower growers in America, is just
as popular on the other side of the world. It is
an old rose now, as it was raised by a Mons. Bou-
gere-Breton in 1843, and it is remarkable that its
merits should not have been noted till 1870 or
thereabouts. Surely " Hope on " might be the
motto of many a good rose which thought itself
neglected.

Fine Old Judas Tree. — In the garden of Mr.
E. Harcourt, at St. Clare, in the Isle of Wight,
there is just now a Judas tree, Cercis siliquastrum.

•]

AND HORTICULTURIST.

in blossom which is worth a pilgrimage to see. It
would hold its own even in the environs of Smyrna.
The tree is i8 feet high, and the circumference of
its branches is about 75 feet. At this present mo-
ment it is laden with blossom, and its kind of ruby-
red against the dark foliage of a tall Pinus insig-
nis, which grows close by, is most striking to look
at. — H. E., ill Garden.

GiNGKO. — The maiden hair tree is found to be
quite hardy at Montreal.

The Ash as a Street Tree. — Dr. John A.
Warder says: "In this prairie country one of the
very best trees for street planting is the green ash.
The size is just right, the growth when young is
rapid, the form is easily controlled by judicious
trimming, and the foliage is very neat and of a
healthy green, which is nearly the same on both
sides of the leaves. Then, too, the trees may be
had at. reasonable rates from any nurseryman.
Whole blocks, or indeed whole streets, might well
be planted continuously with the green ash, and
produce a good effect.

Evergreens in the Shaue. — It has often been
noted in these columns that evergreens often die
when under other trees, not so much from shade as
from the drouth and poverty brought about by the
numerous roots of the larger trees. A heavy ma-
nuring will often give vitality enough to keep such
hedge plants in good heart, when it is particularly
desirable to have them in such situations. Of
success under these circumstances with arborvitass
a correspondent of the American Garden gives a
good example.

Rose Madame Boll. — The French Journal
des Roses remarks that rose growers derive no lit-
tle satisfaction from the contemplation of fine,
vigorous foliage, as well as from fine flowers. In
this respect it praises especially this fine old Hybrid
Perpetual, Madame Boll. This was raised in 1856
by Mons. J. Boyan, of Angers, from seed of a rose-
colored hybrid perpetual crossed by Bell Fanert.
It was named after Mrs. Boll, the wife of a well
known florist of New York city.

ALONG ISL.\ND GiNGKO Tree.— In Mr. Hen-
derson's Handbook of Plants, mention is made of
a fine tree on the grounds of Mrs. Manice, of
Queens, Long Island. It is not near as old or as
large as many in the country, the one at Wood-
lands, for instance, being one hundred years old,
but it is a very fine tree of its age. It is over 35 feet
in height and 3 feet 2 inches in circumference,
one foot above the ground, and has been planted

about thirty-seven years, though no one knows its
exact age.

H.\RDv Cyclamens under Trees. — This little
sketch of Cyclamens was from a group allowed to
run wild among the grass under some trees in a
garden at Tooting. Right bravely for years they
had held their way among the grass and weeds
and carpeted the ground with their glossy leaves,
and flowered freely in winter and early spring.
Although mostly a South European, North African
and Western Asiatic family, various species grow
on the hills, and they are with very few exceptions
thoroughly hardy. There should be no difficulty
in naturalizing cyclamens in copses and half shady
places, where the surface vegetation is not too
rank. We believe they will grow in many of the
places for which people so often seek for "plants
that will grow under trees." The mossy floor of
many a grove where grass will not grow may be
enamelled with the Ivy-leaved Cyclamen, with C.
Europaeum, C. vernum, and, in fact, most of the
species and varieties, with the exception of the
Persian cyclamen, so well known as a spring-flow-
ering greenhouse plant, and which is not hardy
everywhere. — Garden.

SCRAPS AND QUERIES.

Bedding Cle.m.^tis. — A Canadian correspond-
ent says : "Those who have tried the clematis as a
bedding plant, trained on the ground, will oblige
me and many others if they will report their suc-
cess through the medium of your Gardeners'
Monthly, stating the position where they have
done so and what varieties they prefer for this
purpose. If they will succeed in this way they
will make a fine display, and be very valuable in
bedding, if they only make half the display they
do when trained upright."-

Raising Seeds of Herbaceous Plants. —
" N. B. C," of Bucyrus, Ohio, says: "For the
last four or five years I have planted, and
given to two or three friends, seeds of the
following plants: Aconitum nap. (Monkshood),
Belladonna atrop. (Nightshade), Digitalis purpur.
(Foxglove), Conium mac. Hyoscyamus niger
(Henbane). I have always obtained the seed
from three different dealers. But the result was
the same, invariably — a total failure, not a seed of
any variety growing. Last year one of my lady
friends had a few plants of digitalis, and she fondly
looks for blossoms the coming summer. All the
above are, I think, indigenous to the United States

THE GARDENERS' MONTHLY

[April,

and Europe, and I have tried to imitate as far as
possible the natural conditions and habitat of the
plant, biit without success. Can you put me on
the track of some specific information as to the
proper method of planting and managing such
seeds ? Is the subject one of sufficient general
interest to justify a few brief hints in the Garden-
ers' Monthly ? I am anxious to raise these
plants, as it is difficult to find medicinal portions of'
them in market that are satisfactory." i

[The failure could scarcely be from bad seed,
for most of those named keep good for several
years. Most likely the failure comes from deep
sowing. Plant as early in spring as possible, make
the merest scratch in the ground, cover the seed
slightly ; then press the earth very firmly, and par-
tially shade. There will be little failure under
this plan. Occasionally seeds of these plants lie
over in the ground till the second season. — Ed.
G. M.]

Greenhouse and House Gardening,

COMMUNICATIONS.

STEAM HEATING.
BY C. F. EVANS, ROWLANDVILLE, PHILA.

In accepting the task imposed upon me of giving
my experience in steam heating, I have done so
fully aware of the fact that I am standing before
those far beyond me in business experience. I
therefore claim
your i nd ul-
gence. So im-
pressed am I,
however, with
the importance
o f steam-heat-
ing in connec-
tion with our
business, and
so tuUy am I
convinced of
its superiority
over all other
modes of heat-
ing that I gladly
avail myself of
this opportunity

to add my testimonial to the many that steam
has already secured. Last winter, the first sea-
son in my career as a florist, we had five green-
houses, two heated by Hitchings' boiler, the re-
maining three by means of flues. I soon became
convinced that both ways were far from perfect,
and in the anticipation of building more houses I
immediately commenced looking for some more

Fig. 1 shows how the steam enters over the door, and is then run over to
the coils situated on the sides of the house. The black dots represent the
valves controlling the coils.

improved method. I became impressed with the
idea that steam would be the most effectual and
desirable means, and of course read all the articles
in our various journals for and against it with deep
interest. I corresponded also with all the florists
in the United States who were using steam wherever
I could find them. Besides this, I sought the advice
of some of my much esteemed brother florists in

Philadelphia,
many of whom
have been so
kind and gener-
ous in their as-
sociations with
me. I found
much to encour-
age me in my
pet theory, and
yet much to de-
ter. Instances
were quoted me
of men who had
been ruined
through its use,
and indeed I
must acknowl-
edge that many times I would decide at night
that it would not be safe to try the dangerous
experiment ; that I must sdck to the hot water
system ; yet invariably a night's sleep would
dispel the misty doubts, and the next morning
would find me possessed with a greater long-
ing for steam than ever. Late in the winter,
having heard of some greenhouses in Flatbush

5-]

AND HORTICULTURIST.

103

which were heated by steam, I determined to visit
them. I found the proprietor far from being per-
fectly satisfied, and again my ardor was dampened.
I had read in the Gardeners' Monthly the ad-
vertisement of the Exeter Heating Apparatus, and
upon writing to the company I received from them
such information as decided me to go to Boston
and see one of their boilers in operation. 1 felt I
had found the right thing ; indeed, so much was I

slightly, the lever falls and opens the draft. In
safety appliances there are a safety valve and
safety plate.

From the upper drums (spoken of in the descrip-
tion of the boiler) start the steam main, which
is perpendicular for twelve feet, and then branches
off and runs through both of the sheds ; — the pipe
always growing smaller the farther it gets away
from the boiler ; at the center of each house this

Fig.n.

rw^Q'^-

FiG. 2 rihows a coil with maiiifold.s on each end, and the drip taken from one of them. The letter A represents an air valve.

pleased that before I left Boston I bargained with 1 pipe is tapped and the coils run in the houses. I

them to heat my ten houses. have a drawing of a coil. These coils have a fall

I will now give a description of my boiler. The \ of nine inches in every one hundred feet, so that

Exeter heating boiler consists of a series of sections
rectangular in form, two feet long, two and a half
feet high, three and a half inches thick. Each
section is cast with eight openings through it two
inches by twelve inches. These sections being

all condensed steam runs to the lower end, where
a drip is taken out of the bottom of the manifold
(this drip also having a fall of nine inches to one
hundred feet) and runs into a main drip which
runs the entire length of the shed; it is under-

arranged over the fire two inches apart, trans- 1 ground, and has a fall of two feet towards the
versely to the draft, the openings form fire tubes boiler. In my five houses, 22 feet by an average
(although not continuous, as the spaces between ; 115 feet, there are 16,445 cubic feet each, or 82,225

the sections unite them into
one space), and increase' the
heating surface, while their
>valls tie the flat sides of the
sections together.

Every angle is rounded
inside and out, and the bot-
tom and top faces of each
section have wave-like
forms, to permit expansion
and contraction. The lower
and upper parts of each sec-
tion are connected by an
extra heavy pipe, extending
through the v/all of the set-
ting to a main outside drum

O

o

r-\

A

A

r~^

F

^i^.m

r.

r\

A

\

A

U

A

-also

Y\G. 3 shows a front view of section-
showing the tine pipes formed, AA.\.

Fig. 4 shows an end view of section, showing
openings into which the pipes rnnning Into the
water and steam drums are.

cubic feet of air in all to be
heated. These houses each
have about 1,000 feet of i^
inch pipe. In my other five
houses — three 12x96 and
two 18x96 — there are 50,976
cubic feet of air to be heated,
and there are about 3,000
feet of one-inch pipe ; so that
in all we have 133,201 cubic
feet of space to heat and
5,000 feet of \){ inch and
3,000 feet of inch pipe do it
admirably. Before speaking
of the advantages gained
like to say that each feed
coil has a valve on it ;

common to all. by steam I would

There is an automatic damper regulator which which supplies the

is attached to the boiler, and operated by the each drip has a valve ; each coil has an autom
steam it can be adjusted' to any desired pressure

(say two pounds in cold weather), and when the
steam reaches that pressure it immediately acts on
the automatic regulator, shutting the draft door

atic air valve, and upon each end of the coil is a
manifold which is so arranged with a system
of valves that I can use as many pipes as the
weather makes necessary. The advantages of

and closing the damper in the pipe leading to the steam as they occur to me : (i) The pipes certainly
chimney, thus checking the fire and preventing do not occupy one-fourth of the space demanded
an increase of steam. As the pressure decreases by hot water pipes ; they are usually against the

I04

THE GARDENERS' MONTHLY

[April.

partitions, and quite out of the way. (2) The heat
can be graduated to the greatest nicety, distance
from the boiler being of no consideration, those
farthest distant can be heated, without heating
those near at hand, if desired. Should you want
to keep a house cold, let the valves remain closed;
if not so cool, turn on one pipe ; warmer, two
pipes, and so on. (3) As to the dryness of the
heat from steam pipes — which some claim as a dis-
advantage — I must own that I fail to sec why the
heat radiated from iron pipes should be changed
at all in character as to moisture, whether the heat-
ing medium inside the pipe be steam or water. (4)
A most important advantage in steam-heating is
the great economy in labor. With five houses last
winter we required eight fires in the coldest
weather, quite distant from each other in location.
Now with more than double the amount of glass,
we have but two fires in the same boiler hole, side
by side. Then again, no fire can be more easily
managed, the automatic dampers work to a charm ;
indeed, as far as such a thing is possible, it seems
to me the apparatus is almost self-regulatmg.
With reference to economy of fuel, I consider it
compares very favorably with other means. I
should suppose that we burn about three tons of
coal per week, and we cover an area of over
20,000 square feet. Probably some of my older and
more experienced friends can better form a com-
parison in this particular than I.

Much as I favor heating by steam, I do not
think that I can too strongly protest against en-
trusting the applying of it in greenhouses to the
care of those who do not fully comprehend the
pecuhar necessities of the case. Many good
steam-fitters, with much experience in applying
heat by steam to ordinary buildings, would fail
probably in giving satisfaction in greenhouses.
But properly applied, I think it cannot fail to
produce successful results, and the happy florist
who introduces it into his houses will doubtless
join me in thinking steam heating without a rival.

MORE ABOUT STEAM HEATING OF

GREENHOUSES.

BY E. H. BOCHMAN, PITTSBURGH, PA.

Two years ago I was prevailed upon to give an
account of my practical experience in the use of
steam-heating of greenhouses, partly urged by
some of my fellow florists, and partly feeling an-
noyed, to tell the truth, by noticing so many mis-
statements on the subject appearing in horticultural
publications in this country, as well as in England

and Germany, most of which evidently bore the
stamp of ignorance and prejudice on the part of
their authors, while others, in their own description
of the apparatus, gave the key to its failure. Had
I known the avalanche of inquiring correspond-
ence I was about to precipitate upon myself, I
might well have hesitated ; but, on the whole, I
suppose the thorough agitation which the subject
has received ever since, has been of practical ben-
efit to the cause of floriculture. When I can state
that at this day every florist's establishment of any
considerable size about this city is heated by steam
and giving entire satisfaction, and when I am
furthermore crediWy informed that several other
cities are doing scarcely less, I may be justified in
the belief that this agitation has borne some fruit
already. It is but a day or two since I met one of
our prominent florists, to whom I had given some
slight assistance in the shape of advice in regard
to steam-heating. It happened to be the day after
the most blustering cold night we 'had this winter,
and the enthusiastic endorsement he accorded
steam was a caution to skeptics.

The new system (I am only speaking of my own
experience with it) has now been on trial seven
seasons, and so far it has failed to verify in any
one particular the doleful predictions so prevalent
at the time when the original bantling began to be
talked about. Boilers and pipes have obstinately
refused to burst, and the plants grown with aid of
steam-heat somehow or other remain distressingly
healthy, other treatment being equal, as a matter
of course ; and what a difference in the attention
required 1 Let me give an illustration from practi-
cal experience in a place, the houses of which
formerly were heated by eight hot-water boilers in
severe weather. It used to keep one man on the
go continually to stoke his fires and watch his ther-
mometers ; one or more of the fires requiring to be
kept at the greatest attainable draft, while some
others performed their allotted duty with less fre-
quent attention. After a night of such labor the
man would be completely worn out with being
overheated at one time in front of his furnace, and
chilled at another in traveling to the next. Now
for the contrast. Instead of eight fires, located
perhaps three hundred feet apart, he keeps one ;
his valves have been regulated for the different
temperatures desired on each house, and a week's
practice teaches him what pressure of steam he
requires to offset any given outside temperature,
while his steam-gauge is right before his eye to tell
the tale. He takes an occasional glance at his
out-door thermometer, and finds, say an exceptional

1883.]

AND HORTICULTURIST.

105

degree of cold, perhaps accompanied by high
wind ; as a precaution he goes the rounds of his
houses and finds old Boreas is getting the upper
hand of the fifteen or twenty pounds of steam he
may be carrying at the time ; that is, he finds

58° where he wants 60°, or 40'

45^

Does he rush back

where he de-
franticallv to

stir the fire to greater exertions, or rouse up help to
cover the threatened plants with blankets or mus-
lin or paper ? Not much he don't ; he returns to
his boiler and sets the weight of his pressure-regu-
lating valve a few pounds further out, or similarly,
if he uses a damper-regulator, he adds a few
pounds there, and in the course of a very short
time he is absolutely certain to have his houses
right to a degree.

Perhaps some of my readers may think the
above blanket story overdrawn, but it is not ; it
happened in my own experience not once, but half
a dozen times in one season, not above five miles
from New York city, and moreover in what was
then and is now one of the best appointed estab-
lishments in the country.

If the following information appears lengthy,
I wish to offer the excuse that I know the sub-
ject to be of some interest to literally hundreds
of the readers of the Monthly, as I have their
letters to show for. To answer each individually
became an utter impossibility, as the scope of
questions contained in any single one was so ex-
tensive as to require going over the whole field in
detail.

To begin with the boiler or boilers most suitable.
Nearly every inquiry embraces that, and would be
easily enough answered if the kind of fuel most
convenient to the respective locality were men-
tioned. If soft or bituminous coal is your fuel,
and your concern is large, say upward of 3,000
feet of glass, I should use the Cornish boiler as the
one producing the most economical results; but
its first cost is considerably above that of any
other pattern. Next in order for the same fuel
comes perhaps the so-called Mississippi steamboat
boiler, containing a double flue. For anthracite
or coke I should give the preference to the follow-
ing styles of boilers in the order named : i, loco-
motive, fire box ; 2, tubular, with the fire under the
boiler ; 3, sectional boiler. The boiler once chosen,
the next thing in order is the best location for the
same ; if the topography of your site admits of a
difference in levels, place your boiler at the low-
est possible point, so as to be able to return all the
condensation to it by gravity; even where your
ground will not admit of that altogether, it is of

advantage to secure as low a level as possible, in-
asmuch as the automatic return trap will have to
lift the corldensation just so much less, and will
work at a lower pressure, as it requires about one
pound of steam to raise a column of water two
feet.

Be careful to secure ample draft by giving your
smokestack or chimney an inside area one-third
greater than the combined area of the flues or
tubes in your boiler, and make your connection
from boiler to chimney as direct as possible. As
regards the position of the pipes in your houses, be
particular to have them hung (which is far prefer-
able to resting them on fixed supports) with a uni-
form descent to the pipe or pipes conveying the
condensation back to the boiler, thereby avoiding
the unpleasant cracking noises heard in pipes im-
properly placed. Make all your connections from
the main pipe to the heating coils of uniform size ;
say 34 or I inch for very long lines ; observe the
same rule in your connections with your, return
pipe, for which, however, you may use a size
smaller valve, as, for instance, lA inch valves on
return connection to -4 inch for live steam, and 3/jf
inch valves on returns to i inch for live steam.

The relative amount of your radiating surface
in your heating pipes to the area to be warmed, of
course varies with climate and exposure. For our
locality, where the mercury occasionally falls to
20° below zero, and on reasonably well-constructed
houses I give the following relative figures :

Area of hotise
in cut)io leer.

70

50

Temperature
wanted.

6-5°

Radiating Surface
of pipe
in stjuare feet.
1
1

The size of pipe which 1 find best adapted to the
purpose is 2-inch or larger (wrought iron, of course),
designated in the trade as black pipe (lap-welded)
and I cannot but repeat my warning against the
use of too small pipe, a mistake I have had to per-
suade against in every new attempt at steam heat-
ing ; people are led thereto by a notion of supposed
economy, than which nothing can be more erro-
neous. There are two reasons against the use of
small pipe on long lines. The first is the rapid con-
densation going on in comparison with that in large
pipe, thus necessitating a much higher initial steam-
pressure, and second, the waste of a large percent-
age of heating power in friction. It would be
feasible to convert the steam into electricity instead
of heat by carrying it in pipe sufficiently small in
diameter.

On the other hand, the introduction of steam as
a heating medium in establishments already pos-

io6

THE GARDENERS' MONTHLY

[April,

sessing more or less considerable area of glass
heated by the hot-water system, had not unnatu-
rally led a few into an opposite error, 'that is, to
attempt to utilize the existing pipe (4-inch cast iron)
to convey the steam therein. In the case of the
ordinary soil pipe, generally used for hot water, I
do not hesitate to state most emphatically that they
are useless for steam, no matter at how low a press-
ure. I have admitted steam to a line of them at
less than half-pound pressure, and had upward of
100 feet of them cracked in an instant. The much
heavier pipe made by some manufacturers (Messrs.
Hitchings & Co., for instance), may be able to
carry steam at low pressure ; but I should hesitate
about assuming so great a risk ; and why should
you do so when there are several ways out of the
difficulty ? In the first place, by taking your pipe
apart, you may realize, as has been done here, to
my knowledge, almost if not quite sufficient to pay
for a complete outfit of steam apparatus. Should
your pipe, however, be joined with iron filings, and
therefore too troublesome to take apart, I should
advise the adoption of the method described by
Messrs. R. G. Parker & Co., of Boston (Sept. No.
G. M., 1880), that is, to heat the water in your
pipes by steam through a coil introduced in place
of your respective hot water boilers. You will
thereby enjoy nearly all the advantages of the
steam system, and may of course use direct steam-
heating apparatus in any additional houses, while
firing the entire establishment from one point.

To mention a few other points suggested through
the correspondence arising on the subject, and
which I shall touch as briefly as possible : Capacity
of boiler in horse powers. From my experience 1
should advise one-horse power for each 120 square
feet of radiating surface, which in two-inch pipe is
about 240 lineal feet ; but I consider liberality on
that point a wise economy. Another point of ad-
vice is to rather use two boilers placed in battery,
but in such a way as to be able to use but one at a
time or both together, as circumstances require.
Be sure to provide both ample steam and water
connection (4-inch or more), for reasons it would
take too long to explain, but is nevertheless of
greatest importance.

The advantage of being able to return the con-
densation to the boiler is so great, not only regarded
from the standpoint of economy in fuel, that I ven-
ture to allude to it again ; much the same as Mr.
Peter Henderson, referring so frequently to the im-
portance of firming the soil about seeds because of
its great importance. In addition to effecting a
most decided economy in fuel, it insures freedom

from scale or mud deposits in the boiler, because
the same water is used over and over again. It
also insures you from the danger arising from a
sudden stoppage of your water supply, caused by
freezing, or perhaps a break in the water pipe which
supplies you, and which would leave your boiler
dry before you could devise any means to prevent
such a mishap; in short, my urgent advice is, not
to neglect this point above all others. I regard all
other devices for the better control of steam as a
heating medium, highly valuable as some of them
undoubtedly are, as secondary to the absolute and
constant return of the condensation to the boiler.
Of these above devices I would mention as very
desirable a good damper-regulator ; its name suffi-
ciently describes its use ; also a reliable pressure-
regulating valve, which will keep the steam in
your heating pipes at any uniform pressure you
may want (thus guarding against overheating
through carelessness) as long as you maintain
as much or more pressure in your boiler.

Such safety-guards are not only of great assist-
ance in the uniformly even performance of the en-
tire apparatus, but they also effect a very notice-
able saving in fuel.

I believe this covers the principal points of the
inquiries I have had on the subject. I have tried
to avoid the use of technical terms as much as
possible, so as to be intelligible to those of your
readers not mechanics enough to grasp their
meaning. If I have succeeded in making myself
understood I shall feel amply paid for the effort.

BLISTERED LEAVES IN GREENHOUSE
PLANTS.

BY G. GEDULDIG, NORWICH, CONN.

It seems that most florists and gardeners do not
know how plants get burnt through the sun. Mr.
Peter Henderson, even, advises in his pamphlet,
"Greenhouse Structures," to throw away all glass
having flaws, etc. I never found burnt leaves
from such glass. All burns I found to come when
water lodges between the laps, which will make a
focus when the sun strikes it on the right angle.
Such panes of glass do not lay tight enough on
each other, hence the blistering water is held
there. Such laps should be filled with putty.

[Mr. Geduldig is probably correct in his judg-
ment. The writer of this has hitherto believed
with Mr. Henderson and others, that some defect
in the glass has caused the blistering ; yet he has
often endeavored to trace the relation between
these burnt leaves with the ideal "blister in the

1883.]

AND HORTICULTURIST.

107

glass," without success. Moreover, he has seen
leaves of camellias and callas badly burned in
some seasons, pass through without the slightest
injury in others, though placed in the identical
places — which could hardly be, if the same burning
blisters in the glass were there. There may be
variation in the quantity or condition of water
between the laps, while the glass itself will remain
the same. — Ed. G. M.]

STEAM-HEATING.

BY JAMES SHORE, GERMANTOWN, PA.

In your February number, Mr. E. HoUey, of
New York, asks some questions regarding steam
heating. I would say that I would not advise the
putting in of smaller pipe than 1% or 2-inch size.
His house being, as he says, 100x20 feet, and 5
feet in height, it gives say 12,000 ft. of air surface.
To be heated to a temperature of 65^ it would take
three rows of i^-inch pipes, or two of 2-inch, on
each side of the house, allowing sufficient heating
surface for extreme cold weather. Allowing i )4.
pounds steam in low pressure boilers, the greater
the pressure the higher the temperature. Low
pressure, with automatic dampers and valves, is a
more economical system than that of hot water.
The latter calls for the heating of ten times the
amount of water that steam requires. All pipes
should have a gradual fall from boiler of i }4 to 2
inches in every 10 feet of length, then it requires
no pressure to force the water through the pipes.
See that the pipes furthest from the boiler are not
less than 14 inches above the water line of it; —
more will be better. The return pipes must
descend to boiler, connecting with the bottom of
it. Such a house will take a boiler containing a
heating surface of 130 feet, or of about six horse
power. One of twenty horse power would heat
four such houses. All things being equal an ordi-
nary boiler will answer the purpose. It is better
to have a boiler with automatic arrangement so
that the pressure and temperature will be uniform.
Leaving a good fire at 10 p. M., it would need no
attention until 7 A. M. the next morning.

EDITORIAL NOTES.

Flowers in Chicago. — During the week be-
fore and after Christmas, Mr. Edgar Sanders esti-
mated the following "cuttings" of flowers grown
for market by the florists of Chicago :

"Roses, 77,000; Carnations, 82,000; Hyacinths,
32,000 ; Lily of the Valley, 10,000 ; Violets, 1 5,000 ;

and Smilax, 12,000. strings ; with eighty of the
smaller fry to hear from."

One florist, J. C. Vaughn, reported as his October
sales, 61,000 carnations, 10,000 roses, 6,000 tube,
roses, and 1,100 strings of smilax.

Insects on Flowers. — Says a correspondent
of the Garden: "The best insecticide, and the
safest I have ever met with, is nicotine soap,
which, from containing the active properties of
tobacco with other ingredients, is fatal to insects,
and has a marvellously cleansing effect on the
bark of trees, which it frees from all parasites in
very quick time. For using on the stems of vines
and peach trees it is quite unrivalled, as with a
brush and a slight scrub, followed directly after by
a dash of water from the syringe, it leaves them
bright and polished, free from all slimy deposits
and other confervse. At one time peaches and
vines used to be daubed with a coat of liquid
clay a^d other mixtures to smother scale, but with
nicotine soap there is no need of this, and anyone
who is troubled with that insect, or red spider, or
thrip, has only to apply the wash to be rid of the
pest. If on the young shoots of peaches, the best
way is to syringe it on at a strength of four ounces
to the gallon of water, used at a temperature of
90° or ioqO, and immediately afterwards the stems
of the trees should be scrubbed and the whole
rinsed off at once.

Heating Greenhouses. — Some years ago we
suggested that a hot pipe be carried up near where
the great enemy frost was to be attacked, and not
solely along the floor of hot-houses. Many of
our florists now have small hot water pipes run-
ning along at the foot of the rafters. The idea
has crossed the water, although English climate
is not so severe on greenhouses as ours. Leading
nurserymen have the plan in practice.

New Inventions. — It is remarkable how long
the world will be near a first-class invention with-
out actually stumbling over it. The writer re-
members, when examining the first sewing
machine which came before him, how put out he
was to find it but a simple adaptation to machinery
of the common chain stitch so familiar to boys of
the last generation, who had to make their own
toys. Why could not some of these bright boys
have invented this machine long before ? It now
appears from some of the mummy garlands
unearthed in Egypt, that the florists of three or
four thousand years ago, used the chain stitch in
fastening the flowers to the wreaths. A long time
to be so near a great discovery.

io8

THE GARDENERS' MONTHLY

[April,

Croton Lea\es in Flower Glasses.— Any-
one who has a number of flower glasses to keep
supplied with cut flowers during the winter and
spring months, often finds it more difficult to
obtain a supply of fresh fern fronds than flowers,
especially during the spring, as the fronds are cut
as soon as they appear, and they keep fresh for a
very short time in such a young state. For the
last few years in filling our flower glasses we have
always furnished a few with Croton leaves of dif-
ferent varieties, and find them both useful and
effective. Large, trumpet-shaped glasses, with a
few arching leaves of Croton Warrenii, give a
graceful appearance, and for smaller glasses the
leaves of the old variegatus section answer well,
and save both ferns and flowers. The plants that
we denude of their foliage for this purpose are such
as have been used for room-decoration. Those
plants when put back to their old quarters, the
stove, generally lose all their leaves by degrees,
and it is best to cut them down and let thein start
afresh. — Datnd Murray in Jour, of Horticulture.

The "Smilax," — JMyrsiphyllum aspara-
GOIDES. — We note by the English papers, that the
English florists begin to believe that possibly the
American taste which makes use of such large
quantities of this plant is perhaps not at fault, and
that it possibly might be worth while for English
florists to go and plant some.

Popular Cut Flowers in France. — We note
by a French paper that it is reckoned that the
daily sale of natural flowers in Paris realizes about
$20,000. The flowers most in fashion at present
are the gardenia, which sells at five francs each
flower ; the lily of the valley, worth ten francs
the pot ; the queen rose and the purple rose, the
Spanish carnation and the violet. Of the latter a
large number come from Nice ; but they have not
the perfume of those grown around Paris. The
camellia, at one time so m.uch prized, is now quite
out of fashion, just as it is in our country, though
there are signs that it will regain here some at
least of its lost popularity. It may be as well to
note that the French franc is worth about twenty
cents of our money.

Rose Caroline Goodrich. — This, we suppose,
tea rose, was raised by Mr. T. Walsh, gardener to
F. Goodrich, Esq., Riverdale, New York. The
flowers are of a deep red color, remarkably fra-
grant, and about two and a half inches in diam-
eter when fully expanded. Mr. Henderson says
it is unsurpassed in fragrance, the only deficiency
being in the form of the expanded flower.

The Double White Bouvardia in Europe. —
The yournal of Horticulture ?>3iys: "The Double
White Bouvardia Alfred Neuner is becoming a
great favorite with the florists and bouquetists in
Covent Garden, and the flowers are now quite
abundant in the windows there. It appears to be
greatly appreciated for button-holes, and for this
purpose the flowers are admirably adapted either
associated with rose buds, violets, the single scar-
let and pink bouvardias, and similar flowers.

SCRAPS AND QUERIES.

Curcuma Roscceana. — " B. T.," Reading, Pa.,
asks: "Will some one who knows, of your many
subscribers, give the treatment of Curcuma Ros-
cceana ? I have been growing it for the last four
years, and have not been able to bring out its
beautiful bracts which are so highly spoken of. I
have grown it in a warm greenhouse, and outside
in the hot sun. The growth has been large but
the bracts would not come."

Rose Etoile de Lyon. — Specimens from
Nanz & Neuner indicate that this beautiful yellow
tea rose is fully the equal of Marechal Niel in
beauty. A good tea of this character, but without
the rampant and often shy blooming character of
the Niel, ought to be an unusually valuable intro-
duction.

Carnation from "L. W. E.," Poughkeepsie,
N. Y. — A seedling, said to be distinct in shade
from all colors under cultivation, was sent to us,
but packed in dry cotton, and so shrivelled that
we could not determine the characte'.

NEW OR RARE PLANTS.

Crinodendron Hookerianum. — Messrs. Veitch
say of this plant that it is one of the most beautiful
hard-wooded greenhouse plants of recent introduc-
tion. It is a dwarf evergreen shrub, native of
Southern Chili, where it is quite rare.

The plant is of bushy habit, and furnished with
rather narrow-pointed, bright green leaves, sharply
toothed at the upper half.

It is remarkably free-flowering ; the flowers
either singly or in pairs, are produced from the
axil of nearly every leaf towards the ends of all
the shoots. They are about the size of a walnut,
and pendulous from rather slender footstalks, two
to three inches long ; the petals are of thick,
waxy texture, like those of Lapageria rosea, and of
the same brilliant scarlet-crimson color.

A colored engraving of the plant is given in the

1883.]

AND HORTICULTURIST.

109

Garden for November 27th, 1880. In the same
journal for May 22d, it is described as " one of

csting among the numerous new and rare plants
shown at the Royal Botanic Society's Exhibition

'f

the most remarkable new plants we have seen for j on May 19th, on which occasion it received the
a long time, and constituted by far the most inter- ; award of a certificate of merit."

THE GARDENERS' MONTHLY

[April,

Fruit and Vegetable Gardening.

COMMUNICATIONS.

A VISIT TO A PEACH ORCHARD IN OYS-
TER BAY, QUEENS CO., L. I.

BY ISAAC HICKS.

Last autumn I accepted an invitation to visit a
peach orchard. The proprietor had tried an ex-
periment which was so successful that he was
pleased to have his fruit-loving friends examine
and admire it too. Some five or six years ago he
took a piece of new land recently cleared of trees,
planted three acres with peach trees. Said piece
was nearly surrounded with woods or trees, with a
southeastern exposure, and the soil a light sandy
loam with a portion of clay intermixed one or two
feet below the surface. Although Long Island is
a large and rather valuable moraine cast up by
that immense glacier that covered New England
in periods long past, we find occasional patches of
clay scattered amidst the strata of sand and gravel
of which our island is composed. Our friend
plowed and tilled his new land as best he could
among the stumps, raising crops of vegetables
while the trees were small, and above all, not al-
lowing a weed to grow. His instruction to his
men was to destroy every weed they saw at any
time they saw it, and the purslane— they must put
it in their pocket and throw it over the fence. And
the trees were the most beautiful and thrifty we
had ever seen. He had cut back a part of every
year's growth, manured it moderately with the ad-
dition of phosphates and ashes lightly every year,
I think he said, and they had grown from eighteen
inches to two feet this year, although bearing full
crops this year and last. A few were showing the
appearance of the yellows, but several of these
bore full and finer fruit, ripening earlier and color-
ing finer than others. He had spent about two
weeks in thinning the fruit when small, so that no
tree should overbear; the fruit'was of even size
— little inferior fruit to be seen. He was a novice
in peach-growing, and was much interested in se-
lecting' the most profitable sorts when they were
purchased. The results may be interesting to
others. The early peaches were not profitable ;
some rotted sadly, were of small size, and brought
small prices, too. The Mountain Rose, Crawford,

early and late, and the Barnard, a yellow peach,
and rather late, were very satisfactory. But none
were so beautiful and good, that we saw, as the Old-
mixon free ; large, rich color, luscious, they filled
every requisite of a good peach, and were ripen-
ing, when we were there, in all their glory. Later
kinds than the Crawfords were not profitable ; so
many do not ripen up unless we have a fine warm
season on Long Island. Ward's Late was not val-
uable to raise for market. Susquehanna is large
and very fine, but not enough of them. Yellow
peaches at present sell better than white of same
size. The sales in 1881 from three acres amounted
to $950, or near that. The present year (1882) he
would not realize so much ; the price was less.
The sheltered position, protecting from the severe
cold winds in winter, and the virgin soil, united
with the best of care, were the secrets of success,
and the question is, who will or can do likewise
and enjoy so great a reward ?

TO DESTROY CABBAGE AND OTHER
WORMS.

BY GEORGE GEDULDIG, NORWICH, CONN.

Your February number quotes an English paper
as advising to pick off the cabbage worm or cater,
pillar by hand — a good piece of work at high
wages! I will give a better way to get rid of any
caterpillar or slug on any plant, no matter how
tender, or whether in flower. Take a handful of
hellebore, sieve it fine into a large water-pot, pour
three quarts of boiling water on it, stir it well and
fill the pot full with cold water. Take a syringe or
the fine rose of a water-pot, and put the liquid on.
In twelve hours the worm is gone.

STRAWBERRY RUNNERS.

BY A. A. BENSEL, NEWBURG, N. Y.

Many of the small fruit catalogues contain items
of information to growers which may prove of im-
portance. Instance the following, which I ven-
ture to say has seldom been the subject of thought.
I take it from " Strawberry Culture and Catalogue,"
of Matthew Crawford, Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio:
" All who have cultivated strawberries must have
noticed how inconvenient it is to have the runners

AND HORTICULTURIST.

Ill

extending in all directions. Sometimes they run
from one row to another, where they are torn up
by the cultivator, and sometimes two plants send
their runners toward each other, making some
parts of the row too thick, and leaving others va-
cant. All this may be avoided by setting the
plants in such a position that they will run in a
given direction. I discovered years ago that the
strawberry plant sends out runners in but one di-

The Schumaker Peach.

rection, or from one side, and that is the side oppo-
site the old runner that produced it. If the side of
the plant from which the main runner was cut is
set toward the north that plant will run to the
south." This hint will be useful in the patch as
well as in the small fruit garden.

THE SCHUMAKER PEACH.

BY C. S. CARR, ERIE. PA.

It is acknowledged to be the leading peach in
this section, and earlier than any other by ten
days, and has not failed to bear since beginning,
in 1877, every year. Young trees last season had
from five to fifteen peaches, and the owners, citi-
zens of our city, were so proud that we had many
samples left and requests to call and see our new

peach from July 3d to loth. We sent you speci-
mens two years ago.

[Our readers will remember the favorable no-
tice we gave of the fruit at that time. — Ed. G. M.]

PEAR-TREE "BLIGHT."

KY CHAS. D. ZIMMERMAN, BUFF.VLO, N. Y.

This subject has probably been before you at
every meeting since the organization of the society,
and in looking over the
proceedings we feel very
much like a member
who said at a meeting
as long ago as 1855, " I
have read a wheelbar-
row load of books on
the subject and have
learned nothing," and
in a recent publication
we find: "Now, Mr.
Editor, I have a firm.
belief that nobody
knows anything about
this disease more than
another, and it is a.
waste of time to listen
to anybody's say about
it." Hoping your soci-
ety will pardon me for
adding another "straw,"
I will be as brief as pos-
sible.

The progress made

toward discovering the

cause of pear " blight "

has certainly appeared

very slow to those who

have been compelled to see their trees stricken

down under the best (?) of care, nearly powerless

to prevent the spread of the disease.

Nearly every writer on pear cultui;e in the past,
has advanced different theories as to the cause
and treatment of the disease, variously termed
"fire blight," "sap blight," "frozen sap blight,"
"insect blight," "summer blight," "winter blight,"
etc.

Insects were often accused of being at the bot-
tom of all the trouble, and we are not quite ready
to give them a verdict of acquittal. They are
charged with aiding in spreading the poison, and
for many it would be hard to prove an alibi.

Electricity was believed by some to be the cause,
with plenty of argument to back it. The appear-
ance of "blight" after a thunder shower is a well

THE GARDENERS' MONTHLY

[April,

known fact, which would appear as conclusive
evidence.

The theory that the freezing of sap in a healthy
branch will cause "blight" is still prevalent.
Tender or unripe shoots often suffer or are killed
by sudden freezing and thawing in the sun, caus-
ing, however, a different effect from the so-called
blight. A blighted spot, the size of a hand, often
found on the trunks of trees, would be difficult to
explain by the "frozen sap" theory.

I do not believe that sap ever freezes in a healthy
tree. Frost extracts moisture from the plant cells,
and if the roots do not extend below frost, or
where they can supply the deficiency, the bark
shrivels, and the tree often dies.

It was left for the microscope with its modern
improvements, and to the accuracy of investiga-
tions made with it, to reveal the true nature of the
mysterious disease. In a letter to the Gardeners'
Monthly (August, 1875), Dr. Hunt says: "I have
examined those pear branches, and find that the
black color is caused by a fungus. * * * i can.
not name the fungus. Repeated observations
%nly can determine that question. * * * I have
made thin sections of stem, bark, fruit and leaves'
and removed excess of black color until I could
send daylight into every cell ; and then under
* 500 the parasite reveals its presence.' '

For the next five years little progress seems to
have been made, except that the German and
French naturalists, principally Cohn, Magnin,
Pasteur, and Frische, continued to publish their
experiments and discoveries. In 1880, Professor
Burrill announced that "blight" in the pear, apple,
and quince was caused by bacteria, the smallest
living organism known. He found that they
destroy the stored starch grains, causing the same
to ferment, leaving the cell structure apparently
unharmed.

With the poisoned sap he inoculated healthy
trees, of which over sixty per cent, showed signs
of " blight," clearly proving that bacteria is the
cause and not the effect of the disease. No counter
evidence has been brought against these experi-
ments of two years ago.

About twenty years ago, Derlaine stated that
bacteria belonged to the vegetable instead of the
animal kingdom, as was the belief up to that time,
and only a few years since it has been proven that
they attack and destroy living matter. They in-
crease by "fission," dividing in the middle, under
favorable circumstances, once every hour, and
sometimes even oftener. Once an hour would be
at the rate of sixteen and a half million in twenty-

four hours. A few species are also perpetuated by
spores, like fungi. The most favorable temper-
ature for their rapid development appears to be
about 95° Fahrenheit, together with plenty of
moisture.

Prof Burrill is of the opinion that this kind of
bacteria (Microcosus amylovorus B.), is rarely
found floating in the air, being extremely viscid,
and usually mucilaginous, when moist. In this
condition they would be readily carried about by
insects. The most likely to aid in their dissemina-
tion would be the true bugs (Hemiptera), who
obtain their food by the use of a sharp beak, with
which they puncture the bark to suck the sap,
and by coming in contact with the sticky, poison-
ous fluid, may carry it from one branch or tree to
another.

The following is Burrill's description of the
species:

" Mycrococus amylovorus, Burrill. — Cells oval,
single, or united in pairs, rarely in fours, never in
elongated chains ; imbedded in an abundant
mucilage, which is very soluble in water; move-
ments oscillatory ; length of a separate cell, .00004
to .000056 in.; width, .000028 in.; length of a
pair, .00008 in.; of four united, about .00012 in."

It is quite evident that the disease is one of the
outer cellular bark, as the bacteria are unable to
penetrate through the best cells, and can spread
up or down only by working their way through
the apparently solid cell walls. There being no
such things as sap veins in plants, analogous to
blood veins in animals, the spread of the disease
from the point of attack must be comparatively
slow.

Soil, situation, exposure, &c., have little or noth-
ing to do with the disease. That some varieties
are more subject to its attack than others is well
known, and has been fully discussed by your
society, as well as lists published of tkose most
exempt.

Of the different modes of cultivation, the one
that produces a moderate, healthy growth should
be preferred to that of excessive growth. It is
quite apparent that trees highly stimulated by
manure, severe winter pruning, and clean cultiva-
tion are most subject to "blight." The orchards
uniformly most exempt from "blight" that have
come under my observation were those well culti-
vated in grass, /. e., the grass kept short by re-
peated cutting (never allowing the grass to ripen
or go to seed), with occasional, at least biennial,
top dressing of barn-yard manure, or other fertil-
izers. In short, treated like a lawn. The annual

J-]

AND HORTICULTURIST,

113

growth will be moderate, but healthy ; quite dif-
ferent from those stimulated to excessive growth
by clean cultivation and the stereotyped annual
cutting back of two-thirds of last season's growth.
Remedies : Eternal vigilance and a sharp knife.
Carbolic acid is extensively used to destroy bacteria ;
it may be diluted with i ,000 parts of water to one of
the acid. Quinine is also used. Cold does not
kill them, but activity ceases at or near the freez-
ing point. Frische claims that 123° Fahrenheit
below zero will not kill them. In the adult state
most bacteria are destroyed in water heated to
150° Fahrenheit; spores have been known to sur-
vive a short immersion in boiling water.

I have often prevented the increase of poisoned
parts by carefully cutting off the outer bark with a
sharp knife, and applying linseed oil. This must
be done very soon after the appearance of "blight."
A careful examination should be made after
every warm rain, and warm nights with dew.
Such examinations should be made at least once
a month during the summer. Any parts showing
signs of the disease should be removed immedi-
ately ; if an ordinary sized limb it had better be
cut off ; if on the trunk or large branches, the outer
bark may be peeled off and the spot covered with
oil.

All diseased parts removed, branches and bark
shaved off should be consigned to the fire at once.
It requires close observation to detect the disease
in the first stages, the bark turning black is rather
a second stage ; and also to make sure that the
cut is below all the affected parts.

In the case of contagious diseases among ani-
mals caused by bacteria, it has been found that
the bacteria may be cultivated, whereby it loses
most of its poisonous qualities, and animals inoc-
ulated with it take the disease in a mild form and
are ever after free from that disease.

Now let us hope that some genius will contrive
a way to cultivate the species of bacteria under
consideration, so that by inoculating pear trees with
it they would be "blight" proof. This would open
a field for a new profession — a tree doctor.

[This paper was read before the Western New
York Horticultural Society.]

EDITORIAL NOTES.

Irrigation. — Watering by irrigation, even
where Nature is profuse in rain, is found to be so
useful that in some of the best fruit and market
gardens of Europe it is provided for. Revue

Zi'(?r/z"f<7/^ says that in the middle regions of France,
especially in Provence, artificial irrigation is re-
duced to a system, and practiced on a vast scale.

Mouse Traps. — There are many ingenious
contrivances for trapping vermin, the following
from the "Gardening Illustrated" will add one
more to the useful list:

" Take two common bricks, place them on their
narrowest sides 4!4 inches apart, say by the side
of a row of peas, having previously levelled the
ground. Cut a piece of stiiT wire about 3;^ inches
long, on this thread a pea, bean, or any bait you
choose, lean one brick in a slanting position towards
the other, supported by the wire from about the
center of one brick to the other; the slightest
touch from a mouse and the slanting brick will
immediately fall, and, I think, poor mouse will die
instantaneously. I have frequently set over night
four of these traps, and caught three mice in the
morning. Birds never interfere with my traps."

Over-bearing Pears. — One of the best pears
is the Rutter, but it has a tendency to be remark-
ably productive. When allowed to bear all it
wants to, it is about as worthless as a pear can
well be. This is probably the reason why the
Kieffer is so variable in character, as its tendency
to fruitfulness is enormous. No fruit requires
thinning more earnestly than the pear.

Planting Dwarf Pears below the Graft.
— Mr. B. O. Curtis says: "Twenty-five and thirty
years ago, guided by what seemed to be a general
opinion among tree planters that the dwarf should
not be planted deep lest the pear strike its roots into
the ground and become a standard tree, I planted
the lower part of the pear not deeper than the sur-
face of the ground and raised the earth two inches
higher; and not over one per cent, of them have
formed pear roots. I would now prefer that all
had formed pear roots and become half standard,
as I would thereby get the advantage of the early
bearing of the dwarf and the greater size of the
half standard."

Schoolmaster Apple. — When we consider
how numerous is the American list of good apples,
and how difficult it is to choose between the large
number of superior kinds pressing themselves on
our attention, it is surprising to read that in Eng-
land the "list of really good and useful apples
such as are hardy and good bearers, is limited."
In view of this fact the "Schoolmaster" has been
introduced by Mr. Laxton. Out of a very large
number of promising new apples submitted to the
Fruit Committee of the Royal Horticultural Society
during the past three years, three only have re-
ceived first-class certificates — " Schoolmaster "

114

THE GARDENERS' MONTHLY

[April,

being one of the number. The fruit is beautifully
streaked and colored and of rich and excellent
flavor, with tender and crisp white flesh.

Pyle's Red Winter Apple. — Mr. Achelis
sends us in the end of February, some specimens
of this large, showy variety, which proves to be
one very easily kept over winter. It strikes us as
being as profitable an apple as one can grow.
The flavor, too, is fully equal to that of the great
majority of popular apples.

Fruiting the Kieffer Pear. — The Rural
New Yorker hdiS taken pains to get the views of a
large number of prominent men who have tested
the Kiefifer Pear during the past season. It is
worthy of note that none of them consider the
flavor above good. As we have stated we have
had some very poor fruit, but also have had some
which have been at least the equal of any pear we
have ever tasted. The quantity exhibited during
the Centennial were all of this very superior
quality. There must be some reason for this
variation. When we know how much the over-
crowding of fruit on a tree has to do with its
quality, and when we know how enormously a
Kieffer will bear if permitted to, we do not think it
is far out of the way to attribute much of the in-
ferior quality reported to over-production. In our
office one of the friends who were unable to speak
well of it, stated that his fruit was from a "two-
year-old graft on a large pear tree, and which
bore very freely." This is surely not a fair test.

The Sand Pear for Stocks. — It has been
supposed that as this grows so very strong and
healthy it makes exceptionally good stocks for
the ordinary pear. Mr. J. B. Garber says they
grow amazingly for a year or two, and then sud-
denly stop and become stunted. He regards the
Sand pear as of no value therefore for stocks.

Cherry Trees in Japan. — Among the flowers
of spring it is to the cherry bloom that the Japanese
pay most attention. Among the sombre old Cryp-
tomerias and pines of Uyeno, its delicate white,
or white gently tipped with pink, appears surpass-
ing beautiful, especially on the drooping boughs.
Mukojima, however, has the chief attractions.
Here, along the east bank of the river Sumida,
is an avenue, two miles in length, bordered with
cherry trees. Early in April fleets of pleasure
boats glide up the stream, filled with gaily dressed
people of all classes. In the avenue it is difficult
to make one's way, so dense is the throng. But
at the side are little gardens, with tea houses where

breathing space may be had, as well as refresh-
ments, a specialty of the place and season being
a drink flavored with cherry blossom. It is a
merry sight, the endless vista of overarching
boughs as white as if laden with snowflakes, each
breath of wind scattering a shower of delicate
petals; the cheerful crowd of holiday-makers mov-
ing quietly, or sitting in rest houses, with their
tasteful attire and winning manners ; the peals of
laughter and fugitive strains of music; the tidy
pavilioned pleasure boats moored to stakes which
support the sedgy river bank ; one or two sails of
barges making* their way down or up stream; a
glimpse of the upper reaches of the river. City-
ward the pagoda and great roofs of Asakusa, and
above the great city, with its grey roofs, sprinkling
of white walls, and wooded bluff's. Have we
reached the "land of perennial life" of which the
poets of Japan have so often sung? It would
seem almost so ; the whole scene is so perfectly
delightful, so suggestive of undisturbed peace and
prosperity.-^ T/ie Garden.

Strong Asparagus Plants. — Since the writer of
this first called attention to the fact, now many years
ago, in the Proceedings of the Academy of Natural
Sciences of Philadelphia, that asparagus was
bi-sexual, much attention has been given to it
from a cultural point of view. Among other things
a correspondent of a contemporary suggests that the
female plants, readily told by their bearing berries
in the fall, produce weaker plants than the barren
or male plants, and that they should be weeded
out. We fancy that this is rather the result of
hypothetical thought than of practical observa-
tion. So far as we remember at this writing, there is
no rule of this kind. But it is worthy of further
investigation.

Good Vegetables. — At a recent meeting of
the Massachusetts Horticultural Society, Hon.
James J. H. Gregory was called on to say some-
thing about vegetables. He said that market gar-
deners could afi"ord to plant only such vegetables
as are well tested, and it is the business of seeds-
men to experiment with new varieties and intro.
duce such as prove valuable. Some foreign veg-
etables, like the Soja bean (which is the most
nutritious food in the world), are of little value
here, though very important elsewhere. Mr.
Gregory gave an interesting account of the history
of several vegetables introduced by him. His
account of the Marblehead squash was that it was
brought into the country from the West Indies.
He advised to grow the best varieties for market,

1883.]

AND HORTICULTURIST.

"5

even if they were not the most productive, believ-
ing that they would command such a price as to
make their culture profitable. When the Hubbard
squash and Early Rose potato were first sent to
market, the marketmen rejected them. The Stone
Mascn cabbage has one fault, which is more
noticed by seedsmen than by farmers — a tendency
to rot at the stump. Burbank's Seedling potato
is decidedly later than the Early Rose. Early
potatoes are most needed, as they are least liable
to injury by the potato beetle, the last brood of
that insect being the worst. There is no better
cropper than Beauty of Hebron ; it is much like
the Elephant. The Early Munich turnip is the
earliest of all, and a decided acquisition. The
American Wonder pea is as early as the Dan
O'Rourke. The John Bull pea has very stocky
leaves; it is the best of the stocky peas, which
do not generally fill out well, but this does; the
pods and peas are both very large. Our hot, dry
climate is not so favorable to peas as a moist, cool
climate like that of England. Mr. Gregory rec-
ommended the extra early French turnip for trial
The Peerless White Spine cucumber is an improve-
ment on the common variety. Tailby's Hybrid is a
fine kind. The Broad Wax pole bean is a desirable
variety. Carter's Strategem pea is desirable for
amateurs. Potter's Excelsior corn is white and
very sweet. The Cuban watermelon sometimes
weighed forty pounds; it is the same as the Excel-
sior and a fine variety. The Long Hill watermelon
is a good variety ; fairly early. The Valencia and
Surprise are two excellent muskmelons; the latter
is very delicious. Hancock's Early pea gives most
satisfaction among the hard yellow varieties
Laxton's Earliest and Ferry's First and Best are
the same. The Little Gem squash is fine for family
use, though its color is not deep enough for pies,
W. D. Philbrick said that the Early Drumhead
cabbage, introduced by Henderson, is so early
that it may be followed by a crop of squashes.
It is larger and more solid than the Wyman or
\ /akefield.

Flat Chinese Peaches.— Ht should be remem-
bered that when these arc referred to, the whole
race is referred to. There are varieties of these,
some perhaps better than others. The one being
p