276 Wisconsin State Horticultural Society. 



Natural History at Tiflis, Trans Caucasia, who is the highest liv- 

 ing authority on everything pertaining to the natural history of 

 that region, wrote us recently as follows : ' The only species of 

 its genu*, Pyreihrum roseum, which gives a good, effective insect 

 powder, is nowhere cultivated, but grows wild in the basal-alpine 

 zone of our mountains, at an altitude of from six to eight thou- 

 sand feet.' From this it appears that this species, at least, is not 

 cultivated in its native home, and Dr. Padde's statement is cor- 

 roborated by a communication of Mr. S. M. Hutton, Vice-Consul 

 General of the United States at Moscow, Russia, to whom we ap- 

 plied for seed of this spscies. He writes that his agents were not 

 able to get more than about half a pound of the seed from any 

 one person. From this statement it may be inferred that the 

 seeds have to be gathered from the wild and not from the culti- 

 vated plants. 



" As to the Dalmatian plant, it is also said to be cultivated in its 

 native home, but we can get no definite information on this score, 

 owing to the fact that the inhabitants are very unwilling to give 

 any information regarding a plant the product of which they 

 wish to monopolize. For similar reasons we have found great 

 difficulty in obtaining even small quantities of seed of P. cinera- 

 ricrfolium that was not baked or in other ways tampered with to 

 prevent germination. Indeed, the people are so jealous of their 

 plant that to send the seed out of the country becomes a serious 

 matter, in which life is risked. The seed of Pyreihrum roseum is 

 obtained with less difficulty, at least in small quantities, and it 

 has even become an article of commerce, several nurserymen 

 here, as well as in Europe, advertising it in their catalogues. The 

 species has been successfully grown as a gar.ien plant for its pale 

 rose or bright pink flower-rays. Mr. Thomas Meehan, of Grer- 

 mantown, Pennsylvania, writes us: 'I have had a plant of 

 Pyrethrum roseum in my herbaceous garden for many years past, 

 and it holds its own without any care much better than many 

 other things. I should say from this experience that it was a 

 plant which will very easily accommodate itself to culture any- 

 where in the United States.' Peter Henderson, of New York, 

 another well known and experienced nurseryman, writes : " I 



