74 THE PLANT WORLD 



grow upon the shingles of a roof. Even the dump-heap that you pass 

 daily need not be an eyesore. Put a package of sun-flower, poppy, or 

 morning-glory seed in your pocket, and scatter the seed over the offending 

 spot. And of all the people who enjoy the transformation, you will enjoy 

 it the most. 



Early Flowers in Cold Frames. — If you will build a cold frame you 

 may have violets, wall-flowers, forget-me-nots, and pansies in March, 

 hepaticas " and trailing arbutus in April, together with wood-violets, 

 wood-anemones, and the many other wild flowers, thus starting the 

 flower season two months ahead. Again in October and November, 

 when everything outside has been nipped by early frosts, the cold frame 

 preserves a few choice heliotropes, begonias, Marguerite carnations, nas- 

 turtiums grown in pots, scarlet sages ; and the queen of the autumn, the 

 chrysanthemum, is seen in all her glory. — Country Life in America. 



Varieties of Potatoes. — During the season of 1903 nearly one hundred 

 varieties of potatoes were tried on the trial grounds of American Garden- 

 ing, and of these the following were selected as the winners : Extra 

 early — Eureka, Early Snowball, Early Whiton, and Krine's Lightning. 

 Early to medium — Early Ohio, White Ohio, New Queen, Red Triumph, 

 Early Puritan, Early Michigan, Early Thornton, and Peck's Early, the 

 last four being " highly recommended for the home and private garden." 

 Medium to late — Potentate, Vornheim, King of Michigan, Chicago Mar- 

 ket, and Great Dandy. Late and for general purposes — Green Mountain, 

 Bonanza, Thiton's Mammoth, and Yellow Elephant. 



A New Fern. — Nephrolepis Scottii, the latest addition to the number 

 of beautiful sports from the Boston fern, originated in the greenhouses 

 of John Scott, Brooklyn, three years ago. * * * The habit of the 

 plant is dwarf er and much denser than that of the typical Boston fern, 

 the fronds also being shorter and less erect, their arching form giving 

 a graceful, fountain-like contour to the plant. A remarkable uniformity 

 in size and growth is noted in the fronds, which is carried out also in 

 the character of the plants themselves when seen in numbers and in 

 various sizes in the greenhouses. 



Mr. Scott states that the variety will not grow rank, even under exces- 

 sive feeding. Notwithstanding its denseness, the fronds in the center of 

 the plant do not grow long-jointed nor shed the pinnae, as is the case 

 with the Boston fern when over crowded, and the reason for this is obvi- 

 ous in the tough, leathery texture of the foliage. 



Its rapidity of increase is well -evidenced in a densely -packed bench 

 of plants at Mr. Scott's Flatbush greenhouses, which was planted with 

 single runners last August, and in the immense stock of the variety now 

 held by Mr. Scott from what was. only three years since, one small plant 

 with four fronds. 



