The Weekly Florists' Review* 



551 



these, from a decorative point of view, is 

 P. en-iira albo-lineata, which grows well 

 in a eool house, and stands the atmos- 

 phere of a dwelling room a- well as most 

 ferns. A crested form of the foregoing 

 is P. Mayi, a very beautiful compact 

 plant, and most useful in small pots. P. 

 argyrea, generally known as the silvery 

 pteris, is a very vigorous plant, and use- 

 ful in all sizes from small thumb pots to 

 large specimens. It should receive a heavy 

 compost, and succeeds best under stove 

 treatment, when the silvery markings are 

 more pronounced, it. is a variety .t I' 

 quadriaurita. Another variety, but quite 

 different in growth. i- P. tricolor, a most 

 beautiful plant when (veil grown, hut it 

 i- somewhat diffii ult t.. cultivate, the con- 

 ditions most, suitable b. in-.' a light ..pen 

 compost, warm stove treatment, plenty 

 ol water at the runt-, and -bade : the old 

 fronds soon turn brown if too much ex 

 posed, and water must be withheld from 

 the foliage. A very pretty pteris is P. 

 nemoralis variegala. which succeeds well 

 under the same conditions as described 

 for tin- foregoing. 



Quite distinct to the other pteris is P. 

 Victoria?, with erect, narrow fertile 

 fronds; while the barren ones are only a 

 few inches in length, the fertile ones, in 

 which the silvery markings are more con- 

 spicuous, rise a foot or more high. It is 

 easily raised from spores, and succeeds 

 well under stove treatmeni ; a very hand- 

 some crested variety of ii i~ I'. Reginse 

 cristata, in which the variegation i- much 

 brighter. P. tremula varb-gata has not 

 proved so highly derivative as was ex- 

 pected when it first came under notice. 

 The variegation is very di-tin.-t and pret- 

 ty, but the foliage is of ,i -oniewhat -oft 

 texture and does not stand the atmos- 

 phere of rooms for any length of time. 



There are a few variegated ferns re- 

 quiring cool house treatment, all of which 

 hail from Japan, and are of very easy 

 culture. The most beautiful is undoubt- 

 edly the deciduous Athyrium goringia 

 num pictuni. Tin- plant is furnished iviili 



a fleshy rhizo from which, in the 



spring, a good rop of variegated fronds 

 is produced, and their beauty is greatfj 

 enhanced by the pretty claret colored ra- 

 ehis. It is a most suitable plant for 

 rockwork ferneries. Very distinct from 

 the foregoing i< the robusi Nephrodium 

 aristatum variegatum; its dark shining 

 green fronds have a distinctly light yel- 

 lowish variegation, and their bard nature 

 renders them valuable fi I deeorati n and 

 for growing in exposed situations. Che 

 frond- of ( lymiii-ji amu .1 1 1 p. .1 1- .1 \ .11 1. 

 gata show a distinct variegation when in 

 a young state, but when mature this is 

 scarcely visible. Polypodium, appendicu 

 latum may also be in hid. I among varie- 

 gated ferns, the claret colored markings 

 being very pretty, move particularly 

 when the fronds are first produced. 



The above comprises all the variegated 

 ferns of any merit. In all classes of 

 plants, variegated forms are much sought 

 after, and any new introductions in ferns 

 would be gladly welcomed. — W. J. Dyson 

 in the Gardeners .Magazine. 



THE CYPRESS MARKET. 



The lumber trade reports t 

 rather dull in the cypress market but 

 fall l.nsit:.— ..pening strong in the west, 

 if demand is a little late in awakening 

 in the east. Stocks are well cleaned up 

 and not only is the market closely eon- 

 trolled, but the demand is so heavy 

 that prices are firm, with a tendency 

 toward slightly higher levels. Cypress 

 is good stuff and has come into general 



use for very many purposes, besides for 

 greenhouse lumber since the advance 

 which has put the price of white pine 

 of same grade at a higher figure than 

 CJ press. 



THE CHINA ASTER. 



In Bulletin No. L69, of the Depari 



inei.i of Agi iculture, there appea 1 - I he 



follow niL'. ■ ompiled 1 1 om bulb I - 



Cornell and Massachusetts Experiment 



The China aster, which has come into 

 prominence in comparatively recent 

 years, i- closely related to I he chrj san- 

 themum, and. as its name implies, is a 

 native of China. It was originally sin- 

 gle flowered and of limited range of 

 color — blue, violet and white — but un- 

 der cultivation it has been made to as- 

 sume a gi eat \ ai ietj of foi ms and col- 

 ors, rivaling the chrysanthemum in 

 these respects, although the aster has 

 nol been developed to the size of the 

 larger varieties of chrysanthemums and 

 has not yet been made to show the bril- 

 liant shades of yellow which are so 

 prominent in certain of the varieties of 

 the latter flower. 



In a bulletin of the Xew York Cornell 

 Station, L. H. Bailey states that — 



The China asters are among the best of all 

 the annual garden flowers. Tbey are of the 



The China aster is an -annual and 

 especially effective in borders. It grows 

 well in almost any soil, but prefers a 

 rich, moderately moist, but well drained 

 loam. It responds generously to liberal 

 fertilizing. Recently there ha- been quite 

 a genera] and widespread failure in suc- 

 . . --tully growing tin/ China aster, ow- 

 ing to various diseases and inseel pests. 

 R. E. Smith, of the Massachusetts sta 

 tion, has been studying this subji 

 finds among the more important 

 troubles of asters a stem-rot disease or 

 wilt, which is characterized h\ a wilt- 

 ing and final dying of affected plants, 

 a companied by a discoloration and rot- 

 ting -i the stem fusl at the surface of 

 the ground; a yellow disease, which ap- 

 pears .1- a spindling yellow growth of 

 the branches and leaves and a peculiar 

 abnormal development of the flowers; 

 and n.ot lice, which cause the plant to 

 stop growth and finally wilt and die. 

 In such ea-es the roots are found to 

 be covered with masses of small, bluish- 

 colored plant lice. 

 The stem-rot or wilt, although first showing 



-11 at 



be 



. 1- 1 -ri - long-out Mats. Both this 

 rent lire may he av..i.I.-.l !..,.,. 

 .if ,-ultivation. For the yellow di-.-a-..- 11.. treat- 

 ment is known. None of tie— troubles can 

 .lied after tbey have once appeared. 

 Based on the results of his work, Mr. 

 Smith gives directions for growing as- 

 ters, applicable more especially to re- 

 gions north of southern Pennsylvania, 



,,,lb 



planted as late 

 t from a reliable 



I in the open ground at any time after the 

 and gets into good condition, in good soil 

 ;re asters have never grown before. Fall 



greenhouse. 



As to varieties of asters to grow, Mr. 

 Smith says: 



\ iters may be classed Into early, mid 



July 1 

 The '. 

 simile 



beautiful kinds left unnn-iit ieia-.l The 

 varieties are numerous aud odd. hat of 1 

 value for cutting. 





MYRTLE. 



I enclose a specimen of myrtle and 

 ild like to know the varii 



can be obtained. T. H. 



where 



The plant in question, so t'.-u 

 be judged from the rathei sea 

 men, may be Vinea miner, pi 

 sometimes pi.ptilailv .-tilled runn 



tie although it dee- Hot belOD| 



may 

 sped 



useful plant tor 

 Some of the adver- 

 .. make a note of 



John Higgins. 



LONGIFLORUMS FROM JAPAN. 



The bulbs imported f-.-oni Japan a 

 chiefly i.. longilloruni. Among them a 

 several distinct varieties which diffi 

 from each oth' 1 principally in the perio< 



oi M ing, bul ilso ii f liage, Howe 



and general habit. Some have the leavi 

 close tog thei on the sti 

 and broadest at the base, E 



bingc-t 

 .- short- 

 Others 



hav 



lb., ea-e of the plant ju-t mentioned and 

 with b--s difference in breadth and 

 length between til..-,- at the base of the 

 stem and those near the apex. Some of 



the forms appeal to I f a fixed type so 



far as scarcity of blooms is concerned. 

 This is attributed, by George W. Oliver, 

 ..-•iling -tnrk rai-rd from unselected 

 parentage and the failure to breed con- 

 tinuouslj from the most desirable of the 

 -r. ding plants. If this i- the case, as 



there 1- g 1 evidence to suppose, it is 



little wonder ihat the imported stock 

 la.ks uniformity in many of the most de- 



ijnong tin- numerous forms there is 

 one which shows great superiority over 

 the others. In every respect it may be 

 regarded as an ideal lily. It is said to 

 have been found in a certain locality in 

 Japan and named after the place where 

 it was discovered. It is offered by two 

 dealers under the names L. longiflorum 

 gigaiiteum and L. longiflorum eximeum 

 giganteum. It is said to be a difficult 



