49G THE GARDENER. [Nov. 



its large briglit-pink Kalmia-like flowers, which, being of a thick waxy 

 substance, remain a long time in perfection. Like its parents, it is 

 perfectly hardy, and though preferring a shady situation, grows and 

 flowers freely in the ordinary peat-beds when properly drained, and is 

 an excellent rockwork-plant, where it should have abundance of sandy 

 peat, which in planting should be firmly pressed round the ball, and 

 receive a good soaking of water once or twice in very dry seasons. 



CLETHRA. 



This genus is perhaps best known through its representative 

 arborea, an old-fashioned and popular greenhouse evergreen of great 

 beauty, but unfortunately too tender for our winters out of doors. 



There are, however, several fine hardy species, two of which we feel 

 cannot be too highly recommended for admission to a collection of 

 American plants ; these are alnifolia and tomentosa, both handsome 

 deciduous shrubs from Carolina and Virginia, growing from 3 to 4 feet 

 high, and much valued for their large showy foliage, that of alnifolia 

 being glabrous on both surfaces and boldly serrated above, while that 

 of tomentosa is, along with the young branches, densely clothed with 

 fine light-coloured hairs, giving the plant a distinct velvety appearance. 



The flowers come out in August and September, and form beauti- 

 ful spicate racemes of snowy -white bell- shaped florets, delightfully 

 fragrant. 



All the species require a rich peaty soil, and to be planted in a 

 dampish shady situation ; and though both of those we have re- 

 commended are perfectly hardy in this country, they are found to 

 thrive best when they are protected from violent winds. 



Hugh Feaser. 



ROTATION OF CROPS IIST THE KITCHEN" - GARDElSr. 



A REGULAR rotation in the kitchen-garden of crops of vegetables of distinctly differ- 

 ent botanical character, is usually eu joined by all writers who casually touch ou the 

 subject, as being profitable and practically judicious, and some would even say 

 necessary to the production of good crops. Soil is sometimes supposed to get 

 sick of a crop of long standing, or often repeated — a saying in which there is some 

 truth, only it is the crop which gets sick of the soil. Most good gardeners, whose 

 operations are on an extended scale, do endeavour to carry out a compeosatory 

 rotation as far as possible. We are far from thinking that such is absolutely 

 necessary for the production of good vegetables, or even developing the capabili- 

 ties of a garden, as the soil and subsoil of a garden may vary very much, some parts 

 being more suitable than others for particular crops. But even if considered 

 necessary to vary the crop, it is found practically very difl&cult to do so, seeing 

 there are such a variety of vegetables which occupy but a comparatively small 



