187T.] 



AND HORTICULTURIST. 



39 



gardens where autumn tlowers are wanted, for 

 it comes into bloom about tiie middle of Septem- 

 ber in Scotland— it may be earlier, of course, in 

 theSoutli — and continues to blossom till near the 

 end of October. As a Monkshood, it is most 

 distinct from others. When well cultivated it 

 grows to the height of 4 ft. Its habit is stiff and 

 erect, so much so that it scarcely requires stak- 

 ing. It throws up bold stiff spikes of large, very 

 deep blue flowers of great substance, which with- 

 stand autumn damp and rains well, and last in 

 perfection a long time. Its leaves are thick and 

 palmate, of a dark shining green. For alternat- 

 ing in rows with Tritoma uvaria, to which in 

 color and style it forms a complete contrast, it 

 will be most effective." j 



QUERIES. 



Names of Plants. — C. E. P., Queens, Long 

 Island, N. Y. Both ferns though so different in 

 appearance, are varieties of Aspidium spinulo- 

 sum. It is possible the proliferous one has a 

 garden name; but if so, we have not met with it. 

 It is worth}' of one. 



Injuky to a Linden Tree. — Mj-stic says : — '• In 

 the Spring of 1875, I tied two thicknesses of 

 heavj' cotton cloth closely around two lindens, 

 (set out the Spring before for shade trees in the 

 street), to pi-otect them against the bites of 

 horses. In the Fall of 1876, I took off the cloths 

 and found three spots of dead bark on one tree, 

 and one on the other. The spots were from three 

 to six inches long, about two inches wide, and 

 all on the south-west side of the trees. Three 

 spots had evidently died the first season. Trees 

 from two to three inches in diameter and not 

 thrifty; soil and seasons dry, and hose applied 

 several evenings during the Summer, soaking 

 the cloths as well as the ground with water. 

 Would the dry cloth kill the bark, or the cloth 

 wet by the hose or rain, followed by a hot sun ? 



[The cloths had probably nothing to do with 

 the death of the bark, but exactly what caused 

 the death, could not be given without seeing the 

 trees, as there are many causes at such work. It 

 may be remembered that the cells in trees are 

 the individuals, and that often whole masses of 

 them will be weakened by various causes. Some 

 cells and masses of cells get stronger, and some 

 become weaker just as in ordinary communities. 

 When the time of trial comes — as in transplant- 



ing — and there is a "struggle for life" the 

 weaker ones die first. It is some such law as 

 this which most likely operated to produce the 

 dead spots, and the cloth had nothing to do with 

 it. The cloth more likely would be an advan- 

 tage.— Ed. G. M.] 



Antigonon leptopus.— C. E. p., Queens, L. I., 

 N. Y., saj^s :— " Can you or any of your corres- 

 pondents tell me to what natural order Antigonon 

 leptopus belongs ? Is it a free flowering plant ? " 



[It is one of the Buckwheat fiimily, (Polygon- 

 acete). Properly grown it must be free flowering, 

 as plants with a profusion of bloom have fre- 

 quently been exhibited before the Pennsylvania 

 Horticultural -Society .—Ed. G M.] 



The best Sciadopitys verticillata. — A cor- 

 respondent writes that in Mr. Sargent's grounds, 

 at Brookline, near Boston, there are several spe- 

 cimens of the umbrella pine, Sciadopitys verti- 

 cillata, the largest of which is three feet nine 

 inches high, the growth of the past season having 

 been over seven inches. The same correspon- 

 dent confirms our opinion of the hardiness of 

 this tree in our northern Atlantic States, in com- 

 mon with nearly all the other conifers of the 

 Eastern Asiatic seaboard. Now, that it is pretty 

 well settled that the California and Oregon coni- 

 fers will not stand the climate of those States, 

 planters there will do well to bear this fact in 

 mind ? If any have a better, let us know. 



Variegated Elder. — A New York correspon- 

 dent asks: — "Can you inform me whether Sam- 

 bucus nigra foliis luteiis, is the golden blotched 

 variety or Sambucus racemosa variegata." 



[We believe this to be a variety of the com- 

 mon English Elder— Sambucus nigra. At least 

 we know that there is one variety variegated of 

 this under culture. There may be one of the S. 

 racemosa also under culture. — Ed. G. M.] 



Grafting Magnolias.— G. W. T., New Bruns- 

 wick, N. J., a«ks :— " What would be the eftect of 

 grafting M. glauca on the M. acuminata? Is 

 there sufficient specific affinity to render success 

 probable? Would not the free growing stock 

 affect 4he graft so as to give to the glauca, pur- 

 purea and other slow growing subjects a more 

 stately habit." 



[We know of no cases of M. glauca, being 

 grafted on the acuminata, but think it would do 

 well. The purpurea, no doubt would, as that is 

 closely allied to the conspicua, which does so well 

 on it.— Ed. G. M.] 



