1877.] 



AND HOBTIGULTURIST. 



37 



in the Winter or Spring. I have long since dis- 

 carded it from these grounds. 



In conclusion, I hope Mr. Editor, neither you 

 nor Mr. Hovey will think I wish to discourage 

 the general culture of the Rhododendron. I only 

 wish to guard others similarly situated against 

 the expense, and particularly the mortification 

 of disappointment. 



P. S. — I have here an Ahies Morinda that is 

 hardy, but is always a wretched-looking thing. 

 It is on high dry ground. Would it do better on 

 a lower site? Does it do well anywhere? 



[Yes.— Ed. G. M.] 



CALIFORNIA AQUILEGIAS. 



BY W. C. L. DREW, EL DORADO, CAL. 



Of this popular family of plants there are seve- 

 ral varieties, natives of California. They grow 

 high up in the Sierra Nevada mountains. Aqui- 

 legia Californica— this is the finest of our native 

 varieties, and being the only one that is found 

 exclusively in California, it well deserves the ap- 

 pellation of Californica, and although this name 

 is quite appropriate, it has two others, eximia. 

 and truncata, so that it is well named. It grows 

 from two to three feet high, very vigorous 

 and strong, and makes a noble plant. The 

 flowers are in shape something similar to A. 

 Canadensis, though the spurs are longer and 

 curve in more like those of A. Skinneri, the 

 stamens also are longer. The flowers are from 

 one and a half to two and a half inches in diam- 

 eter; they are of a bright orange scarlet color 

 throughout; they bloom late in Summer, the 

 last of August being extremely fine. Like all of 

 the family it is a perennial. Aquilegia Cana- 

 densis is also found in California, but as it is so 

 well known now, it will' not be necessary to de- 

 scribe it. Both of these varieties are of easy cul- 

 ture, growing readily from seed and blooming 

 the second year after sowing. A. Californica has 

 not been introduced yet, but when it is, it will 

 find favor with all flower lovers. 



[yl. truncata is its proper name. — Ed. G. M.] 



EDITORIAL NOTES. 



Lily Culture. — The Lily has become so popu- 

 lar in Europe, that some firms have gone wholly 

 into the business of Lily growing. A Lily nursery, 

 a catalogue of which from Belgium is now before 

 us, grows 75 kinds, by the piece, dozen, hundred, 

 or thousand. We note, however, that only three 



have a place in the thousand column — Colchi- 

 cum, tigrinum and umbellatum — kinds not hard 

 to increase. 



Acer colchicum rubrum. — The beautiful ma- 

 ple described under this name in Loudon's Gar- 

 dener's Magazine, the Gardener's Chronicle says is 

 identical with Acer laetum of Meyer, and this 

 again, though from the Caucasus, proves to be 

 the saine as Acer pictum of Thunberg, described 

 in 1776, and which by prior right will therefore 

 be its true name. This species, therefore, grows 

 from the Caucasus through Persia and Cashmere 

 to China and Japan. This, about 7,000 miles, is 

 a very good range for one species. 



The Shade Trees of Washington. — We have 

 before us an admirable report on the shade trees 

 of Washington, signed by. Wm. R. Smith, (Chair- 

 man, and Wm. Saunders, Secretary of the Park- 

 ing Commission. 



Among the valuable suggestions is this, that 

 where pavements are made of concrete or broad 

 flags, there should be a foot or so of space left 

 along between them and the curb-stone. We 

 have known cases where the pavement com- 

 pletely covers the sidewalk, and the trees become 

 very sickly for want of air to the roots. 



In relation to the loss of street trees by coal 

 gas at the roots, the subject is so important that 

 we extract the whole paragraph : 



"There is an annual loss of trees, more or less 

 extensive, from leakage in the gas pipes ; the 

 escaping gas permeates the soil and destroys the 

 roots. Perfect immunity from this evil is prob- 

 ably impracticable, and when detected it may he, 

 as in most instances in this city it has been, 

 promptly remedied. The worst feature, how- 

 ever, is that the evil is not discovered until after 

 the roots have been destroyed or fatally injured ; 

 the soil is well saturated before the presence of 

 escaping gas is detected, and it is then too late 

 for the application of any effectual remedy. The 

 best that can be done is to remove the injured 

 tree and plant a healthy one in its stead, and 

 even this will not always prove a success, as it is 

 diflicult to remove all the poisoned earth, and it 

 usually requires several renewals before a healthy 

 growth is secured. Gas poisoning is the unsus- 

 pected cause of many deaths among city trees." 



In Philadelphia the loss of street trees by this 

 cause has been enormous. Why should not the 

 gas companies be made amenable for these 

 losses? It ought to be, and it is just as practica- 

 ble to make a gas pipe, gas-proof underground 



