187^.] 



AND HOBTIGULTURIST. 



earlier than others in the higher heat, thus 

 lenghtening the season of bloom. This ap- 

 plies particularly to Camellias and Azalias ; the 

 former are however, not so easily forced as the 

 latter, being liable to drop their buds, unless care 

 be taken to regulate the increased temperature 



gradually. 



-•■»• 



COMMUNICA TIONS. 



VERBENA RUST. 



BY CHAS. HENDERSON, JERSEY CITY' HEIGHTS, N. J. 



I see there has been some discussion of late 

 as to what is the cause of the "Verbena rust," 

 or whether its ravages are the work of an insect 

 or a fungus. This is easily determined ; let 

 any one place an affected leaf under a micro- 

 scope of ordinary power, say two or three hun- 

 dred diameters, and the insects (mites?) and 

 eggs will be seen almost invariably ; while on 

 leaves that are not affected, neither eggs nor in- 

 sects will be seen. As far as my observations 

 have gone, on all leaves affected with that disease 

 called " verbena rust," insects will be found by 

 aid of the microscoiDe, varying somewhat in 

 appearance in the different varieties of plants, 

 as it is not confined to the verbena by any 

 means, being found on fuchsias, heliotropes, 

 petunias, pentstemons, and even on some of our 

 native plants growing by the roadside. Now as 

 to the cause of the disease, which is the most 

 important question to get at, I am led to believe 

 that it rarely if ever attacks plants unless their 

 vigor or vitality has been checked by some 

 cause or other. My reason for this opinion is, 

 that it is found to attack verbenas, heliotropes, 

 &c., when the roots become "pot-bound," or 

 from the opposite condition when "over-potted;" 

 or, in short, any cause that will arrest the 

 healthy growth of the plant. This would im- 

 ply that the insect is the consequence and not 

 the cause of the disease. Our practice here in 

 growing verbenas is to take for stock, cuttings 

 oflf our healthiest plants about the first of March, 

 and to grow them on without check until May ; 

 then to plant them out in freshly trenched or 

 siibsoiled ground which has been heavily dressed 

 with rotted manure. Plants so treated, I be- 

 lieve, have never once been affected with rust 

 in the open ground. I may state, however, that 

 by mid-summer, that on all plants to be used 

 for propagation, the flowers are cut to prevent 



the plants from weakening by seeding. Thus 

 treated, by October the plants will have made 

 the soft, succulent growth necessary for cuttings. 

 Our propagation of verbenas for our main crop 

 is begun usually about the middle of October, 

 and they are rooted slowly without fire-heat. 

 After being potted they are kept in a tempera- 

 ture averaging 45° at night. This completes our 

 whole round of operations in the culture of 

 verbenas. We are now growing varieties that 

 were imported twenty years ago, which are as 

 free from rust as our seedlings of last year. 



[We are glad to get these excellent notes. 

 There is yet much to learn about verbena rust. 

 What is the insect, for instance, referred to? 

 Send some specimens to Prof. Riley, at St. Louis ; 

 Prof. Packard, at Salem, Mass.; or Prof. Eath- 

 von, at Lancaster, Pa. For our part we do not 

 know why the insect should wait for sickly 

 plants before attacking them. No other insect 

 with which gardeners have to deal are so fas- 

 tidious. These and other matters still need 

 investigation. — Ed. G. M.] 



VERBENA CULTURE. 



BY W. T. BELL, FRANKLIN, PENNA. 



Li compliance with your request, that I would 

 send you an article on " How to grow Verbenas 

 well," I have hastily prepared the following: — 



As soon as frosts are over in the Spring, select 

 the youngest and healthiest plants to be had, 

 being particular to avoid any that are affected 

 by mildew or rust. The ground where they are 

 to grow requires no special preparation, but 

 should be in good condition and dry. Set the 

 plants in rows, at least two feet apart each way, 

 stir the surface of the soil frequently, during the 

 summer, and destroy all weeds ae soon as they 

 appear. The plants may be allowed to flower, 

 but should be gone over at least once a week, and 

 all fading flowers and seed-vessels cut away. 



About four or five weeks before frost is ex- 

 pected in the Fall, all flowers and flower-buds 

 should be removed, the jjlants cut back, so that 

 the branches will be about a foot or fifteen 

 inches in length, and all weak shoots thinned 

 away from the centre of the plant. The soil 

 should be forked over about the plants, and if 

 not already rich, should be made so, by the ap- 

 plication of decayed manure or fresh soil. 



As soon as the prepared plants have made the 

 proper growth, a few cuttings may be tried, 

 being careful to use only such shoots as are 



