122 



THE QARDENEIVS MONTHLY 



\^ April, 



a letter just received from my friend, Chas. J. 

 Hachtel, San Jose, Cal., may not be out of place 

 in the columns of the Monthly. He says : " If 

 you had been out here this season, you would 

 have seen tiomething to astonish you. On Octo- 

 ber 28th, 1870, we had three-fourths of an inch 

 of rain; from that date until about the 20th of 

 January, 1877, not one drop of rain fell. For 

 nearly two months we had steady north winds, 

 with a sharp frost every night. (During a part 

 of the day — from 10 a. m. until 3 p. m.— it was 

 calm and warm.) The last frost we had was 

 very severe, the temperature at 7 o'clock being 

 down to 20°. ^fany things liitherto hardy here 

 were killed, but I think the dry weather had the 

 most to do with it. Altogether, we have had 

 about three inches of rain this season. We will 

 need much more than this to insure good crops. 

 In the southern counties the sheep and cattle 

 are dying by thousands for Avant of food. 



" In the nurseries, nearly all business was at a 

 stand-still. All the florists in San Francisco dis- 

 pensed with their help, retaining only. one man. 

 In San Jose, in the nurseries, all the Chinamen 

 were discharged, the white men only were 

 kept on. 



" It is now February. If the past is an indica- 

 tion of what will be sold in the future— to the 

 end of this season — I am very much afraid nur- 

 serymen and florists will not make expenses. 



"The cut flower trade, you say, has been dull 

 in the East. It must have been worse in San 

 Francisco ; many choice flowers even at Christ- 

 mas had to be thrown away. The prices of 

 plants have changed since you were here. The 

 very best Geranium that can be grown in a four- 

 inch pot, will not bring more than 25 cents, and 

 often is sold for less. And here in this valley 

 (Santa Clara), the Verbena never gets killed, but 

 grows to be a bush, and not a sign of rust is ever 

 seen. If we sell 50 or 100 plants during a sea- 

 son, that is all, for a whole neighborhood will 

 soon be supplied from them. 



"Blue Gums (Eucalyptus globulus), which 

 used to readily sell for 25 cents each, can now 

 be bought for 10 cents. Acacias sell at the same 

 price. Indeed, all kinds of trees, shrubs and 

 plants are down in proportion. The trouble is 

 out here, California is the only market, and, as 

 yet, is but sparsely settled, and the climate gen- 

 erally is too favorable, and when there happens 

 a dry season like the present, nothing can be 

 sold. 



" I have succeeded in flowering many of the 



popular species of Orchids, some of which are 

 now in bloom. Two plants of Oncidium 

 Cavendishii, one has thirty flowers open, the 

 other thirty-six ; the first flowers opened three 

 weeks ago, and are yet as fresh as they were the 

 day they lirst opened. Two varieties of Lselia 

 are just over, L. acuminata and L. autumnalis, 

 both of which are very fine. A variety of 

 Odontoglossum pulchellum majus is in flower 

 now, which would be a grand thing for cut 

 flowers. The color is pure white, with a little 

 yellow crest in the centre; its texture is waxy, 

 and with a fragrance as strong as the Hyacinth, 

 besides, the flowers last for weeks in perfection. 

 There are quite a number of Lycaste Skinneri 

 coming on to flower. I think these would prove 

 valuable for the florist, as they need but a small 

 amount of heat to flower them well. 



"Two plants of Thunbergia Harisii flowered 

 with me well last Christmas. They were grown 

 in eight-inch pots, and had ove# one hundred 

 flowers on each. One plant sold for six dollars. 

 The flowers of the other went to waste, as there 

 was no demand for them. This comes in at a 

 good time for florists, and if plenty of heat is 

 at command, there is no trouble about flower- 

 ing it." 



This Thunbergia being a climber or trailer, is 

 well adapted to train along the rafters of a warm 

 greenhouse. The flowers are porcelain blue in 

 color, with yellow throat; in shape somewhat 

 resembling the Gloxinea. 



RECOLLECTIONS OF AUSTRALIA. 



BY WM. T. HARDING, UPPER SANDUSKY, OHIO. 

 (Continued from page 62.) 



The living plant links which apparently con- 

 nect the present with the past, were warmed and 

 nurtured with the same radiant, life-giving sun, 

 whose refulgent beams quickened the germs of 

 embryo vegetation, myriads of ages gone by, 

 and still gloriously shines on our planet to-day. 



If the illustrious Captain Cook had proceeded 

 thus far, after naming that remarkably beautiful 

 inlet on the coast, Botany Bay, Avhich so capti- 

 vated him with its bosky parterres of charming 

 flowers, he probably might have considered 

 Botany Vale, or Floral Chasm, proper narnes for 

 the spot, which my feeble pen attempts to de- 

 scribe. 



The rugged and stupendous rocks before me 

 were grandly mantled with green ferns — draped 



