1877.] 



AND HORTICULTURIST. 



263 



NEW OR BARE PLANTS. 



Ipomcea LEPTOPHYLLA.— This is a hardy her- 

 baceous Morning Glorj'— not a climber or trailer! 

 It is a native of the plains of Nebraska and 

 Wyoming, to Texas and New Mexico. It has 

 massive fleshy roots, that work deeply into the 

 earth, ascending stems— sometimes procumbent 

 with erect laterals— two to five feet long, small 

 linear leaves three to four inches long, by one- 

 fourth inch or less in breadth, and rosy-purple, 

 funnel-shaped flowers some three inches long. 

 Our specimen is growing in the sunny face of a 

 rockery, and is very thrifty and floriferous. It 

 is June before its stems venture above ground, 

 but then it grows rapidly, and is in bloom by 

 the 20th of July. Mr Hovey, of Cambridgeport, 

 speaks discouragingly of it, in so far as all his 

 attempts to get it to flower, fail. Our specimen, 

 being well established, gets no care, and, so far 

 as we know, needs none. — W. Falconer. 



SoLANUM ToRREYi. — A perfectly hardy and 

 very showy perennial species, a native of the 

 prairies of Kansas and Texas. From mid-July 

 till Fall it bears, quite freely, corymbs of pur- 

 plish-violet flowers that are from one to one and 

 a half inches across. The leaves are many, 

 moderately ample, hispid, five to seven lobed, 

 bright green, with a rusty violet suffusion along 

 the edges and petioles of those at the end of the 

 branches, also on the growing points. There 

 are a few small green prickles along the midrib, 

 and sparingly on the larger veins, on the back 

 of the leaf The cord-like underground stems 

 penetrate deeply, and from pieces of them 

 young plants are raised. Last year we had but 

 one specimen, which, on account of alterations 

 being made where it grew, we were obliged to 

 remove, and not being aware of its life-tenacity, 

 we were particular to lift it with all the roots 

 possible, and dug three feet deep to effect our 

 purpose. Some broken roots were scattered 

 about the hole, and now, where we had but one 

 plant last year, we have a dozen unlooked f )r 

 plants to-day. It enjoys the sun, and seems to 

 bear our drouths unflinchingly. — W. Falconer. 



SCRAPS AND QUERIES. 



Variations in Junipers. — J. G. R. R. writes as 

 follows : — " I send herewith a twig of what I 

 have for the Irish Juniper. It grows branchy, 



and the leaves fall apart. I see it at other places 

 growing so compact and smooth. Can it be that 

 it is the soil I have it growing in causes this 

 habit, or have I the wrong thing? My other 

 evergreens behave somewhat in the same way, 

 particularly the Arborvitses. Now, if I have the 

 true variety, will the trees, when transplanted 

 into other soil, assume their natural or ordinary 

 shape? If an answer to this would be in place 

 in the columns of the Monthly, it will oblige a 

 constant reader and subscriber." 



[The Irish Juniper is one of many varieties 

 of the common Juniper (Juniperus communis), 

 and differs only from it in growing very upright 

 and compact, instead of bushy. This being the 

 only diff'erence, a twig such as is sent is not 

 sufficient to determine it. It looks like the Irish 

 Juniper. We have never heard of soil making 

 any material change in its character. The 

 character of these varieties, such as the stiff 

 upright growth of the Irish and the yellower 

 tint of the Swedish, cannot be maintained in 

 seedlings; but has to be kept up by propagating 

 the plants from cuttings.— Ed. G. M.] 



Dahlias in California. — A correspondent in 

 Cal. writes as follows : — " Our gardens are doing 

 very well ; but of one thing I have to complain, 

 and that is the Dahlias. I planted as usual, but 

 they were in too big a hurry ; they are now in 

 full bloom, some of them six feet high ; they 

 never bore such large flowers since I had them. 

 With a little water, plants in California grow 

 monsters. I had Digitalis this Spring nine feet 

 high. Is it any wonder we have large trees ?" 



Damage by a Beetle. — Eastern-shore-man, 

 Maryland, writes :—" Having noticed in July 

 number of Monthly the complaint of a New 

 Jersey correspondent, in regard to the " May 

 Beetle" in Raspberry plants, I am induced 

 thereby to appeal to you for information. If in 

 your possession, how to prevent the ravages of a 

 beetle of the same kind, which through the months 

 of May and June, and during the night, preys 

 upon the foliage of certain kinds of fruit and 

 shade trees — Heart Cherries, more particularly 

 among fruits, and Kilmarnock Willow, Mountain 

 Ash, Purple-leaved Beech and Cut-leaved Bi-ch, 

 among shade trees. Sometimes the Carolina 

 Poplar is included in this list, but Maples, Alders, 

 Magnolias and many others, are never troubled. 

 I have been trying, for the past three years, to 

 hit upon something that would drive them, but 

 I to no purpose as yet; and as I am not yet willing 



