292 



THE GAUDKNEWS MONTHLY' 



[October f 



color. It ^ows from five to ciiilit feet liigh, Jin<l 

 forms dense well-bninehed plants. 



C. oli^anthus Ls a fine variety, wliich is un- 

 known except around Santa Barbara. The 

 flowers are produced in racemes about three 

 inches lonjx, in color they arc bri£;ht blue. Not 

 as free flowering a.s the other vareities. 



C. velutinus or Douglass Ceanothus grows 

 about three feet high ; it produces pure white 

 flowers in loose racemes, a very free flowering 

 variety. I am of the opinion that this variety will 

 be hardier than the others in the Eastern States. 

 C. azureus is a very pretty variety, the flowers 

 produced in racemes two inches long, of a rich 

 blue color. 



C. spinosus is the highest grower of all the 

 varities, often twenty feet high. The flowers are 

 very fragrant, of a dense deep blue, produced in 

 numerous racemes. Wherever a tall shrub can 

 be used, none will give more satisfaction than 

 this variety of Ceanothus. 



The other varieties are equally desirable. 



HYDRANGEAS. 



BY J. J. S. 



Hydrangea paniculata. "Very few, if any late 

 introductions for the garden and shrubbery please 

 me so much as this Hydrangea. Hardy, easily, 

 very easily propagated, very showy, lasting a 

 long time too, it has few rivals ; profuse of 

 bloom, and that bloom changing from white to 

 purple or red, it is continuously elegant ; after 

 two or more years growth it is little less than 

 superb. Coming, too, about the 1st of August, 

 when blooming shrubbery is mostly over, I 

 constantly wonder why it is not more abundant 

 in pleasure grounds. 



The Hydrangea, Thomas Hogg, is newer, has 

 not yet developed into much size, and is not, to 

 my eye, so pleasing; it is not hardy, and will 

 not take the place of paniculata. We are ne- 

 glecting too much the old Hortensis, which we 

 do not now often see in its old glory. 



In this connection, I would remark that 

 there has been a story, verbally circulated, that 

 somebody was about to bring out a real novelty — 

 a Hydrangea that clings to a wall, and has grand 

 panicles. Can Mr. Meehan tell us about this, 

 or shall we have to go to the Messrs. Par- 

 eons ? I am all anxiety. At any rate, H. pani- 

 culata would be a choice acquisition to all country 

 gardens, front lawns, &c. 



[We understand Messrs. Parsons have not yet 



a stock sufficient to warrant them in oflering it, 

 for sale. Everyone who h:u8 seen the II. panicu- 

 lata will appreciate the good words our corres- 

 pondent iiius for it. — Ed.G. M.] 



COUNTRY HOMES. 



BY THOMAS MKEIIAN. 



At a meeting of nurserymen from all parts of 

 the Union, held in the city of Rochester, recent- 

 ly, to consider the present condition and futun-. 

 prospects of the business, Mr. Thomas Meehan, 

 being present, was calhul on for a few remarks,, 

 which are thus reported in a Rochester paper r 

 He alluded to the great improvements made. 

 before the war in the planting, and in the em- 

 bellishment of country residences, and which 

 were largely promoted by the horticultural so- 

 cieties of that day. More recently, less atten- 

 tion has been given to these improvements by 

 persons of wealth, who now devote a large por- 

 tion of their time to Summer travel, and to visit- 

 ing places of Summer resort. This prevailing; 

 practice has left but little time and means for 

 horticultural improvement, and has resulted in 

 a diminished call for nursery products. He 

 alluded to the great benefits which nurserymen 

 had conferred on the country, and to the mean* 

 employed by them for disposing of their trees. 

 In this State, agents are mostly employed, and 

 have introduced tree planting in many place-* 

 where land owners would not take the troubb^ 

 to send to nurseries. A prominent cause of the 

 present depression in the nursery business waa 

 the fact that many had undertaken it with but 

 little knowledge, who had raised trees largely, 

 had overstocked the market, disseminated poor 

 sorts, and sold trees under wrong names. Thiii 

 course had greatly injured the legitimate busi- 

 ness, and given a bad name to reliable and ac- 

 curate dealers. He recommended nurserymen 

 to take more interest in planting in their re- 

 spective neighborhoods ; they should take an 

 active part in horticultural societies, promote 

 public exhibitions, assist in sustaining financial- 

 ly such organizations as were deficient in means, 

 and in this way a taste and demand would be 

 gradually promoted. This result would also be 

 advanced by the wider circulation of periodicals 

 devoted to the subject. So far as horticultural 

 and agricultural societies were concerned, he 

 thought premiums should not be awarded be- 

 cause one exhibitor's articles were better than 

 another's ; but because they favorably compared 



