106 



THE GARDENER'S MONTHLY 



[April, 



Double Geraniums. — These are so numer- 

 ous now, that we need improvement rather in 

 form than in the mere multiplication of petals. 

 "Who will now give us a kind with the petals 

 laid as neatly over each other as a double white 

 Camellia? 



Injurious Effect of Gas on Window 

 Plants. — We have always urged that it was 

 the fumes of illuminating gas, rather than the 

 <Jry air of heaters, which rendered the cultiva- 

 tion of window plants so difficult. How injuri- 

 ous these fumes may be, may further be inferred 

 from the following from Weekly Notes — a sup- 

 plement, by the way, to the well-known Penn 

 Monthly, of Philadelphia. The Editor, is re- 

 ferring to Edison's electric light, and says : 

 "Still another advantage will be the saving of 

 "book bindings in libraries. At present our valu- 

 able russia, morocco and calf bindings steadily 

 deteriorate in value, if kept in rooms where gas 

 is burned. This is one reason why some of our 

 most important public libraries are always 

 closed at sundown, while in some private libra- 

 ries candles are used to the exclusion of gas. 

 The electric light gives out no heat, and no 

 chemical substances. It is as cool in summer as 

 even Philadelphia or St. Louis would wish." 



SCRAPS AND QUERIES. 



Cutting Camellia Flowers. — " Jane " 

 says : " Our gardener insists that I must only 

 twist off the Camellia flowers, and put a wire 

 through for a stem ; that it will injure the 

 plants if I cut a piece of the stem off with the 

 flower. How is this ?" 



[It will not injure the plant in the sense in 

 which we generally understand injury ; but if 

 you cut off the terminal growing bud when you 

 cut the flower, you will not have a flower from 

 that branch the next year, which you may have 

 when you only "twist off" the flower— Ed. G. M.] 



Plant Queries.— Mrs. M. W., Quaker Hill, 

 N. Y., asks : " Will you, or some of your read- 

 ers of the Monthly, please give me a little in- 

 formation through its columns about the follow- 

 ing plants : What are the requisites for success 

 in starting the double Chinese Primrose from 

 seed ? What special treatment do the follow- 

 ing plants require : Cape Jassamine, Eucharis 

 Amazonica, fragrant Olive, and Stephanotis 

 floribunda? And is the Eucharis a bulb, and if 



so, when is the proper time to plant it ? If it is 

 not too much for anew subscriber to ask, I hope 

 some one will give the proper mode of treat- 

 ing them and thus confer a great favor on me. 

 Would also like to know the cause and remedy 

 for the little black flies which infest the earth of 

 window-plants." 



Thanks. — Mrs. J., Brooklyn, kindly writes: 

 " By the recommendation of a friend I have 

 subscribed for the Gardener's Monthly, and 

 must write and thank you for the preparation of 

 such a work. I am amazed that I never heard 

 of it before. My garden is but small — I wish it 

 was larger — but the immense amount of intelli- 

 gent reading about trees, fruits and flowers you 

 give me, is the best substitute I have found for 

 a good garden." 



"Verbena Culture. — Mrs. R. P., Clyde, N. 

 Y.,says: "In your February number, 1880, in 

 your reply to a Delaware Correspondent, 

 who is in trouble with diseased Cyclamen, you 

 name disease, but fail to prescribe remedy. I 

 have reviewed my Gardener's Monthly 

 which I have only taken since May, '79, but 

 find no remedy for this "Verbena rust, — only allu- 

 sions to Peter Henderson's remedy. Please 

 give his or somebody's specific if possible, for 1, 

 too have the same trouble with Cyclamen this 

 winter. Can you give me any hints as to the 

 culture of Cattleya Mossise, Odontoglossum 

 grande, and O. citrina? Can you tell me of a 

 reliable work on Orchid culture ? [The Orchid 

 Grower's Manual. — Ed.] Am trying my hand 

 a little this year for the first. Have a small 

 conservatory and a Wardian case, but have not 

 had marked success as yet. Have buds now on 

 my Dendrobium nobile and Cypripedium vil- 

 lossum. Would like to study their habits, etc. , etc. 

 Please reply in the Gardener's Monthly." 



[Mr. Henderson's treatment is chiefly rich 

 and generous culture. Keep the plants growing 

 vigorously, and never allow them to be stunted 

 or checked under any circumstances. Mr. Hen- 

 derson's practice in more detail is described 

 in April number, 1878, page 105, by Mr. 

 J. H. Markey, one of Mr. Henderson's em- 

 ployees. — Ed. G. M.] 



Centaurea.— W. A. B., North Cambridge, 

 Mass., writes: "I have raised a new plant; it 

 came up two or three years ago among other 

 seedlings. I did not take much interest in it at 

 first, but since it began to grow I find it is a 

 very valuable foliage plant. I set one out in the 



