1880.] 



AND HORTICULTURIST. 



43 



tinct species from S. splendens. It was planted 

 out in May. and by August it had got to a height 

 of eight feet and nearly as much in diameter, — 

 a coarse growing, weed-like plant, with an in- 

 significant spike of blue flowers, far from 

 " splendid." 



I once was unfortunate enough in the earlier 

 part of my business career, to send out just such 

 another new Salvia. I happened to sell a plant 

 to one of my best customei-s, who gave it as a 

 valuable present to a New York friend, who 

 owned a 7 x 9 city yard. It soon took complete 

 possession. The city man thought his friend 

 had played a practical joke on him, and he in 

 turn emptied his vials of wrath on my head. 



Another "blue" Salvia splendens was sent to 



us by a Western firm. This time we did get a 



variety of Salvia splendens, but not a^blue, but 



still a great acquisition, the variety being a rich 



shade of crimson maroon, entirely distinct from 



anything we had before seen in Salvia splendens. 



The habit of growth and size of flower spike is 



identical with the well-known Scarlet Sage, 



and its crimson maroon color will make a fine 



contrast with that variety. This new Salvia is 



known as Mrs. Stevens, though it is well 



worthy of a distinguishing botanical term. I 



am not at all sanguine of ever seeing a variety 



of S. splendens of the color of Salvia patens, 



which is one of our best types of blue color in 



flowers. 



«••• 



EDITORIAL NOTES. 



The "Wall-flower. — We saw in a green- 

 house recently an old fashioned wall-flower, and 

 its grateful fragrance carried us to the long ago 

 before ribbon beds, and masses of glare and glory 

 came to us, all that we cared to ask from Flora. 

 Queen Victoria, we were recently told has them 

 grown by the hundreds especially for cutting for 

 the delightful fragrance they give a dwelling 

 room, — and Queen Victoria always had the rep- 

 utation of being a sensible woman. 



Rose Laurel. — This is the name under which 

 the oleander goes in France. A great number of 

 varieties are cultivated there. 



Tradescantia multicolor.— The common 

 Tradescantia zebrina is well known, and highly 

 appreciated. It is one of the best basket plants 

 we have. A new variety, far more beautiful, 

 under the above name, has appeared in Belgium 

 gardens, and has recently been the subject of a 

 colored plate in Reveu de V Horticulture Beige. 



TORNELIA FRAGRANS.— Philadelphians are 

 familiar with a singular Aroid with e.xcellent 

 eating fruit, and leaves all "riddled with holes," 

 as^ Philodendron pertuosum. When reading 

 English gardening works they will recognize it 

 as Monstera deliciosa.^ The California Horticul- 

 turist now comes to hand with an illustration as 

 Tornelia fragrans." 



Desigks of cut FLOWERS. — These are often 

 made now so that at the end of a party the main 

 pieces can be broken up and distributed among 

 the guests. This calls for the whole design to 

 be made up of small bouquets, or still better, lit- 

 tle baskets of flowers. We notice that some 

 horticultural societies offer premiums for designs 

 especially to be made in this way. 



^FiRES i:n' Greenhouses. — We have often 

 told our readers, as a lesson learned from careful 

 experiment, that wood will take flame ; not only 

 without actual contact with flame but also 

 by the long continued accumulation of a com- 

 paratively low temperature. We have seen 

 wood when connected with a flue, take fire fifty 

 feet from a furnace, and we have known a 

 wooden frame enclosing a hot air flue, in 

 which the thermometer did not rise over 75° 

 at the time of the enclosure, take fire three years 

 afterwards, though perfectly safe at the time of 

 the enclosure. Many years ago, by some acci- 

 dent the right man got into the right place as 

 Fire Marshal of Philadelphia, Mr. Blackburn. 

 He had keen powers of observation, and in one 

 of his annual reports he clearly showed that a 

 large number of fires in that city originated from 

 the steady accumulation of heat at low temper- 

 atures, and often at long distances from the 

 source of heat. We have recurred to this so 

 often that few persons probably, who have read 

 the Gardener's Monthly in the past, have 

 been burnt down by " defective flues." However, 

 it is well once in a while to renew these old top- 

 ics, and it may be useful to note what the 

 American Manufacturer says : "At the Crescent 

 Steel Works in this city a steam pipe 2i inches 

 in diameter, carrying from 90 to 100 pounds pi-es- 

 sure, was laid under ground about three years 

 ago, encased in common pine boards about one 

 inch thick. A few days since occasion was had 

 to dig up the pipe, and the wliole length of the 

 wooden drain was found to be charred and ap- 

 parently burnt about three fourtiis of the thick- 

 ness of the wood, the other fourth being partially 

 rotted. The whole inside of the drain was 



