1876.] 



AND HORTICULTURIST. 



357 



[We do not know what is Virginia White Thorn 

 — probably some "common" name not worth 

 while vexing oneself about. The Botanical name 

 is Crataegus Pyracantha. There are two varie- 

 ties, the common Pyracantha with red berries, 

 and the White Berried Pyracantha, with (so far 

 as generally seen) no berries at all. The former 

 is hardy in Pennsylvania, sometimes only — the 

 last is always hardy there. It is rather slow in 

 growth — the white berried one — but makes an 

 admirable hedge in time. We imagine there can 

 be no more perfect hedge than an eight or ten 

 year old white berry Pyracantha hedge. The red 

 berried variety differs from the other in this, that 

 it does not grow close and need pruning, and is 

 not absolutely hardy here. The white berried 

 variety was first brought to notice by Messrs. 

 Parsons & Co., and whatever credit may be at- 

 tached to the idea, is theirs. We suggested, how- 

 ever, in these pages at the time of its first intro- 

 duction that the name of "White Berried Pyra- 

 cantha " should be changed — but the suggestion, 

 we regret to say, was not acted on, and it is too 

 late now. Through a large extent of country the 

 red Pyracantha is of no use as a hedge plant, 

 while the other is invaluable, but no one would 

 know this by its name. 



The Pyracantha of both kinds is raised by nur- 

 serymen from cuttings — it is rarely attempted 

 from seed. All the Crataegus family take a year 

 to sprout. It is too slow a business whenever 

 cuttings can be had. As for the white berried one, 

 it seems very shy of seeding at all. In twenty 

 years we have not seen a dozen berries, and these 



were hardly white. It is hardly necessary to say 

 that critically the fruit of these plants are not 

 " berries " — but we are speaking in the common 

 gardening language, and not for botanical stu- 

 dents.— Ed. G. M.] 



PiCEA Parsonsiana. — B. J., Cincinnati, Ohio, 

 writes : — " In making out a list of rare trees lately, 

 and which I sent to a leading firm, I had Picea 

 grandis and P. Parsonsiana. When the plants 

 came I had two grandis' sent me, with the re- 

 mark that the two names belonged to one thing. 

 As I think the nurseryman must be wrong, I ask 

 you to decide." 



[Yes, the nurseryman is wrong. The form 

 known as Picea Parsonsiana is a very beautiful 

 one — superior to the ordinary form of P. grandis 

 as you buy them in nurseries. The whole of this 

 trouble comes from the unfortunate English habit 

 of giving Latin names to mere varieties. If this 

 had been called the Parsons' variety of Picea 

 grandis, or even the Parsons' Fir "for short," 

 there would have been no difiiculty. As Picea 

 " Parsonsiana " it was thought to have claims to 

 distinction as a distinct species — a claim the bot- 

 anists do not recognize — yet, though it may not 

 be specifically distinct, it is distinct as a variety — 

 and any nurseryman who sends out ordinary 

 nursery forms of grandis for Parsonsiana makes 

 a grievous mistake. — Ed. G. M.] 



Names of Plants. — C. W. H., Nashua, N. H. 

 No. 1, Chionanthus Virginicus; 2, Gymnocladus 

 canadensis; 3, Gleditschia triacanthos; 4, Cra- 

 taegus oxyacantha. 



^REEN fiLOUSE AND tiLOUSE GARDENING. 



SEASONABLE HINTS. 



Insects are apt to be troublesome in growing 

 houses, — particularly Red-spider, Green-fly and 

 Mealy-bug. A free use of the syringe is a good 

 preventive. Tobacco-smoke, in two or three light 

 doses, is still the best thing for the Green-fly. 

 The Red-spider, fortunately, shows his depreda- 

 tions more villianously than most insects, — light 

 yellow lines or spots marking almost at once the 

 scenes of its depredations. If one has good eyes. 



the finger and thumb will keep him down, as a 

 slight and rapid passing of the finger over the 

 leaves easily crushes his little body. When he 

 becomes an "army with banners," more scien- 

 tific approaches must be made to give any show 

 of success. 



Pelargoniums become " drawn," spindly, and 

 worthless, if they are not allowed to occupy the 

 lightest and most airy part of the house. If fine 

 specimens are desired, the shoots should now be 

 tied down to the surface of the pots and pinched 

 off so as to induce them to shoot freely ; but a 



