322 



THE GARDENER'S MONTHLY 



[November, 



side, and then covering leaves and roots with a 

 foot of earth. It was a severe winter, but the 

 plants were in good condition in spring. 



As soon as the first white frost has awakened 

 Dahlia leaves, the stems should be cut back to a few 

 inches of the ground, the label securely fastened, 

 and the root placed away in a cool place secure 

 from frost till next March, Avhen it should be 

 "sprouted," divided and again set out. Most 

 of the tender plants that we desire to pre- 

 serve over the season, have now been lifted from 

 the borders, and removed to winter quarters, — 

 and in a few weeks the beds will present a rough 

 and forsaken appearance. It is too often the 

 practice to leave the borders just in this neglected 

 condition till spring time returns. 



COMMUNICA TIONS. 



THE CULTURE OF PITCHER PLANTS. 



BY S. B., NEWBERN, N. C. 



While reading the English catalogue of Mr. 

 Wm. Bull, which an English friend has sent to 

 me, I was interested in noting that our common 

 pitcher plants were not only cultivated there, 

 but seem to be generally appreciated. Of the 

 kind common all over the country, S. purpiu-ea, 

 he says : 



" This remarkable plant, a native of peat bogs 

 in North America, bears the popular names of 

 Side-saddle flower and Huntsman's Cup. It is a 

 most remarkable evergreen perennial plant, and 

 is so nearly hardy that it is sometimes cultivated 

 in the open air. The plant is stemless, Avhile 

 the leaves which spread around the crown are 

 pitcher shaped, and furnished at the end with a 

 roundish heart-shaped hood, which stands erect, 

 like the open lid of a pitcher. These curious 

 leaves are of a deep green, veined with purplish- 

 red. The flowers grow on scapes about a foot 

 high, the dark purple petals arching over the 

 greenish-yellow styles." 



The Southern kinds are more beautiful than 

 this, and I think that if it were generally known 

 how easy it is to cultivate them, there would for 

 them be a great demand. 



I have had the S. Drummondii growing very 

 well by the following plan : — I put it in a mix- 

 ture of about one-half sand and bog moss, pressed 

 in as tight as possible about the roots. Then I 

 get a vessel that will hold water, and put a stone, 

 or piece of brick in, and stand the pot with the 



plant on it, so that about a quarter or even half 

 the pot is under the water. So you see, all the 

 water the plant gets is what conies up through 

 the hole at the bottom of the pot. The plant 

 itself is never watered, but I find it is always 

 damp. The moss draws up moisture enough. 

 When the water in the outside pan evaporates 

 so as to be below the pot, of course more is added. 

 I know of nothing that grows so easily, or gives 

 more pleasure. I enclose an illustration of this 

 pretty species. 



GRAFTED ROSE ACACIA. 



BY GEN. W. H. NOBLE, BRIDGEPORT, CONN. 



I wonder why nurserymen do not send out 

 small trees of this plant grafted on the varieties 

 of the locust. It takes and grows thereon as vig- 

 orously as does the apple on its kind. On a 

 stock, anywhere from one to six feet high, it 

 forms a graceful head of lovely bloom and foli- 

 age. There are two, perhaps more, varieties. 

 The old, with flowers of a dull purplish pink, and 

 the major, much the finer in flower and foliage, 

 blooming in long racemes of bright, clear and 

 most delicate pink, very pleasantly fragrant. 



It blossoms at the same time with Laburnum 

 and Wistaria. A group thereof in grace, in tint, in 

 fragrance and entire loveliness, would have no 

 rival. For some reason the dwarf nature of the 

 Rose acacia seems to stay the rambling, sucker- 

 ing propensity of the locust roots. At any rate, I 

 have never been troubled by this habit under 

 Rose acacia grafts. To have a compact head 

 and fine blooms, cut in pretty boldly in the early 

 spring. It blossoms on the shoots of this year. 

 After the first flowering a like treatment will 

 give you a late bloom. If possible, give to this 

 plant, the Wistaria, and the Laburnum a plentiful 

 supply of water when in flower, thereby their 

 bloom is finer and holds longer. 



OUR CENTENNIAL MAGNOLIA TREE. 



BY M. B. BATEIIAM, PAINESVILLE, O. 



Near the l)Oundary of my lawn, on a sandy 

 slope, is a native Magnolia acuminata, which is 

 remarkable for its size and productiveness, and 

 is, no doubt, at least a centennarian in age. At 

 four feet from the ground the trunk is 16.5 feet 

 in circumference, and as usual with the species, 

 is very round, with but little diminution of size 



