348 £;dUorlal JSTotes. 



A. yretUj Annual. 



Though rarely met with in gardens, one of the most fragrant of annuals is the 

 dwarf and curious Schizopetalon Walkeri. When sown in spring it blooms in June 

 or July, and its flowers are deliciously scented, even more so than mignonette ; a 

 few flowers in a tumbler of water being sufficient to scent a room for several days. 

 So says the Gai'deji. 



The Jnjnine.se I'rivet, 



A correspondent of the Gardener'' s Ckronicle asks the question why do we not more 

 often see the Japanese privet, Ligustrum Japoiiicum, planted in our shrubberies ? 

 "It is, in my opinion, one of the most useful shrubs in cultivation, for it will do 

 well either nailed against a wall as a climber, or planted among other shrubs, and 

 will make itself at home in any situation. It has also the advantage of being an 

 evergreen, and of having very pretty foliage, while the growth of the tree is com- 

 pact and shapely. It ought to be planted in every shrubbery border." 



Neto Centaiiren. 



English florists have received from America (Texas), specimens of a fine new 

 hardy perennial, Centa^irea Americana Hallii, which is considered by The Gardener^s 

 Chronicle, quite an acquisition in its class. It is described as being " greatly supe- 

 rior to the type, for while that has pale lilac-purple florets in the new forms, they 

 are of a deep Magenta purple. The flower heads are very large, measuring when 

 expanded fully, four inches across. In the light soil of Mr. Thompson's garden, the 

 plant grows from two-and-a-half to three feet high ; the flowering branches are ovate- 

 lanceolate sessile, and comparatively small, while the color of the flower head is very 

 rich before full expansion takes place." 



A'frettt/ I'loral Contrast. 



A correspondent of The Gardener''s Chronicle describes a pretty scene of climbing 

 vines in a conservatory : " One of the prettiest floral sights that I have seen for 

 a long time, is the result of allowing Tacsonia Va7i-Volxemi, Clematis Jackmanni and 

 Mandevillea suaveolens to grow together at their own sweet will. They were all in 

 full bloom, and the plants having grown up the different rafters of a conservatory 

 and met at the top of the house, the result was certainly a very striking contrast. 



Dnrithillty of Jjurch Tiinber. 



An English farmer, in examining lately an unpaintcd larch gate put up more than 

 twenty years ago, found it in a very serviceable state without repair. A neighbor of 

 his put up at the same time a larch and an oaken gate post and found the larch post 

 to last the longest. 



iVeiv Ra.ijtOerri/. 



Specimens of a new variety, entitled The 7iew Hybrid Maminoth Crimson Rasp- 

 berry, from Dr. E. R. Maxson, Adams, N. Y., have reached us. Being preserved 

 in alcohol we can judge only of form and color. The berry is large, nearly like that 

 of the Knevetts Giant ; pale red, seems to be firm, and the leaf thick and tough. 

 The Doctor has written a special article concerning it, and appears on another page. 



Thanlcs. 



We are indebted to C. W. Idell, for sundry boxes of grapes of Martha variety ; 

 and to Dr. S. J. Parker for specimens of his new seedling, the Ithaca white grape. 



The Iris. 



It is the fate of many good plants to get set aside for novelties not near as good. 

 The Iris has been one of these unfortunates. The varieties are very numerous, and 

 there is no flower capable of giving more interest than a collection of these. They 

 flower as the Hyacinth goes out, and are excellent plants to go together with them. — 

 Gardcner''s Monthly. 



