122 



THE GARDENER'S MONTHLY 



\April, 



tains. It is known l^y the Indian name " Sallal." 

 Serviceberry is plenty, but the bears monopolize 

 the fruit. There are black raspberries in some 

 localiiies. but the blackberry is the best and 

 ■most abundant of all wild fruits. It is a running 

 Tariety, fruit rather acid but agreeable, and con- 

 tinues in bearing for six weeks. 



The dark iir forests are enlivened in spring 

 and early summer by several handsome flower- 

 ing shrubs. Some already mentioned— June- 

 berry, Rubus IsTutkaensis and GaultheriaShallon 

 are all handsome. The beautiful red-flowering 

 currant can hardly be overpraised, and the large 

 white flowers of the dogwood could have no 

 better background than the dark firs. A very 

 ■fragrant and delicate Philadelphus is abundant, 

 and a Spiraea with large clusters of feathery 

 white flowers. There is a beautiful honeysuckle, 

 climbing vigorously, and continuing long *in 

 bloom. Flowers in large clusters, orange-scar- 

 let, slightly bilabiate, tube very long and slen- 

 •der. 



In smaller flowers I must own myself disap- 

 pointed, missing almost all old favorites, and 

 finding little to fill their places. Half a dozen 

 species of Convallaria and Uvularia, Trillium 

 grandiflorum, Dyclytra eximia, Aquilegia Cana- 

 densis, two or three Orchids, none of them showy, 

 and the pretty little Trientalis Europa?a, are 

 about all I have met with. I find but one violet, 

 a small yellow one, and the wild rose is poorer 

 than I supposed any member of that royal 

 family could be. The flowers all have a pihched 

 and twisted look, as if imperfectly developed. 

 There is a pretty lily, in habit like Canadense 

 or superbum, in size midway between the two, 

 flowers rather pale yellow with few spots, seg- 

 ments not as much reflexed as in most of the 

 drooping lilies, axils of leaves bulbiferous. The 

 willow herb, Epilobrum angustifolium, is pretty, 

 but so abundant as to be considered a nuisance, 

 and is known as " redweed." Ferns abound, 

 and some attain a large size. Asplenium filix- 

 fcemina, and Aspidium spinulosum grow four or 

 five feet in damp places. Pteris aquilina is 

 called " summer fern," and considered the worst 

 " weed" of the region. There are great patches 

 of it five or six feet high, and I measured one 

 that grew by a little brook— and there were 

 plenty more as large— which was nine feet five 

 inches in height. Polypodium falcatum and P. 

 intermedium are quite common, growing in the 

 moss on trees and bogs, and are known as " wild 

 icorice." 



The falling of trees seems a commonplace 

 matter enough, especially in a region where it 

 is so constantly occurring, but it never loses its 

 interest. In clearing land the trees are not cut 

 down but burned ofi" by firing at the base. Many 

 fall, but many also remain standing, after burn- 

 ing away to a mere shell. Many others, loos- 

 ened in the ground by age and decay, lean 

 against their neighbors, or stand in such threat- 

 ening attitudes that one involuntarily hurries 

 past them. But, like the flowers, 



"They know thj^r time to go." 



Some night the south wind rises and roars in the 

 tree tops, and these trunks begin to fall ; the 

 nearer with a crash and thundering thud, the 

 more remote with a sound exactly like the re- 

 port of canon, and sometimes at such short and 

 x'egular intervals as to sound like minute guns. 

 The wind in the tree tops has always a solemn 

 sound, doubly so among these mighty firs ; but 

 we are near enough to the ocean to think often 

 of those who sail thereon, and I never listen 

 to these sounds without thinking 



" How the same wild gust will toss the ship, 

 Aud arouse the mighty sea," 



and fancying I hear the roar of the waves and 

 the signal guns of ships. 



EDITORIAL NOTES. 



The Akamingus Beetle. — At a recent meet- 

 ing of the Germantown Horticultural Society, 

 Mr. Woodruff" the well known florist, exhibited 

 living specimens, and gave in detail an account 

 of its ravages. As stated by Mr. Henderson re- 

 cently, it was a serious enemy to the rose, as 

 Mr. W. had found it equally a foe to geraniums 

 and many other plants ; the begonia especially 

 seeming to be a favorite. Mr. Woodruff in his 

 remarks, paid a high compliment to the useful- 

 ness of Mr. Henderson's paper in warning flor- 

 ists against the enemy. 



Cork Smut. — One of the most valuable con- 

 tributions to practical science is from Prof. Ked- 

 zie's pen, and published in the monthly report 

 of the Kansas State Board of Agriculture for 

 Dec. '78. Contrar}-^ to almost universal belief, 

 it is found that corn smut is not poisonous 

 to cattle. The fungous growth on Indian corn 

 commonly known as "corn smut" is the work 

 of Ustilago Magidis. 



Cheat in California — We have to be care- 

 ful what we understand when a common name 



