356 



THE GARDENER'S MONTHLY. 



[December 



into cultivation, and we in America owe it to 

 British gardens, from whence many of our nur- 

 serymen have imported it. Tlie earliest plants 

 came to this country soon after their introduction 

 into England through the late Alfred Cope of 

 Philadelphia, in whose grounds plants have 

 been blooming for the past fifteen years. Noth- 

 ing can exceed the beauty of these large plants 

 when in full flower. The old snow-ball is rather 

 a straggling coarse bush, — the new Japan snow- 

 ball, the kind we now illustrate — is in itself a 

 beautiful plant. The very dark green plaited foli- 

 age is pretty as well as the plant, and the snow- 

 white clusters of flowers against the dark green 

 ground, make a large full grown plant very 

 effective. The repeated notices which we have I 

 given of the plants during past years have no doubt I 

 been tlie means of insuring for it a large propa- j 

 gation among nurserymen, and it will therefore 

 no doubt be a plant easily secured at a moderate 

 price by all those who love really beautiful 

 things. It is one of the hardiest and most easily 

 grown, and probably there is not a spot on the 

 American continent where it will not thrive. 



Dwarf Catalpa. — Mr. Samuel Parsons,'Jr. , 

 has the following in the Country Gentleman: 

 "Again 1 am drawn to say something of catal- 

 pas. Their bright green massive foliage so 

 attracts one by its permanent beauty and health 

 at this season, that I shall not excuse myself for 

 reverting to the species. This time, however, 

 I wish to note the value and beauty of the dwarf 

 catalpa, Catalpa Bungeii, a perfectly hardy 

 plant of the most shrub-like character. Retain- 

 ing all the excellence of color and form pertain- 

 ing to catalpa foliage, as well as its autumn per- 

 manence, it is yet always a round compact shrub of 

 considerable size. This rounded shape is deci- 

 dedly formal, and fits it for standing singly by 

 gates or corners of paths, and also unfits it for 

 grouping with other shrubs. A mass of the dwarf 

 catalpa, however, planted by itself, especially on 

 aside-hill beneath the eye of the passer-by, is very 

 effective in the Fall, or indeed at any other time 

 of the year. Notwithstanding all these excellent 

 ornamental qualities, the dwarf catalpa is little 

 used on lawns. Must we attribute this to want 

 of knowledge of its value, or is it mere neglect ?" 

 We copy this in order, first, to commend what 

 Mr. Parsons says about the value of this tree in 

 ornamental work, and second, to correct an error 

 which otherwise will make confusion to tree 

 planters. The dwarf catalpa is the C. Koemp- 

 feri of nurseries, whatever it maybe botanically, 



for we have never seen it flower during the 

 twenty years it has been in American gardens. 

 Catalpa Bungei, is a large tree with leaves 

 lobed somewhat as abuttonwood or some grape 

 vines, though it flowers when very young, and in 

 this respect is remarkable. 



Hybrid Columbine. — the Garden gives a 

 colored plate of an Aquilegia in which the sepals 

 are bright blue, and the petals yellow — a hybrid 

 between the American Aquilegia chrysantha, 

 and A. coerulea. 



Andromeda arborba. — Mr. Falconer says in 

 the Rural New Yorker that this beautiful tree is 

 perfectly hardy in Boston. 



Ampblopsis Ybitchii. — It has come to be 

 the general belief that this and Ampelopsis tri- 

 cuspidata are the same thing; but Messrs. Ell- 

 wanger & Barry have two very different plants 

 under each name. 



Adelaide Botanic Garden.— Dr. Schom- 

 burgk has just issued his report for 1878, on the 

 gardens and plantations under his charge. The 

 report deals extensively with agricultural and 

 arboricultural subjects as well as with horticul- 

 ture ; there is also a lengthy paper on the vine 

 phylloxera. The report is dated 26th February. 

 At that time the highest readings of the ther- 

 mometer had been 113 degrees in the shade, and 

 166 degrees in the sun in Adelaide, while in the 

 north it is stated to have reached 124 degrees in 

 the shade. A drought of nearly four months 

 duration, only interrupted by one or two light 

 sprinklings, had injured many plants and des- 

 troyed some, though the losses had not proved so 

 great as might have been expected. Flowering 

 plants suffered greatly, the report stating that 

 this has been the worst season for flowers for 

 many years past; fruit crops have not reached 

 their usual perfection and flavor. Commencing 

 with the Experimental Ground, the doctor 

 states that the artificial grasses and other fod- 

 der plants have this year undergone a still 

 more severe test than the last in consequence 

 of the drought, though several kinds have with- 

 stood the drought bravely and show very little 

 effect of it. Efforts have been made to introduce 

 the esparto grass for paper, and these are 

 likely to succeed. Our Phytolacca, or poke- 

 weed, is also successfully introduced, it being 

 in much request by Homoeopathic physicians. 

 The Herbarium already contains specimens of 

 16,000 species of plants, and the doctor consid- 

 ers it next in importance to the Victorian 



