1879. 



AND HORTICULTURIST. 



371 



trees most desired, and keep a stock of fair size. 

 We could have wished that the writer had told 

 the public and enforced the fact that the Jinijko 

 tree, Salisburia, is capable of beiny trained to 

 a wall as readily- as a vine, and that under this 

 treatment it is very beautiful as well as curious. 

 It may be curved in circles, or trained to any 1 

 form. 



English Fruits. — Mr. Gladstone in a recent 

 speech, made another point for the English peo- 

 ple to consider. He told his audience that they 

 imported five millions two hundred pounds 

 sterling, yearly, of fruits from abroad, and he in- 

 stanced a gentleman on the "Hudson river, 

 America," who has an apple orchard of 200 acres, 

 the produce of which were shipped to England. 

 He could do this because the land was his own, 

 and not rented from a grasping landlord. Twen- 

 ty-five or six millions of dollars sent away for 

 fruit ! for the reason that if a tenant plants fruit 

 trees, the product goes ultimately to benefit the | 

 landlords, and so it is with other things that re- ! 

 quire time to mature. 



Perpetual Strawberries. — A valued correspond- 

 ent sends a dish of strawberries, Oct. 22d, as a 

 sample of perpetual bearers, bringing a dollar a 

 quart at a late season. These are the small 

 Alpine berry, well known in France, and to 

 some in America. Interesting as they ai'e, and 

 with a true color brought about by hj-bridization, 

 they are not sufficiently prolific and tasteful as 

 is desirable in what we would call a "perpetual 

 strawberry." There appeared a second crop of 

 raspberries in Philadelphia in October. 



Mushroom Culture. — There are great hopes 

 that the premium offered for commercial success 

 in mushroom culture will result in a plentiful 

 supply. 



Shabby. — A certain reformatory institution for 

 youth now employs its inmates in making im- 

 mense quantities of toy watches for sale. How 

 much better would it be to teach the best modes 

 of raising fruits, etc. This might be accomplished 

 by having the reformatory in the country sur- 

 rounded by gardens. 



NOTES AND RESPONSES. 



BY CHARLES E. PARNELL, QUEENS, L. I. 



In the Monthly for August, page 225, 1 notice 

 that you recommend Spirea lobata. Idonoti'e- 



collect ever seeing the name before. Is it a new 

 or rare plant? Please be so good as to describe 

 it. I have had to abandon the cultivation of 

 Delphinium formosum. A few years ago it 

 would grow healthy and flower in great profu- 

 sion. Two years ago this spring I noticed the 

 leaves on my plants were commencing to curl 

 and twist up in bunches along the edge of the 

 leaf. About July 1st, the plants were about 

 a foot high and the leaves were either curled up 

 or twisted all out of shape and on the flower stems 

 and veins of the leaves were black ridges about 

 the length of a pin ; they soon became so unsightly 

 that I had to cut them down. I then gave the 

 plants a dusting of sulphur and also dug some 

 in around the plants, but it did no good. The 

 next spring they came up looking worse than 

 ever. I tried the sulphur on them again but with 

 no success, and about June the first, I dug them 

 up and threw them away. A worse looking set 

 of deformed plants I have never seen. Have 

 i you or any of your readers ever noticed anything 

 like this, and is there no remedy for it? Do you 

 think it is worth while for me to try it again 

 from fresh seed. I am glad to hear of your suc- 

 cess with this most beautiful plant. 



I have been much annoyed with the Centaurea 

 gymnocarpa this season. It has a habit of 

 dying off" suddenly. Plants looking perfectly 

 healthy are found withered and dead within the 

 course of a few days. What is the matter with 

 them and is there no remedy? 



In answer to "J. S. R.," page 2o4, 1 would say 

 that Platycerium alcicorne is generally known 

 as the Stag's Horn Fern, and the Fern with flirry 

 stems described by "J. S. R."' must be one of 

 the Davallias ; they are generally known as the 

 Rabbit's or Hare's Foot Fern. 



In answer to " F. B.," page 235, 1 would recom- 

 mend for his back wall, Fuchsia speciosa. If 

 planted out in a well-prepared border it will 

 produce an abundance of flowers during the Win- 

 ter ; it can be trained to cover quite a space by 

 proper management. If " F. B." wishes running 

 vines he can select from Hoyacarnosa, Rhyncos- 

 permum jasminoides, Clerodendron Balfourii, 

 or Passiflora racemosa princeps, all good free 

 flowering climbing plants, and none of them so 

 subject to insects as the Stephanotis. The Step- 

 hanotis properly treated is an excellent plant 

 for a trellis in the open air during the summer 

 months. 



I have had a fine plant of Tecoma jasmin- 



