40 



THE GARDENERS' MONTHLY 



[February, 



simple and efficacious, has come to my knowledge. 

 Sulphur, as is well known, kills mildew, but its 

 application is not infrequently attended with dis- 

 astrous results; and just how to prevent this lies 

 the merit of the remedy we recommend. It con- 

 sists of sulphur and linseed oil mixed to the con- 

 sistency of paint and brushed on the flues or hot 

 water pipes. In this state it can be freely used 

 without hurt to the most delicate foliage ; but how 

 the oil neutralizes the scorching quality of the 

 sulphur without weakening its power to kill the 

 parasite is more than I can explain, but I do 

 know that it has this effect, and therefore may be 

 relied upon as a safe remedy for this troublesome 

 pest. New Haven, Conn., Dec. 31st, 1884. 



EDITORIAL NOTES. 



CYCLAMEN FLOWERS. 



BY GEO. C. BUTZ. 



Cyclamens will soon throw up their pleasant 

 flowers that droop their heads in modesty and 

 blush to the tips of their lengthened ears, as if 

 conscious of their own admired beauty. It may 

 not be amiss to call attention, at this time, to a 

 well-known fact in the physiology of flowers, which 

 I found to be quite marked in the case of Cycla- 

 mens. That is, if flowers are fertilized, either 

 naturally or artificially, the strength going to the 

 flower is entirely utilized in developing the ovary 

 and ovules ; and consequently the minor parts, 

 generally those possessing beauty, wither or fall 

 away in a very short time after such fertilization. 



On the 5th of February last I selected a number 

 of good flowers of Cyclamen Persicum, all of which 

 had opened the previous day, labeling them in three 

 divisions. Of the first division the flowers were all 

 carefully fertilized ; those of the second I immedi- 

 ately deprived of stamens and stigmas, to make fer- 

 tilization impossible ; those of the third were left 

 undisturbed. On February iSththe corollas of the 

 flowers in the first division had all fallen ; those of 

 the third were gone by the 20th inst. ; while those 

 of the second division did not begin to fade until 

 March loth. Because of the favorable position of 

 stigma and stamens every flower is more or less 

 fertilized, although not always maturing seed. As 

 a matter of fact, the pods of the first division above 

 matured an average of sixteen seeds, while those of 

 the third division, only five. 



It is no trouble, considering the great economy 

 in beauty, to take a pin and break away the 

 anthers as soon as the flowers open. Thus, we can 

 prolong the life of the individual flowers to twice 

 the length of their natural existence. 



Painting Hot-water Pipes with Gas Tar. — 

 No one who reads the Gardeners' Monthly 

 paints the pipes with gas tar; but there are some 

 who have not this good fortune, and they, after 

 getting into trouble, worry our readers to help 

 them out. Hitherto no successful remedy has 

 been known, but to take down the pipes and burn 

 out the enemy. This will scarcely do on a cold 

 night. As well leave the creosotic fumes to do the 

 work as Jack Frost. But in the Old World they 

 have unlucky people who cannot subscribe to hor- 

 ticultural periodicals — as well as here. One of 

 them got into trouble, and this is what a corres- 

 pondent of the Gardeners' Chronicle advises in 

 regard thereto : " I think Mr. Bishop will be able 

 to remove the tar from his hot-water pipes by first 

 coating them with muriatic acid, or with vitriol 

 diluted in water, and then afterwards washing 

 them with water. It would be the best plan to 

 wash them with a brush, as great care must be 

 taken that none of the mixture touches the hands." 



A Chicago Orchid Grower. — The Eastern 

 States are not alone in the love of these curious 

 flowers. Mr. Chadwick of the Board of Brokers 

 of Chicago has a very fine collection, which forms 

 the pastime of his leisure hours. 



Panax Victoria. — When our English cousins 

 find a new plant in the general order of things, 

 they name it in honor of collector, the owner, or 

 some well-known cultivator, botanist, or patron of 

 gardening. When there is some more especial 

 feature of admiration they look around for some 

 military hero, like Wellington, or some member 

 of a royal house, to give more honor, as they 

 think, to the fortunate find. When the great 

 water lily of the Amazon was discovered, only the 

 name of Victoria could distinguish it ; and Vic- 

 torise has been the specific name of a number of 

 things supposed to be several degrees above their 

 fellows. In introducing this plant Mr. Bull has 

 again taken a liberty with the name of his sover- 

 eign, and given us the plant we now illustrate as 

 Panax Victoriae. How he feels justified in this 

 appellation we may gather from his own descrip- 

 tion, which wc here append : 



"This is a distinct and very graceful stove 

 plant, thickly furnished with leaves of a remarka- 

 bly elegant character, forming a dense plumy 

 gracefully recurving mass of pleasingly variegated 

 foliage. The leaf-blade is ternate or almost pin- 



