.885.] 



AND HORTICULTURIST. 



iSi 



but cut down, and so sprout up and form under- 

 brush. All this growing vegetation takes food, 

 and is so much subtracted from the trees left for 

 permanent timber. The trees set out as we would 

 set an orchard, and kept as we would an orchard, 

 would have been as large in twenty-five years, as 

 they are in fifty under this old-country method. 

 Aside from all this, the dead brush left from the 

 trimmings is a continuous source of danger from 

 fire, and never ought to be permitted by law in a 

 dry, warm climate like ours. 



For our country a forester should set out about 

 200 trees to the acre ; crop for two or three years 

 in some good desirable farm product, until the 

 trees had grown so as to claim all the ground for 

 themselves, then let them have it, or graze if 

 desirable, when the trunks are strong enough to 

 take care of the tree. 



In a general way this is our idea of good Ameri- 

 can forestry practice, though, of course, allowance 

 must be made for the want of clearness which a 

 brief paragraph like this necessitates. — Ed. G. M.] 



Natural History and Science. 



COMMUNICATIONS. 



THE ATAMASCO ; OR, FAIRY LILY. 

 BY R. THOMSON, JR. 



Amaryllis Treatae, or Fairy Lily, are they not 

 Atamasco Lilies, botanically introduced since 1822 ? 

 In Peter Henderson's " Hand-book of Plants," page 

 256, under Zephyranthus, we see this : " Zephyran- 

 thus, the west wind, and anthos, a flower, Linn. 

 Hexandria, Monogynia. Nat. Ord., Amaryllida- 

 cece. One of the best species is Z. Atamasco, 

 generally known as Amaryllis Atamasco, and in 

 our cottage gardens as Fairy Lily. This species 

 has beautiful pink flowers, which are produced in 

 great abundance during the entire summer — -native 

 of Southern and Southwestern States. Z. Candida, 

 a species with small rush-like leaves, white flow- 

 ers — native to Lima and Buenos Ayres, introduced 

 in 1822." I give this extract almost complete, from 

 the fact that I am the collector of a bulb native 

 here, which from comparison with bulbs bought of 

 a dealer, advertised as A. Treatse (and submitted 

 to him for inspection), I was induced to call those 

 I collect A. Treatae also, and to offer to the trade 

 as such, honestly believing I was correct in my 

 name, but have been laughed at by learned bota- 

 nists for calling it A. T., when it has been intro- 

 duced as long ago as 1822 as Amaryllis Atamasco. 

 The name A. Treatae, as I understand, was given 

 in honor of a Mrs. Treat, who collected it in one 

 of its native haunts (Florida) where it has been 

 growing for hundreds of years, and sent it to 

 a florist, who introduced this old Amaryllis 



under a new name to the notice of the trade, 

 thereby giving to the public a bulb well worthy a 

 place in every collection ; but does his having 

 named it A. Treats forever disbar any one from 

 calling it by its old name, Atamasco, or justify 

 criticism if they fall into the new name, and 

 call it as he calls it, Fairy Lily, or AmaryUis 

 Treatae ? I have been under misapprehension in 

 having claimed this same dealer as the endorser 

 of this bulb as true to name, from having sold him 

 a few thousands each season as A. Treats, and 

 though I thought he was not the person who first 

 told me I was in error; but the well-known 

 Editor of the G.\rdeners' Monthly kindly, 

 in one of his letters to me, said: "Are you sure 

 the bulbs you offer for sale are the true A. T. ? 

 Are they not most likely Amaryllis Atamasco ?" 

 This remark startled me somewhat, for I rehsh not 

 the idea of sailing under false colors ; and as a safe 

 avenue of information 1 beg of the learned botanists 

 of the United States to resolve this question of all 

 mystery, and let the floral world know if there is a 

 difference in A. Treats, introduced five years 

 ago, or Amaryllis Atamasco, introduced since 1822, 

 now 63 years ago. 



I want enlightenment upon the subject, as I have 

 hundreds of thousands of these bulbs collected for 

 sale, and have no desire to sell under a false name. 

 The AmyarillisI have — has bulbs ordinarily of the 

 size of a filbert, rather flattish than oblong, and white 

 lily-shaped flowers, and the kind Editor tells me 

 the difference lies between the two varieties in the 

 individual petals and flowers of Atamasco, being 

 larger and broader than A. Treats. Now, would 



