1885. 



AND HORTICULTURIST. 



195 



six feet in height and having long narrow green 

 leaves, which are beautifully marked with alternate 

 stripes of creamy white and green, much after the 

 manner of the old ribbon or striped grass of our 

 gardens, and presents quite as much variety in 

 the stripings or variegation of its leaves, but 

 differs in being more robust and complete in its 

 manner of growth. The flowers appeal about the 

 middle of September, and the panicles are pro- 

 duced from the centre of the stalks ; at first they 

 are brownish with erect branches and not at all 

 showy, but as the flowers expand, the branches 

 of the panicles curve over gracefully in a one- 

 sided manner, thus bearing a strong resemblance 

 in form to what is known as a Prince of Wales 

 feather. Each of the individual flowers, which 

 are very numerous upon each branch of the 

 cluster, has at its base a tuft of long silky hairs 

 which greatly contributes to the feathery lightness 

 of the whole. If the flowers are gathered as soon 

 as they are at their best and carefully dried they 

 will prove to be very desirable as parlor orna- 

 ments, for when placed in a dry room they fully 

 expand and present a most graceful and beautiful 

 appearance, not unlike that of an ostrich plume, 

 and moreover they will last for many years. 



This Eulalia is a plant easily cultivated and 

 when well grown is especially valuable for sub- 

 tropical work, although it is equally at home in 

 the mixed flower border, or in groups or single 

 specimens on the lawn. It prefers a rich deep 

 loamy soil, and requires copious waterings during 

 seasons of drought. After the plant becomes well 

 established it should be given a good dressing of 

 well decomposed manure every fall, and this 

 should be dug in in the spring when the plant 

 should be cut back close to the ground. 



For the introduction of this beautiful plant we 

 are indebted to Mr. Thomas Hogg who discovered 

 and introduced it from Japan. 



Propagation can only be effected by a careful 

 division of the plant and this operation is best 

 performed early in the spring, before the plant 

 starts into growth ; but it should be borne in mind 

 that the plants make but little growth the first 

 season ; afterwards every season's growth adds 

 to the beauty of the plant both in size and vigor. 

 From this it will be seen that frequent removals or 

 divisions should be avoided and that a liberal ap- 

 plication of manure every spring, with copious 

 waterings during seasons of drought, are the 

 essential requisites to the successful cultivation of 

 this very beautiful plant. 



Queens, N. V., June ist, 1S83. 



EDITORIAL NOTES. 



Cultivating the M.\mmoth Sequoia of Cali- 

 fornia.— To the Editor of this magazine, one of 

 the most interesting lessons learned in California, 

 was one which only one experienced in the culture of 

 trees could learn ; namely, that the Sequoia gigantea 

 is by nature a swamp tree. The places where they 

 grow now are comparatively dry ; but two or three 

 thousand years ago they followed the track of re- 

 ceding glaciers, and they received the melting 

 snows from the tops of mountains that have no 

 summer snows now. The ground on which these 

 mammoth trees stand, once very wet or even 

 swampy, has become drier through the long ages. 

 Horticulturists know that swamp trees generally 

 grow very well in ground that is comparatively 

 dry, but seeds of such trees will not sprout in any- 

 thing but the moist, oozy moss on the top of a 

 swamp or damp ground. Hence, the only young 

 trees we find in the mammoth tree locations, are 

 where a chance seed happens to fall on a moist 

 rock, or other damp situation. Young trees are 

 common only in one location where clouds con- 

 dense against a mountain side and the whole 

 situation abounds with springs and oozy spots. 

 Here in the east hundreds of trees have been 

 planted during the past quarter of a century, but 

 rarely has one lived more than a few years. They 

 do not mind the winters. We have known them 

 stand 20'-' below zero uninjured, but some fungus_ 

 favored by a dry atmosphere, carries them off 

 gradually during the summer season. 



Profiting by these facts, the writer brought three 

 strong plants from California and set them in a 

 swamp. Usually when we set swamp trees in a 

 swamp, they will not grow unless they are suffered 

 to grow into the swamp themselves. We make a 

 mound and plant them in the mound, from whence 

 they root down as suits themselves. These three 

 plants have had two winters and one summer ; the 

 past winter being a terribly severe one. Today 

 they look perfectly sound and flourishing, and the 

 Editor believes that he has at last discovered how 

 to make the great tree of Californi.i thrive in 

 eastern gardens. 



Tar Water Against Insects. — Water strongly 

 impregnated with tar, is becoming very popular in 

 Europe as an insecticide. 



Public School Gardens. — Great efforts are 

 being made in France to have gardens attached 

 to all public schools. It is found in Philadelphia 

 that there is always a pressure to get into those 



