1885.] 



AND HORTICULTURIST. 



357 



With me it has grown on a high dry soil, one 

 foot through and about ten inches high. Every 

 plant is about the same height, most dense and 

 ■compact ; though the margin of the leaf is not 

 marked by so much white as many of the others, 

 it has shown with rne a large quantity of them 

 entirely white, which gives it a most distinct and 

 unique appearance. Besides this, its constitution 

 is much stronger than any of the other varieties, 

 and the manner in which it grows, throwing up all 

 its stems from the bottom, makes it easy of pro- 

 pagation. I can now find plants with as many as 

 thirty or more short stems, nearly all rooted, 

 ready- made cuttings, quite short. The leaf stems 

 are long, but stand quite upright. How it flowers I 

 ■cannot tell, as none of mine have shown any dis- 

 position to do so. I am afraid anyone purchasing 

 it for such a purpose would be disappointed ; but as 

 a foliage plant, 1 feel sure all will be well satisfied. 



King Olga is another one that will surely super- 

 sede the long favored pink Master Christine. Its 

 show of flowers may not be so great, but it has the 

 advantage of more compact and durable flowers, 

 which last a long time. Master Christine I con- 

 sider almost worthless as a bedder, from the short 

 time its flowers last when outside, and the ragged- 

 looking appearance it always has in its flowers. 

 It is very well inside, but this one is sure to_take its 

 place for both purposes. 



Anyone wantmg a set of really good double Gera- 

 niums, cannot do better than to get P. Henderson's 

 set. For this season they are, without exception, ex- 

 tremely fine, and well worthy of every recommenda- 

 tion that can be bestowed on them. Their varied 

 shades of color are rare and very fine. 



And I cannot pass over Zirngiebel's new type 

 of asters ; his Pearl White, for pureness of white 

 and compact globular form, surpasses anything 

 I have ever seen in asters, and is really beautiful. 

 His lively rose is also an extremely delicate one 

 in its tints. Hardly so fine in shape as the other, 

 it is, however, greatly to be admired. I have a 

 bed of them this season, but expecting that they 

 would both grow the same height, 1 filled the 

 centre with the rose ; but now find that the white 

 grows considerably the highest. If 1 had been 

 fortunate enough to have planted the white in the 

 centre of the bed, it would have been still more 

 effective. As it is, those who see it will long re- 

 member it. Asters when used in a bed should be 

 planted closely, so as to cover the soil and thereby 

 retain moisture as long as possible. Those two 

 are fine bushy upright growers, with a great show 

 of flower. 



I certainly must congratulate the introducers of 

 this truly new fine strain of asters, which must 

 supersede all others, and I hope they will soon be 

 able to give us all the varied colors found amongst 

 asters. 



I obtained my seeds from R. & 1. Farquhar, 

 Boston. Parties are often afraid to purchase new 

 introductions, as so many inferior things are put 

 on the market with high recommendations, but 

 often worthless ; but 1 am sure that none will be 

 disappointed with those things I have mentioned. 

 Sup't Gov't Grounds, Canada. 



EDITORIAL NOTES. 



The Stephanotis as a Cut Flower. — This is 

 the choicest of all for cut flower work in early 

 spring, and large houses entirely devoted to it are 

 common. Hawkins & Bennett, of Twickenham, 

 have one house looxio feet given up to it. It is 

 trained under the roof like grape vines. 



Yellow Hybrid Perpetual Rose. — Great 

 eft'orts have been made by Rosarians to get a 

 yellow hybrid perpetual, but without success. 

 Gloire Lyonaise was advertised as such, but is said 

 to be but a poor yellow, and with too much of 

 Madam Falcot, one of its parents, to permit it to 

 be classed as a pure hybrid perpetual. 



Ilex cornuta. — The beautiful Chinese Holly 

 has been in America for a quarter of a century, 

 but we seldom see it. It is from Northern China, 

 and is said to stand the winter perfectly in the 

 north of Germany. 



Syringa Japonica — is an arborescent species, 

 and indicates a good addition to the larger class of 

 our hardy kinds. 



Syringa ligustrina. — This is another strongly 

 arborescent species, of which we have seen flowers 

 for the first time this year. It has the virgate 

 habit of Forsythea suspensa, and the leaves also 

 have some resemblance to the entire leaved condi- 

 tion of that plant. The flowers are sweet, like 

 large bunches of privet flowers. 



A New Spruce, Picea Breweriana. — Mr. 

 Sereno Watson thus describes a new Californian 

 Conifer: Branches slender, often elongated and 

 pendant, puberulent ; leaves 5 to 12 lines long, 

 Y2 to nearly I line wide, strictly sessile upon the 

 slender base, obtuse, smooth and rounded or 

 slightly carinate above, stomatose beneath on each 

 side of the slightly prominent mid-nerve; cones 

 3 inches long, narrowly cylindrical, attenuate at 

 base ; bracts linear-oblong (2 inches long), a 



