22 



THE GARDENERS MONTHL Y 



[January' 



out from among the branches of a fruiting peach 

 tree. A correspondent refuses to believe in such 

 bud variation, but the editor properly reminds 

 him that it is too late in horticultural experience 

 to deny the existence of sports. Certainly the 

 cases where the nectarine has pushed out from 

 peach branches have been too well attested to 

 admit of doubt. It originated in that way. 



Local Names of Plants. — If any of our readers 

 know of any common names of "plants which 

 have not come into general use, or may not be 

 generally known, Dr. W. R. Gerard, 9 Waverly 

 Place, New York, would like to have them. He 

 is making this department of popular history a 

 si:)ecial study. 



Cambridge Botanic Garden.— John A. Lowell 

 has left $20,000, on condition that it be called the 

 " Lowell Botanic Garden." 



SCRAPS AND QUERIES. 



Autumn Flowers of the Berkshire Hills.— 

 An English lady, after a trip in late autumn 

 through this beautiful district of Massachusetts, 

 writes : " I have just returned from a most de- 

 lightful trip (principally by carriage and horses) 

 through the Berkshire Hills. The beauty of the 

 countr}' reminded us constantly of England, and 

 the wild asters by the roadside, in such a won- 

 derful variety of color, delighted us. It seems 

 to me that large beds of them— in public parks, 

 etc., in the autumn — would be very attractive. 

 I am in some perplexity as to whether a profu- 

 sion of straight stemmed plants, covered with 

 blue flowers, are gentians or penstemons. If 

 gentians, they do not much resemble their Caro- 

 lina cousins, and are certainly far more lovely. 

 I found them between Pittsfield and Lenox, 

 growing on the hillsides, while our gentians have 

 the deep shade of swamp land." 



White Cedar.— "F,," Vineland, New Jersey, 

 writes: "In the East where I came from, the 

 Arborvitse is known as white cedar ; but here I 

 find a very diflferent wood called white cedar. 

 What is the proper one, and how does this con- 

 fusion arise?" 



[The " confusion arises" from the mere use of 

 common names, which, unlike botanical names 

 originate with people who are not recognized as 

 authority in naming plants. Anyone has the 

 right to give a common name to a plant, and no 

 one can decide which is the "proper one." 



There may be a score of different white cedars 

 for aught we know In Oregon the Lawson 

 cypress is " white cedar." In California, Liboce- 

 drus decurrcns is " white cedar." In New Jer- 

 sey, Cupressus thuyoides is " white cedar," and 

 " white cedar" in New England is Thuja occi- 

 dentalis. As there is no authority to decide 

 your question, you will have to choose one for 

 yourself.— Ed. G. M.J 



' Early Weeping Willows in America. — W. 

 Kite, Germantown, says : " I see in thy Monthly 

 some notices of willow trees. If it will be of 

 interest I can tell of one. 



"In the yards back of the old mansions on 

 the north side of Chestnut street, grew many 

 fine old trees. One of them was called Frank- 

 lin's willow — a stately tree of say eighteen inches 

 girth, (diameter? — Ed.)— sixty-five years ago 

 when I used to see it daily. I had it from my 

 grandparents that Franklin did plant it. The 

 usual story of the osier basket and the green 

 twig was attached to the history of this tree. 

 It was as handsome a weeping willow as one 

 often sees." 



Twin Apple.— James H. Cook, Strathroy, On- 

 tario, sends a very pretty specimen of a twin 

 apple. Such cases sometimes occur. The two 

 original stems are less than one-fourth of an 

 inch apart. From this upwards there is a com- 

 plete union for about three-fourths the distance 

 to the apex, where the apple again separates to 

 two distinct ones, each having its separate calyx 

 and crown. It shows that in some very early 

 stage the two apples were quite distinct, and 

 united later. But as there is no trace of skin in 

 the joined portion, we may learn this further 

 fact, either thaf skin is not formed until there is 

 a contact with the atmosphere, or else it is ab- 

 sorbed and changed into ordinary cell tissue 

 after being formed. In the Wistaria bark — that 

 is skin — is often found in the stem after the 

 wood has been cut across, it having come about 

 by the over-growing of the irregular outline of 

 the wood, which does not grow in regular cir- 

 cles. The bark is not absorbed in these cases, 

 so we are brought down to the probability that 

 these twins, originally distinct, formed their 

 union before they had any skin properly so-called. 



Bracts and Leaves. — In a recent number we 

 gave, in a reference to Antigonon, some idea as 

 to how large leafy calyxes are seen to represent 

 the leaves they really are. This change from 

 leaves to floral parts is more readily seen in the 



