1882.J 



AND H0R2ICULTURIST. 



67 



gardens. There are some exceptionally fine 

 specimens of Abies Nordmanniana, Engelmanni, 

 alcoquiana, orientalis, picbta, grandis, excelsa 

 inverta, Douglassi, nobilis, and others. The 

 golden variegated form of the white spruce is a 

 pretty tree, and one of the finest specimens and 

 bluest varieties of the Colorado blue spruce, is 

 conspicuous on the slope. But the trees and 

 shrubs are too many for detail. There is an 

 extensive collection of Japanese maples. Pre- 

 paratory to planting trees, holes some eleven 

 feet in diameter are dug out and filled in with 

 good soil, and in after years dressings of manure 

 are freely given to petted plants. For trees, Mr. 

 Harris strongly recommends good soil to start 

 in, when they are up a little they will take care 

 of themselves, and plenty of manure for ever- 

 greens. And, considering the condition of these 

 trees, and the dry gravelly soil of the land, his 

 treatment deserves r-ecognition. 



Fndt growing under glass is an important fea- 

 ture here; but at the time of my visit, in No- 

 vember, beyond some grapes still clinging to the 

 vines, and figs swelling and ripening on the 

 bushes, all was cool and leafless, and inactive. 

 For general purposes, Mr. Harris considers the 

 Black Hamburg and Muscat of Alexandria as 

 the best of grapes. His favorite peaches are 

 Early Rivers, Early Beatrice, Hale's Early, Fos- 

 ter's Seedling, George the Fourth, and late Ad- 

 mirable; nectarines. Lord Napier and Stanwick ; 

 apricots, Moorpark, Brussels, St. Ambroise, Bre- 

 da and Peach ; plums, Angelina Burdett, Jef- 

 ferson and Standard of England; and Brown 

 Turkey as a fig. The Castle Kennedy and some 

 other figs grow too much. 



A BLUE FLOWERING BEDDING PLANT. 



BY MANSFIELD MILTON, YOUNGSTOWN, O. 



In the Gardener's Monthly, just at hand, 

 you ask if there is anything better than lobelia for 

 a blue bedding plant. There is. The dwarf blue 

 Ageratums are far ahead of it for free flowering 

 during the hot weather. I have three varieties 

 of ageratun)s, any of which are very suitable for 

 forming ribbon lines with achyranthus and cen- 

 taurea. One, named J. Douglas, will do well if 

 planted between the achyranthus and centaurea. 

 Another I have under the name of Countess of 

 Stair is a much dwarfer, but of as free blooming 

 habit, as the one mentioned ; the most suitable 

 place for it is in front of the centaurea. 



These ageratums are so much ahead of the old 

 late-growing kind, which does not flower until late 

 in the fall, in the flowering qualities, and dwarf- 

 ness of habit, that it gives them much more value 

 as bedding plants. They begin to flower just as 

 soon as set out ; in fact they are never out of 

 bloom from the time they leave the cutting 

 bench until the frost catches them in the fall. 

 It is difficult getting cuttings off" them free of 

 flower bud*. 



The lobelia does well in a partially shaded 

 position, or when it is newly set out; but when 

 the dry, hot weather sets in it quits flowering, 

 and does not make a very attractive plant again 

 until late in the fall, when it begins to flower, 

 and continues until frost. I tested last summer 

 in several positions the ageratum and lobelia, 

 alongside of each other, but the ageratum in 

 every position was far ahead of the lobelia. 



AGERATUM. 



BY MRS. H. E. WHITE, BRYAN, BRAZOS CO., TEXAS. 



There are two varieties of Ageratum that I 

 have found growing in the river bottom, near 

 me, and on the Post Oak hills, beyond the river. 

 TheVariety growing in the bottom is sometimes 

 two-feet high, and the fringe-like blooms are 

 pale blue, fading to white. The roots are peren- 

 nial, and if killed by frost put up again when- 

 ever we have a week or two of warm weather. 

 It is a vigorous grower. The ageratum of the 

 sandy " Post Oak " land is low and bushy in 

 growth, like the dw.arf ageratum of floral cata- 

 logues; the color is a lovely purplish blue. I 

 planted one in a pot, and the root threw out 

 white, succulent shoots, underground, that grow- 

 ing near the surface put up leaves that grew 

 into bushes, and it spreads thus somewhat like a 

 verbena. The pot looked as if little seed plants 

 were coming up all over it, when really they 

 are root plants. I think this variety a valuable 

 acquisition as a bedding plant. Indigenous 

 plants stand the variations, the heat and dry- 

 ness of our climate, much better th^ imported 

 plants. 



FLORIST FLOWERS. 



BY A. VEITCH, NEW HAVEN, CONN. 



Those who take an interest in the improve- 

 ment, as they believe, of florist flowers are now 

 receiving little encouragement from a class of 

 writers in English journals, some of which 

 claim that better results would have been ob- 



