THE GARDENER'S MONTHLY 



[September, 



into lanceolate pinnules and pinnulets, and 

 finally cut into narrow blunt linear or bifid divi- 

 sions. Being of evergreen habit and remarkably 

 elegant in its whole contour, so that it will take 

 rank amongst the most ornamental of its race, it is 

 not too much praise to say that it is the finest 

 acquisition to its class, introduced for many 

 years. It comes, as its name implies, from the 

 Fiji Islands. This was one of the new plants 

 with which Mr. W. Bull gained the first prize at 

 the International Horticultural Exhibition, held 

 at Ghent in 1878, and at the Great Show of the 

 Royal Horticultural Society, held at Kensington 

 in 1880. 



Gynura AUR.4XTIACA, Browx.— The " Illustra- 

 tion horticole " for 1881, last part, speaks thus of 

 this beautiful plant : " The Gynura aurantiaca is 

 a hardy plant belonging to the Compositse, and 



is of such an ornamental character as to allow of 

 one's saying that it is not surpassed by any other 

 plant of the same class. The stem and leaves 

 are clothed throughout their entire length with 

 a thick covering of hairs, soft to the touch, 

 and of a beautiful deep violet color, which gives 

 an appearance of the richest velvet to the plant. 

 This is more especially the case with the young 

 leaves, and when combined with the brilliant 

 orange of the flowers, the aspect of the plant is 

 truly superb. Without doubt, it will gain great 

 favor as an ornamental plant for the open bor- 

 ders." 



As this plant in all probability will become as 

 popular as Iresine Lindeni and Coleus Ver- 

 schaffelti, it will be sent out at a very low price, 

 in order that it may spread as rapidly as pos- 

 sible. 



Fruit and Vegetable Gardening, 



SEASONABLE HINTS. 



At the Rochester Xurserymen's Meeting there 

 was much discussion on the host method of label- 

 ing the trees in an orchard. There should alwaj's 

 be a book kept with the names of the trees in 

 regular order, so that if a label be accidentally 

 lost or become illegible, there will be a certainty 

 of getting it again. But, as Mr. P. Barry well 

 remarked, time is a great deal in this age, and 

 all labelling should be made very plain, so that 

 we can easily see the name the moment we want 

 it. There are few better things than large stout 

 pieces of pine wood, well painted, and the name 

 written on the label while the paint is soft, and 

 this label suspended from a branch within reach 

 by a piece of stout copper w'ire. The loop of 

 the wire must of course be large, to guard 

 against its cutting into the branch by the growth 

 of the wood. This is the season to examine the 

 fruits, and note how far they may prove to be 

 true to name. In regard to the quality of fruits 

 it is -worth while to look to the healthiness of the 

 trees. Many a fruit has been pronounced worth- 

 less, when, if the tree had been healthier, an- 

 other conclusion might have been reached. This 

 is especially true of small fruits. An unhealthy 



raspberry, blackberry or strawberry, always gives 

 fruit of poorer flavor than plants in good health. 

 It is not alwaj's easy to tell when plants of small 

 fruits ^re in good health, for they often have 

 something the matter with them before the 

 injury is ver}' plain. The experienced eye de- 

 tects a change in the color of the foliage, in 

 many cases of plant trouble. If we know the 

 soil to be good, and the plant has for all this a 

 yellowish tint, there is sure to be something the 

 matter with the plant. It is generally useless to 

 try to renovate a sickly stock. Better get new 

 plants, or another kind, and plant where the 

 kind has not been growing before, if we can find 

 such a spot. 



In orchard trees this yellow tint may often be 

 noted. Occasionally this will be from poor 

 ground; and a top dressing of some fertilizing 

 substance will give a renewed green to the trees 

 next season, but very often borers may be found 

 in the stems, or fungus at the roots, or some 

 other trouble directly affecting the health of the 

 tree, and for which even manure will be of no 

 account. A good green dark color to the foliage 

 is always a test of healthfulness. This is espe- 

 cially marked in the grape. People often call 

 attention to some variety they are growing, that 



