1883.] 



AND HORTICULTURIST. 



261 



right on. But in moving large trees it is almost 

 impossible to save every root and fibre ; some are 

 generally lost. A very favorable time to the pro- 

 duction of new fibres is early fall, as has been 

 often proved. Trees transplanted in September 

 will throw out at once a lot of fibres which will 

 supply the tree with sap for the winter. Early 

 fall is much better than late fall, when roots have 

 been lost in digging, on account of this renewal of 

 fibres. Early spring planting is good, because the 

 ground becomes settled before the buds burst and 

 evaporation commences. Fibres have time to 

 form before the leaves, and thus the necessary 

 moisture is supplied. The most unfavorable time 

 to transplant a tree, which has lost many roots, 

 is just as the buds are bursting. The young leaves 

 are calling for moisture rapidly, and the fibres or 

 mouths to convey the food are not there, and the 

 tree dies. It may be repeated then that trees with 

 all their fibres are safe in spring or fall. Early 

 fall is an excellent time, as the ground being warm 

 it induces new fibres to form. Early spring is 

 good as the tree settles in position before growth 

 commences." 



Garrya elliptica. — Very few of the beautiful 

 plants of California thrive in the Eastern States, 

 but there would probably be no difficulty in get- 

 ting them to succeed further south. As gardening 

 is now in a comparatively flourishing condition in 

 the Southern States, it may be as well for our 

 nurserymen who have Southern trade, to experi- 

 ment with some of the best. One of the prettiest 

 of California shrubs is Garrya elliptica. We know 

 of no attempts to introduce it. We are reminded 

 of its beauty by a note in the Garden, referring to 

 its behaviour in England: 



"It is by no means so much planted as its merits 

 deserve; for it must 1 think be admitted that this 

 Garrya is a winter flowering evergreen par excel- 



lence. In character of growth it resembles the 

 Eiseagnus, but in appearance it is altogether dis- 

 tinct, and when early frosts are not too severe to 

 injure its flowers the long tasselated spikes that 

 droop so gracefully are to my mind particularly 

 refreshing. Like the preceding, we also cut the 

 Garrya pretty freely for indoor decoration. These 

 two plants and some flowering branches of Lau- 

 rustinus tastefully arranged with a few bright 

 flowers in a large vase make no mean ornament 

 on a dull day in the month of December. We 

 find no difficulty in growing the Garrya in any 

 kind of soil or situation, but its proper place is no 

 doubt in the front line of a choice shrubbery 

 border. It is, probably, quite hardy even in the 

 north of England; here, in the west, the severest 

 winters do not injure it. The proper time for trans- 

 planting this plant I consider to be the month of 

 April." 



SCRAPS AND QUERIES. 



Flowering of the Victoria Lily. — E. D. 

 Sturtevant, Bordentown, New Jersey, whose notes 

 on the flowering of the Victoria regia in the open 

 air, we published last year, writes us that the first 

 flower of this season opened July 20th, forty-five 

 i days earlier than last year. 



Laurel Oak. — "C. E. M.," Philadelphia, writes : 

 ' "Replying to your St. Louis correspondent, who in 

 the June number of the Monthly says he does 

 not think the true laurel oak, Ouercus imbricaria, 

 is under cultivation, I would say that it has been 

 pretty widely disseminated hereabouts. Thous- 

 ands of trees of it are raised and sold by Philadel- 

 phia nurserymen annually, finding their way to 

 parks and public grounds to a great extent. There 

 are a few nice specimens in Fairmount Park, 

 Philadelphia, and also in some private grounds. 

 I can endorse what is said of its beauty. Its 

 leaves are unlike any other oak, North or South, 

 and it is a rapid and symmetrical grower." 



Greenhouse and House Gardening. 



COMMUNICATIONS. 



hot-house plant, belonging to the natural order, 

 I BromeliacejE. Its native country is Brazil, where, 



BILBERGIA THYRSOIDEA. ''' ''\ ^^'d' '^ ^^^" ^^ ^7"^. ^^^'"^ abundantly on 



1 rocks near the city of Rio Janeiro. It is a plant 

 BY CHARLES E. PARNELL, QUEENS, NEW YORK. { ^j^^^ ^^ ^^^^^ ^^^^^^ resembles a pine-apple in 



The thyrse flowering Bilbergia (Bilbergia thyrs- 1 its manner of growth, the leaves being loosely 

 oidea) is a very singular and attractive stove, or arranged and of a dark green color, rather 



