278 



THE GARDENERS' MONTHLY 



[September, 



At any rate, this species is one of the most beauti- 

 ful in this very beautiful family. 



Fruiting of the "Calycanthus. — In the wild 

 state some of the plants of the "sweet-scented 

 shrub," or "Carolina Allspice," of gardens, vary 

 much in prolificacy. Some are entirely barren, 

 and others bear fruit profusely. For many years 

 a barren form was propagated by offsets in nurse- 

 ries, and this gives rise to the impression that it 

 rarely seeds. 



A D1SE.A.SE FROM Reeds. — A curious affection 

 has been occasionally met with in certain parts of 

 France, especially in Provence, among reed work- 

 ers, chiefly those who manipulate the stems of 

 Arundo donax. A case at Frontignan has lately 

 been very carefully studied by M. Baltus, of Lille. 

 A man, aged forty-seven, and his son, aged seven- 

 teen, had been at work for several hours loading a 

 cart with reeds, which had been cut a year before, 

 and kept in a damp trench. Both were seized with 

 a painful irritation of the nose, eyes, and throat, 

 followed by erythematous swelling in the same 

 parts, which extended to the hands and trunk. An 

 examination of the reeds showed that they were 

 covered with a mould consisting of the spores and 

 mycelium of a fungus, Sporotrichum dermatodes, 

 which had developed under the influence of the 

 prolonged exposure to moisture. The spores had 

 been shaken off as dust during the manipulation of 

 the reeds, and had irritated the exposed parts of 

 the skin on which they had lodged. Although 

 usually trifling, the malady may sometimes as- 

 sume a severe form. It may apparently be pre- 

 vented by the simple expedient of washing the 

 reeds before their manipulation. — Popular Science 

 News. 



Crossing Aquilegias. — As Mr. Douglas has 

 so far been successful in crossing Aquilegias can 

 he not go a step farther and endeavour to cross 



I the single white garden variety upon a chrysantha, 



j in the hope of obtaining eventually a pure white 

 form of that robust and beautiful species ? The 

 great charm of chrysantha is that its blooms are so 



I erect and bold, and hence are so much more 

 elegant than are the finest flowers to be found on 

 the garden varieties, as nearly all these are not 

 only deficient in spur, but are drooping. I have 

 the white varieties here, both single and double, 

 but care little for the latter form in any color. 

 There is also a dark blue kind, that might make a 

 good pollen parent. Specially, however, I should 

 like to see the pale straw hue of chrysantha deep- 

 ened into a rich yellow, as the flowers would then 

 be far more striking than they now are. I must 

 say that, having grown chrysantha, Californica, 

 Mr. Douglas' hybrids, and glandulosa side by side, 

 I have found .not the least variation in the seedl- 

 ings of the former and the latter, whilst Californica 

 has given one form that seems to be brighter and 

 finer than its parent, though the same combination 

 of color is retained. Hence I infer that natural 

 hybridisation is not common, and that to secure 

 crossing artificial fertilisation must be adopted. 

 Would that glandulosa had the habit of chrysan- 

 tha, as its flowers are so large and so beautiful. 

 In making efforts at cross breeding no doubt the 

 hybridist would be encumbered with a great 

 quantity of seedlings that would show no improve- 



1 ment, but these should be ruthlessly rejected in 

 favor of but one or two that seem verging towards 

 the desired goal. Perhaps also something might 

 be done to make the flowers more enduring, es- 

 pecially when cut. Hybridists must not be fright- 

 ened from effort because some one will complain 

 that they are only spoiling species. The species, 

 with all their beauties, will remain, but if really 

 beautiful new kinds, having clearer or richer 

 colors and more enduring qualities can be added, 

 so much the better. — A. D. in Gardeners' Chronicle 



Literature, Travels and Personal Notes, 



COMMUNICATIONS. 



enough — if too much rain does not occur — if our 

 ditches do not give out — if our wells do not become 

 dry — we shall have good crops. Here, where I 

 am writing these lines, on the Pacific Ocean, 48° 



EDITORIAL LETTERS. 



At Sea, Pacij ic Ocean. July -Sd, ISSS. 



Water is one of the essentials of Horticulture, north latitude, there seems to be too much water. 



Wherever I have been in my travels, water has It is water, water everywhere. Once in a while we 



been the great question. If we only get rain get a glimpse of a snow-cap, on the far distant 



