April 2, 1910 



HORTICULTURE 



511 



ideal medium for them is a moderately stifE loam over a 

 sub-soil of sand. Plenty of room should be allowed so 

 that the spikes have room to develop and except for 

 giving good waterings in very hot weather little other 

 attention is necessary. Mulching, however, is of great 

 assistance, and whatever the material used it keeps the 

 groiuid moist and prevents the bulbs from ripening up 

 prematurely. 



So far as my experience goes with the magnificent 

 varieties mentioned below I do not find they are so 

 hardy as the older and well known sorts such as erocos- 

 miseflora and Pottsii and it is probable that they will 

 not survive the trying and variable winters we experi- 

 ence in the East if left in the open ground but this 

 should not prove any deterrent to their being extensively 

 cultivated for it is well to remember that all good plants 

 need a little more -attention than those of inferior qual- 

 ity. As soon as the foliage has become quite brown in 

 the fall it should be cut off within four inches of the 

 ground and the bulbs lifted carefully, without breaking 

 off any of the stolons, and placed in boxes in sand or 

 stored on tlie floor of a cool cellar where they will re- 

 main in good condition till planting time comes in 

 April. 



Too much cannot be said in favor of these new Mont- 

 bretias and anj^one interested in bulbous plants cannot 

 do better than include them in their gardens. They have 

 a wide range of color varying from the richest orange- 

 scarlet to the palest lemon and the selection appended 

 will give a succession over a very long period. On the 

 other side they are greatly appreciated and will, I am 

 sure, be fully as popular here when opportunities are 

 given for flower lovers to see and realize the immense 

 improvements over older kinds. 



The most desirable varieties are as follows : George 

 Davison, which grows four feet high with very branch- 

 ing stems and is one of the earliest to come into flower. 

 The individual blossoms are three inches across, pale 

 orange-yellow in color somewhat deeper on the outside. 

 Ernest Davison is similar in habit but the flowers, which 

 are equally as large, are a deep orange internally suf- 

 fused witli red on the outside. St. Botolph is a mag- 

 nificent yellow variety with the same free branching 

 habit as the preceding but the flowers are a pleasing soft 

 yellow shade suffused deep orange on the outside. Each 

 flower is very large and opens out quite flat which is one 

 of the charms of these newer sorts. Lord Nelson is one 

 of the handsomest and grows from three to four feet 

 high with very brandling stems and great quantities of 

 deep orange scarlet flowers externally crimson with a 

 yellow eye. Lady Hamilton is equally as tall but the 

 flowers are yellow with a rosy-orange suffusion in the 

 center. This variety is remarkably floriferous. Here- 

 ward is similar in color to George Davison but it does 

 not commence to flower till fully a month later. King 

 Edmund has rich golden flowers and the base of each 

 petal is spotted with chocolate. This variety grows with 

 great vigor. One of the most beautiful and attractive 

 varieties is Prometheus which has enormous flowers four 

 inches across and these are a deep orange with a deep 

 crimson band around the center. A bed of this pro- 

 duces a wonderful color effect. Westwick is also re- 

 markable, the color being orange red with a clear yel- 

 low eye, surrounded with deep maroon. For bedding 

 purposes Norvic is excellent. It has a dwarf habit, 

 flowers late and the color is a good rich yellow marked 

 with crimson on the outer side. 



Erica 



Tliere seems to be a revival of interest in the genus 

 Erica, and many of the species deserve to be more gen- 

 erally grown than they have been of late years. In 

 several places I have visited this spring I have noticed 

 nice specimens of some of the varieties of these excel- 

 lent decorative plants. Thos. Eoland of Nahant, Mass., 

 is trying to work up an interest among the florist trade 

 for them, and on a visit to his place recently, we saw 

 specimens from 3% up to 8 or 9 inch pots of several 

 \ ai'ieties, that would charm the heart of any plant lover 

 to look at them. Mr. Roland intimated that it was hard 

 to get a paying price for them. However, the public 

 may be educated up to it, as they have been with many 

 other plants which they cannot now get along without 

 when their season comes around. 



Ericas have been always considered hard to grow, and 

 I can remember as a young man that if a gardener 

 was a good heath grower he was worth taking notice of. 

 The climate here has been considered very unsuitable 

 for these j^ilants ; but it may be with them, as with some 

 other plants I have known, never properly tested. They 

 certainly will not stand some of the slap-dash methods 

 of growing that have been too common in recent years. 

 I am convinced that failure with a number of plants 

 may be attributed to the use of hard water, and I think 

 it would pay plantsmen to collect the rain water from 

 the greenhouse gaitters and convey it into a tank where 

 it could be pumped as required. I know of one instance 

 where this was done, and the plantsman that managed 

 that establishment told me he attributed a great deal of 

 his success as a grower to that tank of rain water. 

 Ericas will never give the same satisfaction if hard water 

 is used for them and it may be that much of the failure 

 with many of the varieties may be traced to that source. 



Cuttings may be obtained from the points of the 

 shoots after they have flowered and should be about an 

 inch Ions, the wood being neither too hard nor too 

 soft. 



Insert rather thickly in not too large a pot in silver 

 sand: place the pots in a tight case in a temperature 

 of sixty degrees, care being taken to remove all ap- 

 pearance of damping as soon as detected. When they 

 show signs of having rooted admit air to the case, and 

 get them hardened up a little before potting into small 

 pots. The best soil for ericas at any stage of their 

 gi-owth is a good, fibrous peat, and if this cannot be 

 obtained the siftiugs from osmunda fern root will do. 

 Add about a third of clean, sharp sand, with a little 

 finely broken charcoal. They must be finely potted and 

 never allow the stem of the plant to be buried in the 

 soil. Watering must always be done with care as severe 

 diying or soaking will be injurious to them. When in 

 vigorous growth a bag of soot may be placed in the 

 tank containing the water they are watered with. A 

 temperature of forty degrees should be maintained dur- 

 ing the winter with plenty of light and air; throughout 

 the summer months they may be plunged out doors. 

 It is a hard question what varieties to recommend to 

 srow, but I have seen the following do well : E. arborea, 

 cafira, Cavendishi, hybrida, hyemalis, melanthera, per- 

 !^oluta .and Wilmoreana. 



West Medford, Mass. 



