51^ 



GARDENERS' CHRONICLE 



Jasiiiiiniin inidiHorum, is also common in gardens. The Witch 

 Hazels are, however, not so well known, but are so charming that 

 they should be represented in every garden. They inckide Haiiia- 

 viclis virginica, which is commonly used as a stock for the other 

 species ; H. arborca, H. japonica, and its lemon-yellow variety, 

 Zuccariniana. Beautiful as these are, they are surpassed by H. 

 mollis. The flowers, which resemble twisted gold wire, are 

 produced in wonderful profusion and seem unaffected by severe 

 weather; not their least charm is the delicious fragnance, a single 

 bush scenting the atmosphere for yards around. Cut sprays of 

 this Hainaniclis are charming for room decoration, as also is the 

 better-known Winter Sweet, Chimonanthus fragrans. 



Of the Heaths Erica carnca and its varieties flower all through 

 the Winter, and it is surprising these plants are not more generally 

 planted. The merits of the Winter-flowering Honeysuckles, 

 Loniccra fragrantissima and L. Slandishii must not be overlooked. 



Garrya elliptica is a beautiful Winter-flowering shrub that is far 

 from being plentiful in gardens ; the maple plant, which is most 

 common, produces its long, gray-green catkins in great, profusion. 

 The plant is hardy in the south in the open ; in the north it makes 

 a beautiful wall shrub. The Glastonbury Thorn flowers oft' and 

 on according to the weather, throughout the Autumn and Winter. 



The Winter Heliotrope, Petasitcs (Tussilago) fragrans, is worth 

 planting in rough corners. The deliciously fragrant Iris stylosa 

 and its varieties should be included in every garden in the South- 

 ern counties as they flower throughout the Winter and Spring, ac- 

 cording to weather conditions. 



In gardens in the South and West at least I'ibiiniiiin tiniis 

 (Laurustinus) flowers more or less all through the WiiUer and 

 Spring. — The Gardeners' Chronicle (British). 



THE CHINESE WITCH HAZEL (HAMAMELIS 

 MOLLIS) 



The several Witch Hazels are all popular and interesting by 

 reason of their flowering when few other hardy plants are in 

 blossom, and on account of their weird, spidery-looking flowers, 

 but for general effect there is nothing to surpass the subject of 

 this note. It blooms in advance of the Japanese H. japonica and 

 its varieties, and is usually at its best in the South of England from 

 Christmas onwards for about three weeks. In China it is said to 

 grow into a small tree 30 feet high. Here it forms a spreading 

 bush with more or less erect branches clothed with large, round- 

 ish or broadly-oval leaves, which, together with the young wood, 

 are covered with down. The flowers are borne in small clusters 

 from the previous Summer's growth, each flower being over an 

 inch across, with Ave narrow golden petals, which, instead of be- 

 ing twisted or crimped, as in H. japonica. are flat, with incurved 

 points. The calyx offers a contrast by being reddish in color. 

 Not the least noticeable of the plant's many virtues is the pleasant, 

 Primrose-like fragrance which accompanies the expansion of the 

 blossoms, a fragrance that is noticeable several yards away. On 

 a sunny day a well flowered plant is a lovely object, while even 

 during less favorable weather conditions it commands attention, 

 Fortunately, it is an easily-grown shrub, succeeding best in light, 

 loamy soil to which a little peat has been added, although the lat- 

 ter is not essential to success. It can be propagated from seeds, 

 which are borne freely, and also by layers, or by grafting upon 

 H. virginiana, the ."Xmcrican Witch Hazel. .\ few shoots taken 

 into the dwelling room and arranged with the foliage of Berberis 

 aquifolium are very effective. — Gardening Illustrated. 



CHRISTMAS ROSE (HELLEBORUS NIGER). 



A more useful group of hardy plants than the Christmas Rose 

 can scarcely be imagined. It is a family of plants that has been 

 greatly improved and added to during the past twenty years. 

 Helleborus niger is so called because it blooms at Christmas and 

 its flowers open like a rose; it is called the Black Hellebore also 

 because of the color of its leaves and its fondness for growing in 

 dark and lonely places. Its blossoms are particularly bright, 

 cheerful and very acceptable at the dead season of the year, where 

 their value for decorative purposes or for cutting can not be 

 overestimated. They are thoroughly hardy and very easily grown ; 

 they can not be too highly recommended. 



Some amateurs find difficulty in cultivating Christiuas Roses. 

 They need a generous soil, fairly heavy and retentive, in which 

 they can root freely and deeply, and frequent mulches with manure ; 

 at any rate, one good one immediately after the flowering season, 

 when the plants are somewhat exhausted. It is a good plan to 

 plant a bed with them, or a border facing north-east or north, 

 sheltered from the direct rays of the sun, suits them well, Place 

 over them a frame in November or December, or as soon as 

 the flowers begin to open. This tends to keep the flowers clean 

 and to improve their quality. — The Garden. 



UNDERGROWTH FOR A BEECH TREE 



It is very difficult to get shrubs to grow under a Beech tree, 

 especially if it is an old-established specimen, because, in addition 



to the dense shade, the Beech has such an enormous system of 

 fibrous roots near the surface. If your tree is a specimen on a 

 lawn, with the branches well clear of the ground, grass will grow 

 up to the trunk, and, on the whole, it is the most pleasing carpet. 

 If the ground is broken up in certain places and fresh soil added, 

 Crocuses and .\'arcissi might be planted and would succeed for a 

 time. If the ground is grubbed over and fresh soil added. Ivy, 

 Hypericum calyciniim, Berberis aquifolium, and Ruscus aculeatus 

 (Butcher's Broom) would grow for a time, but would be starved 

 out in a few years. In high, open Beech woods. Bluebells grow 

 freely, as well as Brambles and other undergrowth where there is 

 sufficient light. — The Gardener/ Chronicle (British). 



DEPARTMENT OF BOOK REVIEWS 



Fertilizers and M.\xures, by Sir A, D. Hall, M. A., F. R. S. ; 

 E. P. Dutton and Company, New York. 



Without this volume it would scarcely be credible that so in- 

 teresting reading could be made of the subject of fertilizers. 

 Literary skill of the highest order has been devoted to making 

 two chapters in particular, the introductory, which narrates the 

 History of Manures, and the tenth, which sets forth the Theories 

 of Fertilizer Action, of world-wide importance. But not only do 

 these two chapters deserve attention nor is attention well be- 

 stowed upon them for the interest of the narrative alone. They, 

 and all the rest of the book, are in subject matter also what might 

 he expected to eiuanate from the specialized studies of a man long 

 the director of the Rothamstead Experimental Station, the oldest 

 institution of its kind in the world, a man who writes with full 

 understanding of how it came about that "the discovery and 

 introduction of artificial fertilizers and feeding stuffs . . . 

 enabled the British farmer to raise his output per acre by at 

 least 50 per cent during the reign of the late Queen (Victoria)." 

 He attains very gratifyingly his object of making the reader 

 understand the fertilizers' mode of action and their relation to 

 particular crops and soils while recognizing the fact that because 

 of variations of climate, as well as of soils, it is impossible to 

 specify the absolutely right course either in cultivation or in 

 manuring. Consequently, the scholarly theories of Chapter X 

 he ably defends by showing that "it is only by thinking about 

 the rationale of manuring we can arrive at the right practice." 



Clarity of thinking pervades. Following the argument one finds 

 it not difficult to conclude with the author that "the picture 

 of the farmer carrying the manure for a field in his waistcoat 

 pocket and applying it with a hypodermic syringe is still a 

 vision of the future." The farmer is shown to be justified in his 

 prejudice in favor of an organic source of nitrogen and due 

 importance is assigned to improving the tilth of the soil along with 

 all possible use of the more conveniently handled and more 

 economical sources of plant food. 



Sir Hall's treatment of the subject, though written for Eng- 

 lishmen, obviously deserves a place in this country alongside 

 of the supremely valuable products that have resulted from 

 .American thought and experimentation. 



The Veget.able G.arden, by M. M. Vilmorin-Andrieux ; E. P. 

 Dutton and Company, New York. 



This must certa'inl'y be the premier liook of its class and the 

 publishers are evidently justified in claiming that it "is generally 

 recognized as being the most complete and authoritative of its 

 kind." This, the third and English edition, published under the 

 direction of the celebrated William Robinson, has been brought up 

 to date by the inclusion of an addendum by W. P. Thomson, in 

 keeping with the decided stimulus given to vegetable growing by 

 the war. Newer varieties of well known vegetables have been 

 given recognition and some really distinct new vegetables, like 

 the White Sunroof and Daw's Champion Rhubarb, have been 

 added. Out of the chaotic state, resulting from the liberty taken 

 by seedsmen in naming varieties for their own advantage, con- 

 siderable order has been brought by identifying each species 

 and variety through the painstaking study of all data in any way 

 ascertainable and by comparative cultivation. .After the botanical, 

 and the various common names in different languages, is mentioned 

 the native country ; then follow a brief history of the plant, a 

 description of its mode of growth and a great deal of attention 

 to the seed. The descriptions are supplemented by very many 

 wood-cuts, all unusually clear and illustrative. The use of the 

 plant and the methods of preparing it for the table, as might 

 be supposed in a work orginiating in France, are topics that are 

 handled deftly indeed. Methods of cultivation arc, appropriately 

 for a work intended to be cosmopolitan, not stressed. The notes 

 of this character in the English additions, under the various 

 headings, are, however, quite elaborate and reveal intensity of 



