For February, 1920 



65 



fall the pale or nearly white color of Sunmier. In the 

 Autumn, too, the clusters of bri^-ht scarlet fruits add 

 another charm to this tree which is often short-lived, 

 for birds devour the fruit almost as fast as it ripens. 

 The conspicuous gray flower-buds which open the 

 following" Spring are formed in the late Summer and 

 add to the beauty and interest of the tree during the 

 Autumn and Winter. A variety of Conius florida with 

 red floral bracts was found in Virginia several years 

 ago and has been propagated and sold by American 

 nurserymen. When in flower it is a showy tree but 

 lacks the charm of the normal species. A variety of 

 the normal form with pendulous branches is in the 

 Arboretum collection but has no particular interest 

 or beauty, and a form with flower-heads surrounded 

 by a double row of bracts, which was a good deal 

 advertised n few years ago, has little to recommend it. 

 Beautiful ,"i5 it is the eastern Flowering Dogwood is 

 surpassed bv the species of the northwest coast region. 

 Cornus Nuttallii, which is a tree sometimes seventy or 

 eighty feel high with heads of bracts five or six 

 inches across. Cornus NiittaUii grows in damp woods 

 in the shade of large coniferous trees, and it is difficult 

 to keep it ?live beyond the limits of its native forests. 

 It has never succeeded in the Arboretum and has 

 flowered in Europe in only a few gardens. The 

 Japanese Flowering Dogwood, Cornus kousa, and its 

 Chinese variet}' are hardy and handsome little trees 

 which flower later in the season than our native 

 species, with which thev do not compare in beauty of 

 flowers, foliage or fruit. — Arnold .irborctuni Bulletin. 



STREPTOCARPI AND THEIR CULTURE 



CE\'ER.\L raisers have played a part in the produc- 

 ^"^ tion of the present-day race of Strc/^tocarpi which 

 now. in popularity vies with the Gloxinia; indeed, by 

 some the Strcptocarpi are preferred to the others, 

 though on this point opinions will, of course, differ. In 

 place of a practically unknown and undeveloped race of 

 plants, which was the case a little over a generation ago. 

 we have now an exceedingly useful group where a dis- 

 play of flowers has to be kept up at all seasons. 



The best forms now are exceedingly floriferous, with 

 compact masses of large, bold blossoms. The range in 

 color is very great, varying from pm-e white though 

 different shades of pink and carmine to deep red or 

 crimson, while in many the blue, violet and par|)le tints 

 are delightful. Xot the least attractiw are those of a 

 pure white, pencilled mainly in the throat with cirmine or 

 purple. .\ feature in favor of these hybrid kinds of 

 Strcptocarpus is that from seed sown in heat early in the 

 year, plants may be obtained which will flower through- 

 out the Summer and, under favorable conditions, well 

 on into the Autumn. The flowers last well in a cut state, 

 and for some kinds of decoration arc verv useful. If 

 cut witit stems as long as ])ossibIe, they are very li^ht 

 and elegant in appearance. 



Seeds should be sown during the first half of h'chru- 

 ary. as then the young plants will have a long growing 

 season before them. Whether sown in pans or pots, the 

 utmost care must be taken in carrying this out, as the 

 seeds are very minute, and the seedlings at first corre- 

 spondingly delicate. The pans or pots must be quite 

 clean, well-drained and filled to within a third of an 

 inch of the rims with a good light compost. Most ges- 

 neraceous i>lants are very fond of a liberal ([uantity of 

 leaf-mold in the soil they grow in, and the several forms 

 of Streptocarpus form no exception to the rule. .\ suit- 

 able cnntpo^^t in which to sow the seeds may be made 



up of one ].)art loam to two of leaf-mold, and about 

 half a part of silver sand. It is a good plan to sterilize 

 the soil before use, after which it should be sifted through 

 a sieve with a quarter of an inch mesh, i)utting the 

 rougher portions that do not pass through the sieve on 

 one side to place immediately over the crocks. The soil 

 should then be pressed down moderatelv firm and made 

 quite level. 



riefore sowing the seed, the soil should be moistened 

 either by watering through a very fine rose or by standing 

 the receptacle nearly to the rim in a vessel of water, 

 which will enter through the hole in the bottom and thus 

 wet the whole of the soil without disturbing the surface. 

 Placed then in a shaded part of a warm structure ; that is. 

 where a temperature of 60 to 65 degrees is maintained, 

 the voung plants will in due time make their appearance. 

 I'ntil this happens a pane of glass should be laid over the 

 ]Mt, in order to maintain a uniform state of moisture. 

 The seed is so minute that when it is sown some culti- 

 vators do not cover it at all except with the glass, while 

 others sprinkle just a little dry silver sand on the surface. 

 It is -most essential to take care that the seed is sown 

 verv thinlv. It may be noted that it sometimes germi- 

 nates in a rather irregular manner. When the young 

 plants are large enough to conveniently handle, they 

 mav be pricked off into pans or boxes, using much the 

 same kind of compost as that in which the seeds were 

 sown. From the delicate nature of the young plants this 

 must be carefully done. The temperature of a warm 

 house and a shady spot therein are necessary for the 

 young plants. When sufficiently advanced, they may be 

 potted oft' singly into 2><-inch pots, from which the 

 strongest growing plants may in due course be shifted 

 into pots 4 inches to 4>4 inches in diameter. 



During the \Vinter the plants should be put in a tem- 

 jicrature of 50 to 55 degrees, and the soil kept moderately 

 drv, though on no account must they be parched uv. as. 

 unlike Gloxinias, they do not form a solid tuber. Then, 

 about the end of February or early in Alarch. they mav 

 be potted, equal parts of loam and leaf-mold with a little 

 sand being verv suitable. Under the influence of addi- 

 tional heat thev will soon start into growth, when they 

 may for the Summer be removed to the greenhoitse. .^n 

 occasional stimulant will at that time be beneficial, and. 

 in order to prolong the flowering period, all tlie^ old 

 blooms should be picked off unless seed is required. 

 After the second vear"s flowering the plants may be 

 thrown awav. — The Garden ("FnglisliV 



ALWAYS SOMETHING TO BE THANKFUL 

 FOR 



Tlioie'.'i sometliiim- to be tliankl'ul fur. no matter how things RO— 

 In .Snnimcrtime for fruit and llowcrs. in Wintertime for snow. 

 Tlicrc's something- sort of pleasant liappcning to us every day, 

 .\n(l life's a perfect picnie if we look at it that way. 



There's alwavs something: pretty for our weary eyes to see— 

 The glory of the sunset or the blossoms on the tree. 

 .^lKl alw.ivs something tuneful for our tired ears to hear — 

 The children's voices chirping or the robin's music clear. 



There's always somethiuK ready for our willing hands to do- 

 Some halting steps to help along, soine job to carry lhroug;h— 

 \'o chance to be kicking when our feet are busy going, 

 \o time for idle growling when we're planting seed and sowing. 



There's >omcthing to be thankful for. no matter how things go— 

 \o end to all our blessings if we only count them so. 

 .\nd even if vou'rc out of sorts, or sick, or sad, or poor, 

 Just thank the Lord you're living if you can do nothing more. 



— Selected. 



