160 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. 



tense red, and remain on tlie plant some 

 time after those of most of its allies have 

 fallen. To M. Pissard, the head gard- 

 ener to the Shah of Persia, is due the 

 credit of sending Prunus Pissardi to 

 France, from whence it has been widely 

 distributed. From the details publish- 

 ed by M. Carriere it appears that this 

 new Plum comes from TaurLs, an im- 

 portant Persian town, situated about 

 270 miles from Teheran. It seems it 

 far from common in Persia, where it is 

 much sought after on acccount of the 

 color of its leaves, and more particu- 

 larly for its fruits, which are a deep red, 

 even as soon as formed. For this reason 

 the latter are valued at Teheran even 

 before being ripe, and are eaten with 

 salt, and also used for table decoration. 

 P. Pissardi is a much-branched shrub, 

 ■with ascending twigs and black, shining 

 bark. The leaves vary in intensity of 

 coloring according to the time of year, 

 but are never dull. The pure white 

 flowers are similar to those of the Myro- 

 balan section, and open early in March. 

 The somewhat small fruits, although 

 not of sujjerior quality, are thoi'oughly 

 eatable when quite ripe. M. Carriere 

 recommends its cultivation in pots like 

 Spiraeas and other woody things, as the 

 plant branches freely and beat's cutting 

 well. It is thoroughly hardy in this 

 country. A correspondent at Forfar 

 writes to say that it grows vigorously in 

 the nurseries there. During a recent 

 visit to the Walthara Cross Nurseries 

 of Messrs. W. Paul & Son, I was par- 

 ticularly sti'uck with the brilliant coloi'- 

 ing of P. Pissardi, and it only requires 

 to be seen once to have its merits as a 

 hardy tine-foliaged plantfully recognized. 

 Sincepublishing his original description, 

 M. Carriere has sown seeds of P. Pis- 

 sardi and the Myrobalan Plum under 

 the same conditions. The results were 

 in both cases the same, so it is settled 

 definitely enough that the former does 

 not produce seedlings with colored 



leaves, and that it will be necessary to 

 work on the Plum stock. In all pro- 

 bability P. Pissai'di is a variety of P. 

 cerasifera. — George Nicholsox, in the 

 Garden. 



Note by the Editor. — This beau- 

 tiful, new, deep red foliage plant has 

 proved to be perfectly hardy in the 

 Editor's grounds at St. Catharines. It 

 has not yet borne fruit, although some 

 of the larger specimens had a consider- 

 able number of blossoms the past spring. 

 From its habit of flowering when of so 

 small a size, it is to be inferred that it 

 is of shrubby habit. 



PANSY CULTURE. 

 The requisites are young plants, rich 

 mould, and a regular degree of moisture. 

 Those about to begin the culture of the 

 pansy should procui'e a three-light 

 frame, a few dozen well-selected plants, 

 a cartload of good loam, some rotten 

 leaf-mould, sand, and thoroughly rotten 

 cow manure. The bed should be pre- 

 pared as early as the ground and 

 weather permit. It should be away 

 from the full glare of the sun, and, if 

 the soil is poor, wet, sodden, heavy or 

 sandy, these evils must be counteracted 

 by stiiking the medium. The plants 

 should be placed a foot apart, and six 

 inches from the edge of the bed, and 

 should have a good watering after plant- 

 ing, and the surface of the bed must be 

 often stirred. In dry weather it must 

 be watered with a fine rose evejy even- 

 ing, not merely wetting the surface, but 

 tJioroughly. The beauty of the bed will 

 be over by July, and if it is necessary 

 to replant, young plants should be pre- 

 pared from cuttings ; or by dividing the 

 old plants and adding manure a good 

 bloom may be obtained in autumn. 

 Though the pansy suflfers very little 

 from frost, it should be well protected 



