THE TRAILING ARBUTUS. 



477 



show signs of decay. By witholding- water 

 gradually from the roots and barely keeping 

 the soil moist, the fleshy rhizomes and 

 stems, and perhaps some of the leaves, may 

 be kept in fair condition until spring or 

 early summer, when the plants can be 

 repotted, or, if that is not necessary, the 

 plants will show signs of new growth as 

 the warm summer weather approaches with- 

 out repotting. Rex Begonias, and in fact 

 all summer flowering and foliage Begonias, 

 require to be kept in a temperature not 

 lower than 45° or 50° when resting in winter. 

 A slightly lower temperature than the plants 

 have been accustomed to, and only sufficient 

 water to barely keep the soil in the pots 

 moist, are the conditions that induce this 

 partial resting period so essential to almost 

 all perennial plant life at some season of 

 the year. Rex Begonias should never have 



their leaves sprinkled with water in winter, 

 as it tends to spot and rot the foliage. 



GLOXINIAS, TUBEROUS BEGONIAS, FANCY 

 CALADIUMS AND ACHIMENES 



All of these should now be resting and 

 the soil left quite dry until time to start 

 them in the spring. I have found that 

 leaving these in the pots undisturbed all the 

 winter is better than taking the bulbs or 

 tubers out of the soil and packing them in 

 sand or charcoal. Where large quantities 

 are grown, it might be necessary to knock 

 them out of the pots to economize space, 

 but where only a few are grown, it is very 

 easy to stand the pots back in s. dry place 

 on a shelf, where no drip or water can 

 reach them. A temperature of 55° will suit 

 all but the Tuberous Begonias when dor- 

 mant ; these latter I have found to keep 

 better in a temperature of about 40° to 45°. 



THE TRAILING ARBUTUS— HAS IT A PARTNER? 



IN the September number of the Horticul- 

 turist Mrs. Gilchrist has a good word 

 for the Trailing Arbutus (Epigcea ripens). 

 She asks, " can it be cultivated in the gar- 

 den," and answers, "certainly." 1 write this 

 note to invite reports of experience upon the 

 subject. The result of my experiments indi- 

 cates the conclusion that it cannot be suc- 

 cessfully cultivated in every garden. The 

 failure of repeated attempts to" introduce it 

 into my own garden and into the woods 

 around London led me to suspect that it 

 may, like some of its congeners among the 

 heathers, have entered into a partnership 

 with some species of mycorrliza. In the ab- 

 ence of the companion of its roots it leads a 

 languishing existence through a season or 

 two and then perishes. The directions given 

 by Mrs. Gilchrist for transplanting the Ar 

 butus do not discredit the supposition that 

 it is dependent on a root partner. It is not 

 improbable that some gardens possess con- 

 ditions favorable to the growth of the plant 



and its mycorrliza if it has one. * ' The good 

 ball of earth " carefully lifted with the plant 

 would carry both. I should like to know 

 whether any one has succeeded in growing 

 and increasing this plant from seed or clean 

 roots in a garden distant from where it is 

 found naturally. " Like the thrush," she 

 says, "it belongs to the woods." That's a 

 good touch. After all it is no great loss if 

 we cannot get the Mayflower to grow in 

 the garden, for there it is like a wood-bird 

 in a cage. The delight with which we recall 

 the plant is not due alone to its color and 

 fragrance. In the pleasantest days in the 

 year we greet it in the most lovely parts of 

 our beautiful woods. The whole situation 

 stirs the soul and the senses, and we vainly 

 attempt to carry the pleasure away with us 

 by filling our arms with the fragrant sprays 

 of the dainty trailer. You must go to the 

 part of the woods it selects for its home to 

 fully enjoy the Trailing Arbutus. 



London. John Dearness. 



