NEW YORK 



rather to organize a new society under tlie old name 

 tlie last effort being made tlie present year. In 18L'9 

 the Albany Horticultural Society was ortranized, l.nl tbii 



also was short lived. 'I'll^ "l.l.,I -.,>i. l , m: Ih,. -i,i1< I 



the Western New "i". ilk ll'irn. III. ■;■: ~. • 



quarters at RMi-l]i-iif, 'I'lie piil 



this society occurred :il K.icIhsI,!-. I ri.iiKiri .':. i -,;,. tm 

 der the name of The Fruit Urower's Siicicty of W.-stm 

 New Yorlt, to comprise the counties west of Onondaga 



NICOTIANA 



1087 



poisonous properties. Lvs. alternate, never compound, 

 entire or undulate, mostly sessile or nearly so by a 

 tuv'Tiiig base: fls. long-tubular, mostly opening at night 



I -t fragrant then, in terminal racemes, panicles 



lis; calyx usually persisting and covering the 

 ■ I i'lla salverforra or f unnelform, the lobes usually 



, liot 



''m^^'^^C^^-- 



The late Jol 

 society, wit 

 greatest An 



was the first President. Thii 



station, but previous to this time it had published three 

 reports. The New York Agricultural Experiment Sta- 

 tion, supported by the State and located at Geneva, was 

 established in March, 1882. These two stations give con- 

 siderable attention to horticultural matters, particularly 

 the State Station at Geneva which is located in one of 

 the best of horticultural regions. Each station now 

 receives support from both the state and the federal 

 treasury. 



The Agricultural College of New York is a part of 

 Cornell University at Ithaca. It is practically unique 

 amongst agricultural educational institutions in giving 

 courses of true university grade, and its postgraduate 

 courses lead to the degree of Ph.D. Short course in- 

 struction of elementary character is also afforded, and 

 the university is the center of a movement for the ex- 

 tension of agricultural knowledge amongst the people. 

 L. H. B. 

 ated under 



ret 



NICANBBA (Nicander wrote on plants about 150 

 A.D.). Solandcecr. One Peruvian herb differing from 

 Physalis chiefly in the 3-5-loculed ovary and fruit and 

 in the larger and more showy fls. N, physaloldes, 

 Gaertn., known as Appi,e op Peru, is a strong spreading 

 annual, .S-i ft. high, grown for the showy blue fls. and 

 odd fruits: glabrous: lvs. elliptic or elliptic-ovate, sinu- 

 ate and toothed, narrowed into a prominent petiole: fls. 

 solitary in the axils, on recurving pedicels, an inch or 

 more across, shaped like a potato flower : fruit a thin- 

 walled and nearly or quite dry berry, inclosed in an en- 

 larged, strongly .i-winged calyx. B.M. 2i58. — The Apple 

 of Peru is an old-fashioned garden annual, now rarely 

 seen. It has escaped from cultivation in some places in 

 the U. S., and it is now widely distributed in the tropics. 

 It is often confounded witli the ground cherry and alke- 

 kengi, which are species of Physalis. Not advertised. 

 L. H. B. 



NICOTIANA (.lohn Nicot was French ambassador to 

 Portugal in the sixteenth century, and was instrumental 

 in spreadingttknowledgeof Tobacco). Solanicea;. Fifty 

 or more herbs, or one species shrubby, mostly of tropi- 

 cal America. The Nicotianas comprise several stately 

 plants, valued for their rapid growth and large foliage. 

 Other species produce showy flowers, and are popular 

 flower-garden subjects. They are mostly viscid-pubes- 

 cent herbs of strong odor, and possessing narcotic- 



exposure, and loose, well-drained soil. They are all ten- 

 der to frost. For subtropical effects, the seeds (by which 

 they are usually propagated) should be started early 

 under glass. The seeds are so small that they do not 

 germinate well in tlir uiien unless the ground is fine and 

 holds mi.isiin-,' mar i\,r surface. If. alata is the only 



viiii-li is ]io[iiil;irly known as a flower-garden 



■iim Lic'v,!! .\.r\ where under the name of N. 



< M til'' iii).ii-r ^1 ies used for subtropical bed- 



.,.'"... .\ . i"N,,i,lnsa and forms of If. Ta- 



■'■'"-•• L. H. B. 



iKis an- tiii]iir.il herbs requiring in northern 

 latitudes a deep, luamy, li.li s..il and full sunlight. The 

 soil should be es]H(iall\ ri.li in linie and potash, both 

 of which maybe supijli.d l.y ilir addition of wood ashes. 

 Xica.tiauas will niit ^'ii.w wi-il in very moist or poorly 



iliai 1 soils. In cool weather the seeds germinjite 



.so that when it may be desired to raise the 



"iitdoors in early spring the seeds should be 



I I I'd" before sowing by keeping them moist and 



V, i.Mii niiiil growth maybe soi-n. The method generally 



|.in -la.l in ii'irtlii-rn tol.a.-r,. -u'niwing regions is to mix 



til. s. ■,■.!. aliMiit April 1. wiili \ .ly tine rotted apple tree 



liss taiiiiiu. wliicli w'.uld 111- d.structive to germinating 

 seeds), and to pl.ice the mixture after moistening in a 

 glass jar, and seal. The jar is then placed in a tem- 

 perature of 80° to 90° until the seed is seen to be germi- 

 nating, which should be in from four to six days. The 

 seeds are then sown in frames covered with cloth or 

 glass and rolled in with a light roller, or simply pressed 



1 I ).' 



in with a board. Another method of sprouting the seed 

 is to spread it on a thin cloth stretched over a vessel of 

 water placed where it will be continually warm. When 

 very young, Nicotianas will endure severe frost, which 

 property they lose with age, becoming quite sensitive to 



