1 1 2 Notes and Gleanings. 



Durand's Columbine {Aquilegia Diirandii). — The flower of this variety is 

 white, streaked with a bright maroon approaching crimson. It is clearly a hy- 

 brid. I saved seed from it two years ago. Some of them were white, and others 

 black. The white seed produced the true Durand ; but the black produced a 

 " self-colored " variety, of a uniform maroon-color. All the flowers alike were 

 double, and very handsome. Durand's Columbine is one of the most orna- 

 mental of its race. F. P. 



The New Weigelias. — For most of these we are indebted to Van Houtte, 

 the celebrated horticulturist of Ghent, who has raised seedling Weigelias by the 

 acre. Having tried most of his new varieties, my experience may be of use as 

 a guide to others. He has taken as his parent stock Weigelia rosea and W. ania- 

 bilis, of which the former is universally known ; and the latter, after extraordi- 

 nary pufling from nursery-men interested, has deservedly fallen into the back- 

 ground. But, though a rather poor thing in itself, is has given birth, probably 

 with the aid of hybridization, to good offspring. 



IV. Desboisii (named after Desbois, one of Van Houtte's foremen, who raised 

 it) is a very fine variety, being covered with an immense profusion of flowers, 

 far surpassing, both in number and color, those of W. rosea; often hiding the 

 foliage, and wrapping the whole bush in crimson. W. Stetzneri is much like it ; 

 but W. Desboisii, contrary to the experience of Van Houtte, is, with me, the 

 better of the two. IV. splendens is even more robust in. growth. The flowers 

 are remarkably large, and very abundant. They appear to the most advantage 

 in a slight shade. They are marked, like those of W. Desboisii, with a deep 

 crimson streak in the throat of the corolla. These three varieties are all of 

 extremely vigorous growth, and partake largely of the habit of W. amabilis, 

 from which they are no doubt sprung. 



W. Isoline is a very distinct and beautiful variety ; for the flowers, when first 

 open, are pure white, though the sun afterwards tinges them with pink. An- 

 other white Weigelia, under the name of W. Jwrtensis nivea, has lately been in- 

 troduced, and is now in bloom before me. The flowers, though small, are of the 

 purest white, which remains unchanged under the hottest sun. 



There is a dwarf variety of W. amabilis with variegated leaves, and also a 

 dwarf variety of W. rosea with the same peculiarity. The last is much the 

 best, and is a very striking variegation. 



W. striata, W. Van Hoiittii, and several other varieties, are also in bloom 

 here ; but there is nothing in them very distinct. The foregoing are much better. 

 I have raised about a hundred seedlings of my own, but rejected them all, as 

 being no better than the parents. F. P. 



Raspberry Culture. — The cultivation of this fruit seems rather to have 

 diminished than increased during the past five years. Many of the market- 

 farmers are now neglecting it who formerly raised large quantities of this excel- 

 lent fruit. The reasons assigned are, that it is a good deal of trouble to raise 

 them ; that they usually sell at a rather low price, — lower than strawberries, which 

 can be raised at less exi^ense ; that they require protection in winter ; and that 



