Notes and Gleanings. 303 



ing, and bearing handsome pyramidal spikes of white flowers from eighteen 

 inches to two feet and a half in height. 



What can be prettier than our native butterfly-weed {Asclepias ttiberosa), called 

 also pleurisy-root, and the large lady's-slipper {Cyfiripedium spectabile\ both 

 easily grown, and two of the handsomest plants of the Northern States, yet 

 rarely seen in cultivation ? 



In the greenhouse, what new plant can compare with Arbutus andrachne, in- 

 troduced to cultivation a century and a half ago ? 



It is one of the best winter-blooming plants we have, coming into flower 

 about Christmas, and lasting till March. All the acacias, of which the oldest are 

 better than the newest, flower in winter, but can be retarded, if desired, until 

 spring. 



Of Ixoras, of which many species have been latterly introduced, there is noth- 

 ing better than the old Ixora coccinea, which is one of the most brilliant and 

 showy of hot-house plants. It bears large heads of phlox-like flowers of a 

 brilliant orange-scarlet, which last several weeks in perfection ; and the plant is 

 of good habit, bushy, with large camellia-like leaves. 



Contrast with this the well-known laurustinus {Viburnum tinjts), with, bunches 

 of pure white flowers. This is, however, a hardier plant, and will bear twenty 

 to twenty-five degrees of frost without injury. If well cared for, it may always 

 be depended upon for flowers, and can be forced or retarded at pleasure. Though 

 perhaps not so easy to grow as some of the new eupatoriums or stevias, in point 

 of beauty it is inferior to no plant new or old. 



Now, will some enthusiast for new plants show me any better plants in their 

 class than those above mentioned ? I am ever a learner, but cannot sacrifice 

 quality to novelty, real excellence to uncertain worth. Anthrophilus. 



Troy, N.Y. 



Pruning Conifers. — The pines require little or no pruning. When a 

 specimen loses its lead, some attention is necessary to secure a fresh one with- 

 out spoiling the form of the tree. All loose rambling branches should be kept 

 within bounds by timely stopping. 



The spruce-firs also require little or no pruning, save stopping straggling 

 shoots, and attending to the leads. The hemlock-spruce, however, requires con- 

 siderable attention in pruning to secure handsome specimens. 



Some of the silver-firs require a good deal of pruning, especially /"/V^a Cepha- 

 lonica and piiisapo. The young growth oi P. Cepkalonica, like that oi P. IVeb- 

 biana and some others, owing to its early budding forth in spring, is sometimes 

 killed by the late frosts ; and the plants, in consequence, have a stunted appear- 

 ance. One of our best specimens had all its young growth killed by a late frost 

 ten years ago, except the leading bud, which escaped uninjured. That same 

 season, all the energies of the plant being thrown into this single bud, it made 

 a wonderful shoot ; and the tree has ever since continued to flourish in a re- 

 markable degree, not a single bud having been the least injured since. Since 

 that time, I have freely used the knife on other plants of this kind. P. pinsapo 



