316 TRANSACTIONS OF THE 



George Sand, who invented the blue chrysonthemnm, and of 

 Alexander Dumas, who has spoken of a black tulip, and of Madame 

 de Genlis, who actually brought to France the first moss rose, and 

 talked about green and black roses; of Balzac, who described 

 azaleas as climbing around a house; of Rolle, who gave an intoxi- 

 cating odor to camellias; and of Victor Hugo, who was really 

 the promoter of the thornless, scentless rose of Bengal. 



THE MEDINILLA. 



It is a remarkable and important plant. It is of the family of 

 Melastomaccse, from the forests of Manilla. It puts forth roots 

 into the bark of trees, and is in part an air plant or pseudo para- 

 site; quite a large growth. A splendid flower in bunches. Calyx 

 violet; petals deep rose outside, and pale rose inside; very bright 

 colors; gold colored stamina. 



Solon Robinson — It is one of the greatest errors of nurserjmen 

 to grow their trees with long tap roots and slim, whipstalk-like 

 stems, which they do by trimming off the side limbs of the young 

 trees to make them grow tall, as that seems to be about all the 

 quality they aim at. But for this, they are in some manner 

 excusable, because their customers demand such trees. Yet 

 these slim sprouts fail to grow into a satisfactory shape. Perhaps 

 the fashion of growing trees without limbs near the ground arose 

 from the necessity, in early times, of growing a crop upon the 

 same ground with the trees. It is time that ftishion was changed. 



T. W. Field — The true object of growing an orchard is to 

 grow trees for their fruit, and not to obtain some other crop from 

 the same ground. This object can only be attained by growing 

 all our fruit trees so as to branch them near tlie ground. Both 

 root and top pruning is absolutely necessary. The tap-root 

 should be cut so as to make the tree send out the roots near the 

 surface, and these should be protected from drying by mulching. 

 If the tops are low and spreading, so will the roots; both will 

 incline to a corresponding position. A tree that spreads its roots 

 will produce fruit much earlier than one with tap-roots and tall 

 branches. I would trim all my nursery trees fiom the top, 

 instead of cutting away all the lower limbs. I would take up 



