January 8, 1896.] 



Garden and Forest. 



17 



they cannot always be used to the same advantage for decora- 

 tion as plants in pots. Thorough drainage is in all cases essen- 

 tial, as the plants require plentiful supplies of water during the 

 growing season, and thrive best in a rich fibrous soil. They 

 should be planted out-of-doors in June for the summer. At 

 first they will require a little protection, but when hardened off 

 a little may be fully exposed to air and sunshine. They will re- 

 quire pinching back once or twice to get them to break, but this 

 should not be overdone, as a few fine long shoots are prefera- 

 ble to a number of smaller ones. A plant with four or five 

 shoots generally proves the most satisfactory. 



Tarrytown, N. V. William Scott. 



Notes on Garden Vegetables. 



\X/'ITH one week's exception, the weather of December was 

 * * abnormally mild, and outdoor gardening operations 

 could be carried on without hindrance. For two weeks we 

 had an entire absence of frost or precipitation of any kind, and 

 the ground was as dry as it ever is at seed-time in early April. 

 It is unusual to see tree-planting, digging, plowing and similar 

 operations in full progress on both Christmas and New Year's 

 days, but I observed quite a number busily employed on 

 such work during holiday week. But trying weather must be 

 near, and winter protection should be made ready tor every- 

 thing which needs it. This is the best time to complete digging, 

 trenching, draining and road-making operations. We like to 

 dig and enrich all the ground possible at this season, as it gives 

 the vegetable garden a neater appearance, improves the 

 ground by allowing the frost to penetrate and pulverize it, and 

 greatly lessens the strain in spring. While the ground is open 

 a fresh plantation of Horse-radish may be made at leisure. 

 Onions seem to do fully as well on the same land year after 

 year ; we have known them to succeed without a change for 

 over twenty years. As a general rule, however, a rotation of 

 crops is advisable. With plenty of ground at command, this 

 is more easily carried out than where the space is limited ; in 

 our own case, by trenching a piece of ground each year, and 

 thus practically renewing it, we secure good returns. 



Our perennial borders have recently had a mulching of 

 well-rotted and broken-up manure, for herbaceous plants, with 

 hardly an exception, like liberal fertilizing. Too often they are 

 starved for want of it. Helianthus multiflorus plenus and 

 some few other Sunflowers are doubtfully hardy here and 

 occasionally winter-killed unless protected. We usually place 

 a few forkfuls of leaf-mold or half-rotted leaves over the 

 crowns of such plants ; cocoanut-fibre refuse also is servicea- 

 ble for covering Lilies and other bulbous plants, which are 

 more injured by excessive moisture than by frost. Pansies in 

 the open we have protected by covering lightly with leaves, 

 over which we lay a few Spruce-branches to keep them in 

 place. Those in frames we cover with dry leaves when hard 

 frozen, and remove them about the end of February ; it is 

 necessary to place over them strong sashes with good glass, 

 as the plants are liable to rot if the leaves become wet and 

 heavy and air is not freely given. Half-hardy biennials, such' 

 as Canterbury Bells, Antirrhinums, etc., do not require any 

 sash protection until severe frost, but they need free ventila- 

 tion during favorable weather. Beds containing Tulips, Hya- 

 cinths and Crocuses should now have a coating of light strawy 

 manure. Crocuses and Snowdrops in sheltered nooks are 

 already above ground, and on New Year's day we noted 

 Violets and Pansies in flower in the borders. 



A common practice prevails of allowing old stools of Horse- 

 radish to stand in gardens year after year. These become dense 

 and the roots matted, so that they are small and tough, and the 

 ground completely impoverished for some distance around. 

 It is a good plan to trench out all the roots and start a fresh 

 bed, carefully removing even the smallest pieces of root, as 

 every one will grow. In planting a new bed we select the 

 straightest and thickest roots, each with a crown attached, trim 

 from them all side-rootlets, and plant with a dibble in deeply 

 trenched well-manured ground, a foot apart each way, burying 

 the crown three to four inches below the surface. The result 

 will be fine crisp roots next year. 



Celery in the open has kept remarkably well during the 

 present winter ; a sufficient body of leaves has now been 

 placed on our supply to secure it from severe frosts. At the 

 recommendation of a friend in the south of Scotland, we 

 earthed up half a trench of Kalamazoo Celery with leaf-mold 

 instead of the ordinary garden soil. On opening into this 

 trench on December 24th we found it to be the whitest, 

 most free from blemish and best-flavored celery we had. The 

 difference between it and the part earthed up with loam is very 

 striking. The leaf-mold, being light and more porous than 

 loam, allows air to more easily reach the plants ; there is less 



danger of breaking the rather brittle stalks in using it, and it is 

 a better frost-resister than ordinary loam. Leaf-mold is not, as 

 a general rule, to be had in sufficient quantities on private 

 places to use for Celery blanching, but as it can be easily 

 wheeled away when the Celery is lifted and used for any other 

 purpose, it is certainly worth giving a trial. So many good 

 practical gardeners fail to carry celery through the winter that 

 any discovery of a means to preserve it should be of service. 

 When lifted and stored in cellars or frames a great proportion 

 of the heads rot and the stalks lack that sweet nutty flavor 

 characteristic of those kept outdoors where they grow. 



Frames containing Parsley, Lettuces, or any of the Brassica 

 family, need abundance of ventilation on all fine days. We 

 look over these once a week to remove decaying leaves. A 

 bed of leaves in which a few barrow-loads of horse-manure are 

 mixed makes a capital bed for Lettuces, and we find no diffi- 

 culty in having a supply all winter by these means. Leaves 

 alone give a gentle beat which keeps Lettuces growing nicely. 

 Sowings indoors of Lettuce, Radish, Cauliflower (such as forc- 

 ing Erfurt) and Tomato are seasonable.' The Lettuces can be 

 transterred to frames when of sufficient size. Radishes, if no 

 bed is at command for them, do nicely pricked off in boxes. 

 For an early supply of tomatoes, such varieties as May's 

 Favorite, Chemin Rouge or Comrade are very good. By the 

 time these plants are large enough to place in their fruiting- 

 pots or plant out the weatherwill be sufficiently warm to allow 

 of their being grown in almost any ordinary greenhouse. 

 Plants which commenced to ripen toward the end of October 

 are still fruiting finely. In about a month we will remove 

 these and place another batch in their places which are now in 

 three-inch pots. Our third lot is now in six-inch pots, and 

 will shortly be shifted into their fruiting-pots. These plants 

 will yield a good crop in March. To make certain of a good set 

 artificial pollination is still necessary, and decaying foliage and 

 laterals are removed to give the plants as much sunlight as 

 oossible. 

 " Taunton, Mass. W. N. Craig. 



Plants in Bloom at the United States Botanic 

 Garden. 



THE flowers of Reinwardtia tetragyna closely resemble 

 those of the better-known R. trigyna, often called Linum 

 trigynum. They are of a lighter yellow and much more freely 

 produced ; in fact, the plants, if not looked after, have a ten- 

 dency to flower themselves to death. This species is a very 

 desirable one for the greenhouse at this season, and it lasts 

 quite a time in bloom. Cuttings of it should be put in during 

 the early summer, and if given liberal treatment they will be 

 well-furnished plants in eight-inch pots by autumn. There is 

 nothing difficult about their culture. Old plants can be kept 

 over, but it is preferable to take off the young shoots for cut- 

 tings and discard the old ones. 



Schaueria calycotricha, better known as Justicia calotricha, 

 is an old favorite which well repays a little extra attention, as a 

 few plants of it help to brighten up the greenhouse during the 

 dull months. The individual flowers are about an inch in 

 length, bright yellow, the calyx and bracts being of the same 

 color. The flowers are arranged in a terminal head. The 

 successful flowering of this plant depends on keeping it in a 

 healthy growing state during the summer. It is very liable to 

 the attacks of scale insects. 



Bignonia venusta can be depended on to give two crops at 

 least of flowers during the year, the principal one with us 

 coming in about Christmas. Where there is an abundance of 

 roof-room in a large conservatory, this vine should certainly 

 have a place, as it is by far the most showy of the species 

 suited for indoor cultivation. We cannot expect to have it in 

 a satisfactory condition if the roots are confined in a pot or 

 tub ; it should be planted out in a well-drained position, raised 

 a little, if possible, from the level of the floor. There is no 

 danger of the plant occupying too much room if grown to, 

 say, one or two stems and the lateral growths kept in bounds 

 by trimming ; this operation should be gone through twice 

 annually — once at the end of January, and again after it is 

 done flowering, shortly after midsummer. The growths which 

 push out after pruningshould be allowed simply to hang down, 

 because when in bloom they show to better advantage. The 

 corymbs of flowers are both terminal and axillary, coming on 

 the strong growths in great profusion ; sometimes the shoots 

 are covered with flowers for four or five feet of their length. 



Another Bignoniaceous vine, called Adenocalymna como- 

 sum, is now in gorgeous bloom. The flowers, which are 

 bright yellow, are arranged in upright racemes springing from 

 the axils of the leaves and at the ends of the shoots. This vine 

 does not require pruning to make it flower, but simply to keep 



