June 3, 1896.] 



Garden and Forest. 



227 



ably the most practicable method of increasing- the newer and 

 rarer sorts, but well-matured leaves should be selected, and 

 after the stronger nerves on the under side of the leaf have 

 been cut they should be laid in sharp clean sand, a few pebbles 

 being placed on top to keep them down. The sand should be 

 kept moist, but not sodden. Little plants soon begin to make 

 their appearance on the surface of the leaf, but it takes some 

 time before they attain much size. A much more speedy pro- 

 cess for the older sorts, from which plenty of leaves can be 

 obtained, is to cut away the principal part of the leaf, leaving 

 only a little of the base, and about an inch of the stalk. If this 

 is inserted in the propagating-bed like an ordinary cutting, 

 roots will soon be emitted from the end of the leaf -stalk, while 

 fresh growths will break away from the old base. By this 

 method good-sized plants can be had in a much shorter time. 

 Divisions of the plants may also be used as a means of 

 increase where only a few are wanted. 



Ordinary greenhouse treatment, with moderate shade and 

 plenty of moisture, suits the general requirements of these 

 plants. They like an open, well-enriched compost, with free 

 drainage. During the early winter months they should be 

 induced to rest by being kept moderately dry, and when the 

 days begin to brighten and grow warmer they should be 

 repotted and started afresh. It is not advisable to shake them 

 out severely, but is better to remove only a little of the old soil 

 and use a larger size pot. During the summer months they may 

 be used for house decoration, for grouping with other 

 plants around piazzas and other shady places, and for window 

 boxes or vases, but they should never be exposed to the direct 

 rays of the sun or they are apt to either burn or lose the more 

 delicate tints of their foliage. 



Tarrytown, N. Y. William Scott. 



Chrysanthemums.— Plants intended for specimens have had 

 their final shift, and are now well rooted in the new soil. Their 

 growth will be rapid from this time onward, and frequent top- 

 pings will be required to keep them well balanced. We shall 

 soon select the most promising plants and spread them into 

 shape with a few of last year's- stakes. These will be removed 

 when the final tying out is done. When these bushy plants 

 are left unspread the central stems are weakened and the 

 leaves turn yellow and decay. Light develops them, and the 

 object particularly now is to produce as many growing shoots 

 as possible as a foundation for the future plant. Only the tips 

 of the shoots should be taken, and none must be allowed to 

 get away. When this happens by an oversight, and it is neces- 

 sary to cut out two or three inches to bring the shoot back to 

 the level of the others, it will be noticed that such shoots rarely 

 break well. I am frequently asked how I manage to keep my 

 plants so even and bushy, and how often I top them. The 

 stopping is done every day without fail. Liquid-manure must 

 not be given until the plants are quite vigorous and becoming 

 pot-bound. A month hence will be time enough. Cuttings 

 intended for single blooms ought to be ready for potting or 

 boxing off, as is most convenient. These, again, will be ready 

 for benching by the 20th of June. First-class blooms can be 

 grown from plantings made at this date, and medium-sized 

 ones from plantings made a month later. This year we are 

 growing a number of Chrysanthemums in eight-inch pots 

 intended to carry from ten to a dozen medium-sized blooms. 

 Large blooms are not available for all kinds of decoration, and 

 medium-sized ones are useful for dinner-table work. 



Wellesley, Mass. T. D. H, 



Correspondence. 

 A New Hybrid Canna. 



To the Editor of Garden and Forest : 



Sir, — During a recent visit to Santa Rosa, California, I called 

 upon Luther Burbank, and among other things was shown a 

 new hybrid Canna which, when introduced, will probably 

 create as great a sensation as Madame Crozy did. This plant is 

 not a seedling of the well-known strains so deservedly popu- 

 lar, but is a hybrid between Madame Crozy, which has so long 

 been the standard of excellence, and Canna flaccida. 



Canna flaccida is a native of Florida, of a dwarf habit, and 

 not a strong grower. Its exquisite light yellow flowers would, 

 in spite of these defects, give it a high place in the garden 

 were they not so very ephemeral. So frail and fleeting are 

 they that an hour in the morning often measures their term of 

 existence. I remember well that it was days before I got a 

 sight of the flowers on a blooming plant of my own. The 

 flower of C. flaccida is unique among Cannas in having 



something of the grace of an Iris and a peculiar silvery sheen 

 that is very beautiful. 



For years Mr. Burbank has been trying to make a cross in 

 which some of these fine qualities of Canna flaccida might 

 be united with the vigor and lasting qualities of the Crozy 

 strain, but while many seedlings were grown and bloomed, 

 all, with a pertinacity which is so often the despair of the 

 hybridizer, followed one of the parents, and that Madame Crozy. 



Last summer, in the third generation of hybridized seedlings, 

 the new seedling appeared, and any one knowing Canna flac- 

 cida would have instantly recognized its parentage. Only a 

 single seedling among thousands, yet Mr. Burbank feels that 

 it well repays the trouble. 



In the new and as yet nameless Canna are united, happily, 

 the Iris-like form, the satiny sheen and the large size of flower 

 of Canna flaccida, while the Crozy blood, giving to the plant 

 a vigor of growth even surpassing either parent, and a lasting 

 quality to the flowers about the same as Crozy possesses, is 

 only apparent in the coloring in a lemon more intense than in 

 flaccida, and a few reddish spots in the throat. 



A marked feature of the new race is the development of 

 some of the minor petals which in the Crozy strain are all but 

 rudimentary. In the new Canna they are broad and flat, giving 

 a bold fullness of outline until now quite unknown in Cannas. 



Considering the predominance of Canna flaccida in this 

 seedling, the most critical point is its keeping qualities. In 

 this regard it is not quite the equal of Crozy. The flower 

 opens up a clear lemon-yellow never before known in Cannas, 

 and is unspotted, except for a few dots well in the throat. 

 With age it becomes lighter in color, and in ordinary weather 

 will last about as long as Madame Crozy, and I think for exhi- 

 bition it is superior to any other Canna. 



The foliage is of a light green, the growth a little stronger 

 than that of Madame Crozy, the flowers well carried above the 

 leaves and somewhat larger than those of the Crozy type. 



The breadth of petal in the new strain is a marked feature 

 which we can expect future hybridizers to still further develop. 



Uluah, Calif. Carl Purely. 



[The photograph of a flower of this new hybrid with 

 one of Madame Crozy for comparison shows it to be 

 almost identical with the variety Austria, which we have 

 already described, although there seems to be more scarlet 

 in the lower petal than is found in the flowers of Austria. 

 It seems strange that in such widely separated countries 

 Mr. Burbank in California and Dammann in Italy should 

 have raised plants at about the same time which are so 

 nearly identical, but these coincidences are common. 

 When seen together the two plants may show differences 

 which we cannot observe in the photograph, but their 

 comparative value, of course, can only be determined by 

 actual trial. Dammann's hybrids, Italia and Austria, have 

 raised the standard of perfection in the flowers of these 

 plants, but the question whether they will have substance 

 enough to stand out-of-doors in this climate has not been 

 settled, and it may be that the southern blood derived 

 from C. flaccida will be seen in a lack of sturdiness. It is 

 to be hoped that an opportunity will soon be offered to try 

 the California hybrid by the side of the Italian one. — Ed.] 



The Stanford University Grounds. 

 To the Editor of Garden and Forest: 



Sir, — The other day I visited Palo Alto, in Santa Clara County, 

 and spent some time in the beautiful grounds which were the 

 pride of the late Senator Stanford. Much has been written 

 about the University, but I have seldom seen anything in print 

 about the possibilities for future work in forestry and horticul- 

 tural experiments offered by the great Palo Alto estate. The 

 original San Francisquito Rancho of 1,400 acres was added to 

 by Senator Stanford at various times since 1870, until the prop- 

 erty now embraces over 8,000 acres, all of which is dedicated 

 to the uses of the University. The University also owns the 

 famous Vina Ranch of 55,000 acres, in Tehama County, and 

 the Ridley Ranch of 21,000 acres, in Butte County. It is evi- 

 dent that when Stanford University is ready to establish courses 

 in forestry, viticulture, pomology or any and all other depart- 

 ments of agricultural science, whatever lands are needed can 

 easily be set apart, while the operations of the various farm 

 divisions can be made to give much practical training to stu- 

 dents. All the estates — in part valley, in part foot-hills — offer 

 a very wide range of soils and climates. In these respects, as 



