298 



Garden and Forest. 



[Number 439. 



and many more where the attempts at ornamental gardening- 

 are of the crudest. Nevertheless, the growing taste in this 

 direction was marked. It was interesting to observe the evo- 

 lution of the flower-garden. The first plant cultivated was 

 inevitably a Zinnia, the next was usually a Castor-bean, 

 and after these a considerable variety was seen about the more 

 ambitious houses. I never saw as many Zinnias before, nor 

 such poor ones. If there are any who have a passion for 

 Zinnias, these enthusiasts would have their love put to a severe 

 test if compelled to gaze for three weeks, as we did, at ragged 

 single Zinnias, dull in color and shaggy in outline. We passed 

 at least a hundred homes where the sole flowers were these 

 forlorn, neglected things that had less beauty than the Mullein 

 by the roadside. Nevertheless, some one had sowed them, 

 some one had hoed them, some one had taken pleasure in 

 them, and it may be that they will be forerunners of much 

 garden beauty in the future. If so, welcome even the Zinnia. 



Uncle Sam sends his mail-bags everywhere. On the roughest 

 mountains we passed the carrier with mail-bags thrown over 

 his saddle, or met the faster stage with the familiar letters, 

 " U. S. Mail," painted in great letters upon the sides. The 

 catalogues that our florists scatter broadcast all over the land 

 in this way bear fruit even in this unpromising field: Once 

 we were treated to a genuine surprise. We had been riding 

 over roads so rough as to be almost impassable, and for two 

 days we had scarcely seen an excuse for a flower, save those 

 of Nature's planting. Suddenly we came to a house sur- 

 rounded by a wide lawn. Long beds and borders were ablaze 

 with scarlet and pink Geraniums, and gay Balsams, Helio- 

 tropes, Asters and Marigolds, and we stopped the horses to 

 look long at the tempting beauties displayed by some one who 

 is doing true mission work in teaching order, industry and 

 love of the beautiful. 



On the whole, therefore, the incipient efforts at ornamental 

 planting, though small and weak, are yet encouraging in this 

 remote and mountain-locked region, and, no doubt, the time 

 is coming when the wilderness and the solitary place shall be 

 glad, and the desert shall blossom as the Rose. 



Pineviiie, Mo. Lor a S. La Mance. 



Hardiness of Southern Pine. 

 To the Editor of Garden and Forest: 



Sir, — About three years ago I obtained from North Carolina 

 a dozen youner plants of Pinus palustris and set them out in 

 the spring. Unfortunately but one survived the transplanting, 

 but your readers may be interested to know that this has 

 proved quite hardy here where it has stood out for two win- 

 ters, with no protection whatever, and has suffered no harm. 

 Among other plants which are usually considered too tender 

 for our winters, Ilex crenata, from Japan, has proved perfectly 

 at home here, so has Skimmia Japonica, a broad-leaved, slow- 

 growing evergreen. Magnolia grandiflora loses its foliage 

 nearly entirely every winter, but the branches are always 

 unhurt. For general planting it is never worth while to use 

 trees or shrubs which are not sure to thrive, but it is interest- 

 ing occasionally to have specimens of some striking sorts 

 outside of the limit of their assured hardiness. Thus, Aucuba 

 Japonica can usually be trusted here out-of-doors, and so can 

 the beautiful Crape Myrtle, Lagerstroemia Indica. 



Germantown, Pa. Joseph Meehan. 



Winter Protection for Bush Fruits. 



To the Editor of Garden and Forest: 



Sir, — There are, perhaps, a dozen essential factors that go 

 to make up the conditions of success with any one crop. But 

 if one of these factors chances to be neglected, instead of 

 reducing the resulting crop one-twelfth, as might seem to 

 be the case, it may reduce it to zero. As if this were not 

 enough, there is still the cost of production to be deducted. 

 In other words, while the faithful observance of any one essen- 

 tial factor will not insure success, the neglect of any one may 

 bring absolute failure. The Blackberry bushes on the Nebraska 

 Experiment Station farm present a striking example of this 

 truth at the present time. The past winter has been one of 

 the mildest ever experienced in this section, yet rows of 

 Taylor Blackberry, left uncovered for comparison, are killed to 

 the ground, the canes presenting one continuous row of 

 brown, until the new shoots sprang up from the root. Rows 

 right beside these, which were laid down and covered with 

 earth for protection, are alive and plump throughout and 

 throwing out vigorous leaves and promises of fruit. In this 

 case it is evident that while laying down and protecting the 



canes does not insure a crop, the neglect of it does insure 

 failure. 



It is instructive to note in this case that it is not severe cold 

 that causes the death of the canes, since the lowest point 

 reached at any time during the winter was only five degrees 

 below zero in January, and in no other month did it fall below 

 zero. Comparing this with the temperature which the Taylor 

 Blackberry endures in the eastern states, it will be readily seen 

 that the injury must be assigned to some other cause. The 

 most probable reason seems to be the excessive dryness of 

 the soil and atmosphere during the winter months. Little rain 

 or snow falls, as a rule, during this time, and uncovered canes 

 are almost continuously exposed to drying winds. Even the 

 winter protection afforded by laying down and coveringdid not 

 suffice to bring the Red Raspberries through in such condi- 

 tion as to promise a crop, although the effect was noticeable 

 in the greater proportion of living wood. The fate seems to 

 be the same every winter so far as injury to uncovered canes 

 is concerned. Heretofore none have been laid down, and the 

 result has uniformly been a complete failure. It may be added, 

 that having thus guarded against the drying winds of winter the 

 even more trying ones of summer are to be encountered, and 

 the problem of counteracting these is as yet largely unsolved. 



Lincoln, Nebraska. Fred IV. Card. 



Kansas Wild Flowers. 

 To the Editor of Garden and Forest : 



Sir, — The hillsides and prairies of Kansas are decked with 

 many beautiful flowers from April until October, and I have 

 selected for notice a few which I think would be of the most 

 interest to those who grow flowers for pleasure or profit. 

 All of them are confined almost exclusively to the west 

 and may be called Kansas plants. Some of them have been 

 cultivated, but not to any great extent that I know of. I have 

 seen a few in cultivation here, but for the most part their 

 adaptability to cultivation in other localities is yet to be tested. 

 All of the plants mentioned I value in the natural state, but 

 many of them could, doubtless, be improved by cultivation 

 and selection. 



Anemone Caroliniana is a small daisy-like flower which dots 

 the smoother prairie pastures with red, white and blue flowers 

 early in the spring. 



Callirrhoe involucrata is usually found in sandy soil, and 

 with its large reddish-purple mallow-like flowers and much 

 cut leaves spread out on the ground gives the bottom-lands a 

 very attractive appearance. [This plant is quite common in 

 eastern gardens, where it blooms ali summer, and springs up 

 from self-sown seed year after year. — Ed.] 



Amorphacanescens, the Lead-plant, one of our small shrubby 

 prairie plants, has been cultivated to some extent and is very 

 attractive when in full flower. It is much branched from the 

 root, and the fine compound leaves, covered with a gray pubes- 

 cence, contrast well with the dense purple spikes of flowers 

 with their golden-yellow stamens. [See vol. vii., p. 275. — Ed.] 



The Oenotheras, or Evening Primroses, are very abundant 

 here and produce some of our largest flowers. Professor F. 

 A. Waugh has already described them so fully that I will only 

 call attention to his article in vol. viii., p. 253. 



Gaura coccinea is a low-branching plant, six to twelve inches 

 high, and bearing a profusion of small rose-colored or scarlet 

 flowers, which have a pink-like fragrance. It is found in the 

 more sandy bottoms. 



Mentzelia ornata is one of the most showy of Kansas flow- 

 ers, where it grows on the rocky hills of the western part of 

 the state. The flowers somewhat resemble those of the Night- 

 blooming Cereus ; they open in the afternoon and evening, 

 expanding their yellowish white petals some three inches. The 

 plant is often called here the White Mound Lily. — [See vol. vi., 

 p. 63.— Ed.] 



Townsendia sericea is one of the earliest composites of the 

 state. The low plant is almost stemless, and the large white 

 or pinkish flowers are almost on the ground on the hilltops 

 which they adorn in April. 



Helianthus petiolaris, the Sand-hill Sunflower, is one of the 

 prettiest Sunflowers of the Sunflower state. It is much like the 

 too common H. annuus, but more graceful, smoother, and 

 the flowers are smaller and brighter. 



Asclepias speciosa bears the largest flowers of any of our 

 Milkweeds. It is a large-leaved, white, woolly plant with 

 showy drooping umbels of purple flowers of the peculiar 

 Milkweed form. It has a heavy sweet fragrance like most of 

 the species of Asclepias. 



Ipomcea leptophylla, the bush Morning-glory, is a peculiar 

 and beautiful plant. Unlike most of our Ipomceas, it is an 



