22 



Garden and Forest. 



[Number 255. 



luindred-fold since tlie census of 1880. The next quarter- 

 century is sure to witness an unprecedented activity in the in- 

 crease of the industries dependent upon the products of the 

 southern forests. Furthermore, a large proportion of the 

 areas now covered by the hard-wood forests will be claimed 

 for the cultivation of crops to which they are so highly adapted. 

 The spontaneous reproduction of the better qualities of 

 hard-wood timber is limited by obstacles that leave no prom- 

 ise for the future. There are difficulties in natural dissemina- 

 tion due to the nature of the seeds of most of the hard-wood 

 timber trees of economic value, and to the dangers threaten- 

 intj- the existence and healthy development of their offspring 

 in'the early stages of growth. Under the shade of the original 

 forest-covering, the second growth is to a large degree sup- 

 pressed or remains stunted ; ni the open their progeny is ex- 

 posed to the danger of destruction by fire and live stock, of 

 which but the smallest part escapes, and which is also liable 

 to succumb under the struggle for the possession of the soil 

 with competing species of little or no commercial value. To 

 reproduce successfully the more valuable hard woods the fos- 

 tering care of man is required ; in short, these supplies must 

 be grown. This fact more generally understood, with the 

 comprehension of the heavy and ever-augmenting strain to 

 which in many sections these natural resources are subjected, 

 cannot fail to arouse the intelligent land-owner to energetic 

 efforts in that direction. No other improvement can impart 

 to his possession a more permanent value and insure a more 

 profitable inheritance than the raising of timber on his waste 

 or otherwise unproductive lands, not to speak of the increase 

 of comfort and content resulting from the sheltering cover 

 of the forest in its beneficial influence upon the health and 

 success of his crops. 



Correspondence. 



Christmas in London. 



To the Editor of Garden and Forest : 



Sir, — The dullness which has invaded all branches of trade 

 in London this autumn has extended to Christmas greenery. 

 Though it has been what is known as "a beautiful year for 

 berries," there seems little demand for the superb bunches of 

 Holly and Mistletoe which hang about the fronts of all the 

 green-grocers' shops, and a shilling will give you an unwieldy 

 armful of stiff, long holly-boughs, or all of the waxy mistletoe 

 which you can grasp. If you want to find your Christmas dec- 

 orations all ready-made — and many people must have this 

 perverted taste, or so large a provision would not be made to 

 meet it — you must seek them at the florists', who are all abun- 

 dantly supplied with formal circlets of the green and the varie- 

 gated holly-leaves, each having eight bunches of berries reg- 

 ularly interspersed. It needs the holly-wreaths to point the 

 season in these shops, for the window display is bewilderingly 

 indefinite. The Chrysanthemums have held their own bravely, 

 and still appear in good variety, but by their side are all the 

 spring blossoms from the Riviera gardens — pink Anemones 

 and white Narcissus, and sheaves of Mimosa branches. The old 

 prejudice or superstition which kept such blooms as these out 

 of the market until after the New Year has quite disappeared, 

 and one is fain to regret that this is so, for, after all, it is better 

 to preserve to each season its proper flower-harmony, and it 

 is incongruous when a flower-barrow appears out of the gray 

 fog propelled by a blue-lipped man who blows on his chapped 

 red hands to try to warm them, and vainly endeavors to draw his 

 thin coat closer about his bare throat ; it is incongruous, I say, 

 to find that this man's merchandise is Tea-roses and Violets, 

 " Roses and Vilets, fresh from the sothe er Frarnce," he 

 hoarsely calls, then blows on his hands again, dances up and 

 down in his ill-mated sho.es and looks about forlornly for a 

 purchaser ; and he finds but few. There is little superfluity 

 for flowers in most London households this December, little 

 superfluity for anything, so it appears. Even on Friday, the 

 twenty-third, shopping was practicable in the most frequented 

 shops, and a true Christmas crowd has never once been found 

 on Regent Street. 



For Christmas church-decoration this year, in London, white 

 Callas and Chrysanthemums were the flowers most used to 

 relieve the greenery, and no especially novel effects were pro- 

 duced. In the management of the green, one misses the wild 

 grace of the New England Lycopodia. The English decorator 

 has little beside stiff material at command, and his results are 

 naturally stiff; boughs and twigs cannot be made to wreathe 

 about pillars like the flowing, straggling verdure of our winter 

 woods. So, at least, it seems to a patriotic American, who is, 

 on the other hand, unwilling to go quite the lengths of the en- 



thusiastic young Australian who bewailed the other day that 

 Christmas came at so inclement a time in England, rather than 

 in the early summer, "just wfien there are all the loveliest- 

 flowers to decorate with, you know ; here there's absolutely 

 nothing." 



Not much is going on in a floral way, certainly, except, indeed, 

 the great auction sale of the Blenheim Orchids, which was go- 

 ing on the greater part of last week. The young Duke of 

 Marlborough has in truth lost no time in following the prece- 

 dent set by his father, and dispersing the best that Blenheim 

 held. The late Duke, whose dubious and stormy career closed 

 so unexpectedly the other day, was a great amateur in the 

 quaintest and most human of plants ; his son, apparently, does 

 not share this expensive taste. At all events, he at once set 

 about making arrangements for the sale by a well-known firm 

 of London auctioneers of his father's collection, and was him- 

 self in constant attendance to watch proceedings. Many 

 people were present on the first day, but the bid- 

 ding was rather slow. As the sale proceeded the 

 crowd fell off and competition became more lively, 

 and so it went on, till over the ownership of the last lots a few 

 devotees wrangled fiercely. The total realized was between 

 five and six thousand pounds. There were, however, none of 

 those fabulous prices for single plants which have sometimes 

 been obtained in this line. Amateur growers have learned 

 how short a time it takes for novelties in Orchids to become 

 little better than drugs in the market. The plants were all in 

 excellent condition. Forty-five guineas was the highest figure 

 reached in the course of the sale, and twenty-five or even 

 twenty guineas sufficed to purchase some excellent things. 

 To the latter bid fell a Cattleya Mendelii, of the best variety, 

 with eleven sheaths and twenty-six heads (it was stated that 

 three times that sum had been refused for the plant pre- 

 viously), while two specimens of the Blenheim specialty, Cat- 

 tleya Gaskelliana Blenheimensis, which, though small, were in 

 the most healthy condition, went for six and three guineas 

 respectively, one falling to the agent of Baron Alphonse de 

 Rothschild, who was a considerable purchaser. Nearly all the 

 leading papers here have devoted editorials to this sale. 

 London. • Louise Dodge. 



A New Year's Awakening. 

 To the Editor of Garden and Forest : 



Sir, — The outdoor garden has been rather more of a dreary 

 waste than usual at this season. The earth has been steadily 

 frozen during December, giving no chance to the most ven- 

 turesome plant to make advances. I have before said that it 

 is usually possible to have flowers from the open in this lati- 

 tude every month in the year, and this could be said almost 

 without qualification if December were excepted. The chances 

 of this being a close season are, I find, about even, for, with 

 the short days, dull skies and prevailing frosts, the winter- 

 flowering plants make Httle progress. That they have, how- 

 ever, made some progress was demonstrated in the very first 

 days of the year in one of those sudden changes which make 

 the hardy garden so interesting. The temperature, which had 

 ranged below thirty degrees so long, advanced on Sunday (New 

 Year's Day) to an average of forty-one degrees, with a maximum 

 of fifty degrees, accompanied by an abundant rain, which only 

 ceased in the evening. On Monday the temperature was the 

 same, with a bright, clear sky, and, the ground having been 

 softened for a few inches, many plants bounded forward 

 as if loosened from a leash. Snowdrops, of course, needed 

 but a look from the sun under such conditions, and one va- 

 riety.an Albanian one, fuUyshowedits whitedewdrops. Elwes' 

 variety was only slightly less backward, while Scillas, Chiono- 

 doxas, Zygadenas, Anemones and some of the reticulated Irises 

 as suddenly became visible. The only Daffodil to show itself 

 was the Campernelle. The mossy Sedums and various fall 

 seedling plants, as Centaureas, Poppies, Carnations, etc., shook 

 off their dejection and appeared eager for growth. Scilla 

 Sibirica seed exposed in the border germinated, as it usually 

 does, at the first opportunity after the first of the year. Hard 

 weather again and snow quickly called a halt to this activity, 

 and these plants will pass through more seeming hardships 

 before genial spring ends the changes. I do not find, however, 

 that they are seriously harmed by the severe changes. 



This incident illustrates as clearly as possible what we are 

 often told as to the quick awakening into life of vegetation in 

 arctic and alpine regions, and is here noted not as new, but to 

 call attention to the fact that, with suitable subjects, we can 

 make our gardens interesting at all seasons. He must be dull, 

 indeed, who does not feel at least interested in the ever-won- 

 derful awakening of plant-life in the early year. 



Elizabeth, N.J. ' J. N. G. 



