February 22, 1893.] 



Garden and Forest. 



93 



complications of their own in tlie cultivation of plants. A heater 

 would tend to make them more satisfactory, and it is often pos- 

 sible to arrange the stove in an adjoining room in such a way 

 as to utilize all its heat. The pipes, of course, will necessarily 

 be elevated considerably above the floor of the conservatory, 

 an arrangement which, with the help of bronze paint, need not 

 be unsightly, and would prove entirely practical. This is a 

 very fertile subject on which many amateurs could, no doubt, 

 relate interesting experiences. _ ^ 



Elizabeth, N.J. J.N.Gerard. 



Rorane3^a Coulteri. 



THE question has been often asked why this plant is so sel- 

 dom seen in gardens in the east. Seeds are easily obtained 

 from California, where this lovely Poppy grows, both wild and 

 cultivated. I have often, in previous years, sown the seeds, 

 but never succeeded in securing any plants. In response to 

 the inquiry regarding R. Coulteri, in Garden and Forest, 

 vol. iv., p. 392, a correspondent in California sent me seeds of 

 1890 and 1891, with the remark that they would probably take 

 two years to germinate. It seemed a long time to wait, but 

 they were sown in the fall of 1891 and have been kept watered 

 ever since and wintered in a cool house. To my surprise, a 

 few days ago, I found a few seedlings already up. Since giv- 

 ing a top-dressing of sand to kill a growth of Moss that had 

 covered the soil, and a little extra warmth, the plants have 

 come up in numbers, and I hope to grow and flower them 

 here. 



Much has been said of the beauty of this American plant in 

 English periodicals, and it is not difficult to obtain the plant 

 in England. I have not been able to procure it in the eastern 

 states, presumably because the seeds sown did not come up 

 as expected. I would advise those who have sown seed to 

 wait patiently, for after two winters they are almost sure to 

 germinate. It saves much trouble to know just when one may 

 expect seed to germinate ; seedsmen would confer a favor to 

 their customers in stating this fact so far as they are able. 

 At another time I should sow the seed in sound boxes, cover 

 the soil with porous bricks and place the boxes under the 

 benches in the greenhouse. This would prevent loss of seed 

 by careless watering, and when they were expected to germinate 

 the boxes could be placed where the young plants might have 

 light and air. 



It may be well to say here that the seeds of any plants that 

 have been exposed to frost in cold frames may now be brought 

 into warmth in the greenhouse, where they will germinate with 

 certainty. This applies especially to seeds of Trollius, Antheri- 

 cums. Gentians, Aquilegia glandulosa, A. coerulea and their 

 varieties ; also to Dicentra eximia ; all of which are peren- 

 nials that should be sown only in fall, as nothing is gained by 

 sowing now, and they would require care and attention all 

 summer. r- ^ ^ 



South Lancaster, Mass. E. O. Orpet. 



Notes from the Harvard Botanic Garden. 



Kalanchoe carnea. — Succulents are a class of plants which 

 find scant favor in these days. It is to be regretted, for there 

 are many admirable and meritorious things among them. K. 

 carnea (figured in Garden and Forest, volume iii., page 

 l^ is a recent addition to this class, and its introduction 

 will perJiaps serve to revive the interest in plants of a similar 

 character. It was secure^ in South Africa by the Messrs. 

 James Veitch & Sons, of London, in 1886, and since that time 

 it has been given a fair share of attention. This has been 

 well bestowed, for in beauty and utility the plant has proved 

 to be entirely worthy. The erect stems are from eighteen to 

 twenty-four inches high, and are amply furnished with ellip- 

 tical, crenate leaves from four to five inches in length, and of 

 a metallic green color. The Howers, borne in large compact 

 terminal cymes, are of a beautiful pale pink shade, and 

 deliciously fragrant. They appear in winter, lasting a long 

 time, and they are most valuable for cutting purposes. Good 

 turfy loam appears to be the main requisite in compost, but to 

 this should be added a small proportion of leaf-mold and 

 sand. A minimum temperature of forty-five degrees suits the 

 plant admirably, but it likes all the light and sunshine that is 

 to be had. It may be placed in a cold frame during warm 

 weather, affording protection against heavy rains ; for, 

 although a moderate and regular supply of water is essential 

 to its successful cultivation, a soddened condition of the soil 

 is invariably baneful in results. K. carnea can be propagated 

 from seeds or cuttings, and early spring is the best time for 

 this work. A slight degree of bottom-heat is necessary in either 

 case, and a loose sandy soil will be reo^uired at this period. 



More than ordinary care should be exercised in watering until 

 the plants are well established, as they damp-off speedily when 

 young if the soil is too long retained in a very moist condition, 

 and also if the atmosphere lie frequently laden with super- 

 fluous moisture. Plants raised from cuttings are more in- 

 clined to branch than seedlings ; but the latter, if cut back 

 after Howering to within two or three inches of the soil, will 

 soon send out a large number of side-shoots, forming large, 

 bushy specimens during the second season. Old plants, of 

 course, make all the better progress if they are re-potted 

 annually, and this should be done soon after the lateral shoots, 

 which follow pruning, have made their appearance. The 

 greater part of the exhausted soil must be removed from 

 the roots in this operation, and the pots employed should 

 be so small as is compatible with convenience, for the 

 plants flower most freely when the roots are somewhat 

 confined. 



Pancratium ovatum. — The decorative character of this 

 plant is sometimes said to be inferior to that of some other 

 species oftliesame genus, but with us, nevertheless, it is decid- 

 edly beautiful when in bloom. P. ovatum has long been familiar 

 in our greenhouses, so long, indeed, that the date of its intro- 

 duction is veiled in obscurity. Miller, the celebrated English 

 gardener and botanist, who flourished early in the last century, 

 makes mention of the plant in his Gardeners' Dictionary, and 

 it is known to have been cultivated by that worthy. It is a 

 bulbous plant, with large, ovate, deep green leaves.' The flow- 

 ers are large and graceful, pure white and charmingly fra- 

 grant, and borne in immense umbels slightly above the fo- 

 liage. They are Lily-like, the segments of the perianth being 

 long and narrow, and the stamens prominent, witli showy yel- 

 low anthers. The foliage alone is quite handsome in appear- 

 ance, but when the flowers spread out in all their purity of 

 color above the verdant mass, filling the surrounding atmos- 

 phere with the sweetest odor, the plant is certain to gain the 

 friendship of all who see it. The flowers are developed, gen- 

 erally, in winter and spring ; but this does not appear to be a 

 fixed rule, for the plants occasionally start into bloom quite 

 unexpectedly at other seasons. P.- ovatum likes a moist stove 

 atmosphere and plenty of water when in active growth during 

 the summer months ; but a smaller supply of water will suffice 

 at other times, though the plant should never be dried-off, in 

 the strict sense of that term. A suitable compost is found in 

 strong, rich loam and well-decayed cow-manure — three parts 

 of the former to one of the latter — and occasional applications 

 of liquid-manure will be found highly advantageous. Hymen- 

 ocallis ovata is another name for the same plant. 



Cambridge, Mass. M. Barker. 



Correspondence. 



Fruit-trees Girdled by Mice. 

 To the Editor of Garden and Forest : 



Sir, — While gathering material in October last for the state 

 exhibit of woods at the coming Columbian Exposition, we 

 chanced to visit a Pear-orchard, the trees of which years ago 

 were badly girdled by mice. It interested us greatly, as illus- 

 trating the success of a method of repairing the damage done 

 by the mice, and that others may know of it and possibly save 

 their own trees threatened in this way, we ascertained what we 

 coifld of its history. 



The orchard is situated in the town of Lcdyard, Cayuga 

 County, New York, on property formerly owned by Mr. 

 William Grinnell,a nephew of Washington Irving. We learned 

 that, on the disappearance of the snows of a severe winter 

 some twenty years ago, Mr. Grinnell discovered that mice had 

 girdled nearly his entire orchard of a thousand fine young 

 Pear-trees. As they had been set a few years, and were grow- 

 ing well, he was greatly dismayed. 



He mentioned his loss to his neighbor, Mr. J. J. Thomas, 

 of Union Springs, who was then in the nursery business near 

 by, and particularly versed and skilled in grafting. Mr. 

 Thomas told him that he need not at all despair of saving his 

 orchard, and directed him to cut from young, vigorous Pear- 

 branches, about as thick as his finger, pieces slightly longer 

 than the section laid bare by the mice, and sharpen them 

 wedge-shaped at both ends. After driving in a chisel at the 

 upper and lower extremities of the exposed portion of the 

 trunk, just at the edges of the bark, and in such direction as to 

 receive the ends of the pieces, these pieces were sprung in 

 by bending out the centre. A bridge was thus made to con- 

 duct the sap over the girdled portion. Two or more of these 

 bridges were placed in each tree, the points of contact pro- 

 tected with grafting wax, and nature was left to do the rest. 



