April 19, 1893.] 



Garden and Forest. 



179 



depth." There were not many in the exhibit which reached 

 this size, tliough several approached it. The heads mature 

 more slowly than those of the single-flowered sorts, some be- 

 ing in bud or but partially developed, while others of the same 

 truss are fully formed. But as they last a long time they ulti- 

 mately form a very full and compact mass of color. Some of 

 the blues in the lot of Henry A. Dreer are nearly two inches 

 in diameter and quite perfect in form, while one with bright 

 rose-red heads forms a large, close corymb. There were also 

 pretty button-like forms, white, with the edges of the florets 

 rose-purple or with a deeper margin of bluish purple. In the 

 lot of Haage & Schmidt are a handsome rose, a bright rose- 

 red and a dark purplish blue, tall plants with corymbs full and 

 compact. Peter Henderson & Co., Dippe Brothers and Vil- 

 morin-Andrieux et Cie. are well represented in the Double type, 

 and good stands of flowers could be seen in all. A very last- 

 ing form was in the lot of the Paris firm, a bright rose-pink 

 with funnel-shaped florets, whitish within. It was an enlarge- 

 ment of the disk-flowers without any tendency to opening out 

 into the usual ligulateform, making exceedingly dense, globu- 

 lar heads an inch to an inch and a half in diameter, and quite 

 attractive in appearance. 



These double flowers did not receive as many commenda- 

 tions as the ordinary kinds. Though of good form, they do 

 not show the colors so wefl, and are much less bright and 

 lively in appearance. Their form and size well adapt them 

 for button-hole bouquets. Though desirable, perhaps, for 

 variety's sake, they can hardly be considered an improvement 

 on the typical form. Their lasting qualities are one of their 

 best points for decorative purposes. 



The display of Cinerarias is the most brilliant of the three 

 yet held. The colors are remarkable for intensity, of hues so 

 bright and in patterns so varied as to be almost dazzling. It is 

 color which is chiefly noticed, for there is little in the foliage or 

 form of the plant to attract the attention of the average visitor. 

 Even the purple stain on the lower surface of the leaves is 

 scarcely perceptible at the time of flowering, though noticed at 

 an earher stage of growth. But the floral colors are specially 

 noteworthy, being of great depth and substance, and the tex- 

 ture of the flowers so dense and firm that they bear micro- 

 scopic inspection. ^ ^.,. 



Englewood, Chicago, III. -ti- /• -ntU. 



A Good Collection of Greenhouse Plants. 



To the Editor of Garden and Forest : 



Sir, — During a recent visit to the greenhouses of Mr. Nick- 

 erson, of Dedham, Massachusetts, I found the conservatory 

 gay with Azaleas, Camellias, Cytisus and other seasonable 

 flowers, among them being many forced plants of the old 

 Azalea amoena. English Primroses had been forced to good ad- 

 vantage, along with Cinerarias, and the usual complement of 

 winter decorative plants. Very neat plants of Deutzia gracilis 

 had been raised from cuttings and grown along in pots, and 

 they were far more satisfactory than plants which have been 

 taken from the borders, or old plants divided up in the usual 

 way. A plant, not commonly seen, was Lopezia coronata, a 

 native of Mexico and hardy in England. Small plants in five- 

 inch pots were completely covered with rosy purple flowers, 

 resembling very much those of the border annual, Clarkia, to 

 which it IS very nearly related. For an edging to the benches, 

 plants of Fuchsia procumbens were very appropriately used. 

 This is a very accommodating little species, with almost in- 

 conspicuous flowers, followed by purple berries. Several 

 plants of Gardenia florida were abundantly set with flower- 

 buds, and Mr. Monteith, the gardener, explained that his plants 

 had been plunged out-of-doors in the sun and had had no 

 especial care. This calls to mind an instance where a well- 

 known New York gardener, for market, had imported a fine 

 lot of plants, and after growing them indoors all summer, with 

 good, rich soil and plenty of artificial food, he failed to get 

 them to bloom in the winter, as he had hoped. They were a 

 total loss and were finally thrown away. If, after his plants 

 had made some good growth, he had placed them out-of-doors 

 to ripen, he would probably have had a good crop of bloom. 



The tropical plant house is a special feature here, and is 

 justly celebrated throughout New England. This house was 

 built by Mr. E. W. Bowditch, and from an architectural point 

 of view is a handsome structure, being 2,7)4 feet long, 25 feet 

 wide and about 20 feet high, with a curved roof. Among the 

 noteworthy Palms was an elegant specimen of Kentia Belmo- 

 reana, eight feet high, with a spread of twelve feet. Here, 

 also, is one of the first plants of Phoenix rupicola ever raised. 

 It is fifteen feet high and has thirty-one well-developed leaves, 

 many of them measuring nine feet in length. The collection 



is rich in species of Phoenix ; here were P. sylvestris, P. tenuis 

 and P. reclinata, and there are several rare Palms which are 

 yet undetermined specifically. 



A shapely and well-colored Croton Andreanum, twelve feet 

 high, a C. interruptum, fourteen feet high, and a C. Queen Vic- 

 toria, ten feet high, were among the best plants of this genus, 

 but the grower's skill was displayed to as good purpose in many 

 other plants with handsome foliage and some superb speci- 

 men Ferns. t r> lj 



Wellesley,'Mass. 1. U. Jn. 



A Woodsy Corner. 

 To the Editor of Garden and Forest : 



Sir, — As the woods are being removed farther from the 

 towns some of the frailest and fairest of our forest-flowers have 

 in some localities become nearly extinct, and it may be neces- 

 sary in the near future to protect them in their native haunts. 

 Before the time when these plants shall be known as rare, a 

 woodsy corner can be arranged in the home-grounds, which 

 will give rare pleasure and keep the woodlands in remembrance. 



Hepatica, Blood-root, Mitella (true and false), Claytonia, 

 Medeola, White Trillium, Mertensia, Aquilegia Canadensis 

 and others are seen in every bouquet of wild flowers in their 

 season. These bear transplanting well, and with proper care 

 they thrive wonderfully. A winter blanket of brown leaves 

 spread over them will insure their protection and early growth. 

 Wild Violets, from a way they have of scattering their seeds 

 broadcast, are soon troublesome in the grass, and plants like 

 these, which soon become weeds, should not be brought to 

 the home garden. Hepatica makes a border, and is also beau- 

 tiful in masses. The trailing branches of Mitella and the ram- 

 bling root of Sanguinaria require more space than do clusters 

 of Trillium. Claytonia is often foiuid in old meadows, and 

 seems to love the sod. The bulb is small, almost black, and 

 should be planted deep. I have had it blossom in my window- 

 garden. The pride of my collection is Mertensia, our com- 

 mon Lungwort. It grows in the grass, as do many bulbous 

 plants in the garden at Kew. Its nodding flowers, somewhat 

 trumpet-shaped, are a lilac color in the bud and blue in the 

 blossom. It is in its full beauty when the Cherry-trees are in 

 blossom, and the two are charming grouped in a bouquet. 

 The first leaves are of a beautiful purple, completely shielding 

 the flower-buds. I have seen it above ground as early as 

 March 6th. While wood-flowers fade quickly after being 

 picked, they remain in good condition on the plants for many 

 days, and, growing near by, their beauty can be most fully 

 enjoyed. 



Hornellsville, N. Y. 2. 



Recent Publications. 



Manures : How to Make and How to Use Them. By Frank 

 W. Sempers. W. Atlee Burpee & Co., Philadelphia. 



This little book of more than 200 pages aims to treat of 

 manures and manure-making in such a plain way that it will 

 be helpful in practice for farmers, market-gardeners and hor- 

 ticulturists. The author does not pretend to advance any new 

 doctrine, but to edit the results of research in experiment sta- 

 tions and elsewhere, so that the substantial facts which have 

 been established will be presented without discussing such 

 questions as are still in controversy. The language used is as 

 simple as it is possible to use in writing of such a subject, but 

 it must not be understood that any compendium of this sort 

 is "easy reading," which can be digested without study and 

 thought. The processes of plant-growth are intricate, and 

 many of them mysterious, and no ordinary man can begin to 

 master the subject by a casual reading of any handbook, how- 

 ever carefully prepared. Mental exercise, however, will not 

 prove injurious to farmers any more than to other classes of 

 men, for no one can practice agriculture intelligently without 

 study. This compilation contains as much that is essential on 

 the subject as can be found in any other work of the same size, 

 and after it has been carefully read, the farmer, by the help of 

 a very complete index, will be able to find answers to many of 

 the questions which confront him in his daily work. Attention 

 is very properly directed to the methods for determining the 

 commercial values of unmixed chemicals, of raw material and 

 commercial fertilizers ; for as soon as a cultivator knows what 

 plant-foods he wishes to supply, the next problem is to know 

 how and where to get these foods in proper proportions and in 

 the best form at the cheapest rates. Considerable space has 

 been wisely given to formulas for mixing manures at home, and 

 they are based chiefly on the analyses and valuations given in 

 the New Jersey Experiment Station report for 1891. From the 



