368 



Garden and Forest. 



[Number 288. 



that seemed to be intermediate between the yellow and white, 

 having a creamy shade, so tliat it would seem as if they might 

 as well be placed with T. pavonia alba as with T. conchiflora. 

 But this variation seems to be nearly all in T. conchiflora, with 

 very little in T. pavonia. T, pavonia alba shows no varieties 

 of shades. Occasionally a plant of T. pavonia or T. conchiflora 

 is seen among the plants of the variety alba, but each plant of 

 the variety alba is like all the rest, seeming not to have become 

 mixed by the insects as the others have. The bumble-bees 

 are the most numerous visitors of the Tiger Flower here, 

 and I believe are aids to their fertilization. Occasionally 

 honey-bees are seen among them, but only a few. 



In the new T. grandiflora rosea the outer portion of the 

 flower has a rosy tinge and the inner lighter variegations are yel- 

 low, while in the variety liliacea the outer portion of the flower is 

 reddish purple and the inner variegation is light or nearly 

 white. In all of the flowers that I have noticed rose and yel- 

 low go together, and white and reddish purple. I could not 

 find a flower in which the inner variegation was white and the 

 outer one rose. I believe that the variety Rosea is a cross 

 between T. pavonia and T. conchiflora, and the variety called 

 liliacea is between T. pavonia and the variety alba. Last sum- 

 mer in an old Mexican garden Mr. Pringle found a rose-flow- 

 ered variety of T. pavonia which was so distinct from any 

 other form of T. pavonia which he had seen that he secured a 

 hundredor more bulbs. The flowers of this variety are not so 

 variegated in their inner portion as in the variety Rosea above 

 mentioned, but in what variegation there is, the yellow pre- 

 dominates. 



Tigridia Van Houttii was first discovered by Mr. B. Roezl, 

 about twenty years ago, in Mexico. A few seeds were sent to 

 Belgium from which flowering plants were raised, and these 

 were illustrated in a colored drawing in the Flore des Serves, 

 of August 2oth, 1875. Last year Mr. Pringle secured an ample 

 supply of these bulbs from the original locaHty, where Roezl 

 found this Tigridia, and I believe these are about the only 

 plants of this species now in cultivation. The plant grows 

 about ten feet high and bears in long succession fifteen to forty 

 and perhaps not rarely sixty flowers ; they are erect, open bell- 

 shaped, lilac and purple, an inch and a half wide. The 

 flowers are not striking. The lack of red, yellow and white, 

 which so quickly catch the eye in the varieties of T. pavonia, are 

 almost entirely lacking in this, and one might pass it in full 

 flower without notice. Yet, upon examination, the flower is 

 beautiful ; its delicate markings of lilac and purple of various 

 shades are so unhke those of all the other Tigridias that it is 

 the more interesting, and who can tell how useful it may be in 

 crossing with other species and in increasing the number of 

 new varieties ? Its flowers are more durable than those of most 

 species and remain open late in the day when others are all 

 closed. 



After all has been said in favor of the other species of 

 Tigridia, the little T. buccifera, which I beUeve is the only spe- 

 cies yet found in the United States, is, in my estimation, 

 second to none. It is certainly a most charming little plant, 

 and if it could be had at reasonable prices would be offered 

 by many dealers. It is very scarce. 



Tigridia pulchella is also very distinct from the others. It is 

 a shyer bloomer than most species, and bears from one to 

 four or five flowers. The inner portion of its flower is in the 

 shape of a cup, white, with purple spots, while the three 

 outer segments are very dark purple, or almost black. The 

 flowers vary in size from half an inch to an inch and a quarter 

 or more across in the strongest plants. ^ ^, ,,. , , 



Charlotte, vt. F. H. Horsfovd. 



Early-flowering Gladioli. — So far as I am aware, these are but 

 little grown in this country. Those which deserve attention 

 are hybrids of G. rarnosus, and about thirty varieties are de- 

 scribed in the best Dutch catalogues with names. In this cli- 

 mate they require to be planted in the fall, and covered with 

 straw and with board frames during the winter. They then 

 begin to bloom in June, and continue through June, July and 

 August, and even into September. All the varieties show the 

 three beautiful spots upon the lower petals, which indicate an 

 ancestry of G. trinoculatus. The scarlet forms do not greatly 

 differ in tone of color. The habit of the plants is very attrac- 

 tive. They do not require stakes, but droop gracefully like 

 plants of Solomon's Seal. The flowers succeed each other 

 slowly. They are in close double rows, and as many as twelve 

 have been counted upon a single stem, growing closely to- 

 gether. Only a few seeds can be obtained without artificial 

 fertilization. It would seem to be well worth while to attempt 

 the production of hybrids with some of the finest varieties of 

 G. Gandavensis. Bulbs of G. Bowiensis, imported from the 



New Plant and Bulb Company, at Colchester, England, some 

 years since, produce flowers which closely resemble those of 

 the well-known G. Brenchleyensis, but the color is a peculiar 

 and beautiful softened scarlet, and is very attractive. The 

 bulb makes five offsets, and no seeds have been ripened so 

 far here. It may be worth while to note that seeds of G. 

 Brenchleyensis are now to be had of the Erfurt seedsmen. 

 They are probably grown in Italy, as they appear also in the 

 Italian catalogues. I have grown a large number of seedlings, 

 which, however, will not bloom during the present year. 

 Seeds of Gazania splendens are now to be had, as is believed, 

 for the first time. These probably, also, come from Italy. 



Newport, R. I. G. 



Correspondence. 

 Harvesting and Evaporating Raspberries. 

 To the Editor of Garden and Forest : 



Sir, — On page 336 one of your contributors refers to a method 

 of gathering black raspberries for evaporating, which appears 

 to be a sort of jarring, (i) I should like to know just what the 

 process is, and how extensively it is in use. (2) Are red rasp- 

 berries evaporated to any considerable extent ? Is there any 

 objection to them for that purpose ? ^ > , . 



EastOrland, Me. Charles G. AtklHS. 



(i) The harvester referred to is a sort of tray about three 

 feet square, consisting of a light iron or wood frame cov- 

 ered with canvas. It is six or eight inches deep at the 

 lower side, while the upper side is open. This is held 

 obliquely under the bushes to catch the berries. In one 

 hand the operator carries a wire hook, with which he draws 

 the bushes over the tray, while in the other hand he has a 

 wire loop covered with canvas, and inserted in a handle, 

 somewhat resembling a lawn-tennis racquet, with which 

 he knocks off the berries. The plan was first invented by 

 Mr. Benedict, of Dundee, New York, and is extensively 

 used among the berry-growers of that region. When har- 

 vested by this plan the berries are allowed to get quite ripe, 

 and the field is gone over but twice, or, at most, three 

 times, during the season. A good man will gather on an 

 average about ten bushels of berries a day throughout the 

 season, although where the berries are most abundant many 

 more can be gathered. Many dried leaves and stems are 

 knocked off with the berries, but these do no harm, for, 

 after drying, the fruit is run through a fanning-mill. The 

 berries are then picked over by hand, so that the fruit really 

 goes to market in cleaner and better condition than when 

 picked by hand. The cost is considerably less than hand- 

 picking, and, above all, it permits this work to be done in 

 localities remote from markets, or towns of any sort, which 

 cannot be done when pickers must be depended on to 

 gather the fruit. 



(2) The true red raspberries, like Cuthbert, are rarely 

 evaporated, for several reasons. They usually yield less 

 fruit per acre than Black-caps ; they will make only seven 

 or eight pounds of dried fruit to the bushel ; they change to 

 a dull, tmattractive color in drying ; and there seems to be 

 no established demand for them at paying prices. They 

 make an excellent quality of evaporated fruit, however, 

 and with a special guaranteed market might prove profit- 

 able. Varieties of the Rubus neglectus type, like the 

 Shaffer, are better adapted to this purpose, because they 

 yield large crops, and if picked a little green give more 

 pounds of dried fruit to the bushel. The fruit is also more 

 attractive in color and of equally good, though not just the 

 same, quality. 



Cornell University. ^ 



Fred. W. Card. 



Two Wild Fruits in North Dakota. 



To the Editor of Garden and Forest : 



Sir, — In the article, "Southern California Wild Fruits," by 

 S. B. Parish (Garden and Forest, vol. vi., page 313), mention 

 is made of two wild fruits whose character in southern Cali- 

 fornia differs greatly from that of the same fruits in the north- 

 ern portions of North Dakota. 



The first fruit referred to is one of the Choke Cherries, Pru- 

 nus demissa, accompanied with the suggestive remark that its 



