Seitember 27, 1893.] 



Garden and Forest. 



407 



plants, if I have the true Chromatella variety. Of its parentage, 

 however, I cannot make a guess, and Mr. Marliac keeps it a 

 secret. Too much praise, however, cannot be given to this 

 superb plant. The valuable varieties which are spoken of 

 by Mr. Watson as N. Murliacea rubra and N. Marliacea rosea, 

 if I can judge from his description, are known here as the 

 varieties rosea and carnea, respective!}'. Certainly some- 

 thing should be done to remedy this confusion. 



As to the tropical Nymph?eas, they are grown here under 

 the same conditions as hardy species are, except that they do 

 not remain out all winter, at least, in this locality, although 

 seedlings of the Stellata type appear in spring and produce 

 flowers during the same season. So far as 1 know, these plants 

 have never been grown in England, except in heated tanks 

 under glass. It is impossible to describe the fascinating pic- 

 tures which the Lily-ponds make here at early sunrise, with 

 the noble flowers and buds of the Nelumbiums towering above 

 their gigantic foliage. While the superb varieties of N. Lotus 

 are yet in full splendor, the varieties of N. stellata are bursting 

 their buds to continue the grand exhibition. The darkest form 

 of N. stellata, Zanzibarensis, opens its fiowers later, and so 

 does N. Laydekeri, but these also close later, and no variety 

 with which I am acquainted continues to open so long during 

 the day as N. gigantea, far the grandest of all the many species 

 of Nymphcea, especially of the blue varieties, and it succeeds 

 admirably here under the same conditions as the Stellata class. 

 W^ith NymphiTja tlowers of the Lotus varieties opening during 

 the night, while the Nelumbiums and the hardy species of 

 Nymphsea and their hybrids follow close after, we have a con- 

 tinuous display of flowers in varied shades of rich colors 

 from dawn until the afternoon. Since the season of Water- 

 lilies is a long one, it seems to me one of the charms of these 

 flowers that they do not all remain constantly open day and 

 night, like Marigolds or Geraniums ; and we appreciate them 

 more highly, because they unveil their full beauty only at 

 certain hours. It might be desirable, as Mr. Watson suggests, 

 to have a hardy blue variety, but on this side of the Atlantic 

 there seems to be less need than there is in England for such 

 a plant, since the varieties of N. stellata are of such easy cul- 

 ture here. Mr. Watson suggests that hybrids between the 

 Lotus and Stellata type might have expanded flowers all day, 

 but this is uncertain. I have flowered such hybrids, and many 

 other crosses, and I have never yet found a plant which pro- 

 duced flowers that would remain open all day, nor have I 

 found a hardy one with a blue flower. 



My experience in wintering Water-lilies convinces me that 

 the drying-off process is preferable. There is no risk in this 

 practice, and it requires little space. A large amount of green- 

 house staging would be necessary, if single specimens of 

 twenty-five to fifty varieties were kept in tubs and had to be 

 stowed away ; and then all the varieties would not survive in a 

 greenhouse temperature, and since neither varieties nor tem- 

 perature are specified in Mr. Watson's note, such a point is 

 calculated to mislead beginners in this country. Again, his 

 advice to keep the seed dry in ordinary paper packets may be 

 misleading also, if nothing is said in regard to varieties or tem- 

 perature. The Stellata varieties will retain their vitality for 

 three or four years in paper, provided they are kept cool and 

 dry, but when exposed to the ordinary temperature of a seed- 

 store or where fire-heat is used to maintain an agreeable tem- 

 perature in winter, such seed is useless a second year. Some 

 Nymphaea-seed I have never been able to germinate when 

 kept dry even for a short time, wiiile seeds of the same variety, 

 not taken out of the water, or sown as soon as ripe, have ger- 

 minated very freely. No mention was made of seeds of Vic- 

 toria regia, but it is generally known, I believe, that the only 

 safe way to keep them is in water. Even then they are diffi- 

 cult to preserve, and I presume the difficulty is that the seed 

 at some time is subjected to a temperature so low as to injure 

 its vitality. 

 West New Bnsjlitoii, N. Y. IV/n. Tricker. 



Garden Notes. 



TTYPERICUM MOSERIANUM is among the best of the 

 •*■ ■»■ newer hardy plants, and its merits seem to have met with 

 quick appreciation among gardeners. I have before referred 

 to this hybrid, which was secured a few years ago by Mr. 

 Moser, of Versailles, and further experience confirms my first 

 impressions of its beauty and usefulness. It is probably only 

 herbaceous, but is quick-growing, compact and has very neat 

 foliage. The flowers are something over two inches in diame- 

 ter, of a pure tone of yellow. The abundant pistils are tipped 

 with violet. Messrs. Pitcher & Manda, who have introduced 

 it here, had a fine show of the plants in one of their houses 



lately, and under glass the flowers were especially fine in 

 color. 



Crinum Kirkii, which has lately flowered planted out in the 

 garden, is not a specially attractive species. Its very large 

 round bulbs late in the summer produce a crown of leaves, 

 outside of which strong reddish flower-scapes, an inch in di- 

 ameter, push out. These support a cluster of about half a 

 dozen Amaryllis-like flowers, white, with a stripe of dull beet- 

 red in the centre of the petals. The fragrance is rather pleas- 

 ing. Crinums are interesting bulbs with very varying charac- 

 teristics, but most of them are plants for a \\-armer latitude than 

 this, and they should be planted out where they can remain 

 undisturbed and become thoroughly established to do their 

 best. The suggestion in Garden and Forest that they be 

 wintered in a cool house and used for garden-decoration, will 

 scarcely answer in cases of such varieties as C. Americanum, 

 which has a bulb like a section of a tree-trunk, or C. Powelli, 

 whose bulbs could not be covered in less depth than a hogs- 

 head. C. Capense seems to be hardy with me, and I propose 

 trying some of the other long-bulbed kinds outside in a warm 

 border at a good depth as the best possible position for them. 

 Such plants, if well established, would be striking ornaments 

 to the garden. 



Hybrid Montbretias are still in flower, and deserve an an- 

 nual note, as the flowers are very distinct and particularly 

 effective. There is a close resemblance among the Lemoine's 

 varieties, they being mostly fiery shades of red and orange, the 

 different named varieties bearing these in different propor- 

 tions variously disposed. One can scarcely go amiss in order- 

 ing a selection of the named kinds. The corms are not relia- 

 bly hardy here. They require somewhat generous treatment 

 while growing and a moist position, where it is also sunny. 



There is a pleasant tendency now to make more use of the 

 perennial Asters, which, well grown, are very attractive at this 

 season, and a relief from the prevailing yellows. The count- 

 less thousands of the Daisy-like flowers of the great bushes of 

 these plants not only enliven the garden, but are useful for 

 decorations. Good clear shades of purple should be selected. 

 As for names no plants are more confused, and any list would 

 be confusing. From Woolson I had a particularly fine white- 

 flowered kind as A. longifolius, var. Lady Trevylian. This has 

 abundance of pure white flowers in pleasing addition to the 

 usual purplish type. 



Dwarf Single Dahlias are at present quite the showiest plants 

 in the garden. The new French strain of dwarf Dahlias are 

 low stocky plants, which require no stakes, and produce great 

 quantities of showy flowers of brilliant colors in infinite va- 

 riety. I have had not only selfs in whites, reds and yellows, 

 but these colors in a great variety of combinations, petals 

 spotted, blotched and lined also in quaint effects. It is well to 

 treat these plants as annuals ; from seed sown in April strong 

 stock may be secured for sum mer flowering. 

 Elizabeth, N. J. /. A' Gerard. 



Mushrooms as a Side Crop.' — In view of possible low prices 

 for flowers next winter, Mr. Samuel Henshaw suggests, in the 

 Florists' Exchange, that owners of commercial greenhouses 

 would do well to grow Mushrooms as a side crop in order to 

 tide them over a hard season. He states that Mushrooms 

 are very steady in price, which is as high today as it was 

 ten years ago, that the demand has never been fully met, 

 and, indeed, that many large hotels would be glad to make a 

 contract for a continuous supply during the winter at a fixed 

 price, if they could feel sure of getting it. Florists have all the 

 space and the conveniences that are needed for growing Mush- 

 rooms, and there is no need of building special houses. 

 Every Rose-grower has abundance of waste room under his 

 raised benches which is just suited to Mushrooms, if the drip 

 is kept from soaking through. This space is now often 

 wasted, and all that is needed is to spread the prepared manure 

 upon the earth about a foot deep, with boards placed along 

 the posts which support the benches, to keep the bed from 

 spreading when it is beaten down. The best covering for such 

 a bed is green sods turned grass-side down and beaten firm, 

 but if these cannot be had, fresh soil will do. No extra coal is 

 needed, for the temperature is about right, although occasion- 

 ally a little too warm. The potting and packing slieds in large 

 florists' establishments often contain heating -apparatus to 

 make the whole comfortable, and there, too, are admirable 

 places for Mushrooms, and there are always odd nooks and 

 corners for a catch crop of this kind, since it is immaterial 

 whether the location is light or dark, when it is not too dry. 

 Open potting sheds, where the soil is prepared and stowed, are 

 admirable places for piling and fermenting the manure and 

 turning it to get rid of the extra heat and rank odor before 



