November 8, 1893.] 



Garden and Forest. 



467 



Autumn Fruit. — Some varieties of Raspberries have a 

 tendency to bear fruit in autumn on wood of the current 

 'season's growtii, and it is sometimes recommended to tal<e 

 out the old canes in spring in order to induce tiiis habit. 

 To test this theory plants ot Fontenoy, Cuthl)ert and Shaffer 

 were mowed off witli a scytlie in the spring of 1893, before the 

 young canes started. They then made a vigorous growth, but 

 not a cluster of flowers appeared on either the Cuthbert or 

 Shaffer. A few fine clusters of fruit among the Fontenoy 

 plants were developed, but this is one ot the European varie- 

 ties which are characterized by a more or less continuous 

 fruiting throughout the season. Just as good clusters, and as 

 many of them, were found where plants were treated in the 

 ordinary manner. At best, autumn fruiting would only give 

 a small amount of fresh berries for family use late "in the 

 season, but this trial seems to indicate that late fruiting is not 

 materially helped by the encouragement of late growth. 



Trees for Late Autumn Foliage. 



IN planting deciduous trees for shade or for landscape effect, 

 it may sometimes happen that those which hold their leaves 

 longest in the autumn are particularly desirable. Some of our 

 native trees lose their foliage as early as September, while 

 others v^rill keep it in fairly good condition into the month of 

 November, unless there are unusually severe frosts. Indi- 

 vidual trees of the same species sometimes show marked 

 variation from others in time of defoliation, and peculiarsitua- 

 tions may have an effect. Every careful observer of trees 

 must have noted that, taken as a whole, in northern planta- 

 tions a large proportion of the deciduous trees which retain 

 their foliage longest and in the greenest condition belong to 

 species which have been at some time introduced from Europe 

 to our American soil and climate. A good illustration of this 

 is seen in the difference in habit of the American or White 

 Elm and the English Elm, so common in many old New Eng- 

 land towns. The American Elms lose their leaves and 

 become quite bare, while the English Elms (Ulmus campes- 

 tris) are yet dense with foliage, which is still fairly green. The 

 same difference is to be noted, though in a less marked de- 

 gree, between the American and some of the European Maples, 

 and foreign Lindens, or Basswoods, have similar Iiabits. This 

 is also true of the Beeches, Ashes and Birches. The native 

 New England Ashes all drop their leaves early, while the 

 common European species, Fraxinus excelsior, holds them 

 much longer, and another, Fraxinus potamophila, has a full 

 and green appearance at the end of October in an autumn like 

 this, characterized by dry weather and few frosts. All of our 

 native Birches become leafless, while the Weeping, Purple- 

 leaved and other forms of the European Betula alba retain a 

 large proportion of their foliage. In these and in most trees 

 which have late persisting leaves, those at the top are usually 

 the first to change color and fall, the lower ones being some- 

 what protected, remaining fresher and for a little longer 

 time. 



In a comparison of Mulberries, we find that our native Red 

 Mulberry, Morus rubra, loses its leaves quite early, and side 

 by side with it the White Mulberry, Morus alba, from the 

 Orient, retains its foliage in a fresh condition until compara- 

 tively late in the season. The former, however, is Ijut a small 

 tree, while the latter will grow quite large and broad-spread- 

 ing. Although European species of trees, as a rule, hold their 

 foliage longer than their near American relatives, some of 

 those brought from Japan or northern Asia are notable for 

 their early deciduous habit. The Japanese Catalpa Kiumpferi, 

 for instance, appears to lose its foliage much earlier than either 

 of our native species whose leaves turn to a light green be- 

 fore they fall. 



Sophora Japonica is a good tree for late autumn foliage. The 

 small pinnate leaves and dark shining green leaflets keep a 

 fresh and clean appearance until quite late. In the same 

 family, our common Locust and Honey Locust sometimes 

 hold a good deal of foliage until late October, but it is thin and 

 poor and never effective. Pterocaryas form another group of 

 liardy, foreign, pinnate-leaved trees which hold much of their 

 foliage later than most nearly related groups, but it has not any 

 particular value or attractiveness. 



Of all trees the Oaks are, on the whole, likely to give most 

 satisfaction when late foliage is desired ; and here again we 

 have to admit that some foreign species have a greener and 

 fresher appearance late in the season than our indigenous 

 kinds, although some of the latter are not to be equaled for 

 autumn coloring. The English Oak, Ouercus Robur, and its 

 numerous forms or varieties, and the'Turkey Oak, O. Cerris, 



still have a remarkably fresh and attractive aspect, whereas 

 most of our native Oaks belonging to the White Oak group 

 have cither lost most of their leaves or they have withered and 

 changed to brown or dull purple and brown colors. 



The foliage of the Chestnut Oak, Q. Prinus, and of the Mossy- 

 cup Oak, O. macrocarpa, turned brown and had mostly fallen 

 at the end of October; that of the Swamp White Oak. O. bicolor, 

 has also mostly dropped after changing to a light yellowish 

 green color. The White Oak, O. alba, often holds a large por- 

 tion of its leaves long after they have dried and changed to a 

 violet, purple or brown. In fact, they not unusually hold these 

 dry leaves throughout the winter. 



Most of the species of the Black Oak group have late-per- 

 sisting leaves, which, with few exceptions, remain on the trees 

 longer than the native species of the White Oak group. 



The foliage of the Red Oak, Q. rubra, persists long and in 

 good condition and with soine coloring ; but the Black and the 

 Scarlet Oaks are the best known for their richly colored leaves, 

 which remain on the trees into the month of November. The 

 leaves of the former, O. tinctoria, turn to a brown or russet or 

 russet-orange color, while those of the latter, O. coccinea, nor- 

 mally assume a deep scarlet or orange-scarlet color in the late 

 autumn. Where rich coloring, combined with late-persisting 

 qualities of foliage, is desired there is no tree yet known which 

 can supplant the Scarlet Oak. 



The foliage of the Pin Oak, O. palustris, persists until late, 

 and shows considerable richness of color, while the symmetri- 

 cal form of the tree and the graceful droop of its branches 

 make it desirable in all plantations. 



Perhaps few trees can be considered more beautiful than the 

 Liquidambar for summer and autumn foliage, and the bril- 

 liancy of its crimson and orange, and often chocolate and 

 bronze in late October, forms a striking characteristic of the 

 species. 



Every one has noticed how some kinds of Pear, and some 

 Apples, like the American Baldwin, keep most of their leaves 

 into late autumn, and the forms of the common Bird Cherry, 

 Prunus avium, also hold their foliage quite late in the season', 

 and with some interesting changes of color. Prunus avium 

 is now sometimes found growing spontaneously in our woods 

 as a tall tree. The cultivated Apple, Pear and this Cherry are 

 all natives of Europe, and their persistent foliage is in line'with 

 the tendency shown among the Oaks, Elms and other trees 

 from the same continent. 



Arnold Arboretum. J . G. "jf ack. 



Dendrobium Phalsenopsis Schroederianum. 



T^HE introduction of this fine plant two years ago was an 

 -*- event in Orchid history, the importance of which, at that 

 time, was hardly appreciated. Indeed, those who saw the 

 first plants offered at auction had serious doubts as to the 

 chances that some of them would ever recover from the effects 

 of their long voyage from New Guinea. But it is now quite 

 evident that there is noDendrobiutn which rallies and becomes 

 established so quickly as this one, and it is now apparent that 

 the second season's growth under cultivation has advanced in 

 most of the plants beyond any made in its own native wilds. 

 This fact is the more remarkable as the sub-section Speciosje, 

 under which division D. Phalaenopsis is included, is remarka- 

 ble for the difficulty of keeping the plants in good health. 

 Hence, this is not only the best of its section, but one of the 

 finest of all Dendrobiums in cultivation. To the grower no 

 experience is more absorbing than the arrival of what appears 

 to be nothing more than a bundle of dried sticks, and watching 

 to discover what sort of a response this unpromising material 

 will make to wartnth and moisture. The dormant buds start 

 from points where least expected, but in every case there is a 

 start, though sometimes it is from the tops of the stems. These 

 growths made from the tops of the bulbs should be allowed 

 to mature, and when the time comes for them to start again 

 they may be taken off a few inches below their union with the 

 parent stem and potted up in small pots, or, better still, 

 in shallow perforated pans. I have noticed also that the 

 plants start better when suspended near the roof glass of 

 the warmest house. When on the benches they do not thrive 

 nearly as well, and snails are very partial to the young growths 

 and roots. Thrips also are troublesome enemies, and must 

 begot rid of by fumigation or sponging with soapy water as 

 soon as they put in an appearance. 



Dendrobium Phalaenopsis appears to grow mostly on trees, 

 as most of the imported plants have pieces of bark still at- 

 tached to the old masses of roots, and for this reason the roots 

 do not seem to like a mass of material to bury themselves in. 

 It will be found that the less material used the better, and fre- 



