December 6, 1893.] 



Garden and Forest. 



507 



of C. insigne and the newer ones shows fhat many of these are 

 equal to that fine soft, if not superior, while all are desirable if 

 only for their variety, for all are dissimilar. 



The varietal name Montanum suggests that tlie plants were 

 of alpine origin, but this is true also of the older C. insigne, and 

 hence the treatment of one applies equally well to the other. 



It is sometimes noted that C. insigne is easier to grow than 

 to flower well. This is the result of too much heat during win- 

 ter, and a cool house, where frost is just excluded, will grow 

 this plant and flower it far better than a warm house that e.x- 

 cites the plants into making an early growth in spring, and a 

 second growth in late summer, when it ought to be preparing 

 to flower. During summer the plants will thrive well out of- 

 doors in a cool shady place, and should be taken in during 

 September. Grown in this way, the full benefit of the night 

 dews is had, but the pots should be stood on a bed of coal- 

 ashes to prevent the ingress of worms. 



Another point worthy of note is that this is one of the few 

 Orchids that will thrive equally well in a compost of loam or 

 the orthodox fern-root and sphagnum mixture. In eithercase, 

 perfect drainage must be assured, as the plants should not be 

 disturbed but once in two years unless they get into bad 

 health, which seldom happens. Cypripediums are all alike in 

 one respect — they never should be allowed to become dry at 

 the roots. There are no storage vessels in the way of pseudo- 

 bulbs for the plants to fall back on, as with most of the other 

 genera, and slight neglect in watering shows at once in the 

 loss of foliage, and no little time is required for the recovery 

 of the plants after they have received a check of this kind. As 

 a window-plant there is a future for C. insigne when it be- 

 comes more generally known, as the flowers last three months 

 in good condition, and this during the most dreary months of 

 the year, commencing with November. zr /i /^ ji ^ 



South Lancaster, Mass. E. O. Orpet. 



Late Ornamental Fruits. 



IF the necessary ground in the garden can be spared, or if 

 the circumstances of residence make it particularly desira- 

 ble to have the shrubberies attractive in very late autumn, a 

 most interesting feature may be produced for the Thanksgiv- 

 ing season by planting a group of shrubs with bright-colored, 

 showy and persisting fruits. Many of the conspicuous-fruited 

 species are not notable for any particular beauty of flower, so 

 that in making such a collection it is necessary to do so at 

 some sacrifice of summer bloom. 



In some species which show beauty of fruit after the leaves 

 have fallen the' flowers are small and greenish, and while in 

 others the coloring may be more attractive, in some the blos- 

 soms are too minute to be showy; and, altogether, there are 

 few which are valuable both for the beauty of their flowers and 

 the brightness of their fruit in late autumn. Most of the shrubs 

 which are desirable for the effectiveness of their fruits in late 

 autumn have these fruits of a red or scarlet color, or a color 

 approaching these. Presumably this color is one most at- 

 tractive to birds and other animals upon which most fleshy 

 fruits are dependent for dissemination. 



The Winterberries, or species of Ilex belonging to the Holly 

 family, are among the best-known and most valued of red- 

 fruited species for late autumn adornment. The native Ilex 

 verticillata and I. laevigata are especially valuable, the former 

 usually fruiting more profusely than the other, and a clearyel- 

 low-fruited form is also occasionally found. In size and color 

 the fruit does not differ much from that of the true American 

 Holly, I. opaca, but, while the bright red fruit of the latter is 

 partly hidden by the persistent evergreen leaves, the Winter- 

 berries lose all their foliage comparatively early in the autumn. 

 Other American species of the genus also have attractive fruit. 

 I. Sieboldi, from Japan, is a perfectly hardy species of much 

 promise, and although its fruits are small, they are very abun- 

 dant and not clustered, but thickly scattered among the 

 branches. 



The species of Spindle-tree, or Evonymus, are also widely 

 known, but, except the common European species, E. Euro- 

 preus, most of them drop a large proportion of their purplish 

 crimson pods and enclosed scarlet arils before the ist of De- 

 cember. One or two Japanese species still hold enough to 

 make them noticeable. The open pods of E. Europ;uus have 

 faded considerably, but the fleshy arils or "seeds" are still as 

 bright as when first exposed. 



The Bittersweet, Celastrus scandens, which is closely allied 

 to the Evonymus, is indispensable as a showy fruited plant. 

 After the first frosts, and when all leaves have fallen, the rich 

 orange-colored pods open and display the scarlet interior. 

 The color keeps bright for a long time, and unless the fruits 



are devoured by anitiialsthe valves of the pods are the first to 

 fall away as the winter advances. As this plant is a twiner, it 

 will not thrive well unless given a pole or stake for support, 

 or is allowed to climb among the branches of some tall shrub 

 or small tree. The fruit is produced in large clusters, in this 

 respect differing very markedly from the Japanese C. articu- 

 lata, which is now found in a good many gardens, and which 

 bears its smaller fruit much more scattered over the branches, 

 but quite abundantly. While the interior arfls of this species 

 are also scarlet, theouterside.s of the pods are of a lightorange 

 color at this season. The Matrimony-vines, especially Lycium 

 Chinense, claim attention by their bright scarlet fleshy berries. 



The Barberries are noted for their bright red or reddish 

 fruit, but. at the end of November, and after numerous severe 

 freezings, the berries of the common Barberry, Bcrberis vul- 

 garis, of Europe, have lost much of their lustre and plump- 

 ness. The native B. Canadensis of the Alleghany Mountain 

 region has smaller fruit, but it is still bright red and and fresh 

 and full-looking. It is not so attractive, however, as the Japa- 

 nese B. Thunbergii, which has been so often referred to in 

 these pages, and which keeps its berries fresh-looking until 

 spring. 



Grewia parviflora, a plant classed in the Linden family, 

 gives promise of value for showy fruit, although it does not 

 yet appear to be very hardy in this climate. It was introduced 

 into the Arboretum from northern China about 1882. The 

 flovvers are not showy, but are produced during a considera- 

 ble time, and the fruits, which are about the size of peas, 

 are laterally flattened, firm, smooth and shining and of a 

 brownish orange color. They have, so far, been produced 

 very sparingly liere, so that the plant cannot be reconimended 

 for planting in this climate, but in a milder region it may 

 prove of some value as an ornamental-fruited shrub. 



The high Cranberry Bush, Viburnum Opulus, is well known. 

 It still retains its large cranberry-like fruit, but after having 

 been frozen several times it has become somewhat shriveled, 

 and the color is of a duller red than it was earlier in the sea- 

 son.' The fruit of the Flowering Dogwood, Cornus florida, is 

 rarely allowed to remain on the plants so late in the season 

 because certain species of birds are very fond of it when fully 

 ripe. But, if not disturbed, much of the fruit would remain on 

 the trees throughout November and keep plump and fresh 

 and retain its characteristic brilliant red color. 



Some of the single or wild Roses are bright with reddish 

 fruits at this season. Rosa Carolina and R. lucida are 

 among the best of these. R. multiflora has innumerable 

 firm fruits of a bronze-olive color at this season ; those of R. 

 repens are dull red, and of Rosa spinosissima a dark maroon. 

 On many Roses the fruits or "hips" have dried and turned 

 brown or black, but on some, like the Dog Rose, a large por- 

 tion still appear fresh, though of a dull red color. 

 - Few of the Hawthorns are noted for effective display at the 

 beginning of winter, but the Washington Thorn, Crataegus 

 cordata, keeps its fruit in a clear, lustrous, attractive condition, 

 and as the species grows into a small tree it stands above 

 most other plants noted for this quality. The Cockspur Thorn, 

 C. Crus-galli, holds large, dull red-colored fruits. Crataegus 

 Pyracantha, of Europe, is also well worth growing, although 

 not perfectly hardy in this latitude. When only a few feet high 

 it bears fruit abundantly of a bright scarlet color, which keeps 

 fresh and bright all winter. The Cotoneasters are not well 

 known, perhaps, because they offer little showiness of bloom. 

 But several of them have noticeable fruit just now. That 

 of C. acuminata is plump and of a dull purplish-red 

 color ; the fruits of C. vulgaris are dull black, while those of 

 the little evergreen, C. mycrophylla, are of pure red, but lus- 

 treless. If not previously eaten by birds the liright red fruits 

 of the European Rowan-tree and our native Mountain Ashes 

 are not be overlooked, while the little Pyrus arbutifolia firmly 

 holds its dark or purphsh-red fruit in good condition. Some 

 of the flowering Crab-apples retain their little apples in great 

 abundance, but they usually become dull-colored after several 

 freezings and thawings. 



Climbing Honeysuckles, like I^onicera SuUivanti and L. flava, 

 sometimes keep good color in their fruits. 



One of the best of hardy shrubs at this season is the Coral- 

 lierry or Indian Currant, Symphoricarpos vulgaris, which reg- 

 ularly has its branches thickly covered with small purplish-red 

 or magenta colored berries. It is a slender shrub, quite effec- 

 tive when planted in masses, as it has been in the parks about 

 Boston. 



In striking contrast with these dark fruits are those of the 

 well-known Snowberry, Symphoricarpos racemosus, which 

 before the snow falls appear of the purest white. If grown in 

 partial shade or out of the full rays of the autumn sunshine, 



