June 4, 1890.] 



Garden and Forest. 



277 



size and color of the flowers has taken place under cultivation, 

 as will be readily seen by comparing- blooms of to-day with 

 those figured in the Botanical Register in 1842. The best 

 means of producing an effect with C. barbaticm is to grow sev- 

 eral plants together in broad, well drained, shallow pans. A 

 warm, moist atmosphere is most suitable, and the plants may 

 receive plenty of water at all times, except in the cold, dreary 

 months of the year, when very little will suffice to keep them 

 in proper condition, 

 isieworth, London, w. John Weathers. 



Moraea Pavonia. — It is just a century ago since this very de- 

 sirable bulbous plant was introduced to England from the 

 Cape of Good Hope. It is now well known in English gar- 

 dens, but still scarce in this country. The somewhat weedy 

 appearance of the plant and the straggling habit of its long 

 grassy leaves give some excuse for this neglect on the part of 

 those who have never seen it in bloom. The flowers measure 

 almost two inches across, and are borne singly at the top of 

 slender, knotted peduncles, which vary in length from nine to 

 eighteen inches, or about half the length of the leaves, accord- 

 ing to the size and quality of the bulbs. In general appear- 

 ance they bear a strong resemblance to those of some small- 

 flowered species of Iris ; and, as is usual in that genus, the 

 outer segments of the perianth are the most conspicuous. 

 The blade of each outer segment is reflexed, and of a lilac- 

 tinged white color, with large blotch of rich peacock blue at 

 the base. The under side of the blade is beautifully streaked 

 with purple, but is by no means so attractive as the upper sur- 

 face. The only objection to the flowers is the brief time 

 (seldom more than a day) they remain expanded; but they are 

 freely produced during the spring months, and this compen- 

 sates in some degree for their fugacity. The cultural require- 

 ments of this plant are of the simplest. The bulbs should be 

 potted in fall, about six to a five-inch pot, and placed in a 

 sunny greenhouse, or in a frame which can be secured against 

 frost in winter. Carefulness in watering is most important, as 

 an over-supply is dangerous at any time. After the flowering 

 season the supply of water may be gradually decreased, and 

 finally withheld until the bulbs are again potted. The bulbs re- 

 main in good condition if kept in the pots during the summer 

 months, and should then have free exposure to air and sunshine, 

 but they must be kept out. The number of plants may be in- 

 creased by separating the clusters of bulbs at potting time. I 

 lately saw a very fine collection of plants of this species grown 

 by an amateur with no better accommodation than that afforded 

 by a sunny sitting-room window. 



There are few plants with a longer list of synonyms, a fact 

 which perhaps may indicate its popularity in England, where 

 the names originated. Some of these are Iris Pavonia, I. tri- 

 cuspis, I. tricuspidata, Vieussenxia Pavonia and V. glaucopis. 

 It may be remarked that the latter genus is now included un- 

 der Morsea. This plant is also commonly known as the 

 "Peacock," or "Blue-eyed Peacock Iris." 



Cambridge, Mass. ■£>• 



Propagating Chrysanthemums. — On the publication of my 

 note in the issue of Garden and Forest for January 15th 

 on the propagation of Chrysanthemums from detached 

 stems, one of the largest propagators of this plant wrote me 

 that " the shoots would be good for nothing, as they would 

 harden up, throw buds and flower prematurely." This prom- 

 ise does not seem to have been carried out, and I note that 

 from my layered stems some of the shoots are as strong and 

 vigorous as could be desired and give every promise of grow- 

 ing on as freely as the best of my cuttings. In one or two 

 cases the shoots showed bud and ceased to develop, but this 

 was not general. There was no sign of hardening up in any 

 case. " Hardening up " is a bugbear which should not trouble 

 any one whose plants have not been made soft and sappy in 

 heat, and even then, if care is used in gradually exposing them 

 to air, in planting very firmly — an important detail — and in pro- 

 tecting from winds, there should be no losses from this cause. 

 This experiment seems to illustrate the fact, known to observ- 

 ers of the Chrysanthemum, but not often noted, that the 

 matured stems of this plant do not under proper condi- 

 tions cease their functions until the young growths have made 

 some headway in the spring, and until those fortunately 

 placed have made some progress toward forming independ- 

 ent roots, after which they decay rapidly. The old stems seem 

 either to have some vitality stored in them, bare though they 

 may be of foliage, or perhaps they may only be open to the flow 

 of sap and a mere channel for the conveyance of nutriment 

 from the awakening roots, though my experiment would 

 seem to show that root action was not essential. The strong- 

 est shoots are shown by the Chrysanthemum as the sun 



warms them into growth in the early spring (April here); and 

 their strong tendency to form roots can be observed on those 

 near the base of a stem but above the ground, which often 

 throw out roots into the air. In overhauling the stock in the 

 spring, one often finds an old stem with a shoot so far above 

 ground as to have had no chance to root. If this is treated 

 early like a grafted plant and buried so that the junction is 

 covered, the shoot will soon make separate roots, and by the 

 time the old plant loses its vigor, will be prepared to grow on 

 without check. 



Elizabeth, N.J. G. 



Clianthus Dampieri. — This is one of the most gorgeous 

 flowered, and at the same time one of the " miffiest " of the 

 many Leguminous plants which we owe to Australia. There 

 are few gardeners who have not been tempted by pictures or 

 descriptions of its beauty to attempt its culture, but the num- 

 ber of those who have been successful is very small. There 

 is, however, a way to success, and that is by grafting seedlings 

 of C. Dampieri on young plants of C. pjcnicens. This gets 

 one over the water difficulty, for whilst the first named invaria- 

 bly goes wrong at the root, presumably through excess of 

 water, C. puniceus is not so particular. The seeds should be 

 sown in April and the seedlings cut off at the base and grafted 

 when about six inches high. A union is effected in about 

 three weeks. 



Eurycles sylvestris and E. Cunninghamii are the only two spe- 

 cies of a genus of Amaryllidece, and are closely related to Eu- 

 charis. They are natives of Australia and the Malayan regions, 

 whilst Eucharis is confined to South America. In the stove at 

 Kew both species of Eurycles are in flower and they are quite 

 ornamental enough to be classed with useful stove bulbous 

 plants. E. sylvestris has a cordate leaf a foot across, a scape 

 a foot high, and from twenty to thirty flowers in a dense 

 umbel. Each flower is two and a half inches across, not un- 

 like Eucharis Candida in form and pure white. E. Cunning- 

 hamii has smaller and ovate leaves, and smaller flowers in 

 umbels of from ten to fifteen. The plants lose their foliage in 

 autumn, when they should be rested until February and then 

 started in a stove. 



Kew. W. 



Chionodoxa Lucilias alba. — I will watch with interest Mr. 

 Gerard's experiments with the seeds of the White Chionodoxa. 

 I have tried it for two generations, and with me the* seedlings 

 invariably revert to the type. 



. Exochorda Alberti. — This is a very beautiful shrub, intro- 

 duced from central Asia by Messrs. Albert and Eduard von 

 Regel. It attains a height of about six feet, and all last year's 

 growths are covered by spikes of pure white flowers, eight to 

 ten on a spike, and about the size of large peach blossoms. 

 Their striking appearance is heightened by the shining green 

 foliage. It is in full flower now, on 6th of May. 



Baden-Baden. Max Leichtlifl. 



Correspondence. 



State Control of the Gypsy Moth. 

 To the Editor of Garden and Forest : 



Sir. — All sensible people must heartily agree with the senti- 

 ment expressed in the editorial on " Legislation Against the 

 Gypsy Moth," in Garden and Forest for March 26th, in which 

 legislation against insect pests is urged, and the passing of 

 such laws as will compel careless landholders to destroy 

 noxious insects on their properties, so that they may not be a 

 constant menace to more thrifty neighbors. But while many 

 people no doubt approve of legislation by the state of Massa- 

 chusetts against the Gypsy Moth at Medford, a large number 

 feel very strongly that it is impossible to accomplish the end 

 sought. Even if the insect had extended little beyond the 

 bounds of the district originally assigned to it, the chances for 

 the complete extermination of the pest were very slight. But 

 after the Act* regarding it and the appropriation of $25,000 

 had been pushed through the Legislature, and the Gypsy 

 Moth Commission appointed by the Governor had assumed its 

 duties, it was found that the insect had spread over a territory 

 very much larger than was at first suspected. Instead of oc- 

 curring only in Medford and occupying "an area in the form 

 of an ellipse about a mile and a half long by half a mile wide," 

 the insect is found throughout that town and over a territory 

 ten miles long by five or six miles in width. It is in the towns 

 of Winchester, Arlington, Somerville, Stoneham, Melrose, 



* An act to provide against the depredations by the insect known as the Ocneria 

 dispar or Gypsy Moth, and against its spreading and for its extermination, in this 

 commonwealth. 



