382 



Garden and Forest. 



[August 6, 1890. 



The spike spring's from the base of the matured pseudo-bulb, 

 and is nearly two feet long, erect, stout, with about a dozen 

 flowers, each two inches in diameter, upon stalks one and 

 a half inches long. The sepals are spreading, half an inch 

 wide, chocolate colored, almost white at the base; the petals are 

 similar, but narrower. Thelipisthree-lobed, side lobes rounded 

 and thin, front lobe narrow and pointed. The color is bright 

 yellow, with lines of black-purple; column cream-white. The 

 plant is ornamental, and may be compared to some of the 

 Houlletias. The generic name is so far unfortunate in that it 

 resembles Mora?a. an African genus of Irids. 



Kew. W. 



Cultural Department. 



Notes on American Plants. 



THE Ragged Fringed Orchis, which flowers about this 

 time, is not a very showy plant. The lower portion of 

 the flower, which is known as the lip, is divided into many 

 narrow thread-like segments. The flowers are borne in a 

 loose spike about four inches long by a trifle more than an 

 inch thick, and are of a greenish white color. It grows in moist 

 meadows and pastures, also in thickets and bogs. It needs a moist 

 place, and would thrive along the borders of artificial bogs. 



Euphorbia corollata is a favorite plant with many who 

 have grown it. Its height is from two to three feet, bearing 

 its small white flowers in umbels. What appears to be the 

 flower is only the five false lobes of the flower. These are 

 white and very fine, the true flowers being inconspicuous. 

 It is a hardy herbaceous perennial, and seems to thrive in any 

 ordinary soil. Though not a troublesome plant, it soon forms 

 strong clumps, spreading from the root. 



A pretty Gentian from the Pacific coast is Gentiana affinis, 

 but it varies much. The form now in bloom with us is hardly 

 eight inches high, with blue funnel-shaped flowers over an inch 

 in length and five-lobed. On the lower third of these lobes are 

 numerous lighter spots, which add to the beauty of the 

 flower. It seems to thrive well in this climate, but we cannot 

 speak of its hardiness, because our plants were covered with 

 leaves during last winter. A partly shaded location seems to 

 suit it. 



DioncEa muscipiila, or Venus' Fly-trap, a native of sandy 

 bogs in the Pine Barrens of North and South Carolina, is al- 

 ready too well known to need description. Its curious, sensi- 

 tive leaves are its chief attraction, and these alone would well 

 repay the trouble of growing it ; but the white flowers, which, 

 when grown in our northern climate, appearaboutthe middle of 

 July, are well worth having. It is not a difficult plant to grow 

 if the right soil and situation are selected for it. Wherever 

 a sandy bog can be made in open sunlight it will thrive. 

 Even if this bog be confined to a common flower-pot the plant 

 will thrive, if its natural home is closely copied. It needs pro- 

 tection from our cold winters, and six inches of leaves makes 

 the best covering. 



Rhexia Virginica (Deer Grass or Meadow Beauty) comes 

 into bloom about the middle of July. The plant is seldom 

 more than a foot high, bearing showy rose-purple flowers 

 about an inch wide. The large yellow stamens add much 

 to their beauty. It is a native of sandy swamps in Massachu- 

 setts, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and southward. It needs 

 moist, light soil in the sunlight. 



Sedu?n Oreganum, a Stonecrop from the north-west, is 

 quite an acquisition to a collection of this genus. Its thick, 

 leathery leaves are small but very numerous, and have a pur- 

 plish tinge, which, in a dense bed, give it a fine appearance. 

 The flowers are yellow and in cymes, much resembling those 

 of S. ternatum and S. Nevii, formerly mentioned, except in 

 color. Of its hardiness we cannot yet speak, but it seems to 

 like our summer climate and a light; loamy soil in the sun. 



Perhaps the most variable of our native Lilies in size and the 

 number of its flowers is the Wild Orange Red Lily (L. Phila- 

 delphicum). It is not rare to find in flower, in the same field, 

 stalks varying from less than a foot in height, with a single 

 diminutive blossom, to five feet high, with as many as six or 

 eight large flowers. The proportion with more than two 

 flowers to the plant is small, and most stems bear only one 

 and two. But often the very small bulbs will send up a short 

 stalk scarcely a foot high, which flowers. It is a native of dry, 

 sandy soil, and when planted in a clay or clay loam does not 

 seem to thrive at all, or, at least, I never have persuaded it to 

 flower in such soil. But in a light loamy soil it is one of the 

 easiest to grow. 



During the summer months, almost everywhere, scattered 

 over the bare summits of the higher mountains of northern 

 New England and New York, may be seen in flower the little 



Mountain Sandwort {Arenaria Grcenlandica). It is one of our 

 prettiest little alpines, and not a difficult one to grow either by 

 transplanting or from the seed. It is a little, low plant, form- 

 ing dense tufts of its short, deep green leaves, and from 

 among these, on slender, thread-like stems, scarcely three 

 inches high, are borne the white flowers. These are a third or 

 half of an inch wide. It needs a fine loamy soil, partly shaded, 

 or it may be grown in gravelly soil in a cool place. It will 

 thrive in shaded portions of the rockery. If grown from seed 

 it must be in a fine, light soil, which will not become hard and 

 which has no mixture of clay. 



Monarda didyma, commonly called Oswego Tea or Bee 

 Balm, grows much taller in cultivation than in its natural 

 home. In rich garden soil it is frequently four and a half feet 

 high, while two feet is about the height it attains in its wild 

 state. It makes a pretty garden plant, the numerous large 

 scarlet heads being quite conspicuous, and coming out in long 

 succession. It needs full sunlight and ordinary culture. 



Cimicificga ra^woiff, commonly known as Black Snake-root, 

 grows in rich woods from Maine to Wisconsin and southward. 

 Its stems are from four to eight feet high, bearing at the top 

 two or more long racemes of delicate white flowers. Most of 

 the foliage is below the middle of the stalk. It is easy of cul- 

 ture in either sun or shade, and the long racemes are useful 

 for cutting. 



Allium reticiilatic7ti, from the western states, is a fine, large 

 species. The stalks are often nearly two feet high, and each 

 bears a large, round, many-flowered umbel of pale purple, or 

 sometimes white, flowers. The flowers are very durable, 

 lasting many days. It thrives in any ordinary soil in the shade, 

 and is perfectly hardy in this climate. 

 Southwick, Mass. F. H. Horsford. 



Planting Conifers in August. 



T^HERE is still a deeply-rooted prejudice against August 

 -*- planting. The comment is made, even by nurserymen 

 and old planters, that it can be done, but that it is not prac- 

 ticable except on a limited scale and when the removals are 

 for short distances. It is even said that it is misleading the 

 public to advocate the practice. I need not now reiterate the 

 theory of the comparative rest and maturity of the top of an 

 Evergreen-tree after the middle of August, and, in contrast, 

 the activity of the roots in the warm earth during September 

 and October. It is most interesting to examine the roots of a 

 tree late in the fall which had been moved two or three months 

 previously, and to find how amply it is provided with feeders 

 not only sufficient to sustain it against the exhaustion of the 

 winter, but also to give it vigor for a strong start in the follow- 

 ing spring. But, theory aside, I am impelled to state a few 

 more facts in my own experience in addition to those hereto- 

 fore presented (see Garden and Forest, vol. ii., p. 379), 

 leaving them to have such weight as is due to them. 



In the first week of September, 1889, I transplanted a lot of 

 326 Picea pungens, thirty-one Douglas Spruce and six Norway 

 Spruce standing on a lot which I wished to clear and where 

 the soil was considered too heavy for these varieties. The 

 trees would run from two and a half to four feet in height. 

 At the present date I find all the trees in most vigorous 

 growth, with the exception of one P. pungens, which is dead. 

 It is not the success in making them live which pleases me, 

 it is the thrift of the trees, which, after an experience of forty 

 years in transplanting, I do not hesitate to say, I never saw 

 equaled in the first year of spring-planted trees. The same 

 can be said of Austrian, Scotch and White Pines, Norway 

 Spruce and Retinosporas transplanted last August. They 

 have made better growth than I ever saw in spring planting. 



But the objection is at once raised that all these were for 

 short distances, and that "with special care Evergreen-trees 

 may be moved short distances at any season of the year." 

 Without stopping to show the inadequacy of the objection to 

 meet the facts, I will cite other facts which seem to me to 

 prove clearly that long distances may be successfully overcome. 

 On the 15th of May, 1889, I received from a collector in Col- 

 orado 500 Abies concolor and 100 Junipers. On the 25th of 

 the same month I received 400 Picea pungens. These came in 

 such good condition and looked so promising that I ordered 

 from the same collector in August, 1889, a much larger num- 

 ber. Upon this July 24th, 1890, I have personally examined 

 and assisted in counting the two plantings and now submit the 

 results. 



Of the spring-planted 500 A. concolor, 190 are living ; of the 

 100 Junipers 70 are living; of the 400 P. pungens 310 are living. 

 The August collections were delayed in reaching me and were 

 planted from September 9th until the 19th. Of the 2,800/'. 

 pungens 2,332 are now living and 468 are dead. Of the 3,223 



