53° 



Garden and Forest. 



[October 29, 1890. 



common Winterberry or Black Alder (/. verticillatd). This cer- 

 tainly docs not appear to be the case in cultivation ; the fruit 

 of /. laevigata is little if any larger, and although it is less abun- 

 dant, its color is quite as bright and rich a scarlet as that of the 

 other species, and it ripens from two to three weeks earlier. 

 The foliage is smooth and glossy, giving the whole plant, when 

 in full fruitage, a very showy and attractive appearance. The 

 leaves of /. verticillata are rougher and more deeply serrated 

 and are not so glossy. The fruit is more abundant, arid prob- 

 ably the dense, short, axillary clusters, which almost encircle 

 the branches, gave rise to the rather misleading name of 

 " verticillate," or whorled. 



Although these two species have strong resemblances, they 

 each have distinct and constant characters by which they may 

 be readily identified. Both form erect, compact bushes under 

 cultivation. For general purposes in ornamental planting, I. 

 verticillata is probably the most valuable, as its more abundant 

 fruit remains in good condition for the longest time in the 

 autumn and winter. 



Arnold Arboretum. Jr. tr. j. 



Kniphofias from Seed.— The smaller growing kinds of 

 Kniphofia, such as K. Macoweni, produce seed freely and ripen 

 it much better than those that flower later. K. corallina, K. 

 nobilis and K. Saundersii are, I believe, all of garden origin, 

 and, when obtained true, are among the best of the older and 

 tried varieties. One European grower is said to have as many 

 as sixty kinds in his grounds. I would advise those who have 

 raised these plants from seed not to place much reliance on 

 their being true to name, as these Torch Lilies, so conspicuous 

 in the garden, are equally so to bees and other insects. Where 

 more than one kind is grown it is impossible to get any variety 

 true from seed, though there is the possibility that one may 

 raise plants of more value than the parents, as I have done 

 on more than one occasion. I have not seen a better kind 

 than K. corallina ; it is the most constant bloomer of all, com- 

 mencing soon after midsummer, and it continues until frost. 

 The spike is very dense and compact ; in habit it is interme- 

 diate between K. aloides and K. Macoweni. These plants are 

 indispensable in a well arranged flower border. In the eastern 

 states none are hardy, though some may live out-of-doors 

 thro ugh a mild winter, but it will take a season for them to recover 

 and to flower again. It is a simple and safe plan to lift the 

 roots and cut off the tops to within twelve inches and winter 

 in sand in a cool cellar. They should be taken out early in 

 spring, before they begin to grow, and planted in rich soil. 

 These plants well repay liberal treatment. 



South Lancaster, Mass. O. 



Laelia Eyermaniana. — During the months of July, August and 

 September plants of this attractive Laelia may be met with in 

 various collections showing their flowers. At present it is 

 little known, owing chiefly to the fact that there are not a great 

 many plants in cultivation, and also because it has only been 

 introduced about two years, having been imported in 1888 by 

 Messrs. Sander & Co., of St. Albans, with a consignment of 

 Lalia majalis. It is generally supposed to be a natural hy- 

 brid between this latter species and L. autumnalis, and there 

 is every reason to believe that such is the case, inasmuch as 

 it is impossible to distinguish the pseudo-bulbs of L. Eyer- 

 maniana from those of L. majalis, while the flower is inter- 

 mediate between the two species as far as structure and mark- 

 ings go, but, curiously enough, is much smaller than either 

 L. majalis or L. autumnalis, a fact which seems difficult to 

 explain. Last year I saw about a dozen plants in flower at one 

 time, and there was little or no variation to be noticed in them, 

 except in the number of blooms borne on the peduncles, some 

 of which bore as many as ten and twelve flowers, while others 

 had as few as three and four. The ovate-acute sepals and 

 rhomboid-acute petals are of a clear rose-purple, the sepals 

 being remarkable for having a greenish knob at the tips. The 

 erect lateral lobes of the lip are white, with divergent lines of 

 violet or purple spots on the inner surface, while the broad, 

 obovate-apiculate front lobe is dark rose, with deeper colored 

 veins on each side. On the disc are two elevated, violet- 

 spotted keels, which become constricted about midway, then 

 open out again, when a third yellow keel appears between 

 them. The slightly curved column is pure white, except at the 

 base, which is pale yellowish green, spotted with violet, The 

 pseudo-bulbs are ovoid, more or less wrinkled according to 

 age, and have two or three deep green, oblong, leathery leaves, 

 about six inches long on the summit, both leaves and bulbs, 

 as before mentioned, resembling those of L. majalis. 



As years go on, and L. Eyermaniana becomes more 

 plentiful, one may expect to meet with it more frequently than 

 at present, especially as it produces its flowers freely and re- 



tains them in a fresh condition for several weeks. The plants 

 are best suited for basket culture, and may be suspended near 

 the roof, so as to obtain plenty of light. They will thrive in a 

 cool house, although it is beneficial if a slight increase in the 

 temperature be made when they first begin to push their 

 young growths, the strength of which must act as a guide for the 

 amount of water to be given. A cool, dry atmosphere will be 

 found to keep the flowers in greater perfection than a warm, 

 moist one, which soon causes the flowers to be spotted. 



The specific name is given in compliment to Mr. J. Eyer- 

 man, of Easton, Pennsylvania, who, I believe, has a splendid 

 collection of Orchids, 

 isieworth, London. John Weathers. 



Amaryllis Belladonna.— The beautiful Belladona Lily, as it is 

 popularly called, flowered with me this autumn for the first 

 time. Early in the spring I purchased a few strong bulbs, 

 which I planted in the latter part of May in rather poor sandy 

 soil near the wall on the south side of my house, where they 

 have all the sun-heat necessary for their development. Early 

 in September the largest bulb pushed up a flower-stem which 

 reached a height of about twenty-two inches. It was dark red- 

 dish brown in color, overlaid with a delicate light bloom, like 

 that on some grapes. The flower-buds were rosy red, and 

 the flowers at the time of opening light rose with a yellowish 

 white throat, changing to dark rosy shades on the second day. 

 There were eleven flowers in the umbel, and each one lasted 

 in full beauty more than a week. This umbel of well opened 

 flowers, glittering in sunshine as if sprinkled with ice, was a 

 beautiful sight to look at. The perfume of the flowers was 

 sweet and spicy. In the northern and eastern states the Bella- 

 donna Lily must be grown in pots, as it will not endure in 

 the open air the rigors of our winter climate. It would be 

 interesting to know if this plant succeeds in the open air any- 

 where in the south. I tried to grow it in Florida, where the 

 soil is sandy, but without any marked success. Apparently, 

 the heavy rains there in summer, when all these plants are 

 resting, are fatal to their health. 



The home of Amaryllis Belladonna and its varieties is in the 

 south-western part of the Cape of Good Hope, where it grows 

 in great abundance. A. blanda, which is described in the ex- 

 cellent " Hand-book of Amaryllidea:," by Mr. J. G. Baker, as a 

 variety of A. Belladonna, appears to me to be a good species, 

 the bulbs being larger, dark brown and egg-shaped, while 

 those of A. Belladonna are brownish gray and nearly globular. 

 The flowers of A. Belladonna are more open, rosy white and 

 more fragrant. The so-called A. Hallii, which I have always 

 supposed to be near A. Belladonna, is now referred by Mr. 

 Sereno Watson (Garden and Forest, vol. iii., p. 176, Fig. 32) 

 to a distinct genus, Lycoris. In addition to this species, Ly- 

 coris squamigera, I have in cultivation L. radiata, L. radiata 

 Terracciniana and L. anrea ,■ none of these, however, have 

 flowered yet. 



Milwaukee, Wis. • H. Nehrlhlg. 



Correspondence. 



Kansas Farmers and Kansas Forests. 

 To the Editor of Garden and Forest : 



Sir. — Though Kansas possesses no timbered area that, for 

 extent or density, will compare with the forests of the eastern 

 or middle states, there is a considerable extent of country along 

 the eastern border which was originally well clothed with 

 trees — in the bottoms a heavy and valuable growth, on bluffs 

 and uplands a scattering stand of scrubby Oaks and Hickories. 

 Farther west the timbered area is narrowed and confined 

 more closely to the streams, and beyond the junction of the 

 Blue with the Kansas River the last wooded hills are 

 seen. Beyond this point the trees on the slopes of the 

 bluffs disappear, and only the banks of the streams and the 

 lower benches are wooded. Before the head waters of either 

 of our larger western rivers are reached, the last solitary 

 Cottonwood or Elm will have been passed and the Buffalo 

 Grass and the Blue-stem are masters of the field. 



The trees are not keeping their bounds without attempting 

 to acquire territory, and every rod of soil where the fires can- 

 not sweep is sooner or later covered with timber. A bend 

 of a stream nearly surrounding a bit of bottom land affords the 

 best chance for an advance if the fires are prevented from 

 entering from the unprotected side. Where natural conditions 

 or the care of man afford this protection we soon find those 

 advance guards of forest-growth, the Sumach and the Dog- 

 wood-bushes, springing up among the Blue-stem Grass. Be- 

 fore long from the midst of these thickets young Oaks, Walnuts 

 and Elms shoot up, and in a score of years form a handsome 



