December 31, 1890.] 



Garden and Forest. 



637 



Leichtlin's seed, and those who wish to try again should do so 

 through this source. This Larkspur is hardy in Massachusetts, 

 but whether a perennial or biennial has not yet been stated 

 decisively. 



It is a matter of surprise to me that American dealers in 

 hardy plants have not yet taken in hand Phygelius Capensis. 

 This fine plant is hardy in Britain, where it is common in gar- 

 dens, as also in other parts of Europe, where it can be ob- 

 tained easily, and the plant is of the kind that travels well. 

 Inability to endure transportation is a serious obstacle to the 

 introduction of many beautiful plants that are rare in gardens 

 simply for this cause. Onosma Taurica is a fair example of 

 this. I was much pleased recently to meet with Phygelius Ca- 

 pensis, and to learn that it is hardy in this state with a little 

 protection. It was thriving and flowering freely alongside of 

 Passiflora incarnata. Phygelius Capensis grows about three 

 feet high. One-half of the plant's stature goes to form a large- 

 branched panicle of bright scarlet flowers, resembling some- 

 what those of Pentstemon Torreyi, and, in a word, the plant 

 has all the merits of this Pentstemon without its one fault- 

 namely, a tall habit compared with the strength of its flower- 

 ing shoots. This Phygelius propagates readily from cuttings, 

 and seeds are said to germinate readily also, but such has not 

 been my experience, though it may have been that the 

 seeds had lost their germinating power. However, cuttings 

 root readily in about three weeks, and this may possibly be 

 the best way to increase the plant. Even should this plant not 

 prove hardy, it is a desirable one on account of its long flow- 

 ering season, which lasts nearly all summer. While one pos- 

 sesses but a limited number of these plants it would be 

 perhaps better to lift and store them in a cellar or other suita- 

 ble place until their hardiness in particularly cold localities has 

 been tested and satisfactorily proved. 



South Lancaster, Mass. -&• U- Urpet. 



The Forest. 



Some Vermont Forests. 



THE numerous stumps of large Pine-trees and long stretches 

 of stump fences still remaining in many portions of Ver- 

 mont testify to an original supply of fine timber, such as exists 

 now, if at all, in very small patches. The coniferous trees 

 which are used for lumber — Spruce, Pine and Hemlock — are 

 fast disappearing. Indeed, the fine first growth of Pine timber 

 is already a thing of the past here. Among the mountains 

 remote from railroads some fine Spruce lumber is still standing, 

 but even in these retreats great inroads are being made. One 

 needs only to compare the condition of a few such localities in 

 their present condition with what they were ten or twelve 

 years ago to comprehend what is going on. Twelve years ago 

 the Spruce timber in the immediate vicinity of Mount Mans- 

 field had not been touched, or at least only on its outskirts. 

 On both sides of this grand mountain noble forests were 

 standing. On the Stowe side, between the north end of Mansfield 

 and Mount Sterling, which lies to the east, is what is called 

 Smugglers' Notch — a wild cut between the two mountains on 

 both sides of which are high jagged cliffs. Under and among 

 these may be found flourishing in their season such rare 

 boreal and alpine plants as have tempted many botanists to 

 make long journeys to this spot for the purpose of seeing and 

 collecting them in their natural home. At that time the road 

 to this notch from the south led through nearly four miles of 

 unbroken woods. The mountain slopes on both sides were 

 covered with timber, a large part of which was fine first-growth 

 Spruce. The carriage road leading to the summit of Mount 

 Mansfield from the Stowe side also passed through much good 

 timber. Several miles south of Mansfield is what is called 

 Nebraska Notch, another wild pass through the mountain 

 chain, with bare cliffs on the north and a sloping forest south. 

 For miles east of this stretched a dark Spruce forest, perhaps 

 as fine as the Green Mountains could afford. 



Ten years have destroyed much of the beauty of these loca- 

 tions. A steam mill, located near the south end of Smug- 

 glers' Notch, has wrought much of this destruction ; but 

 on both sides of the mountain well up toward the sum- 

 mit, or as far as the timber of marketable size extends, and 

 eastward of the Nebraska Notch, the Spruce-timber large 

 enough for use has been cut, and much of it at a very small 

 profit I am told. This seems probable, for it is fifteen miles 

 to the nearest railroad station from most of it. 



Another interesting locality was at Willoughby Lake. Here 

 was a beautiful sheet of water, pure and cool, between two 

 mountains, with its shores, especially on the west, embraced 

 by a fine first growth timber. There was a remoteness and 

 seclusion about this place that seemed to defy intrusion. This 



was the condition of Willoughby in 1878. Since that time the 

 woods have been invaded, the little lake turned into a mill- 

 pond, and the stamp of general desolation which lumbermen 

 usually leave behind them is written on nearly every feature 

 of this once beautiful spot. 



The same thing is going on in other portions of the state. 

 The large steam mill at North Stratford, New Hampshire, is 

 fed, I believe, from the forests of north-eastern Vermont. The 

 large quantities of saw-logs which in their season cover the 

 Connecticut River above Wells River do not all come from 

 New Hampshire. 



The time is not far distant when Vermont will hardly be able 

 to show within her borders a fair sample of her once abundant 

 mountain forests. 

 Southwick, Mass. F. H. Horsford. 



Correspondence. 



The Nomenclature of American Grapes. 

 To the Editor of Garden and Forest : 



Sir. — I send you the result of some inquiries concerning 

 Vahlenberg's V. pahnata which seems to settle in this country 

 (it has already been settled in France, where American Grapes 

 are most diligently studied) the dispute as to which name 

 should be used, V. rubra, Mx., or V. palmata, Vahl., to desig- 

 nate the species of Grape which was rediscovered by H. Eggert 

 on the Mississippi River above St. Louis in 1882, and which 

 Dr. Engelmann, in the Bushberg Catalogue, 1883, claimed to 

 identify as Vahl.'s V. pahnata, which he so classified, and which 

 was illustrated for the first time in the July, 1889, Garden and 

 Forest, under Engelmann's name, V. palmata. 



In the January number, 1884, of La Vigne Americaine, pub- 

 lished in France, J. E. Planchon, referring to Engelmann's use 

 of V. palmata, reviewed all the evidence then at command 

 bearing upon the subject (pages 15-20). I make here a few 

 extracts from Planchon's article : " Sous le nom de Vitis 

 pahnata, le botaniste danois Vahl. a d£crit, en 1794, dans ses 

 Symbolce botanicce (3 e partie, p. 42), une vigne qu'il avait recue 

 du Jardin des Plantes de Paris et a laquelle il consacre l'article 

 suivant que je traduis du latin en francais," etc. After 

 Vahl's description as translated by Planchon the latter re- 

 marks : " Une description aussi incomplete, ne comprenant ni 

 les fleurs, ni le fruit, devait laisserdesdoutessurla determina- 

 tion de cette plante. Aussi l'a-t-on rapportee souvent comme 

 synonyme a d'autres especes, par example au Riparia de 

 Michaux, a l'Estivalis du mSme auteur, ou meme au Labrusca 

 de Linne." 



From the above it appears that Vahlenberg obtained the 

 plant he described so incompletely from the Jardin des Plantes 

 in Paris. This plant it appears had several synonyms, such 

 as V. Virginiana, V. Virginica and V. Virginiensis (see Plan- 

 chon's article, pp. 16 and 17). Finally, in summing up the whole 

 matter, Planchon says (p. 20) that the evidence " me confirme 

 tout a fait dans l'ide"e que le Vitis rubra, Michaux, est distinct 

 du Palmata, Vahl." 



This decision from such an eminent ampelographer as J. E. 

 Planchon should of itself be sufficient ; but to make doubly 

 certain, I wrote to Professor Pierre Viala, who was for years 

 associated with Planchon, who three years ago visited this 

 country on a special commission from the French govern- 

 ment to investigate the native Grapes of the United States, 

 who since that time has published the completest works 

 upon our species extant, and who this year spent six months 

 in Paris as a specialist in Viticulture for the French govern- 

 ment to investigate the plant in question, in the Garden of 

 Plants, Paris, and let me know whether it is the true V. rubra 

 of Michaux or not; and here is his reply, dated November 1 ith, 

 1890 : 



" Le V. palmata de Vahlenberg du Jardin des Plantes de 

 Paris est un V. riparia, et non le vrai V. rubra, de Michaux." 



Hence we have in synonymy V. rubra, Mx.; Syn., V. pal- 

 mata, England, Bushberg Catlg., 1883, and Garden and For- 

 est, July, 1889; V. riparia, Mx. ; Syn., V. pahnata, Vahl. So 

 V. palmata must not be used except as a synonym. 



It will be remembered that in an article of mine published 

 in Garden and Forest for October 1st V. pahnata was sub- 

 stituted where I had written V. rubra. 



Denison, Texas. *, V. MuilSOH. 



[The question raised is one as to the weight of authori- 

 ties. Dr. Engelmann, a very careful student, had no doubt 

 that Michaux's Vitis rubra was identical with the older V. 

 palmata of Vahl (not Vahlenberg). Planchon, on the other 

 hand, thought that he had reason to believe that Vahl's 

 plant was a form of V. riparia. We have never seen the 



