24 



Garden and Forest. 



[January 9, 1889. 



Notes. 



Dr. Kegel, in a private note, calls attention to the interesting 

 fact that Picea pungens, the so-called Colorado or Blue Spruce 

 of the Central Rocky Mountains, is by far the hardiest and 

 most desirable of all the Spruces in the very severe and trying 

 climate of St. Petersburg. 



Among Mowers forced for the holiday trade in this city were 

 both white and red varieties of the Japan Quince. The white 

 was especially admired, making a satisfactory substitute for 

 Orange blossoms. These plants flower under glass as readily 

 as Lilacs. They are grown in pots for a year l)efore being 

 forced, to encourage an abundant growth of roots. 



Professor B. D. Halsted, of the Agricultural College of Iowa, 

 will remove ne.xt month to New Brunswick, New Jersey, to 

 accept the Chair of Botany in Rutger's College, and to assume 

 charge of the Horticultural Department of the Agricultural 

 Experiment Station. Professor Halsted will continue his 

 special study of American weeds, and will be glad to receive 

 reports in regard to plant pests from any part of the continent. 



The value of the so-called Japanese Ivy [Ainpelopsis 

 Veitchii) for use along railroads is rapidly being recognized. 

 Its compact, clinging habit serves to bind together loose stones 

 and shaly surfaces, thus protecting the sides of embankments 

 and cuttings, and in consequence the track itself, while de- 

 lighting, in summer, the eyes of the weary traveler. Thous- 

 ands of plants are already sold each year to railroad companies. 



During the past season Mr. A. A. Crozier cross-fertilized a 

 large number of the blossoms of different kinds of Apples, 

 Pears, Plums, Grapes and Squashes, with a view to ascertain 

 whether any effect from the cross appears in the fruit of the 

 first year. An accomit of the results of these tests is given in 

 full in the December number of Agricultural Science, and in 

 no case could the influence of the variety furnishing the 

 pollen be detected in the fruit. 



The cultivation of flowers for the manufacture of perfumes 

 has been begun in this country with seemingly good results. 

 A company already exists in Florida which has planted for this 

 purpose 200 acres in Tuberoses, while a correspondent of The 

 American Garden writes from South Carolina that the prepara- 

 tion of pomades is easily practiced by individuals, and that 

 she is herself engaged in it, having planted this fall 150,000 

 Tuberoses (which require three acres of ground) and 

 about double the quantity of Jonquils, and having engaged 

 10,000 roots of Violets for spring planting. 



The teak baskets which are commonly used in England for 

 growing epiphytal Orchids are made of wood obtained from 

 broken-up ships in the London docks. The wood is supplied 

 in square rods about as long as ordinary builders' laths, 

 though, of course, a good deal thicker. The edges of the 

 rods are rounded off, and then they are cut into the required 

 lengths and pierced at each end with holes, through which 

 copper wires are inserted to bind them together. Such baskets 

 are said to last from ten to twelve years if thoroughly cleansed 

 whenever a plant is removed from them. They are furnished 

 in every size from three inches to a yard square. 



Among the newer and more promising varieties of Grapes 

 is a very early, greenish-white one, first brought to notice by 

 Mr. James M. Paul, of North Adams, Massachusetts, who found 

 it growing wild in the Green Moimtains, after which it has 

 been named. Mr. E. S. Goff, who has fruited this Grape for 

 the past two seasons, writes in Popular Gardening that it 

 ripens about with Champion, while in quality it ranks with the 

 best. The vine is vigorous and quite productive, bearing 

 medium-sized, not very compact bunches, with berries a little 

 larger than those of the Delaware. The flesh is quite free 

 from hard pulp, and entirely without harshness or foxiness, 

 and its flavor is very sweet, with a sHght inclination toward 

 the vinous. The Green Mountain is the only Grape so far 

 tested at the New York Experiment Station which is at once 

 very early and of the best quality. 



The meeting of the Illinois State Agricultural Society held 

 last week proved unusually profitable and pleasant. The 

 managers made a special effort to secure a fine display of 

 fruit, and especially of new varieties from all parts of the 

 state, and so many liberal premiums were offered, that all exhib- 

 itors of fine specimens were sure of gaining something to 

 help pay expenses. These facts were well advertised through 

 the press and by private letters, and as a result, the attendance 

 was very large, even the remote parts of the state being 

 well represented. One session of the meeting was conducted 

 entirely by the young people, who read carefully prepared 

 papers and discussed the subjects presented with such intelli- 



gence, that the session was pronounced the most interesting 

 of the entire series. It is probable that other states will 

 follow the example of Illinois in this particular, as it promises 

 to encourage the study and practice of certain branches of 

 horticidture among the boys and girls from the farms, as well 

 as those in towns and cities. 



We have already referred to Dr. Ernst's first article, pub- 

 lished in the Gartenflora, on " Horticulture in Caracas." It 

 has been followed by a second chapter that contains much in- 

 teresting information with regard to the plants which flourish 

 in the Venezuelan climate, and those which, upon trial, have 

 been foimd ill suited to it. The cifltivation of useful plants, 

 he tells us, has lagged so far behind that of flowering and orna- 

 mental plants, that it is no exaggeration to say, not a single new 

 fruit or vegetable has been introduced into the country during 

 the last fifty years. On the other hand, the prices paid for 

 flowers are enormous, running so high in the case of native 

 Orchids, that their re-importation from England may prove 

 profitable. A specimen of Cattleya Wagneriana, with twelve 

 leaves and eight blossoms, had recently been offered to the 

 author for $45, and he attributes such demands to the fact, that 

 collectors for English firms have given such enormous sums 

 for white-flowering Cattleyas, that the natives in consequence 

 have " lost their heads " to a degree which can only be cured 

 by a persistent abstention from purchase on the part of local 

 customers. That they have by no means lost their cunning, is 

 shown by the statement that they treat the common Cattleya 

 MossicE with sulphur fumes so as to make it look like 

 C. Reineckiana, bring the plants bearing these blanched 

 blossoms to unsuspecting amateurs in twilight hours, and 

 often receive large prices for them. 



Professor L. H. Bailey recently contributed to The American 

 Garden some " Rural Notes from Scandinavia," from which we 

 extract the following passages : "In ornamental gardening the 

 traveler finds much to admire, particularly in Sweden. There 

 is not that richness of finish and variety of plants which one 

 sees in England, but there is usually a most excellent and 

 tasteful use of materials. The Slots Park, at Christiania, is an 

 admirable example of the adaptation of common plants to or- ■ 

 namental gardening of a high character. The greater part of 

 the plantings are Birches and Elms, trees which everywhere 

 clothe the adjacent hill-sides. Perhaps the very contrast of this 

 simple park with the ornate and biu^dened ones of England 

 and other parts of Europe may heighten its charms in the 

 mind of the traveler. Yet one must feel that the absence of 

 effort and artifice and the repose which comes from the vei"y 

 simplicity of its design and details gives this park an intrinsic 

 merit. Parks are usually burdened with accessories, mere 

 display, a feature of gardening — if gardening it can be called — 

 which is supported and often demanded by the popular desire 

 for show and curiosities. One extreme in this direction now 

 holds rule in America — the craze for carpet-bedding, which is 

 so generally and so unfortunately denominated landscape-gar- 

 dening ! It is said that American carpet-bedding ' beats the 

 world,' and my own observation thus far sustains the boast, 

 much to the credit of other countries." 



At the International Exposition held at Barcelona during the 

 past season, the Department of Forestry was a conspicuous 

 feature. It embraced general forest maps of Spain and more 

 detailed maps of the different provinces ; maps showing the 

 distribution of the most important trees, such as the Aleppo 

 Pine, the Beech, Cork Oak, etc.; a herbarium of the plants of 

 the forest ; relief plans of the Mountain of Covadonga, and of 

 the Dunes of Cadiz, with their artificial plantations, plans for 

 forest cottages for workingmen and forest guardians. One of 

 the most interesting things in the exhibition was a scheme 

 for the establishment of a telegraph system to announce fires 

 in the forest. A detailed forest map of the Philippine Islands 

 was contributed from the Bureau of the Minister of Foreign 

 Affairs. The second section of the exhibition contained a 

 large collection of forest products, such as woods, resins, 

 barks, various textile products, specimens of charcoal and 

 seeds of trees. In this collection there is also a very large 

 collection of woods and other industrial and economic pro- 

 ducts of the Philippines. All the instruments used in the 

 Spanish Forest Department were displayed, while upon a lawn 

 near the exhibition building, a miniature mountain was 

 created, upon which were shown, of the size of life, the different 

 methods used for transporting wood from mountain forests, 

 such as slides, narrow gauge railroads, and the like. A col- 

 lection of insects, wild animals and fish collected in the Spanish 

 forests, made another group of this exhibition, which was 

 probably the most complete and interesting seen in Europe 

 for many years. 



