I02 



Garden and Forest. 



[February 27, i88g. 



Flowers on short axillary l)raiiches, tubular, oiil' aiul a (paartur 

 inches long, erect or droopini:^ ; color, deep crimson, with 

 bright green on the scarcely rellexed segments. An easil\- 

 grown and handsome plant, the best forms of it almost e([ual'- 

 ing C. cardinalis. 



C.vciitricosa ; very similar to the last mentioned, the only 

 dilTerence being in the form of the llowers, and which is des- 

 cribed by the name. 



C. piilclulla ; introduced by Low in 1824. It forms a com- 

 pact shrnb, about two feet high, freely branched, crowded with 

 cordate-ovate leaves one inch long, which are \\()oly when 

 young, smooth and dark green when old. The llowers are 

 pendent, tubular, one and a half inches long, the segments 

 spreading ; color uniform, bright rosy red, calyx green, sta- 

 mens exserted, yellow. 



C. magiiifica ; a compact, mucli-branched sjirub, about two 

 feet high, with orticular leaves, every part covered with a 

 brown tomentum. Flowers not always drooping, tuljular, one 

 and a quarter inches long, white, covered with minute stellate 

 clusters of scale-like hairs. This is probably of garden origin, 

 the result of a cross between C. alba and some other species. 



C. Latircnciana J the largest grower of all. The type is not 

 particularly handsome, having leathery leaves, one and a half 

 to two inches long, smooth, shining al)Ove, tomentose beneath; 

 flowers in pairs or threes on the ends of short branches, green- 

 ish. It attains a lieight of thirty feet in Austr;dia. A large 

 red-flowered variety of this has been discovered in Australia 

 by Baron von Mueller, but although frequent attempts have 

 been made to introduce it, this evidently magnilicent shrub 

 remains still imknown in gardens. Seeds of it do not appear 

 to be obtainable. 



Other species are C. alba, which has small greenish-white 

 flowers, and is grown principally as a stock for grafting the 

 weaker kinds upon ; C. ceiniila, with orbicular leaves and j^ur- 

 plish flowers, sometimes met with in gardens imder the name 

 of C. Cohnllci ; C. Backhoiisiana, with ovate, thick, felt-like 

 leaves, and tubidar, yellowish green flowers ; C. longiflora, 

 very lil^ely a form of C. spcciosa ; C. Brilliant, of gartlen orij^iii, 

 with long tuljular flowers, ruid C. Harrisii, a hybrid of inferior 

 merit. Those here descril)ed at length are rcall\' lieaiitifiil 

 and useful plants for the green-house, where they llowcr fioni 

 December to April, and even longer. IV. liaison. 



Kew. 



Roses. 



Shallow Benches or Solid Beds for forcing Roses. — The ques- 

 tion, Which possesses most advantages for Rose forcing, 

 solid beds or shallow benches raised up from the ground, is 

 still discussed among growers ; and e;ich plan has earnest ad- 

 vocates. 



That both systems have advantages, under different condi- 

 tions, has been frequently proved, but how to decide which 

 method is the better adapted to particular circuinstances has 

 been a knotty question with many cultivators. 



It has been stated in favor of the bench system that the con- 

 dition of the roots was under better control, and that in conse- 

 quence the plants were not likely to take so long a rest be- 

 tween ci'ops, and the output was thereby increased, aiul also 

 that there was less risk of over-watering. 



Of course, it is quite natural that the evaporation will be 

 much more rapid from a bench containing from three to four 

 inches of soil than from a solid bed on the ground level. 

 This is a strong point in favor of the bench s)'stem. Another 

 advantage will be found by cultivators whose [)laces are situ- 

 ated in large cities in the saving of soil by this method, this 

 being a point of much importance where the sup])ly of good 

 soil within easy reach is limited, as frequently happens in such 

 cases. And in any case there is much less labor to be per- 

 formed in the preparation of the benches than in that of the 

 solid beds. But there are other things to be considered. 

 Prominent among them is the fact that many of the Roses 

 used for forcing produced better flowers the second year than 

 the first, as, for instance, Catherine Mermet, The Bride and 

 Bon Silene, and it is undoul)tedly easier to kee]> these plants 

 in good condition during the smnmer months, when they are 

 planted out in a solid bed than wdien they are planted on a 

 bench exposed on all sides to the air, and liable to be heated 

 all through by the sim to a much greater degree than is 

 necessary for the welfare of the Roses. 



It seems, therefore, that it would be wiser to adopt an inter- 

 mediate practice ratlier than to condemn either system en- 

 tirely, and use the bench plan for those varieties mostsensitix-e 

 at the roots, as Niphetos, Papa Gontier, Duke of Connaught 

 and others of similar characteristics, and the solid-bed method 

 for the stronger-growing more permanent sorts. 



But the solid beds would often produce a better resultif more 

 care were given to their preparation, especially in regard to 

 (h-ainage, as a bed placed directly on a hard sub-soil is almost 

 certain to become too wet during the winter. 



A better jiractice is to make the total depth of the bed from 

 lifteen to eighteen inches, all of which should be above the 

 l(_\cl of the groimd, and to prepare it as follows, widi such 

 mcHlifications as the circumstances UKiy require: 



Fill in the bottom of the bed to a depth of eight or ten inches 

 \\ith broken bricks, stones, clinkers or coarse cinders, and on 

 this place a layer of good sod, grass side down, idxcv which the 

 bed may be fliled up with the usual mixture of soil and fertil- 

 izers. A bed prepared on this principle will usually keep in 

 good condition for several seasons, and may be refilled with 

 soil \\'ithout distmbing the drainage. And in the construction 

 and ]irei)aration of benches for a similar purpose, di:e I'cgard 

 shoukl also be had to drainage, as it will be found that a little 

 care in this respect will be well rejiaid. 



A good way to accomplish this is by building the bench of 

 lumber six inches in width, with a space of from half an inch 

 to an inch between the boards, as these spaces are readilv 

 covered by using the rougher soil in the bottom of the l.)ench', 

 thus forming a ready means of egress for the water. 



Chestnut lumber will be found to last the longest for bench- 

 ing, but as this is not easily prociu-ed in all localities, it is not 

 very often seen in use for this pin-iiose, thoui^h where it has 

 been thoroughly tt'sted the report is usually ia\'orable. PK 



Shrubby 



Bcg-onias. 



T^HE great varii'ty now to be found in Begonias has placed 

 -»■ them in the front rank as tlecoratis'c ])lants. Growing as 

 they do without coaxing of any kintl, always bright and cheer- 

 ful in ai)pearance, handsome either in foliage or flower, c)r 

 both, they tleserye a wider appreciation tlian is now accorded 

 tliem. 



In the spring of last }ear I made a selection of the best kinds, 

 inchnling many of the new French hyljrids, and for the ])ast 

 two months, or since Chrysanthemums are out of bloom, thev 

 ha\-ebeen truly beautiful. They were treated as follows : Small 

 plants in two-inch pots (two of each variety) were re-potted 

 into fom--inch pots about the middle of April last, and kept in 

 a partially shaded green-house, without fire heat, until the 

 end of May. They were then shifted into six-incl) pots and 

 the points of the shoots were pinched out so as to make them 

 bushy. The soil used was a rich sandy loam of light 

 texture. A few days afterwards they were placed out-of- 

 doors in a shady place having a north-west exposure, watered 

 as required, and finally shifted into eight-inch pots at the end 

 of August, ;uul removed to the green-house ^vhere they tn-e 

 to-day. The night temperature has been kept at an average of 

 55°. An occasional xvatering with liquid manin-e has been 

 given, which helps materially to keep up a uniform growth. 

 Several of the plants are now covered -with bloom, while 

 others have long scapes of brilliant coloring standing boldly 

 out from the foliage. Some of the most striking kinds are. 

 to 1)0 found in the list which follows : 



J>. Gloire de Sceaux. — Bushy habit, with medium-sized, 

 deep pm-ple-bronzed leaves of a most exquisite shade ; the 

 flowers, literally covering the [)lanf, are of a lovely ]jeach-pink 

 color. 



B. Rubra (coccinea). — A very old species, with richest coral- 

 scarlet flowers, flowering freely as small plants, but at its best 

 when grovN'u into large plants. 



B. Incarnata. (Insigne). — Flowers large, deep flesh pink, 

 plant bushy and very showy. 



B. Diadcnia. — A distinct species, having palm-shaped 

 leaves of bright sea-green, marbled with olive-green and 

 spotted with white ; flowers white. 



Bi Alba pitta. — A little gem, having narrow lanceolate 

 leaves, dotted all o\'er with white s]3ots. The flowers are 

 greenish white, shadeil with bronze, in panicles from the under 

 side of ])lant. 



B. C/^w.— Olive-green, metallic shaded leaves peculiarly 

 formed and disposed, flowers very large, greenish-white, 

 produced from the axils of the leaves on the main stem ; 

 an elf'ective kind. 



B. seinpcrflorens rubra. — Bright, shining green foliage, 

 with large panicles of carmine-red flowers. Another variety 

 of semperflorens, Amelia, has larger and brighter flowers. 



B. discolor. Madam Lennet. — Leaves olive-green, mar- 

 bled with gray-white, flowers large, deep pink. 



B. discolor, M. HARDY. — Leaves deep reddish-bronze, 

 marked with white, flowers rose. 



