126 



Garden and Forest. 



[March 13, 1889. 



The variegated form of Yucca filatnentosa was shown 

 \\\ capital condition, by means of a dozen plants in 

 eight-inch pots, the leaves being one foot long by two 

 inches broad, bright green, with broad marginal bands of 

 creamy white, the characteristic curly filaments being of a 

 pale brown color. Such plants take a long time, at least six 

 years, to grow from small suckers, and it is difficult to keep 



strong language, such as few practical men will indorse. 

 There can be no question that it is worse than waste of time 

 to graft many plants which do as well, or even better on their 

 own roots. Roses are a case in point, few of these plants 

 being better when grafted than when raised from cuttings, 

 whilst many of them are much worse. It is a fact that very 

 few of the Pome and Drupe families existing in English gar- 



Auburndale Station, Boston & Albany Railroad. — See page 124. 



them in health. But when grown as those exhibited were 

 they are exceedingly handsome. They color better and keep 

 their health better also when grown in a warm frame or green- 

 house than when kept cool. Out-of-doors this variegated form 

 succumbs to the cold and wet of our winters. 



A collection of variegated Kale attracted much atten- 

 tion, owing to the clearness and prettiness of the colors — 

 creamy white, with very crisp margins, and the nar- 

 rowest band of emerald green ; others bright purple 

 with green edges, others magenta and green, and so 

 on. In cool conservatories these plants might fill the 

 place in winter which Coleuses occupy in summer. .Sev- 

 eral collections of Cyclamens were shown, all of the plants 

 being good, although not above the average attained by 

 London growers of these plants. Messrs. Veitch sent a c.of- 

 lectionof flowers of the Javanese Rhododendrons, which seem 

 to be perpetually in bloom with them. They also exhibited 

 plants of Cypripediuin Lathami, a hybrid raised from C. Spicer- 

 ianum and C. villosion. It is at least as good a plant as C. 

 Leeaniun superbum. Singularly enough the floral committee 

 did not consider it worthy an award of any kind. Another 

 hybrid called C. J. B. Haywood, the offspring of C. Brtirjz and 

 C. superbie7is was poor in color, in fact, one of those hybrids 

 which ought to be destroyed as unworthy of their parents. 

 When is selection to operate amongst the hybrid Cypripedi- 

 ums ? 



Some fine collections of Apples were exhibited by Messrs. 

 Rivers, Bunyardand others. A collection of fruits of Oranges, 

 Lemons, Shaddocks, etc., and a small bush covered with pale 

 yellow fruits was exhibited under the name of Bijou Orange. 



The value of grafting and budding in horticulture is being 

 discussed in the Garden in sucli a manner as is likely to throw 

 a good deal of light on a subject of vast importance, especially 

 to fruit-growers. Some of the writers condemn grafting of ail 

 kinds whatsoever, one declaring thatitis "jugglery," "a sham, 

 very often a fraud, and nearly alwavs a delusion." This is 



dens are on their own roots. If all this proves to be wrong, 

 we shall stand convicted of one of the biggest mistakes ever 

 perpetrated in horticulture. That tliis cannot, however, be, I 

 know from a very simple Vjut conclusive bit of evidence no 

 older than last October. One night toward the end of that 

 month we had a severe frost. In a London nursery, where 

 Peaches and Nectarines are grown in thousands, I saw many 

 rows of low-budded, fan-shaped trees, every one of which 

 was frost-bitten at the collar, just above the stock, whereas on 

 the same ground not twenty yards away a bed of standard- 

 grafted Peaches was unaffected. The difference between the 

 temperature on the ground and six feet above is about five 

 degrees, and tlie scion was unable to bear the temperature 

 which the stock liad safely weathered. To what extent is 

 grafting practised in America? It would be easy to mention 

 hundreds of failures attributable to grafting, more especially 

 among Coniferse and among many otlier trees and shrubs. In 

 a great many cases it is by far the best plan to use stocks of 

 the same kind as the scion. In a great many more it would 

 be preferable to raise the plants direct from cuttings. 



Kew, February 15th, 



W. Watson. 



"There is no part of improvement in which cautious opera- 

 tion is so necessary as in opening scenery. Injudicious plant- 

 ing may be remedied ; but the evil resulting from injudicious 

 removal can never be repaired, at least in the lifetime of the 

 owner who has fallen into this common and destrucdve error. 

 I was once consulted upon theimprovement of aplaceonalarge 

 scale. The striking fault was the want of trees on the fore- 

 ground connected with the house. I therefore marked several 

 places for groups and single trees to supply this deficiency. 

 But what was my astonishment Avhen the owner told me he 

 had cut down the trees that had occupied the very situation I 

 had selected for planting." — From Gilpin's "Practical Hints 

 on Landscape Gardening." 



