AUGSUT 28, 1889.] 



Garden and Forest. 



409 



GARDEN AND FOREST. 



PUBLISHED WEEKLY BV 



THE GARDEN AND FOREST PUBLISHING CO. 



Office : Tribune Building, New Yoric. 



Conducted by . . 





. Professor C. S. 



Sargbnt. 



ENTERED AS SECOND-CLASS MATTER AT THE POST OFFICE AT NEW 



YORK, N. Y. 



NEW YORK, 



WEDNESDAY, 



, AUGUST 28, 



1889. 



TABLE OF CONTENTS, 



PAGE. 



Editorial: — Problems in Horticulture 409 



How to Mask the Foundations of a Country House. — IV 409 



Miles Joseph Berkeley VV. G. F. 410 



The Fairbanks House at Dedham (with illustration.) 411 



Notes Upon Some North American Trees. — Yl\ .. Professor C. S. Sargent. 412 

 New or Little Known Plants : — Tigridia buccifera (With Figure), 



Sereno IVafson 412 



Foreign Correspondence : — London Letter IF. Goldrhig. 412 



Cultural Department: — Some August-Flowering Shrubs jf. G Jack. 415 



Native and Japan Plums .' J. I'V. Kerr. 415 



Asparagus from Seed W. H. Bull. 415 



Notes on Wild Flowers F. H. Horsford. 416 



Orchid Notes F. Goldring. 417 



The Hardy Flower Garden O. 417 



The Dwarf Cannas G. 417 



Dwarf Herbaceous Phloxes 417 



Correspondence: — Conifers for Planting on the Plains B. E. Fernoiu. 417 



Direct Influence of Pollen on the Orange Rev. Lyman Phelps. 418 



The Chinese Quince Thomas Meehan and Son and F. M. Hexamer. 419 



Strawberry Plants for a New Bed C. L. Jones. 419 



Recent Plant Portraits 419 



Notes 420 



Illustrations : — -Tigridia buccifera, Fig. 125 -,., , 401 



The Fairbanks House at Dedham 415 



Problems in Horticulture. 



THE letter from Rev. Lyman Phelps, on another page 

 of this issue, gives some facts which confirm his 

 belief in the immediate influence of foreign pollen on the 

 constitution and quality of the Orange. The fruit on other 

 trees in groves where certain strains of the Navel and 

 Blood Oranges are growing is changed, according to his 

 observation, in general appearance, form and flavor, par- 

 taking of the qualities of the two varieties named. Of 

 course, it is not demonstrated that the change does not 

 come from variation in the bud ; but no one is prepared 

 to say, with certainty, that changes in a fruit are never 

 due to the influence of pollen from another plant. 

 Practical cultivators believe that, with fruits, as a rule, 

 no such change need be expected. Some varieties of 

 our native Plums, when planted by themselves, bear spar- 

 ingly, because, as it is assumed, their ovules are im- 

 perfectly fertilized. When, however, these trees are 

 planted near others which yield abundant pollen, a larger 

 amount of fruit is set. It is supposed that this is due to the 

 fact that pollen from surrounding trees is conveyed to 

 the stigmas of the flowers of the native Plums. But no 

 one expects to find any change in the fruit The Wild 

 Goose Plum remains the same, no matter where the pollen 

 comes from. Certain varieties of Grapes are also more pro- 

 ductive when planted near vines which yield abundant 

 pollen, but the fruit remains identical with that from self- 

 fertilized flowers. Elaborate experiments have been made 

 by Mr. A. A. Crozier and others in crossing Apples, Grapes, 

 Pears, Plums and Squashes, and in no instance did the in- 

 fluence of the foreign cross appear the first season, and 

 yet, in the absence of direct proof, we must admit that here 

 is a problem which is not completely solved. 



For several months an energetic discussion has been 

 carried on in English horticultural journals as to certain 

 alleged evils arising from the practice of grafting. The 

 positions taken on either side of the controversy show 

 how widely at variance are the views of practical propa- 

 gators on matters which may be of vital importance in the 

 history of the plant treated. Incidentally, many related 

 questions are suggested. At what age does a tree furnish 

 buds or cions which will prove the most healthy, long- 



lived and productive.'' Will there be any difference in the 

 result if buds or cions are taken from different parts of the 

 same tree.^ Or, do buds taken from the leader of a nursery 

 tree develop into trees which differ in productiveness or 

 vigor from those originating in buds from side branches .' 

 Is there any difference, for grafting purposes, between the 

 terminal bud and buds lower down ; and how near the 

 end of the shoot should we look for the buds which will 

 make the healthiest tree.? Questions like these are of 

 practical moment. It seems to be admitted that improper 

 selection of stock and cion will cause a deterioration of the 

 plant, but many propagators have an opinion that buds 

 and cions can be chosen and set so as to perpetuate the 

 qualities we wish to retain. Can more than this be ac- 

 complished? In a late number of this journal, Professor 

 Goff pointed out the fact that the Wilson Strawberry has 

 improved under a system of propagation from offsets. In 

 an address before the Pomological Society in Florida last 

 winter, he also called attention to experiments at Geneva 

 which seemed to show that potatoes can be improved by 

 a certain method of selection. In view of these facts, it is 

 not impossible that by some system of budding or grafting 

 certain desirable qualities in plants can be actually in- 

 creased. 



But if it is assumed that the only hope of improvement 

 in plants lies in the production of seedlings, a thousand 

 other questions at once obtrude themselves upon us. If a 

 seed which results from hybridizing or cross-fertilization is 

 sown, what qualities are most likely to be transmitted from 

 the pollen-parent and what ones from the mother plant .-" It 

 has been suggested that a cross might be produced between 

 Prunus Siinoni and some of OLir varieties of the Peach with 

 the possibility of securing a fruit of good quality that could 

 be grown in more northern latitudes. In the same way, a 

 cross between the Japanese Persimmon and our native 

 Diospyrus might possibly yield a fruit approaching in size 

 and quality the Japanese product, and equaling our native 

 fruit in hardiness : In either case, whicli kind should we 

 select as the pollen-parent with the greatest hope of suc- 

 cess .? Certain varieties of the Peach and Pkim will come 

 true from the planted pit ; to what extent is it possible to 

 secure the same result with Apple seeds, for example, from 

 blossoms in which self-fertilization has been made certain } 

 Some experiments by Dr. Sturtevant seem to indicate that 

 Raspberry seedlings produce a better average quality of 

 fruit when they originate from few-seeded berries than they 

 do when they originate from many-seeded berries, and this 

 suggests the advisability of making similar tests in other 

 fields. 



But there is no need of multiplying questions of this sort. 

 What we desire to call attention to is that our knowledge 

 of the principles which underlie ordinary horticultural 

 practice is limited in every direction. Considering the 

 nature of the subject, and the mystery which envelops 

 all the processes of life, it is not surprising that we know 

 so little, but it will be surprising if the spirit of awakened 

 inquiry does not prompt students to more thorough and 

 systematic investigation in this field than have been 

 hitherto undertaken. There certainly is no lack of oppor- 

 tunity for our experiment stations to prove that they can 

 be of practical benefit to all who have gardens and 

 orchards. 



How to Mask the Foundations of a Country 

 House. — IV. 



IT has been said that the color of their foliage, as well as 

 their form, should be considered in grouping shrulis about 

 the base of a house. The Howers which they bear likewise 

 demand attention. A succession of bloom throughout the 

 season should be secured, while the more common practice is 

 to select only such plants as flower in early spring. Some 

 favorite shruli, with very conspicuous fiowers, like a For- 

 sythia, is often repeatedly introduced in scattered positions, 

 producing a restless, patchy effect of color that could be ob- 

 viated by a little massing. It should be remembered, too, that 

 a plant with pink or lilac blossoms will not often look well next 



