420 



Garden and Forest. 



[August 28, 1889. 



Zealand, and the most conspicuous one from the great abun- 

 dance of broad white corymbs, which terminate every branch- 

 let and cover the plant with a sheet of flowers. The tree is 

 twenty feet high, with spreading branches, smelling faintly of 

 nuisk. 



DiSA l.ACERA, var. MULTii'iDA, t. 7066, a beautiful blue flow- 

 ered species. 



Encryphya PINNATIFOLIA, t. 7067, a Small, bushy Chilian 

 tree, with pinnate leaves and flowers like large, single white 

 roses. After the petals fall away the stamens persist, and are 

 themselves very ornamental. 



Notes. 



The Japanese Platycodon Mariesi, of v\'hich mention is made 

 in another column of this issue, is highly commended as a 

 plant for the rock-garden in English horticultural papers. 



Governor Green, of New Jersey, has appointed Andrew J. 

 Fuller, Professor Byron D. Halsted and W. A. Stiles as dele- 

 gates from that State to the meeting of the American Forestry 

 Congress, to be held in Philadelphia in October. 



The officers elected by the Society of American Florists for 

 the year are as follows : President, J. M. Jordan, of St. Louis ; 

 Vice-President, M. H. Norton, of Boston ; Secretary, William 

 J. Stewart, of Boston ; Treasurer, W. H. Hunt, of Terre 

 Haute. 



A National Chrysanthemiun Society was organized last 

 week, with John Thorpe, of Pearl River, New York, as Presi- 

 dent ; William K. Harris, of Philadelphia, Vice-President ; 

 Edwin Lonsdale, of Philadelphia, Secretary, and John Lane, of 

 Chicago, Treasurer. 



The Society of American Florists presents the name of 

 Dr. Hexamer as the executive head of the agricultural part of 

 the World's Fair in 1892. Dr. Hexamer is widely known as 

 editor of the American Agriculturist z.\\6. as one of the leading 

 authorities in the country on pomology. Mr. John Thorpe 

 was, of course, recommended by the same body to represent 

 the interests of floriculture. 



A very neat plant for rock-work or border is Plumbago Lar- 

 penicc, which is now covered with its intensely blue flowers. 

 It is perfectly hardy in this latitude, spreads rapidly and soon cov- 

 ers a large space, running with wiry stems in a half-prostrate 

 way and never attaining more than six or eight inches in 

 height. It starts late in spring, but begins to bloom here in 

 early August, and continues to flower abundantly till freezing 

 weather. 



Plants of a so-called White Huckleberry (a variety of Gay- 

 lussacia resinosa) sent to the Arnold Arboretum last year by 

 Mr. B. W. Westbrook, of Montague, New Jersey, bore a small 

 quantity of fruit this season. When ripe the color is a yel- 

 lowish-white on the under side, deepening to a pale crimson 

 on the side exposed to the sun. As is the case with white or 

 light-colored varieties of many other fruits, the berries of this 

 are much sweeter than the typical black fruit which it resem- 

 bles in size and other respects. 



The London Garden protests against the irrational desire to 

 increase tlie size of many flowers. One of the prettiest things 

 that have suffered in this way is the Petunia ; the most free 

 l)looming and constant of summer flowers is spoilt by this 

 absurd desire for size. The huge flimsy blooms, too heavy to 

 support themselves, are the perfection of ugliness, and show 

 the flower in a false light. When a bed of this large-flow- 

 ered strain is planted out in a somewhat exposed position, 

 where the Petunia under ordinary conditions would do 

 well, the thin, weak blooms cannot withstand the wind 

 that would leave unharmed a strain of medium size and de- 

 cided colors. The African Marigold is another case in point. 

 The huge globe-like flowers are as ungraceful as it has been 

 possible for the florist to make them, and yet he is not content 

 even with this extreme and unnatural development, but aims 

 at still further " improvement." It is the same with the Holly- 

 hock, tuberous Begonia, Chrysanthemum, Pansy, Balsam and 

 many another garden flower ; all are in danger of permanent 

 disfigurement by this crazy fashion. 



At Headingley, not far away from Leeds, still stands an 

 ancient Oak-tree " which is believed by devout antiquaries to 

 have been part of the ancient forest which may have given its 

 name to the town. The tree certainly gave its name to the 

 'wapen-take' Skyrack (Shire-Oak), and it may have witnessed 

 in successive ages the horrible rites of the Druids, the assemb- 

 lings of local crusaders, and the markets of tlirifty cloth-work- 



ers. Be that as it may, the Oak even in its decay is regarded 

 with veneration. Winter storms have done much to shear it 

 of its mighty proportions, for Whitaker's drawing in i8i6shows 

 a more stately wreck than that of to-day. The last great branch 

 fell in 1883 ; a portion of it was sold for ^100 to furniture- 

 makers, and tlie old man who owns the remains of the trunk 

 has been offered ;/j2oo for them as they stand. His joy in the 

 tree is more to him than the money, but there is some fear 

 lest his successors may take a more mercenary view." An 

 illustration from a recent drawing shows us an immensely 

 massive and still lofty trunk, devoid of all but the stumps of 

 jjranches and with a hollow, like a great arched doorway, 

 yawning in its side, but still clothed to a considerable extent 

 with fresh sprouting foliage. 



In the West American Scientist Mr. Edward Palmer writes 

 entertainingly of the fruit of the Opuntia, or Tuna, as it is 

 called in Mexico, where it forms the principal article of food 

 for many of the natives during several months of the year. 

 The Tuna of the Mexicans must not be confounded with the 

 Opuntias found in southern California and Arizona. Many 

 valuable varieties of Opuntia are found growing in the Cactus- 

 belt of Mexico, and seeds of some of the most desirable were 

 furnished originally by the United States Department of Agri- 

 culture. When new varieties are produced by artificial cross- 

 ing and selection as great improvement may be expected as 

 has been made with other cultivated fruits, but the different 

 varieties now have no distinctive names. This Cactus requires 

 little care, and thrives on almost any soil, but it reaches its 

 best condition on the table-lands of Mexico. A piece of the 

 plant laid on the surface of the ground will take root and 

 grow ; it will endure considerable cold, and the most pro- 

 tracted drought only seems to increase the sweetness of the 

 fruit. When gathered, the fine spines on the surface of the 

 fruit must be removed, so that it can be handled without 

 inconvenience. The skin is then removed, leaving the pulpy 

 meat exposed in a most tempting manner. It is specially 

 adapted to the breakfast-table, having something of the Water- 

 melon flavor, with a suggestion of Strawberry. Tuna is 

 abundant and cheap in the market from June till November. 

 It is finding its way along the frontier of the United States, and 

 is already on sale in Jacksonville and other southern cities. 



The Gardeners' Chronicle reports that at the Paris Exposi- 

 tion many of the South American republics show specimens 

 of the product known locally as Yerba Mate, or Paraguayan 

 Tea, and derived from the torrified leaves and stalks of differ- 

 ent species of Ilex. It is exhibited in packets and in original 

 bales of green hide. This is the dietetic beverage of about 

 20,000,000 in South America, and its popularity is shown by 

 the exhibits in the various pavilions of the Argentine Repub- 

 lic, Paraguay, Uraguay, Brazil, Chili, Bolivia, etc. It is diffi- 

 cult to get at any reliable returns as to the entire traffic in this 

 commodity, the production of which is carried on in such a 

 desultory and wide manner, and extends over so vast an area 

 of wild country where the Holly-trees flourish. In the Argen- 

 tine Republic the consumption is over 35,000,000 pounds, against 

 5,000,000 pounds of Coffee. In Paraguay the production of 

 Mate is about 5,000,000 pounds ; from Brazil there is an ex- 

 port of 65,000,000 pounds to neighboring states, while the local 

 consumption is about half as much. This is singular in the 

 great Coffee-producing centre of the world, which sends into 

 commerce annually more than half the entire production of 

 Coffee. Strong efforts are feeing made to open a trade with it 

 in Europe, especially in France, where shops advertise and 

 recommend it. Whether this will succeed remains to be seen, 

 looking at the increased production of Tea and the enormous 

 increase in its sale in Europe. Approaching in its chemical 

 composition to Coffee and Tea, it is asserted that it does not 

 cause wakefulness or prevent sleep. In the rural districts, as 

 well as in the smaller towns, this beverage is considered a 

 regular form of diet, and not, like tea, a mere accompaniment 

 of the breakfast-table. It is sweetened with sugar until it 

 almost becomes a syrup. It is sold at twopence to fourpence 

 per pound, and one pound will produce about twenty quarts 

 of infusion. It is sometimes flavored with Cinnamon, Orange- 

 peel or Lemon-juice. 



Catalogues Received. 



p. J. Berckmans, Fruitland Nurseries, Augusta, Ga.; Fruit and 

 Ornamental Trees, Hardy Evergreens and Roses. — L. J. Farmer, 

 Pulaski, N. Y.; Strawberries. — P. H. Foster, Babylon, N. Y.; Forest 

 Trees, etc. -Gardner & Sons, Osage Nursery, Osage, la.; Fruit and 

 Ornamental Trees, Evergreens, etc. — Schlegel & Fottler 26 South 

 Market Street, Boston, Mass.; Bulbs, Roots, Plants, etc. 



