558 



Garden and Forest. 



[NOVEMliER 20, 1889. 



y-EciiMKA. — (One hundred and twenty-eight species.) Over 

 tliirty of these are grown at Kew, some being of large size, 

 others small. The tlowers are sometimes in a dense iiead, 

 which nestles down in the middle of the rosette of leaves ; in 

 these the leaves are most attractive, the npper ones being 

 almost wholly deep crimson or purple or spotted. Other 

 species have a long paniculate inflorescence, with red leaves 

 and bracts scattered along it. They are, as a rule, very 

 ornamental. 



BiLLHERGiA. — (Thirty-six species.) This genus is best of all 

 in a garden sense. The leaves are usually folded, forming a 

 sort of vase, and in some of the species they are prettily varie- 

 gated. The inflorescence is in the form of a dense or lax 

 spike, or sometimes a large l)ranching panicle. It is clothed 

 with large boat-shaped, brilliantly colored bracts, especially 

 towards the top. The tlowers are tubular, conspicuous, nearly 

 always bright colored. Every one of the species deserves to 

 rank with first-class flowering stove plants. 



I^ITC.AIRNEA. — (One hundred and thirty species.) This 

 genus, also, is rich in good flowering plants. The leaves and 

 habit are variable, but as a rule they are grassy, graceful, 

 bright green, and m a large tuft. The flowers are on erect or 

 arching panicles; they are numerous, tubular, large enough to 

 make a display, and nearly always very bright in color, namely, 

 scarlet, crimson, yellow or blue. Several species previously 

 known as Puyas are included here, such as P. ca'rulea, a truly 

 beautiful plant, with flowers on a large, stout, erect panicle, 

 each flower almost as large as a Lapageria and colored a rich 

 peacock blue. This and several others Mr. Baker has seen fit 

 to call Pitcairneas. 



PUYA. — (Fourteen species.) The giants of the order belong 

 to this genus. The leaves are long, rigid, armed with sharp 

 teeth, and the flowers, which are usually two inches, or even 

 more, long, are produced in profusion on very stout, erect 

 spikes. One described has flower stems thirty-three and one- 

 half feet high, tlie flowers disposed in panicles and reckoned 

 at not less than 8,000 ! There are some magnificent life-size 

 paintings of several Puyas in the North gallery at Kew. 



Caraguata. — (Thirty-nine species.) Handsome, stemless 

 plants, Tillandsia-like in habit and foliage, the two genera dif- 

 fering only in the former having a gamopetalous corolla. The 

 flowers are on erect spikes, sometimes in a globose head, 

 crowned with a tuft of usually bright colored small leaves. 

 The lower part of the spike is often clothed with bright scarlet 

 bract-leaves. The species in cultivation are very ornamental. 

 C. lingulata, C. sangiiinea, C. Tahnii and C. miisaica are fairly 

 well known among stove plants. 



TiLLANDSlA. — (Three hundred and twenty-three species.) 

 This genus now includes Vriesia. It is very variable in size 

 and beauty, but a large number of handsome garden plants 

 are among those already introduced to cultivation. The 

 leaves are unarmed, in some species prettily varied or varie- 

 gated, i. e., T. hieroglyphic a, T. fenestralis, T. tessellataj in 

 others they are of a uniform brown or pale plum color, i. e., 

 T. amethystina, T. angustifolia. The flowers are brilliant in 

 color in all the Vriesia section, bright yellow and scarlet or 

 crimson predominating. In T. Lindeni and its variety Vira 

 they are of quite exceptional beauty. T. regina is of very large 

 proportions, almost as large as a Century plant. 



Enough, I think, has been said to show that the order is all 

 that is claimed for it here, and Mr. Baker's book is exactly 

 what was wanted to give a correct idea of the horticultural 

 merit of many of the Bromeliads at present known. 



Kew. W. Watson. 



Figs in the South. 

 'T^HE Fig succeeds on any kind of land in the South, clay or 

 -*■ sand, high or low, hummock or Pine, and requires little 

 or no cultivation. It comes early into bearing, only two years 

 from the cutting, is easy of propagation, and maybe trained to 

 tree shape and growth by allowing only one shoot or stem to 

 the root. The chief obstacle to drying the fruit in the sun in 

 Florida is that the ripening occurs during the periodic wet sea- 

 son. It begins to ripen about the first of July for the general 

 crop, and fruit has been obtained from the cutting the first 

 year. 



The varieties that have given the best satisfaction in this 

 state are the White Adriatic and White Smyrna, which are very 

 choice for drying or table use ; Celestial, very sweet, small and 

 a prolific bearer ; Black Ischia, a bluish black variety of good 

 quality, and the Brown Turkey, another prolific bearer. 



The situations best suited for the Fig-orchard are tfiose which 

 have a northern exposure, which will serve as a sort of pro- 

 tection from the cold. If a southern exposure is selected, 

 the young trees will take on such a rapid growth during winter 



that a sudden frost will kill them while in the sappy state. A 

 northern exposure keeps back this growth, and makes the 

 young shoots strong enough to resist the ordinary attacks of 

 frost. As we comefarther north, inCeorgiaand the Carolinas, 

 where the frosts are heavier, this precaution is needed all the 

 more. The frost does not easily kill the trees, but it sets them 

 back in their growth, and prevents the maturing of good crops 

 of fruit. 



The fig is destined to become an important fruit in the 

 South, and when better methods of drying them for the market 

 are observed the imported fruit will be driven out of the mar- 

 ket as completely as Mediterranean oranges, lemons and other 

 tropical fruits have been in the past. Fig culture for profit has 

 not, so far, obtained much success in this country, but many 

 are now going into the "business for money. Experiments 

 were made last year in several parts of the south in placing 

 green figs upon the northern markets. The success of the 

 enterprises seems to have justified the growers in their expec- 

 tations of a profitable business, and larger groves have been 

 planted since. 



The figs are sold in any kind of condition, often being put 

 up in old pickle jars or bottles of diflerent sizes. This is very 

 ditt'erent from the nicely packed, pressed and dried fruit that 

 comes from the Mediterranean, with the trade-mark and label 

 of the growers marked fancifully on the box covers. In order 

 to compete successfully with the imported fruit, it is necessary 

 to have the fruit properly prepared, and neatly put up, according 

 to rule, in a regular preserving factory. Fresh figs could also 

 be sent north as well as the dried fruit, and there is no 

 doubt but the demand for them will be great. 



Fig-trees do the best when planted in rows about fifteen feet 

 apart each way. The fields are marked off in squares, and 

 holes dug for the cuttings, or young trees, to be put in. The 

 cuttings consist of twigs of last year's wood, which are buried 

 in tlie ground about six inches from the surface. The cuttings 

 can be taken off and planted in a trench until early spring, 

 when the Fig trees are beginning to put out their leaves. 

 When the trees get very large every alternate one can be taken 

 out, often with the best results. There is little cultivation 

 needed after the trees once get a start. George B. Walsh. 



New York. 



The Flower-Garden in Autumn. 



THE time to protect the flower borders has nowarrived, and 

 preparation should at once be made for this work before 

 the advent of severe frost, for although this may be delayed 

 for some weeks, yet everything should be ready for it. We 

 often observe elaborate directions about "cleaning up," but 

 some gardeners carry their worship of the idol of cleanliness 

 too far. We should never forget the necessity of leaving on 

 the plants just that natural form of protection which they duly 

 provide for themselves — that is, dead leaves and flower stalks. 

 An example or two will illustrate my meaning, and the rest can 

 be left to the judgment. Many gardeners, for the sake of appear- 

 ance, in fall cut off all ripened foliage from such plants as Iris 

 Icevigata. Now, we have proved to our satisfaction that this 

 is highly injurious, as frost and melted snow make use of the 

 opportunity to get down into the very hearts of the plants, and 

 the inevitable result is that next season one waits in vain for 

 the reappearance in their accustomed vigor of the young 

 shoots, and when they do come they are liable during the 

 earlier stages of their growth to be injured by late spring 

 frosts if deprived of their natural protecfion. Eulalia Ja- 

 ponica, and its varieties, are plants that are generally regarded 

 as of doubtful hardiness, and we confess to having lifted them 

 every fall during the past two seasons. However, we have 

 taken notice of a large circular bed of this Grass at a neigh- 

 boring railroad-station which thrives amazingly year after year, 

 by no means on account of the attention given to it, but simply 

 because it is left alone undl the time for fidying up in 

 spring, and then the tops are cut off. Meanwhile some of our 

 own plants, left out, with their tops cut off" and carefully cov- 

 ered with soil, were completely killed, not one surviving. 

 Another instance of mistaken zeal is the removal of the dead 

 flowering stems of Lilies. These, of all other plants, are sus- 

 ceptible to injury from moisture in winter, and when the stems 

 are removed an excellent passage for water is made straight to 

 the centre of the bulbs, and decay is the inevitable result. 

 Nature has tried to enforce this lesson upon us by the tenacity 

 with which the perfectly lifeless stems cling to the living bulbs 

 until the young shoots are prepared to take their place in 

 spring, after which the old stems are easily removed. Many 

 other instances might be cited, but the judgment of the culti- 

 vator may be relied upon to furnish them for himself. The 



