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Garden and Forest. 



[December 25, 1889. 



strips six or eight inches long, and shaped Hke the or- 

 dinary " tally," are best. These are easily cut out of a 

 sheet of zinc with a pair of strong scissors. Labels thus 

 prepared have been in use at Kew two years and they are as 

 perfect now as when they were first written. In the tropical 

 houses, where the atmosphere is saturated all the year round, 

 these labels are quite as good as in a dry house or out-of- 

 doors. The first experiment with them was made with the 

 Filmy Ferns, for which durable and neat labels were much 

 wanted. They have stood this test. In appearance these 

 labels are all that need be desired. They are not too con- 

 spicuous ;md therefore do not offend the eye as white labels 

 do; on the other hand, they are easily read. In public gardens, 

 such as Kew, labels are of considerable importance, as also 

 they are wherever valuable collections of plants are grown. 

 So far as our experience goes, this zinc label,- when prepared 

 as here directed, comes nearest to what is wanted. 



Thk diseases of plants are many and mysterious. Every 

 gardener has had experience of their ravages in some form or 

 other, and probably, also, has been disheartened by his failure 

 to check the enemy by any means known to him. Canker, 

 club, mould, rust, scab, spot ; these are familiar terms in hor- 

 ticulture, but few, if any, horticulturists have a clear knowl- 

 edge of what these diseases spring from, much less how they 

 can be cured. It is only recently that one of our most eminent 

 amateur horticulturists expressed to me his conviction that 

 "spot" in Orchids was due to the attacks of some parasitic 

 fungus, and that he always took the precaution to remove any 

 leaf which showed signs of the disease. Had he been right 

 in attributing the disease to a fungus, this action would be 

 commendable. But it has been decided by one of our most 

 eminent physiological botanists that Orchid "spot" is certainly 

 not fungoid in its nature. This case is noteworthy as showing 

 how much we are in ignorance of the real nature of the nu- 

 merous diseases to which plants under cultivation are sub- 

 ject. The publication, therefore, of a trustworthy book deal- 

 ing with some of the diseases of plants, may be hailed with 

 pleasure by gardeners. Professor Marshall Ward, who is one 

 of the most eminent of the modern school of botanists, and 

 who has paid special attention to vegetable pathology, has 

 written a delightfully readable book on this very subject. It is 

 published by the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 

 and is one of a series of publications called " Romance of 

 Science." The diseases treated upon by Mr. Ward are the 

 commonest and best known, such as potato disease, smut, 

 rust, hop disease and lily disease. These are diagnosed and 

 prescribed for in a manner easy to understand, and at the same 

 time thoroughly. One is surprised to read in the introductory 

 chapter that "between 1866 and 1889 the amount of research 

 in this department has been enormous, and the literatureof the 

 subject has become overwhelming." I once had occasion to 

 collect information on this very subject, but could find exceed- 

 ingly little, in English at any rate. Mr. Ward has made a be- 

 ginning, and we may hope that he will extend his investiga- 

 tions to otlier of the diseases of plants besides those treated 

 upon in his book. A really comprehensive, reliable book on 

 the whole subject of plant diseases, and written for horticul- 

 turists and farmers, would be of great service. Mr. Ward 

 himself says : " The time is rapidly approaching when a 

 farmer or a gardener will as little dare to neglect the study of 

 the physiology and pathology of plants as a surgeon dare 

 practice without a knowledge of anatomy, or a sailor hope to 

 become a captain without studying navigation. Moreover, 

 these are not studies which will bear trifling with, and he who 

 hopes to understand them must take the necessary trouble to 

 learn how to trace the connection between cause and effect, 

 and scientifically reason from the simple to the complex. In 

 this department the days of empiricism are indeed numbered." 

 Mr. Ward's book is precisely what is wanted as a beginning. 

 It is published in New York by Young & Co. The price here 

 is two shillings and sixpence. 



Anthracite Coal.— The fitness of this as a substitute for 

 coke has been the subject of discussion here for some time, 

 as the result of a rise in the price of the latter. It is stated 

 by some who have used anthracite for years that a considera- 

 ble saving is effected as compared with the cost of coke. But 

 it does not appear to be satisfactory in all cases. An eminent 

 American nurseryman when at Kew a little while ago in- 

 formed me that anthracite is universally preferred to coke in 

 America. It would be interesting to English readers of Gar- 

 den and Forest if some one acquainted with the peculiarities 

 of coke and anthracite, when used for horticultural heating, 

 would relate his experience. We find a difficulty in using the 

 anthracite for furnaces originally intended for the consump- 

 tion of coke. ' _ , 



London. IV. WatsOn. 



Cultural Department. 

 Some Wild Flowers of California. 



Phacella Parryi is one of the loveliest of the annuals of 

 southern California and a universal favorite among those who 

 have made its acquaintance. Every one who sees it face to 

 face feels an instant admiration for its beauty, and a kind of 

 friendship for it such as we experience in our intercourse with 

 the Pansy and other flowers which confront us with something 

 akin to a human expression. 



The plant delights in warm, sunny exposures, on the banks 

 of cafions, among the foot-hills, in fertile valleys and on the 

 hill-sides. It extends in San Diego County from the seashore 

 to tlie confines of the Colorado Desert, southward to near San 

 Ouintin Bay, Lower California, and perhaps beyond. It has 

 an o[)en, rotate corolla of a rich and brilliant royal purple, well 

 set off by the dark green foliage. Occasionally'a flower may 

 be found of a paler color, sometimes nearly white. With 

 nearly all of our native flowers that are normally purple 

 in color, I find albinism a common occurrence, though rarer 

 in some species than in others. This rule, if such it may*be 

 called, is also true of purplish pink flowers, like Erythraeas. 



In the spring of 1884 there was an unusually abundant rain- 

 fall, wiiich played havoc with our roads, but the botanist who 

 was driven to little used thoroughfares found himself repaid 

 by the wealth of luxuriant vegetation which followed. A new 

 grade had been built the previous season from San Diego 

 City, leading into the old mission valley, and along the fi^eshly 

 cut embankment I found this beautiful plant growing in the 

 greatest abundance. Since then it has been almost totally 

 absent from this locality, not more than a score of plants 

 growing on this road during the spring-time of 1889. Why 

 this sudden disappearance ? is the question which naturally 

 arises and remains unanswered. The existing conditions 

 seem equally as favorable as in other localities where it still 

 thrives — and often in close proximity to well traveled roads. 



For cultivation I should call this one of the most desirable 

 of the many pretty annuals which California affords to the hor- 

 ticulturist. It is capable of most effective display, and under 

 favorable conditions will produce a profusion of flowers 

 for months. 



Dodecatheon Clevelandi shows itself, generally, in early 

 spring over the hills, mesas and valleys of southern and Lower 

 California, especially near the coast. The flowers pass from 

 clear pearly white through lovely shades of pink and rose- 

 red into a brilliant purple, and a large field thickly dotted 

 with their nodding heads is a vision of loveliness familiar 

 to Californians. For many years this and numerous other 

 forms throughout the western states have been known to botan- 

 ists as the Dodecatheon Meadia of Linnaeus. Within recent years 

 Mr. E. L. Greene has studied our Californian forms, describ- 

 ing several as new species, and naming this in honor of the 

 earliest resident botanist in San Diego, Mr. Daniel CJeveland, 

 whose early collections brought many new plants to light. It 

 is scarcely worthy of specific rank, but for cultural purposes 

 may be allowed that honor. Every child is sure to gather 

 large handfuls of the fragrant flowers when spring comes, and 

 each has some pretty name for them, such as Rabbit-ears, 

 Shooting-stars, Johnny-jump-ups or Mad Violets. 



This flow^er should become as general a favorite as the 

 Cyclamen. The perennial roots are easily transplanted, and 

 no difficulty shoidd be experienced in making it thrive in 

 eastern houses and gardens. In California they may be 

 planted as borders to beds, or grouped in masses, or dot- 

 ted thickly over a garden as if they vvere wild. The broad 

 leaves form a pretty rosette before the one or' more spikes 

 of flowers appear. The flowers are admirably adapted for 

 bouquets and the use of florists, and their good qualities are 

 already recognized away from their native home. 



Gilia dianthoides bears a flower which in size and beauty 

 is out of all proportion to the plant itself, which consists only 

 of a slender, wiry stalk, half an inch or so in height, with nar- 

 row, inconspicuous leaves ; but from this stalk appears one or 

 several rotate, rosy pink flowers, half an inch across. The flower 

 is of such a delicate texture and is borne so near the ground that 

 it is scarcely available for any decorative purpose ; but a field 

 carpeted with them as they shine in the morning sunlight, 

 cannot fail to kindle admiration. Under favorable conditions 

 the plant attains a larger size and forms a dense mat spreading 

 out over the ground. In cultivated fields I have found a sin- 

 gle plant spreading in this way more than a foot across — com- 

 pletely hidden by the numerous wide-awake flowers. It is not 

 rare to find a plant with pure white flowers, especially among 

 the foot-hills. A similar species i^Gilia Orcuttii), with white 



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