January 30, iS 



Garden and Forest. 



47 



here, beginning as early as November witli some varieties 

 virhich are intended for specimen flowers. Their plan, how- 

 ever, is somewhat different from ours, as they allow a break of 

 two or three stems, each bearing one bloom. This, with dif- 

 ferent conditions of climate, accounts for the longer season 

 required. Generally the finest specimen plants they grow are 

 those which have carried three blooms the preceding season. 

 The plants grown and exhibited by Mr. Brooks at the Cente- 

 nary Festival of the Chrysanthemum Society at the Royal 

 Aquarium were of this kind, commonly called cut-backs, 

 meaning that the old stems had been cut back to within a foot 

 or less of the soil, and allowed only to break from the stem, 

 and not from the root-stock. \''ery little advantage is gained 

 by following this plan here ; under changed conditions of cli- 

 mate we can grow as large plants in eight months as they do 

 in ten months in England. 



Although cuttings will root at a temperature very little above 

 the freezing-point, it is better to use a little bottom-heat when 

 this is possible, since it insures quicker rooting and saves time. 

 Select the strongest shoots — suckers if possible — and prepare 

 them with a sharp knife, shearing off a few leaves at the tips, 

 which are liable to hang around the base of the cuttings and 

 encourage damping. Water freely, even to saturation, f(jr the 

 first few days, for on no account should the cuttings be al- 

 lowed to wilt, and use shading only when the sun shines. The 

 cuttings should be rooted in about three weeks, when they 

 may be potted into small pots, using a light soil at this stage of 

 their growth. 



For specimen blooms the first of May is early enough to 

 make cuttings for the first batch, and all that we need do now 

 is to keep our stock as sturdy as possible until then. ' If the 

 stock is in cold frames now, so much the better, but it would 

 not be advisable at this season to place it in such frigid quar- 

 ters. If already started into growth, they had better be kept 

 quietly moving, and be topped early in March, and a new crop 

 of cuttings may be made about the first of May. 



Ivory and Joseph H. White are still the best early white varie- 

 ties for specimens, and Minnie Wanamaker and White Cap for 

 late. President Hyde and Mrs. Walter Baker are excellent 

 early yellow varieties, and W. H. Lincoln the best medium to 

 late, and probably the best all-around yellow variety now 

 known. Good reds are yet scarce, and it is difficult to excel 

 Cullingfordii when it is well grown. G. W. Childs makes a 

 very fine specimen. For pinks we have a good selection. 

 Portia was the most admired of all last season. Duchess of 

 Connaught is of a fine lavender shade. The original Louis 

 Bcehmer is superior to any of the so-called improveil varie- 

 ties of this flower. 



Wellesley, Mass. T. D. H. 



A Few Plants that like Shade. 



A MONG the hardy perennial plants that thrive in shady 

 -'^~*- situations, especially under deciduous trees, are many 

 sorts which produce the earliest flowers in spring. A conspic- 

 uous group among these are the Trilliums. Although some 

 of them continue until midsummer, their first growth is made 

 while they receive considerable light and warmth from the 

 sun, before the trees have come into full leaf. The Dog-tooth 

 Violets are another class. Our yellow Adder's-tongue, the 

 most common of this group, is one of the earliest wild flowers 

 in spring. The Chionodoxas (Glory of the Snow) succeed well 

 under the shade of deciduous trees. This is owing, no doubt, 

 to their earliness, and deprived of the light they get when they 

 first come up they niight not succeed. The Dicentras are 

 suited to such locations, especially D. cucullaria (Dutchman's 

 Breeches), and the one commonly called Squirrel's Corn. D. 

 Canadensis. An admirable little plant for shade, and one 

 easily established, is Rhue Anemone, Anemonella thalic- 

 troides. It closely resembles the Wind Flower, Anemone 

 nemorosa, but lasts longer and is easier to establish. The 

 European Wood, or Snowdrop Anemone, A. sylvestris, is 

 another pretty species which likes shade and moisture. The 

 Hepaticas, though they do not require as much shade as some 

 other plants, like shade some of the time at least, and, unlike 

 many of the early plants, they have abundant foliage that lasts 

 until the following spring. "They are benefited by a good sup- 

 ply of well-composted manure, and do best if they are not 

 disturbed after they are once established. The Wild Gingers, 

 or Asarums, are shade-loving plants. Though not showy, 

 their foliage is good, and they are useful in many ways. All 

 of our native Meadow Rhues do well in shade, and the early 

 one, Thalictrum dioicum, is useful for shady locations, and 

 not as tall as some other species. Both of the ActKS, or Bane- 

 berries, though not always found in shade, are well suited to 



this condition. Their flowers are pretty in their, season, and 

 their fruit is quite as interesting. The Blue Cohosh, Caulo- 

 phyllum thalictroides, and the smaller Solomon's Seal, Poly- 

 gonatum biflorum, are good plants for shade, not so much for 

 their flowers as for foliage. They form fine large clumps dur- 

 ing a good portion of the summer. Both species of Twisted 

 Stalk, Streptopus roseus and S. amplexifolius, do well in shade. 

 I have found that they require more than one season to be- 

 come established. One of our common wild flowers in north- 

 ern New England, growing in rich, moist woods, is the large 

 Bellwort, Uvularia grandiflora. It bears transplanting well 

 and makes a good showing during most of the summer. False 

 Miter Wort, Tiarella cordifolia, is a very desirable plant for 

 moist, shady places, as well as for the rockery. It is one of 

 those species that can be used in various ways and flourishes 

 in shade or sunlight. It is attractive in the front border, and 

 when it has finished flowering its rich dark green foliage lasts 

 throughout the season. 



The majority, perhaps, of native Orchids prefer shade. 

 The two yellow Lady-slippers are probably the surest of these 

 to succeed. The little white one from the west, Cypripedium 

 candidum, does well in partial shade. About all of our native 

 Ferns like shade, and can be used in such locations with 

 proper preparation of the soil. 



Nearly all of these shade-loving plants attain their greatest 

 size in woodlands in a moist, rich, black soil. When they are 

 transplanted into a shady place that has little fertility this want 

 must be supplied, and this can best be done by adding rich 

 soil from the woods. When planting in the shade of trees 

 it is also necessary to supply moisture during dry weather, 

 since trees rob the soil of both fertility and moisture. 



Charlotte, Vt. F. H. H. 



Meetings of Societies. 



Nebraska State Horticultural Society. — I. 



THE annual meeting of the Nebraska State Horticul- 

 tural Society was held in the State University from 

 January 15th to 17th inclusive. Last year the plan was 

 adopted of confining the meeting chiefly to the apple, so 

 that the report when issued should be in the nature of a 

 monograph on the subject. The same plan was continued 

 this year, except that three fruits were taken up for con- 

 sideration — the grape, plum and cherry. 



THE BOT.\NY OF THE GRAPE. 



Dr. Charles E. Besseyread a paper on this subject, in which he 

 said that there are about thirty-five or forty species of the Grape 

 in the world, of which North America has from eighteen to 

 twenty-three, according to the number regarded as true spe- 

 cies. Europe has one, which also extends into northern Africa. 

 Tropical or Central America has two, the East Indies two, and 

 the remainder are found in eastern Asia. It will thus be seen 

 that North America has more species than all other parts of 

 the world together. The genus is confined mainly to the 

 north temperate regions. Few species reach into the tropics, 

 and none at all are found in the southern hemisphere. 



For horticultural purposes only eleven species need be con- 

 sidered : (i) These are the northern Fox Grape, Vitis labrusca, 

 represented in cultivation by Concord and Catawba ; (2) The 

 Mustang Grape, V. candicans, represented by Elvicand ; (3) 

 The Summer Grape, V. sstivalis (Herbemont and Eumelan); 

 (4) The Downy Grape, V. cinerea ; (5) The California Grape, 

 V. Californica ; (6) The Sand Grape, V. rupestris (Munson and 

 America, hybrids with V. aestivalis) ; (7) The Riverside Grape, 

 V. vulpina (Clinton, Elvira and Tayler); (8) The Red Grape, V. 

 palmata ; (9) The Frost Grape, V. cordifolia ; (10) The Euro- 

 pean Grape, V. vinifera (Black Hamburg and White Chasselas); 

 (11) The southern Fox Grape, V. rotundifolia (Scuppernong 

 and Thomas). 



The northern Fox Grape has given us nearly all of our best 

 varieties, but this is, no doubt, chiefly due to the fact that this 

 was the species which our forefathers found when they began 

 to improve the native grapes. Yet its distribution, entirely 

 east of the Alleghany Mountains, indicates that it is really less 

 adapted to the needs of the greater portion of the country than 

 some of the other species. 



The form of the Sand Grape has been modified till it is 

 almost a bush, and not a climbing plant, like the others. It 

 sometimes has no tendrils to climb with, even if it were not in 

 a region in which there are few trees and shrubs to cling to. 

 The Munson Grape, a cross between this species and the 

 Summer Grape, has been reported to stand a temperature of 



