January 2, 1895.] 



Garden and Forest. 



ber of these tap-rooted trees the seeds may be planted in shal- 

 low boxes, when the roots will take a horizontal direction on 

 reaching the bottom of the box, and they may then be trans- 

 planted without much injury. 



It is a very common mistake to plant nuts too deeply in the 

 ground. From one to two or three inches is quite enough 

 covering for hickory-nuts and walnuts, especially if the soil is 

 compact. Enough soil to barely cover them will give better 

 results than a covering six inches deep, provided the surface 

 soil is not dry and is not allowed to become so until after the 

 roots have penetrated the ground several inches. A few kinds 

 of acorns will grow if merely left on the surface of moist, 

 shaded soil, and most kinds will be sure to germinate if only 

 the tips are pressed into moist ground and they are not 

 allowed to dry. Enough soil to just cover the acorns is best 

 in all cases. It will be found that a long descending stem, 

 popularly termed the root, is produced before any ascending 

 stem bearing leaves is visible ; and for two or three years after- 

 ward the plants often seem to spend most of their energies in 

 root-formation. This may be noticed particularly in the VVliite 

 Oak, where the roots will grow several times longer and much 

 thicker than the part of the plant above ground. The apparent 

 growth of the plant at this period seems very slow, but after a 

 good root-system is established the development of the little 

 tree is much more rapid. 



The walnuts and Hickory-nuts and many kinds of acorns 

 collected this autumn for planting, and which have not been 

 subjected to unnatural drying, still retain their germinating 

 qualities ; but, if not planted at once, they should be placed 

 where they will keep moist and cool during the winter. 



Arnold Arboretum. J • Cr. J ack. 



Notes on Lilies. 



AMONG the fifty or sixty species and varieties of Lilies grow- 

 ing here, there are three Asiatic species, which, for me, 

 have had more interest the past season than others, possibly 

 owing to the fact that they are rarer and more expensive than 

 the average, but principally, I believe, from the fact that they 

 have done so much better than I had reason to expect, judg- 

 ing from my experience with other kinds under similiar cir- 

 cumstances. The first of these was the new Lilium Henryi, 

 which I secured late in the autumn of 1893, and the others are 

 L. Nepalense and L. Wallichianum, var. superbum, received 

 with a second supply of L. Henryi early last spring. I obtained 

 the bulbs from England, but they were not, as I understood, 

 taken from a nursery, but had just been brought into England 

 from their native soil. They must have traveled thousands 

 of miles before reaching England, from which place they were 

 reshipped, and by the time they reached me they must have 

 been months out of the ground, and probably had been 

 repacked two or three times. Yet they had not, apparently, 

 suffered from their journey. They were in good order when 

 received and showed no signs of decay. There was such a 

 contrast between their appearance and that of some of the 

 species from the Pacific coast, after a journey of only six or 

 seven days, that I mention these items as among the distinct 

 points in their favor. 



There was little difference in the results obtained with the 

 three species. They all came up in due time after planting, 

 sent up good vigorous stems with healthy foliage, and, ex- 

 cepting two or three small bulbs that might not have bloomed 

 had they been left in their original homes, bore good healthy 

 flowers. Lilium Henryi, which was first discovered in the 

 mountains of Ichang, of western China, a few years since, is 

 especially vigorous in its growth. Its foliage is thick and 

 healthy, and it seems to belong to a class as easy of culture as 

 the Tiger Lily or common Meadow Lily. I cannot, of course, 

 vouch for its hardiness, but even if it must be covered so as 

 to exclude frost, or taken up in autumn, and, like other tender 

 bulbs, wintered in a cellar, it is a great acquisition and should 

 be in every good collection. Its flowers, in shape and size, are 

 not much unlike those of the L. speciosum, and of a bright 

 orange color, with a few purple spots. This Lily did not ma- 

 ture any seed here, possibly owing to the fact that it was 

 planted in the spring, and was consequently late in starting. 

 I have the bulbs covered to exclude all frost and look for much 

 earlier flowers next year. I suppose this heavy covering is 

 not necessary in the case of well-established bulbs, but since 

 it is the most expensive Lily I have, I will postpone any experi- 

 ments as to hardiness until my stock is larger, or until the price 

 declines. 



Lilium Wallichianum, var. superbum, is from the central 

 Himalayas. The typical species is mentioned as a green- 

 house plant in Nicholson's Dictionary of Gardening. It seems 



that this vai ie y is much more tractable in cultivation than the 

 typical plant, and the flowers much sujjerior in beauty. Mr. 

 Goldring, in his London letter to Garden and Forest of July 

 24th, 18S9, says of this Lily : "It is, unfortunately, not hardy, 

 but will prove a superb plant for the greenhouse." If Mr. 

 Goldring means that the bulb will not bear freezing, he is, no 

 doubt, quite correct, but if he means that it is too tender for 

 cultivation in the open air, my experience with it last summer 

 would seem to contradict him. It certainly made a very thrifty 

 growth with nobetter treatment than was given to othercom- 

 mon kinds like L. Canadense, L. superbum, or L. tigrinum. 

 The texture of its roots is very firm, and I think it will bear 

 transportation, without injury, farther than most species. Its 

 large trumpet-shaped white flowers, shaded with chocolate 

 outside and delicate primrose-yellow within, are very attractive. 

 Lilium Nepalense, which bloomed in England for the first 

 time in cultivation in 1888, is also a native of the Himalayas, 

 and, like the other, is said to be a tender greenhouse plant. 

 But it grew here with as much strength and Ijore as perfect 

 flowers as any plant of L. tigrinum that had not been planted 

 longer. The flower of this, though not so striking as some 

 others, is, nevertheless, beautiful — white, with purple within at 

 the base of the petals. „ ,,. „ . -, 



Charlotte, vt. F. H. Horsford. 



Propagating Ficus elastica. 



AMONG the more common decorative greenhouse plants 

 there is probably none so hard to propagate as Ficus 

 elastica. If only a tew plants are wanted, they may be 

 secured by mossing. This is done by removing a leaf from 

 the shoot about a foot from the top, and making a cut 

 from below the joint about an inch long, slanting in an upward 

 direction and extending about half through the shoot. Sphag- 

 num moss should be tied about the cut, and this must be kept 

 damp. In about three weeks the roots will appear through 

 the moss. The shoot should then be cut off just below the 

 moss, and potted with the moss in a three-inch pot, and kept 

 shaded for a few days until the roots get hold of the soil. If 

 plants are wanted in larger numbers this method is too slow, 

 as it is hard to obtain a sufficient number of points. The 

 plan then is to cut the stem into joints about an inch long, 

 leaving a leaf on each joint, and from the side of the joint 

 opposite the leaf the bark and a small part of the wood should 

 be cut. The joints should then be inserted singly into small 

 pots filled with moss anda littlefinesand,andthese plunged ina 

 propagating-case in a good bottom-heat and kept moist. They 

 soon make roots, and eventually throw up a shoot from the 

 base of the leaf. When their shoots are about two inches high 

 they should be shifted into larger pots, using a compost of 

 equal parts of loam, leaf-mold and sand, and plunged in bot- 

 tom-heat as before. When fairly started they grow rapidly 

 and soon attain size. 



Tarrytown, N. Y. 



William Scott. 



Romneya Coulteri.— It is pleasant to learn from your issue of 

 November 21st that this most beautiful wild flower of the 

 Pacific coast has lived through the winter in northern New 

 Jersey. My observation of the habits of the plant as found 

 wild shows that it is a perennial with biennial stems. On strong 

 plants the new growths produce flowers freely the first year, 

 sparingly the second year, and then die away. After removal 

 plants must become well established and vigorous before any 

 flowers can be expected. Doubtless, the preservation of the 

 new growths through the winter would add to the strength of 

 the plant the next year. I am very hopeful that Mr. Gerard 

 will be rewarded with flowers next summer, and if so it will 

 be a triumph for eastern horticulture. 



Los Angeles, Calif. 



E. D. Sturievant. 



Protecting Peach-trees.— Many experiments have been tried 

 in attempting to protect Peach-trees during the winter by cov- 

 ering them with canvas, corn-stalks or some similar material, 

 or by applying some adhesive substance to the branches them- 

 selves. Such attempts have never proven satisfactory, how- 

 ever, and the only practicable means appears to be by laying 

 the trees on the grouucl and covering them over with soil or 

 coarse material of some sort. To many people this, like many 

 other operations with which they are unfamiliar, seems a great 

 task. Experience proves, however, that it is comparatively 

 inexpensive in practice. In setting the young orchard on the 

 college farm last spring this matter was kept in mind, and part 

 of the trees were set with the roots spread out on opposite 

 sides as much as possible, with the intention of laying these 

 trees down every winter as long as they live, if it is found prac- 

 ticable to do this. At least, it is hoped to determine how old 



