io6 



Garden and Forest. 



[Number 368. 



buried was further well demonstrated in the planting of five 

 bushels of Cork Oak acorns (QuercusSuber) by this Department 

 in 1892. Through carelessness in planting — the acorns being 

 plowed under contrary to instructions — many of them were 

 buried to a depth of six to eight inches ; and while a larger 

 number were decayed at the end of twelve months, one in 

 about every dozen was found to be either in a fresh state or 

 with germination more or less advanced. The ascending axis 

 was in no case, however, much developed, the main energy 

 being exhausted in the production of large radicles. 



Professor Beal does not state how many walnuts he buried, 

 but presumably the quantity was small and, perhaps, not suf- 

 ficient to indicate the retentativeness of vitality in the species 

 which appears to be fairly well shown in the case of the De- 

 partment»plantation. The explanation of the long retention of 

 vitality in the case of these black walnuts must, doubtless, be 

 found in an accidental but proper adjustment of moisture con- 

 ditions — dependent upon the season and character of soil — con- 

 ditions which, in all cases, have much to do with the behavior 

 of all planted seeds. 



Department ol Agriculture, Washington, D, C. 



Geo. B. Siidworth. 



A Few Annuals. — II. 



SWEET ALYSSUM is one of the best-known annuals for a 

 front border, and it has a dainty beauty but is not as fra- 

 grant as its common name would seem to indicate. A dwarf 

 torm, Tom Thumb, has lately been introduced, and makes 

 good compact-growing plants. The variegated Sweet Alyssum 

 can only be increased by cuttings. -Seeds of Sweet Alyssum 

 planted in the open are quite certain to germinate, and the 

 plant will often perpetuate itself by self-sown seed. There are 

 several hardy Alyssums, mostly yellow, and these are excel- 

 lent for borders ; the best is probably A. saxatile, which in the 

 early spring is cheerful and attractive. This sort may be 

 bought of the hardy plantsman, as seeds do not germinate 

 readily. 



Candytuft (Iberis) is a hardy annual, which may be sown in 

 the fall in a warm garden. This flower, in its shades of white 

 and mauve, is pretty in the borders, but only one crop of these 

 is produced, and this is soon over. As these flowers are in 

 umbels, they are not especially useful in lioral arrangement. 

 The hardy Candytufts are easily established, and are among 

 the best of trailing, half-shrubby perennials, bearing flowers 

 of the purest white for many weeks. 



The Balsam, Impatiens, is one of those plants concerning 

 which every seedsman takes especial pride in declaring that 

 his strain is sure to produce double-flowered kinds. With all 

 their beautiful pure colors and their old-time associations they 

 appear to me unpleasant plants owing to their fleshy stems. 

 One of the prettiest bedding effects I have seen was made 

 with Impatiens Sultani witha border of silver-leaved Centaurea. 

 This Impatiens requires warmth and careful treatment of the 

 seed, though it is easily increased by cuttings. 



The single annual Chrysanthemums are pleasing plants in 

 the garden, although the flowers and foliage are rather soft 

 for cutting. The flowers are mostly yellow or creamy white, 

 with dark eyes. The plants are thrifty, and one and a half to 

 two feet high, and continuously in flower. 



The annual and biennial Larkspurs require less space than 

 the hardy perennial kinds, but the latter are so much more 

 effective that the annuals and biennials are not much valued 

 in gardens now. I seem to have omitted Forget-me-not, 

 Myosotis, from both of my former lists, but I should not for- 

 get to give it a place in my garden. The Forget-me-not is not 

 only a l^ower of sentiment, but of dainty beauty. It is of the 

 easiest possible culture. None of the varieties are prettier 

 than M. palustris, which has escaped from cultivation, as the 

 botanists say, and is now found at home in moist places 

 everywhere. It is, however, a rather sprawling species, and 

 for the garden M. dissitiflora is one of the best. M. alpestris 

 Victoria is also a fine kind, very compact and floriferous, but 

 with short stems. Although Forget-me-not requires much 

 moisture, this should be at the roots, and not near the leaves, 

 which rot if exposed to wet. Their small shining black seed 

 germinate readily, but the seed-bed should be shaded. 



One cannot have a complete old-fashioned garden without 

 Four-o'clocks, Mirabilis, with their sweet-smelling flowers so 

 strangely opening to greet twilight wanderers in the garden. 



Nicotiana affinis is a hardy annual which will perpetuate 

 itself in the ganfen from self-sown seeds. It is a tall noble- 

 appearing plant, with leaves decreasing in size from the base 

 upward. The large white flowers, with long lubes, open in 

 the early evening, and are pleasantly fragrant. They remain 

 open until the middle of the morning, and are capital for even- 



ing decorations. This is one of the last annuals to be cut oft 

 by frost. 



Few packets of seeds will mike a greater show in the gar- 

 den than one of Petunias, and once established they will be 

 happy there, for they are hardy annuals, great seed-bearers 

 and every seed seems fertile. Perhaps the best all-round 

 Petunia is the large-flowered white, which is apparently a dis- 

 tinct species. This is not only a good garden plant, but will do 

 well in the house, where its fragrant flowers are very satisfac- 

 tory. There are many bad faded colorsamong the Petunias, and 

 they need careful culling. The Countess of EUsmore was a 

 great gain for a pure rose-color, but lately a new strain from 

 California, of very large, curiously marked, fringed flowers, 

 promises to supersede the old kinds. A strain of large-flow- 

 ered, doulile Petunias has also become fixed, but to many 

 persons these flowers, from their confused and lumpy char- 

 acter, are hardly worth growing. 



Calendulas, Pot Marigolds, have already been mentioned, 

 but there is another pretty kind of these known as C. fluvialis, 

 which bears a single white flower with brown reverse. This is 

 well worth growing, though of weedy habit, and, like all single 

 Calendulas, closing at night or during cloudy days. 



Phlox Drummondii is a pretty as well as popular annual in 

 a great variety of colors. It is most effective in the garden 

 when planted in separate colors, beds from seed mixed hap- 

 hazard having no consistency or meaning, and are moderately 

 useful for cutting. The general effect of these plants, unless 

 they are well grown, is ragged. 



Portulacca will thrive in dry borders in full sunshine, where 

 few other plants will survive, and are certainly showy, though 

 there is always a suggestion of Pusley attached to them. They 

 are tender annuals, and the seed will not germinate without 

 considerable heat. 



Salpiglossis has curiously shaped and oddly marked flowers, 

 not very showy or pure in color. One season's trial of this 

 plant will satisfy most gardeners. 



Spherogyne speciosa is an old annual, not as generally 

 grown as its nierits deserve. It is a yellow composite, with 

 narrow ray florets, and the plant is of neat habit. Objection 

 may Ije made that yellow-flowered composites are very plen- 

 tiful and one would preferably grow those which are of the 

 readiest culture ; siill Spherogyne offers no difficulty, the 

 seeds germinating readily. 



Ten Weeks Stocks are great favorites in some gardens and 

 wiih some florists, the doul>le sweet-scented white flowers 

 being lasting and useful for floral work. But there is a sug- 

 gestion of lumpiness aljout the flowering plants, both in the 

 garden and when used for bouquet work. Seeds of fine double 

 Stocks are apt to have delicate germinating powers and they 

 require careful attention to make them germinate. 



Swan River Daisies are small plants with delicate, finely cut 

 foliage and small blue flowers, which I always enjoy seeing in 

 the garden. They are prelty in a front border and are some- 

 times useful in a delicate floral arrangement. In spite of their 

 almost minute habit they are easily grown and the seeds ger- 

 minate readily in the border. 



Elizabeth, N.J. J.N.Gerard. 



Bulbs for spring Planting. 



A MONG bulbous-flowering- plants for spring planting, the 

 ■^^^ Tiger Flowers are an important group. Those most 

 commonly offered by American dealers are varieties of the 

 Peacock Tiger Flower, Tigridia pavonia, a native of Mexico. 

 Among the varieties are Grandiflora, Grandiflora alba, Conchi-' 

 flora, Speciosa, Grandiflora rosea and others. The three most 

 distinct varieties are Grandiflora, in which the leading color is 

 crimson ; Grandiflora alba, principally white ; and Conchiflora, 

 orange-yellow. There are other intermediate forms in which 

 these colors vary, all of them very beautiful. Indeed, it would 

 be diflicult to imagine a variety of the Peacock Tiger Flower 

 that is not beautiful. The flowers of these, as of all Tigridias, 

 are short-lived, but they continue to come, day after day, and 

 under favorable conditions until autumn frosts kill the buds. 

 One great point in favor of this class of bulbs is that they are 

 cheap. They increase fast by division, and even as far north 

 as Vermont, when the frosts hold off late in the autumn, they 

 mature sufficiently to be wintered and flowered the following 

 year. They need to be kept in a warm dry place ; in a cellar 

 they generally decay before spring. The soil best suited to 

 these bulbs is a warm sandy loam, with good drainage. They 

 need plenty of moisture until after flowering, and in a dry sea- 

 son this must be artificially supplied. The bulbs should be 

 planted deeper than most bulbs of their size. 



Other species of Tigridia are cultivated, but they are not so 

 striking or showy as these. T. Van Houtteii has lilac and pur- 



