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Garden and Forest. 



[Number 375. 



Japanese Plums — that is, a well-drained soil, a sheltered 

 position and plenty of food. The propagation is by grafting. 



Erythroniums. — Dog-tooth Violets are familiar wild flow- 

 ers in the states east of the Mississippi, where carpets of 

 their beautiful leaves are often seen in slightly shaded 

 places. While the flowers are abundant in some cases, 

 whole colonies of the plants will be found with few, if any, 

 flowers during their season. This is owing to lack of ma- 

 turity of the bulbs, and sometimes to their increase in 

 numbers. The root-action and habit of increase of Ery- 

 throniums are curious and interesting and have given. rise 

 to much discussion. It occurred lately to one inquirer to 

 investigate the real facts, which he discovered by cultiva- 

 tion in glass-sided boxes, and Mr. Blodgett, in the .^o/a/z/ca/ 

 Gazette, vol. xix., page 61, has given a very lucid account 

 of the reproduction of the species. The California Ery- 

 throniums are probably not much grown in eastern gar- 

 dens, though they are perfectly hardy in this latitude and of 

 the easiest culture. All the species are charming little 

 plants. Their leaves are usually richly spotted and marked 

 with colorations quite distinct from our eastern Adder's 

 Tongue. E. Howelli has pretty flowers, salmon-pink in 

 color. The leaves of this species are handsomely figured. 

 E. purpurascens is deeper in its shadings, and is a combi- 

 nation of yellow and reddish purple. E. citrina has large 

 flowers of citron-yellow, with a lighter centre. E. grandi- 

 flora and E. Hendersonii have respectively yellow and dark 

 purple flowers. On strong bulbs the scapes will often bear 

 two flowers. The effect of all these species is very pleas- 

 ing and quite distinct from E. Americanum. They flower 

 here in Ajiril. 



TuLiPA Kaufmanniana. — This beautiful Tulip is now in 

 full flower, while the Due von Thol Tulips, in the same bor- 

 der, are hardly showing buds, much less color; it is cer- 

 tainly the best early Tulip we have. It is a native of cen- 

 tral Asia and has been in cultivation since 1877; it is 

 apparently slow in propagation, or its merits are not 

 widely known, for the bulbs are still diflicult to obtain and 

 are high-priced. The perianth is a bright sulphur-yellow, 

 tinted with red, and as large as Tulipa Gesneriana; the 

 peduncle is eight inches or more high, but varies some- 

 what, according to bad or favorable seasons ; the leaves 

 are large and glaucous. Taken altogether, it is a plant 

 deserving high commendation. 



Iris ORCHiomES. — This Turkestan species is the second 

 yellow Iris of the season, being preceded by the little I. 

 Danfordia; by a month or more usually. I. orchioides is 

 one of the Juno section, and Mr. Gerard, after testing it 

 for three years, pronounces it reliably hardy here, and 

 rather more robust than I. Caucasica, I. persica and others 

 of the same section. Heavy soil and a sunny location 

 seem to suit it perfectly. It resembles I. Caucasica in 

 habit, though a taller plant, in having two rows of long 

 tapering lax leaves clasping the stem in opposite rows. 

 The stems are one and a half to two feet high. The flow- 

 ers are borne from the nodes on short stems, and are very 

 attractive, being of a rich deep yellow of great purity, with 

 only a small olive blotch on the fall. The flowers are 

 small, but, as there are three or four opened at once usually 

 on the same stem, a colony of tliis Iris is very attractive. 

 Its leaves commence to appear very early in the season, 

 and are sometimes touched by hard frosts. Curiously 

 enough they were not injured at all this year, though the 

 plants caught the early morning sun during the extremely 

 cold early year, a most severe test for any plant. There is 

 also a variety of this plant with lavender-colored flowers. 

 I. Caucasica, which flowers slightly earlier, might dispute 

 the place of thesecond early yellow Iris, but its color is at best 

 a greenish yellow, and the type is scarcely worth garden room. 



Iris Sindjarensis, from Mount Sindjar, Mesopotamia, has 

 already been noted in Garden and Forest as a very hand- 

 some Juno Iris, with charming flowers of a light lavender 

 hue and pleasantly fragrant. This has a habit similar to 

 that of I. orchioides, though the stems are shorter, the 

 flowers less frequent, and the leaves a darker green. The 



flowers are also borne on shorter stems and are larger and 

 more effective from their broader falls. This has survived 

 two winters with Mr. Gerard, but does not seem as vigor- 

 ous as I. orchioides. It commences to grow just before 

 the end of November. I. Sindjarensis, I. orchioides and I. 

 Rosenhachiana are a trio of Irises of the same section 

 which should please any grower of hardy plants. 



Nymi'h.t.a flammea. — Flowers of this Water-lily have been 

 sent us by Mr. J. Brydon, Yarmouthport, Massachusetts. 

 This is one of a valuable series of hybrids produced by 

 Monsieur Marliac, of which he gave an interesting account 

 last year. It seems that he succeeded in securing a 

 hybrid between a tropical Nymphsea and one of the hardy 

 species of the north, and this hybrid produces seeds 

 abundantly. Monsieur Marliac has in this way produced a 

 series of hybrids, ranging in color from white to intense 

 red. They generally bear medium or small-sized flowers ; 

 they are perfectly hardy and very free and continuous 

 bloomers. N. Laydekeri of this series is now well known 

 to growers of aquatics and is very satisfactory in cultiva- 

 tion. The flovi'ers on first opening are a delicate pink, 

 changing later to cherry-red. N flammea appears to be of 

 similar habit, size and character, but is much more intense 

 in color. In the old flower sent us the color approaches 

 that of N. rubra, but is not quite a self-color. Another 

 variety, N. ignea, is said to be more intense in color. The 

 new varieties, unlike N. Laydekeri, it is said, can be 

 propagated by division. 



OcHNA MULTiFLORA, — A Loudou nurscrymau recently re- 

 introduced this stove evergreen, which was first brought to 

 England in 1820, but somehow became lost for a long time. 

 It is most attractive when in fruit. The flowers are some- 

 what like those of a yellow Potentilla. After the petals fade 

 the calyx and receptacle gradually change from a greenish 

 yellow to a rich vermilion ; the receptacle enlarges consid- 

 erably, and on it are the carpels, about six in number, con- 

 taining the seed. The carpels, which are at first a pea green 

 color, change v\'hen ripe to a deep purple, and give the plant 

 a very odd appearance. It does well in a temperate house. 

 The seeds germinate freely in a few weeks after being sown. 



OxALis BowiEi. — To be in flower at this season these 

 bulbs should be potted up and started in three-inch pots 

 about the beginning of January. Afterward three or four 

 of the plants may be massed in a wire basket and hung up 

 in a warm greenhouse near the roof. Perhaps no other 

 plant makes so pleasing a display of flowers and foliage for 

 such a small sum of money. Oxalis Bowiei can be brought 

 into flower at any time of the year by putting in the bulbs, 

 in winter-time, about two months ahead of the time they 

 are wanted in bloom, and in summer three or four weeks 

 ahead of the time will suffice. It is unsatisfactory to buy 

 mixed collections of Oxalis, since there are so many spe- 

 cies of little or no value, and scarcely any two of them 

 have the same habits. The flowers of O. Bowiei are a light 

 rose color, and when well developed they are nearly two 

 inches in diameter. O. cuprea and O. versicolor are two 

 very good kinds ; they have yellow and white flowers 

 respectively. 



Cultural Department. 



Spring-flowering Bulbs. 



MY custom is to uncover my bulb-beds during the first 

 week ot April. This is early enougli for tliis latitude ; 

 indeed, some would consider it too early, but I do not leave 

 the ground wholly bare. There will still be sharp frosts which 

 will nip ihe tender shoots which have started beneath the cov- 

 ering, and so a little hay or other material should be left where 

 it can be easily got when a cliilly evening threatens. The 

 young sprouts will become hardened in ten days so as to stand 

 any cold which is likely to come. Ixiolirions will come up 

 under covering so colorless as to appear almost transparent, 

 and things as liardy as Alliums, when first exposed to the air, 

 are unable to endure any frost at all. Then, why not delay 

 two weeks longer.' might be asked. For this reason : By the 

 middle of April many of the early-starting things would be 



