June 12, 1895.] 



Garden and Forest. 



237 



mean greater profit. And in drawing observations from the 

 effects of irrigation upon annual crops, we should remember 

 that the roots of such crops are near the surface, while those 

 of trees spread far and deep. 



The fact is that we are now wasting a large fraction of our 

 annual rainfall, and it is useless to talk of irrigation until peo- 

 ple have arrived at the point of saving the water wliich 

 nature gives them. The average annual rainfall of New York 

 varies in the different parts from about thirty-five to over fifty 

 inches — that is, nature spreads a sheet of water three to four 

 feet deep over our lands every twelvemonth. Much of this 

 falls in winter and very early spring, to be sure, but even this 

 portion of it may be saved to a much greater extent than most 

 persons are aware. I venture the assertion that if the culti- 

 vator were to do his utmost to save this great benediction of 

 the heavens, not only the orchards, but most other crops in 

 New York state, could not be irrigated with profit. It is not 

 my purpose to discuss the methods of conservation of moisture 

 at this time. They have been explained over and over again. 

 They consist, essentially, in mulching the land with a shallow 

 layer — generally a dry one — of surface-soil ; in plowing very 

 early in the spring before the soil-moisture has been lost into 

 the atmosphere ; in covering the land with herbage in fall and 

 winter, and, in the case of cover crops, of plowing them under 

 at the earliest moment in spring, before they have evaporated 

 much moisture from the soil. 



There is another point respecting the utility of soil-moisture 

 which should not be overlooked. Very many of our lands 

 contain as much available plant-food as the average soil-mois- 

 ture can utilize. In such soils it is idle to apply more plant- 

 food without applying more water at the same time, or, to state 

 the case differently, without improving the methods of culti- 

 vation so as to save the greatest possible amount of the rain- 

 fall. The drought of last year cut short the growth of much 

 nursery-stock in western New York, and nurserymen are now 

 asking if they should not have applied nitrate of soda, or some 

 other commercial form of nitrogen. The probability is that 

 such applications would have been of no avail unless the til- 

 lage had been improved at the same time ; and it is a ques- 

 tion if tillage alone, if it were begun early before much of the 

 soil-moisture had been lost, would not have given the desired 

 results. At all events, it is certain that the effect of much of 

 the fertilizing of land is lost because the tillage is not improved, 

 and the greater the outlay in the application of commercial 

 plant-food, the greater should be the attention to tillage and 

 conservation of moisture. 



If all these considerations are well taken, it is evident that, 

 instead of recommending irrigation, we should urge the sav- 

 ing, of the water which we already possess. When any person 

 has done his best in this direction he is in position to consider 

 the feasibility of applying water artificially to his lands. 



Cornell University. L. H. Bailey. 



Mexican Water-lilies. 



'X'HESE species are worthy of special mention, being among 

 ■'■ the most attractive and deserving of general cultivation. 

 All lovers of aquatic plants, botanists and others, are indebted 

 to Mr. C. G. Pringle and other collectors, who have of late 

 years brought these Water-lilies again to notice. Five years 

 ago I received a root of the species Nymphasa Mexicana for 

 trial. This proved far superior to the well-known N. flava, 

 although it is almost indentical in form, size and color. Its 

 flowering habit compared favorably with any of the free-flow- 

 ering varieties, while it is well known that N. flava, under cul- 

 tivation, is the shyest bloomer and most unsatisfactory of any. 

 N. elegans, a most charming species, was also received from 

 the same source. It is a moderate grower and well adapted 

 for cultivation in tubs, small basins, etc. N. gracilis, of recent 

 introduction, is one of the most desirable kinds in cultivation. 

 It is the only tropical species with white flowers which blooms 

 in the daytime. These flowers are of the Stellate type and 

 stand well above the water. The rich, golden yellow stamens 

 and the delicate fragrance are the characteristics of this 

 variety. 

 - The new blue Water-lily, as figured and described in 

 Garden and Forest, May 22d, page 205, is entirely distinct 

 from any other blue Water-lily in cultivation, and corresponds 

 with one I have raised from seed, received from the same 

 source as Nymphaea gracilis. The plant resembles N. gracilis, 

 while the flowers are much larger, with the same long-pointed 

 buds. The flowers open early in the day and remain open 

 longer than those of the Zanzibar species. They are borne 

 on stout peduncles and stand well out of the water. The 

 leaves have long petioles, as if they grew naturally in deep 



ater. They are light green above, with a few blotches, and 

 : a dark purple beneath. One striking feature of the stock of 



wat 



of a dark purple ij^^ntcini. v^i^c shiimhi^ icaiure 01 me stock ot 

 this blue Lily is that it produces no seed, consequently it is 

 difficult to propagate. At the same time, it is a most profuse 

 bloomer. Another good feature is that strong-growing plants 

 will ripen a tuber that can be preserved with more certainly 

 than those of the Zanzibar type, when large flowering plants 

 have been grown the previous season. 

 Clifton. N. j; W. Tricker. 



Cladrastis tinctoria, the Yellow-wood, is bearing an extraor- 

 dinary heavy crop of flowers this season. It is one of the 

 most beautiful of the low-growing trees when in flower, and 

 yet in Washington, the home of trees, it is doubtful if there are 

 more than half a dozen examples of it in the city and surround- 

 ings. There are two magnificent specimens of it in the Capi- 

 tol grounds, which have much larger racemes of flowers than 

 we usually see, the one growing on the slope to the south of 

 the Capitol having racemes fully twenty-four inches lonp-. The 

 flowers do not last more than a fortnight, and if the wea"ther is 

 warm their life is shorter still, but the tree is attractive all the 

 season through. It is hardy up to the Canada line, and grows 

 rapidly. The gray bark is of fine texture, and this, with its 

 pleasing ramification, makes it a beautiful object in winter. 

 It has graceful light-colored foliage, which remains late and 

 turns to a clear yellow in autumn. Its one drawback is the 

 brittleness of its wood, which makes its branches liable to 

 break. 



Papaver orientale, — The Oriental Poppies last but a short time 

 in flower, but they are well worth the care bestowed on them 

 even to have them in flower for only a week or so durino- the 

 year. The flowers are in some cases as large as eight inches 

 across, the petals of a bright fiery or orange red, but out of a 

 batch of seedlings we get quite a number of flowers approach- 

 ing scarlet. This Poppy, being a perennial, can be increased 

 by root division, which is, at the best, a slow and uncertain 

 method of propagation. To have it in quantity the best way 

 is to sow the seed early in the fall in good-sized boxes, where 

 it will soon germinate, and with the protection of a cool frame 

 the seedlings can be left in the box all winter, and by spring 

 they should be potted off into three-inch pots. As soon as 

 tliey have developed a few good-sized leaves they can be 

 planted out in their permanent positions, where they will 

 flower the following spring. The variety bracteata is only a 

 slight variation from the type, having large bracts under the 

 petals ; the flowers are lighter in color than those of Papaver 

 orientale. A dwarf form of P. orientale, called Triumphans, has 

 the merit of being very floriferous. 



Botanic Garden, Washington. G. W. O. 



Correspondence. 



Notes from Brookline, Massachusetts. 

 To the Editor of Garden and Forest : 



Sir, — There is now on view a grand display of Indian Azaleas 

 in the home garden of Professor Sargent, in Brookline, Mas- 

 sachusetts. Every plant is a perfect specimen, showing a high 

 state of cultivation. Some are globe-shaped, balloon, pyra- 

 midal, besides many irregular, but graceful, forms, and all a 

 mass of bloom. There is almost too much color, and, as the 

 gardener remarked, pointing to one or two plants showing a 

 little green foliage, more foliage would help relieve the eye, 

 and tend to a better appreciation of the various contrasting 

 colors. The collection is made up exclusively of single-flow- 

 ered varieties. Single flowers of graceful outline like the 

 Azalea, especially those of the Indian type, are more refined, 

 and certainly far more effective, than double flowers of this 

 plant could possibly be. One other reason why single flowers 

 should have preference is that the production of double 

 flowers is a greater strain on the plant, and, as a consequence, 

 they cannot be relied upon to bloom well every season, and 

 the plants are never as massive as those of the single forms. 



These Azaleas are cultivated on the European plan — per- 

 haps, more correctly, the Belgian — modified according to the 

 different climatic conditions. Here they are planted in the 

 full sunlight. To many gardeners, with the English pot sys- 

 tem of cultivation in mind — and shade, even in England^ is 

 considered essential — it appears a bold plan, and it is" hard to 

 persuade them to give it even a trial. Nothing succeeds like 

 success, and here is the evidence. A full account of the 

 method of cultivation followed here is given in Gardkn and 

 Forest, vol. vii., No. 354. 



.'\mong several striking varieties were Roseum magnum, a 

 showy flower of beautiJEul vermilion ; Daphne, a bcaulitul 



