July 17, 1895.] 



Garden and Forest. 



287 



but, of course, his climate is not an eastern one, and the plants 

 rest and grow under somewhat normal conditions. Herr 

 Leichtlin has lately reintroduced I. macrosiphon to cultivation 

 from seedlings, and we are likely to hear more of it. 



Iris Hartwegii was first specially called to my attention a few 

 years ago by an English friend, who is one of the best of ama- 

 teur gardeners. He had once had it established, but had lost 

 it, much to his regret. There may be others outside of Cali- 

 fornia who have established it, but probably not many. The 

 friend who sent me some plants this spring says: "Remem- 

 ber that they require a dry locality. They never drink a drop 

 of rain from the middle of ISlay till the end of September at the 

 earliest, and they are to be found only on those hillsides where 

 they are drained to perfection ; never near a moist or wet 

 spot. I do not recollect having found them on any but dry 

 slopes, and there strong in the sun, and slim and thin if 

 shaded too thickly by Pines, Pinus ponderosa." Strong roots 

 and thin roots have mostly gone quickly to the majority in my 

 garden, though at present there are some survivors under 

 cover and dormant, besides seedlings. It will be seen that 

 such plants are likely to cause a gardener some trouble. If 

 we are to grow some of the California and many of the Asiatic 

 plants it will be necessary to arrange a summer drought for 

 parts of the garden. There is also another little matter which 

 bothers a gardener in growing some of the early^flowering 

 plants — our seasons are sometimes so late that the plants do 

 not move until their natural flowering season is over, and this 

 is apparently prejudicial to their perfection. There is a great 

 difference in the temperature required to start perfectly hardy 

 plants, for a plant may be perfectly hardy and yet require 

 quite a warm temperature to start it into vigor. Bamboos, for 

 instance, being a case in point. Romneya Coulteri, which is a 

 true Californian, did not appear this year till the first of May, 

 about the time it should be in flower, and it will probably not 

 catch up. I. Do\iglasiana has several varieties, and Mr. Purdy 

 informs me that he has seen some beautiful natural hybrids 

 with some other species. Of these and I. bracteata, figured in 

 Garden and Forest, vol. i., page 43, I have had little expe- 

 rience beyond losing them one or more times. I. longipetala 

 is a species which seemingly requires no special treatment, 

 and has grown here for some years with so little attention that 

 I do not at the moment remember the distinguishing features 

 of its purple flowers. 



, This seems to complete the list of knowr. American Irises, 

 except I. setosa (I. brachycuspis), which is found in Alaska, 

 and is possibly an escape from Asia, where it is said to be 

 rather common. 



These notes, which, perhaps, give a large proportion of 

 negative information, are offered in the hope that observers of 

 our native flora may be induced to notice and collect Irises 

 which may differ from the types, and favor us with notes on 

 the natural habitats of some of the little-known species. 

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



Midsummer Care of Chrysanthemums. 



SPECIMEN plants of Chrysanthemums are now making 

 vigorous growth. It is important at this time, more than 

 any other, that an even and compact growth be secured ; hence 

 careful stopping is one of the most important operations. 

 Every day the plants should be looked over, and any shoots 

 making unusual headway nipped olT. This work may be con- 

 tinued until early in August with most varieties, and even later, 

 when an occasional shoot strikes out above the rest, as will 

 sometimes happen with G. W. Childs, Octavie Mirabeau, Por- 

 tia and lora. The Louis Boehmer type. Ivory and varieties 

 generally of slender growth are better if they are allowed to 

 mature their growth early, so that stopping may be discon- 

 tinued about the middle of the month. Experience, however, 

 is the "most reliable guide, and to note each individual variety 

 in this particular would be tedious work. 



In point of size, our specimens in July are never in any way 

 remarkable, and we are often warned that at exhibition time 

 we shall be behind. Our aim has not been to have our plants 

 make unusual growth, but rather to develop a good founda- 

 tion. To this end we have never used very rich soil, as heavy 

 growth early in the season tends to an abnormal root develop- 

 ment, and increases the difficulties as well as the dangers of 

 feeding or applying stimulants later on. To put it plainly, the 

 plants are surfeited, to begin with. A loss of leaves will be 

 sure to follow, and without good foliage we cannot have good 

 flowers, neither can we make a finished specimen. 



Skill lies rather in the application of stimulants than in their 

 choice. General lines of work may be laid down, but each 

 must to a considerable extent experiment for himself. There 



are plenty of good compounds to choose from. As stated in 

 previous notes, enough room should be left, when making the 

 final shift, to allow for a top-dressing of good soil manure of 

 some kind, or whatever is decided upon for a fertilizer. We 

 apply a top-dressing before we find it necessary to use stimu- 

 lants in the liquid form. For this purpose, cow-manure is 

 good, but it must not be applied green. In this condition, it 

 would quickly close the pores of the soil and shut out air, so 

 essential to healthy developm.ent, when stagnation would result. 

 This is generally shown by the leaves becoming yellow. Cow- 

 manure should be dried and put on rough and allowed to 

 remain so. We do not, however, use it, for the reason that it 

 is bulky and does not contain enough concentrated food. 

 Sheep-manure is excellent, but this also is objectionable for 

 use in pots, on account of its bulk, though to a lesser degree 

 than cow-manure. Partiality may be charged in recommend- 

 ing one artificial manure above another, but I must say that 

 Clay's fertilizer is by far the best and safest of any I know, and 

 I can fully attest to its lasting qualities. One part in fifty, or 

 even more, can be incorporated into some good loam, with a 

 dash of sand to keep it from forming a compact surface ; this 

 makes an excellent first top-dressing. Enough may be used 

 to make a covering of about one-fourth of an inch. The effect 

 of this compost will be seen in a few days. I have already 

 tested a plant of Ivory, which, by comparison with the rest, 

 shows increased vigor and improved color. Guano may be 

 used in the same way in smaller proportions, but it is danger- 

 ous, and owing to the uncertain strength of the article under 

 that name now in commerce it is unreliable. 



Later on liquid-manure can be used. Drainage from barns 

 is one of the best fertilizers known, containing in a concen- 

 trated form all the ingredients of a complete plant-food. One 

 part in twenty gallons of water is a good proportion to use, 

 applied two or three times a week. The plants must be 

 healthy ; a sickly plant would not be benefited, but rather in- 

 jured. Plants in this condition are either constitutionally weak 

 or else there is a defect in the drainage, and the roots should 

 be examined. Bituminous soot, put into a bag, with some 

 device for filtering water through it, is beneficial, often givin.o- 

 a healthy lone to a weak plant wlien all other remedies fail. 

 An overdose of stimulants is sure to occur where a large 

 quantity of plants are grown. Where this occurs it is better 

 to leave such plants rather dry until the air has had a chance 

 to work through the soil with deodorizing effects. Water 

 should be continued sparingly, for, since, the trouble is root- 

 injury, some time must elapse before normal root-action 

 sets in. 



Insect pests must be fought continuously. Fumigation for 

 most of the aphis family is usually sufficient, but not 

 effective enough for black and yellow thrips. A decoction of 

 three pounds of tobacco-leaf in twenty gallons of water, with 

 an ounce of sulphide of potassium dissolved, and a table- 

 spoonful of kerosene-oil to a pailful of water on application, 

 has proved effective. 



Plants intended for specimen blooms are now making good 

 growth, and will soon need staking. The July crown-buds are 

 showing quite numerously, and, except when appearing late 

 in the month on some early varieties, which are good on this 

 bud only, notably Mrs. E. G. Hill, all should be discarded, and 

 the terminal bud allowed to grow. 



Wellesley, Mass. T. D. Hatfield. 



Some Showy Perennials. 



'T'HE native Pentstemons are beautiful plants, but manv of 

 -•■ them are hard to cultivate. Young plants are easily raised 

 from seed, and if this is sown earlv in spring some of the seed- 

 lings will bloom the first summer or autumn. Somehow, 

 many of the species never seem to grow so well here the 

 second year. Even when they are kept in a cool frame during 

 the winter and are planted out in the spring, or if they are left 

 in the border and protected, they start to grow so weakly in 

 the spring that they make a poor display in the summer. How- 

 ever, we have a number of showy species that are quite happy 

 here, and they gr^tly help to adorn our beds and borders. 

 P. barbatus makes an attractive plant when in bloom. It is 

 one of the most robust growers, and makes itself at home in 

 almost any kind of soil or situation. It grows in tufts, and 

 from those tufts rise slender wand-like stems with lanceolate 

 pale green leaves, and the light pink drooping flowers are 

 borne in long loose panicles. The flower-stems are produced 

 plentifully, and the plants are attractive for a number of weeks. 

 There are several varieties of this species, but the best one is 

 Torreyi. It is a robust plant, growing taller and stronger than 

 the type, and bears beautiful deep scarlet-red Howei-s. The 



