^88 



Garden and Forest. 



[Number 396. 



information that it came from the colder regions of Costa 

 Rica." As Director Wendland went to Central America in 

 1858-59 on a botanical mission, it is to be presumed that he 

 brouglit liome this among the many plants collected, and the 

 wonder is that it has remained so long hidden from cultiva- 

 tors ; there seems to be no difficulty in propagating it from 

 cuttings made of the least succulent shoots, and we may soon 

 see it largely used as a decorative plant. 



It should be noted that the flowers close up at nightfall. 

 This defect or peculiarity hinders their use in a cut state some- 

 what, but it will not be considered much of a detraction from 

 the value of the plant if used as a climber, either indoors or 

 out in the warm months. zr n o a / 



South Lancaster. Mass. ^- '-' ■ Urpet. 



[In many of the gardens of San Diego and Santa Bar- 

 bara, California, Solanum Wendlandi is now well estab- 

 lished, growing to the height of thirty or forty feet, 

 and displaying during a large part of the year its clusters 

 of beautiful fiow-ers. — Ed.] 



Keeping Pears.— If pears are wanted for late fall and winter 

 eating pick them early and handle as carefully as possible. 

 Get a package of paper, such as is used to wrap oranges, and 

 wrap each pear separately. Then pack the fruit in shallow 

 boxes and store in a cool, dark, dry place. The nearer the 

 temperature can be kept to the freezing-point the longer the 

 pears will keep. By wrapping in paper the flavor is not lost 

 as it is when pears are kept in cold storage. Early picking 

 and perfectly sound specimens are essential. 



Plant a few Winter Pears.— Nearly every one likes pears, yet 

 few have the fruit after Thanksgiving or Christmas. Much 

 attention has been paid to late-keeping pears during recent 

 years, and there is now quite an extensive list of fine table 

 varieties that keep well into the winter and spring months. 

 Winter Nelis is best known, but Lawrence, Josephine de 

 Malines and Duhamel du Monceau are deserving of a place 

 in every garden. Colonel Wilder and P. Barry are pears of 

 more recent introduction, and while neither of them is a good 

 grower, the fact that they keep until March and April 

 makes them valuable to the amateur. 



New Yorlt. 



Edwin C. Powell. 



Correspondence. 



What Shall We Do with the Birds? 



To the Editor of Garden and Forest : 



Sir, — Most of us have been taught to reverence the birds, 

 and we are inclined to resent at once any evil report with re- 

 t'ard to their behavior. The ornithologist demonstrates their 

 usefulness by presenting long lists of the insects found in their 

 stomachs, and, even if we are not convinced of the actual good 

 they do, we enjoy their beauty and their songs, and are glad of 

 an opportunity to befriend them ; yet, in spite of this senti- 

 ment, I do not recall an enemy which I consider more serious 

 in this region than the birds, or a greater obstacle to profitable 

 fruit-growing. Last year (Garden and Forest, vol. vii., page 

 414) I called attention to the injury done to apples by birds. It 

 was there suggested that, as the season had been exceedingly 

 dry, the ordinary supplies of bird-food might be deficient, or 

 that the birds might attack the apples to get the moisture con- 

 tained in them. We find, however, that their conduct this 

 year is no better ; in fact, it seems to be worse, for the reason 

 that they have had better opportunities to exercise their evil 

 propensities. 



Of course, the birds are expected to take a liberal supply of 

 cherries, juneberries and the like, but Nebraska birds are not 

 to be put off with any ordinary division of proceeds. In the 

 Experiment Station orchard they render the crop of summer 

 and fall apples practically valueless, for scarcely an apple 

 reaches maturity uninjured. To be sure, there is a part of 

 nearly every apple that can be utilized for home use, provided 

 it is wanted very soon after the bird takes his share of it, but 

 this necessitates picking the fruit almost daily. 



The trouble does not stop with the orchard, however. This 

 year there are a few grapes, and the birds claim even a greater 

 share of these than of the apples. I have not been able to find 

 a perfect cluster that is even well colored, not to say ripe. In 

 all cases the grapes are attacked as soon as they begin to color, 

 and in many cases not a perfect berry can be found. To be 

 sure, the crop is a poor one, the frost having destroyed the 

 greater portion in early spring, but I am told that the result is 

 not greatly different in many cases even when the crop is 

 large. Of course, the clusters can be protected by bagging, 



but with grapes selling at retail now for twenty and twenty-five 

 cents for a nine-pound basket, there is little encouragement in 

 undertaking grape-culture for profit with the expectation of 

 having to bag every cluster that is harvested. 



Within the past few years cultivation of the varieties of the 

 Garden plum. Primus domestica, has become more general in 

 this state, but here again the birds promise to contest the 

 industry. Plum-growing in the past has been confined almost 

 entirely to the native sorts. These have for the most part 

 exceedingly tough skins, and a bird of ordinary perseverance 

 does not attempt to puncture them. The thinner skin of the 

 garden varieties is one of their desirable features, but this 

 makes them vulnerable to the attacks of the birds, and may 

 prevent their extensive introduction. 



I am extremely loth to declare war on the birds, but I do not 

 know how to overcome the destruction which they work. The 

 greater part of every agricultural and horticultural crop is 

 required to meet the actual cost of producing the crop, and 

 unless the crop brings some profit it had better not be grown. 

 Suppose, then, that the birds only destroy one-fourth of the 

 crop, which is much less than they are domg on our grounds 

 this year, they have probably taken all the profit out of the 

 business. There is no denying the fact that the birds render 

 great service in the destruction of noxious insects. Leaving 

 all sentiment out of the question, it is impossible to say 

 whether we are able to successfully cope with these insect 

 foes without the birds, even though we have made great 

 strides in the application of insecticicies. If a single species of 

 bird were responsible for the injury the problem would be 

 easier, but such is not the case. So many kinds have been 

 ofjserved eating the apples that we are led to believe that the 

 habit is almost universal. It would be an interesting fact if 

 some ornithologist could explain why the same species, which 

 inhabit also the eastern states, are so much more destructive 

 here than there. No one counts on the birds as an enemy to 

 apple-growing in New York or New England, and why should 

 they be here ? The answer to this question might explain 

 how to overcome the dilficulty. 



Asrricultural Colltge, Lincoln, Neb. Fred IV. Card. 



Notes from Santa Barbara. 

 To the Editor of Garden and Forest : 



Sir, — In reference to a note by Professor Meehan on trees 

 with triangular stems, recently quoted in Garden and Forest, 

 it is worth mentioning that the most remarkable tree, Lyono- 

 thamnus asplenifolius, peculiar to the islands of Santa Cruz 

 and Santa Rosa, has, as a rule, triangular stems up to a certain 

 height. Here some other cause than the one suggested by 

 Mr. Meehan for the Philadelphia tree must be looked for. 

 Lyonothamnus is generally found growing on the shady side 

 of the hills, and in clumps from very few to perhaps fifty trees 

 together, apparently having sprung up from the very large 

 roots which affect also a triangular shape. Seedlings or small 

 plants are not to be found, owing to the large number of sheep 

 grazing over the islands, but seedlings raised here have proved 

 that they can endure safely the open sun. The hairs that cover 

 the young growth under such conditions assume a pretty red 

 color, contrasting well with the bright green of the glossy Fern- 

 cut leaves. 



Every year the number of individuals and of species of 

 Palms which flower here is increasing. This year for the 

 first time here, very likely for the first time in the United 

 States, we have had in bloom Chamoedorea desmoncoides, 

 from Mexico, one of the scandent species, and Erythrsea 

 armata, the Blue Palm from Lower California, with florif- 

 erous spadices over twelve feet long. This, the most strik- 

 ing of Fan Palms, while much prized now in California and 

 in the gardens of the Mediterranean Riviera, is hardly known, 

 I believe, in the eastern states. 



The Melon Papaw, Carica Papaya, to which some attention 

 has been drawn lately in agricultural papers, has never been 

 and never will be a success in California, its soft, fleshy roots 

 being too liable to decay during our rainy season, although 

 the rainfall is so meagre. Other kinds of Papaw may, perhaps, 

 be profitably grown, if not for their fruits, for the extraction of 

 papaine, which is much employed in modern therapeutics. 

 C. quercifolia, from Argentina and Paraguay, appears to be 

 particularly rich in this alkaloid, and has proved perfectly 

 hardy here, together with C. gracilis, with pink-veined, finely 

 cut leaves, and C. candamarcensis, both from high altitudes 

 in the Andes. Plants of all three have been blooming, the 

 last mentioned since October, all through the winter, produc- 

 ing thousands of sweet-scented yellowish flowers, all sfami- 

 nate, and it was not until 9 few days ago that pistillate flowers 



