October 9, 1895.] 



Garden and Forest. 



407 



gium alpinum is throwing up a second growth of its curiously 

 formed and colored flower heads. 



Ecliinacea purpurea is flowering as freely as it did six weeks 

 ago, and E. angustifolia is giving a good quantity of showy, 

 medium-sized flowers. Both of these are stately native plants. 

 Rudbeckia speciosa still shows some bloom, while R. subto- 

 mentosa is at its best ; immense branched heads of rich golden- 

 yellow flowers, with purple, cone-like centres covering plants 

 which grow to a height of three or four feet, are very effec- 

 tive. Scabiosa Caucasica is producing a great abundance of 

 showy lavender-blue flowers with rich lavender centres which 

 are eagerly sought for cutting. 



The Sunflowers, from which at this time of the year we 

 expect the richest effect, are not disappointing. Helianlhus 

 decapetalus is just passing by with its wealth of light lemon 

 flowers. H. multiflorus has been for a full month giving a 

 constant succession of large clear yellow flowers, four to five 

 inches across, and borne on long stems well fitted for cutting. 

 The double H, multiflorus has been in bloom since July and 

 does not show any signs of abatement. H. mollis is one of the 

 most desirable species, with its odd velvety foliage and hand- 

 somely formed light lemon-yellow flowers, each three inches or 

 more in diameter. The tall H. orgyalis is just at its best, and 

 H. Davisii shows immense heads of small golden-yellow flow- 

 ers. H. trachcefolius and H. gros-serratus are two other 

 coarse-growing forms, the first with yellow bloom and the 

 second with orange-yellow and with a well-colored centre ; and 

 H. Isetiflorus, with its showy, cup-shaped, semidouble golden- 

 yellow flowers, is not quite past its flowering season and con- 

 tinues to be in demand for cut work. 



This article is already too long, but it by no means com- 

 pletes the list of hardy herbaceous plants which for weeks will 

 continue to keep our borders bright. The long spikes of 

 Lythrums and Liatris, and the broad heads of rich purple 

 flowers on the Vernonias, the red and white Centranthus, with 

 Campanula grandi flora preparing for its second bloom. Daphne 

 cneorum giving its third crop of fragrant pink flowers, Birds'- 

 foot Violets, Alpine and Iceland Poppies, and Heuchera san- 

 guinea, flov/ering as they do in spring, hybrid Phloxes still in 

 full show, Gaillardia grandiflora stilt opening its liroad flowers 

 witli their bands of orange and maroon as bright as ever, 

 Helenium autumnale, Funkia lancifolia, Armerias of various 

 kinds with flowers of lavender, red and deep pink — all these 

 and more help to make the flower garden in the waning year 

 as interesting to the real lover of plants as it is in any other 



" Reading, Mass. J- U'oodward Manning. 



bloom. To have them in bloom at planting-out time the seeds 

 are sown early in the season, say by the end of January; by 

 the middle of May they will be starving and in flower in three- 

 inch pots. I think the kinds look best when kept separate 

 from each other. As every one knows, one has pink flowers, 

 another white ones, and a third white flowers with a pink eye. 

 The plants reach a height of about eighteen inches in good 

 seasons, and they are very symmetrical. 



Botanic Garden, Washington, D. C. G. \V. O. 



Notes from the Washington Botanic Gardens. 



Hunnemannia fumarisefolia.— If seeds of this beautiful Papa- 

 veraceous plant be sown now and wintered over in a cold 

 frame, the plants will flower abundantly next season. This is 

 one of the few plants common in our gardens which seem to 

 revel in very hot weather. If set out in a sunny well-drained 

 border it very soon attracts attention by its finely cut glaucous 

 leaves and large Eschscholtzia-like flowers. It is a native of 

 Mexico, presumably the coldest parts, as plants without pro- 

 tection have undergone zero weather without hurt ; neverthe- 

 less, it is well worth taking a little extra care of in the way of 

 winter protection. Its period of blooming is from midsum- 

 mer till frost. 



Caryopteris Mastacanthus.— The most attractive plant in the 

 shrubbery at present in bloom is Caryopteris Mastacanthus. 

 It is valuable for its period of blooming, when other things 

 are, as a rule, looking rather seedy. The flowers are small, a 

 goodly number of them springmgfrom the axils of the leaves 

 at the ends of the shoots. The color is violet-blue. At first 

 sight the plant when in bloom is suggestive of a Vitex, to 

 which genus it is closely allied. It is a native of China, so 

 that in the northern states it will require protection during 

 winter. 



Solanum Wendlandii.— This plant has been tried out-of-doors 

 here the past summer and it has flowered beautifully, but only 

 during the last few weeks. It spent all the summer months in 

 making long, stout growths. The plants were small when put 

 out, but if larger ones had been tried I am inclined to think the 

 flowering period would have been longer. In the northern 

 states the proper place for it is in the greenhouse, trained up 

 pillars or rafters, where it will make a display not easily sur- 

 passed in beauty. The flowers are very large for a Solanum, 

 and bright lavender in color. 



Vinca rosea. — The Madagascar Periwinkle has for several 

 years been our handsomest bedding plant. From the day the 

 plants are put out until cold weather they are never out of 



Cannas. 



THE flov/ering season of these plants will soon be ended by 

 frosts and the roots should be taken up at once. They 

 should be allowed to dry a liltle and then be stored in boxes of 

 dry sand, where the temperature will not fall below forty de- 

 grees. It is preferable to place them under the benches of the 

 Carnation-house, or in a similar place rather than in a cellar, 

 provided they are not exposed to the drying influence of hot- 

 water pipes. The annual introduction of many new and im- 

 proved varieties indicates the popularity of these plants, 

 and this is partly due to their easy culture. The season of 

 blooming can be lengthened if they are started indoors, but 

 they will flower, although at a later date, if the tubers are 

 planted in the open ground. If seeds are saved from the best 

 varieties, and a batch of seedlings raised every year, a fair per- 

 centage of the plants will be found worthy of preservation, 

 while there is always a chance of getting something good. 



Cannas are easily hybridized, and insects usually work busily 

 on them, so that if artificial impregnation is used for a direct 

 cross between two varieties it is necessary to have some means 

 of protecting them from insects. 



To obtain strong plants from seed by planting-out time the 

 seeds should be sown in January. Plenty of bottom-heat is 

 necessary, as they are hard to germinate. If good bottom-heat 

 is not obtainable, germination is greatly assisted by soaking 

 the seeds in tepid water. They should be inserted singly in 

 small pots filled with an open sandy compost. The plants 

 should not be allowed to become pot-bound, for the roots are 

 brittle and easily broken in shifting. To avoid any check when 

 planting out, the plants ought to be well hardened off. 



Tarrytown, N. Y. William Scott. 



Forcing-house Notes. 



THE first fires of the season were started in the forcing- 

 houses here on September 2gth. Although there was no 

 danger of frost on that day, the houses were cold and damp. 

 Plants for winter vegetables should never be chilled at this 

 time of year, as a chill weakens their constitution, stunts their 

 growth and renders them liable to diseases of all kinds. Plants 

 for winter crops should be kept growing steadily now, and 

 every unfavorable condition removed. Cucumbers and Melons 

 were put in the beds last week, and the Tomatoes and Rad- 

 ishes are about to go in. 



A study of the soils adapted to forcing different vegetables 

 is of the first importance. It is not uncommon to see the same 

 mixture used for several plants whose habit of growth and 

 feeding are dissimilar. It is believed that the physical proper- 

 ties of the soil — that is, its proportion of gravel, sand, clay, silt 

 and vegetable matter, which a suitable soil contains — exerts as 

 great an influence on the ultimate success of the crop as the 

 amount of plant-food which it can furnish, and that a mixture 

 that is best for one plant is not the best for another in the 

 forcing-houses. During the winter to come. Melons, Cucum- 

 bers, Tomatoes, Radishes and Lettuce will be grown in six 

 different soils containing difterent proportions of the ingre- 

 dients named above, in order to secure data for study and 



comparison. 



Cornell University. 



G. Harold Powell. 



Marantas. 



THIS handsome genus of ornamental-leaved stove-plants 

 should be regresented in every collection. Whether ar- 

 ranged by themselves in groups or intermixed with other 

 plants they never fail to make a pleasing effect. They thrive 

 well in a warm stove with abundant atmospheric moisture, 

 and require a plentiful supply of water at the roots during the 

 summer months while in active growth. After their growth is 

 completed the supply of water should be gradually lessened to 

 induce the plants to rest. They must, however, never be sub- 

 jected to excessive dryness. 



The most common,' and probably most convenient, method 

 of propagation is by division of the crowns. This is best done 

 in spring before active growth commences. The plants should 



