43^ 



Garden and Forest. 



[Number 401. 



freely. The ovate-oblong leaves on erect, slender petioles 

 are deep green and membraneous in texture. The spathe 

 is flat, oblong-lanceolate, pure white and showy ; the 

 spadix is cylindrical. Grown in company with Anthurium 

 Scherzerianum this is a very appropriate and useful plant, 

 the white flowers contrasting beautifully with those of the 

 scarlet Anthurium. This genus contains several other very 

 ornamental plants, such as the pure white Spathiphyllum 

 candidum, the large-flowered S. cannsefolium and S. flori- 

 bundum, all dwarfer and more compact in habit than the 

 present one. Some of the species are very fragrant. All 

 thrive in a soil composed of equal parts leaf-mold and peat, 

 with an admixture of some dried cow-manure and broken 

 pieces of charcoal. They should be grown in a moist and 

 warm atmosphere and partially shaded. 



Cultural Department. 



Some Good Chrysanthemums. 



CHRYSANTHEMUMS at the Waban conservatories, Natick, 

 Massachusetts, were never better than now. Some of the 

 finest cut blooms ever exhibited in Horticuhural Hall, Boston, 

 came from this place last season. All the best standard varie- 

 ties are grown, and all reputable new ones are tested. It is a 

 good place to compare notes. 



The variety H. L. Sunderbruck still holds first place here 

 among early yellow sorts. In richness of coloring no other 

 variety, except Golden Wedding, approaches it, and when in 

 mass it fairly dazzles the eye. It is a charming flower of regu- 

 larly incurved form when at its best; and when, later, a few 

 florets undress, it is to many people still more attractive. One 

 seldom sees E. Molyneux in its best form. Its grand, irregu- 

 larly incurved, crimson and gold blooms are considered indis- 

 pensable on the exhibition boards in the old country, and no 

 dozen could expect to win without it. It is the one variety 

 above all others which shows the cultural skill and patience 

 of British growers. Cuttings are taken some time in Decem- 

 ber. The first break occurs in May, and the second from the 

 middle to late August, from which a crown-bud should arise 

 to give a perfect bloom. These are all considerations of 

 importance. A crown-bud started too early will give a mal- 

 formed bloom of poor color ; if started too late an unfinished 

 bloom will follow. Cuttings struck in March in this country 

 will, with generous treatment, reach the first-break stage in 

 May, and from this time forward the methods of culture are 

 essentially the same as pursued with ordinary varieties, taking 

 the August crown. 



All lovers of Chrysanthemums are enchanted with the 

 variety Mrs. Henry Robinson. It was raised by Pitcher & 

 Manda some years ago, who apparently did not realize its 

 value. An English grower and introducer, Mr. H. J. Jones, of 

 Lewisham, London, discovered its worth and reintroduced it 

 to the United States last season. It is, without doubt, in habit, 

 size and form of flower and in purity of color, the finest early 

 white variety ever raised. It is a loosely, yet perfectly and 

 gracefully incurved bloom of the largest size. Sunrise, as an 

 early crimson and gold variety, is destined to hold an impor- 

 tant place. It is, so tar, the first early variety of its color which 

 every one can grow, being good on all buds. It is evidently 

 derived from E. Molyneux, and, though a grand flower, it lacks 

 the finish characteristic of its prototype. Mrs. M. J. Parker, Jr., 

 is correctly named the pink Ivory, being the perfect counter- 

 part of that flower in all but color. Nemesis is another early 

 pink variety of dwarf habit. The flower is of better build, 

 being neatly incurved, but less firm in texture, and on that 

 account may not carry as well or last as long when cut. J. H. 

 Troy, as an early white, is likely to be a leading sort ; so also 

 Philadelphia ; but with Mrs. Henry Robinson fresh in my 

 mind's eye it is hard to do them justice. 



Wellesley, Mass. T. D. Hatfield. 



The Meadow Saffrons. 



T ATE in autumn, when everything else is going to rest, the 

 -'— ' Colchicums, or Meadow Saffrons, begin to open their buds 

 in woods and gardens. One species, growing wild in sheltered 

 woodland meadows in middle Europe, is as remarkable for 

 the quaint beauty of its flowers as for the tardiness of their 

 appearance. It is commonly cultivated in the cottage gardens 

 all over the Continent and In England, and forms a pleasing 

 feature of the late autumn scenery when growing in masses 

 in sheltered positions among the fallen leaves. 



The best and most natural position is a rather low and shal- 

 low lawn that will remain sufficiently moist during the summer, 

 for, although flowering so late, the plants are doing their best 

 in the way of growing from the earliest spring. All Colchi- 

 cums should be planted rather deep, four inches, or even 

 more, in dry locations. A sandy loam, enriched by plenty of 

 well-decayed horse-manure, is preferable to any othersoil. It 

 is best to plant them in irregular masses in the lawn, where 

 they may push up among the grass. For this purpose the sod 

 of the selected place should be carefully removed, the soil, if 

 unsuitable, dug out to a depth of a foot or more and replaced 

 with fresh suitable soil, which should be trodden down firmly so 

 as to leave the lawn in a proper condition after finishing the 

 work. The large, egg-shaped bulbs should then be planted 

 deep and firmly, the mass thickest in the more central parts 

 and gradually thinner toward the edges, so as to make a natu- 

 ral appearance when in flower. After planting, the lawn can 

 again be leveled and sodded. 



It is not necessary to make regular beds ; the plants will do 

 well in the grass, but liorders and open spaces in shrubberies 

 may also be utilized, although they will there generally be hid- 

 den from view or covered with leaves. 



Some of the species, Colchicum Parkinsonii, for example, 

 are curiously colored, the white petals being marked with 

 regular purple spots like squares on a chess-board. C. au- 

 tumnale, the common species, throws up large masses of 

 light purple flowers, four inches high above the ground. 

 C. speciosum is the largest, producing immense flowers of a 

 purplish -crimson color. There are also double-flowered 

 forms, but these are not as desirable as the single ones. The 

 autumn-flowering Colchicums are entirely leafless when flow- 

 ering in October or November, the last vestige of the summer 

 foliage having dried up long before. 



Newark, N. J. A'. J. Rose. 



Wintering Aquatics. 



A OUATICS are increasingly popular, and no garden is con- 

 -'*- sidered complete without some representatives, if only 

 one or two tubs compose the water-garden. These small 

 efforts are often the beginning of much pleasurable experience 

 and permanent love for these plants. The advice has often 

 been given to store the tubs in a cellar, but hardy varieties and 

 tender varieties need different treatment. Hardy varieties will do 

 well in a cold cellar if it can be kept at about thirty-five degrees, 

 Fahrenheit, and not aliove forty degrees ; but the trouble is to 

 find such cellars, for in most cases they get warmer as spring 

 approaches, and the plants start into growth before it is safe 

 to put them out-of-doors. Such growth will not stand exposure 

 to the light and air, and the plant is weakened and may not start 

 again for some time, and then only feebly, with disappointing 

 results, The greatest care is necessary to keep the plants 

 dormant until it is safe to put the tubs outside in the spring. 

 One of the safest methods of wintering hardy NympliEeas, and 

 Nelumbiums especially, if the tubs are plunged in the ground, 

 is to leave them there, place a large box or frame over each 

 tub, fill it with leaves, fern or salt hay, cover this with a shut- 

 ter or boards and secure the same against storms and high 

 winds. Before covering the tub it should be filled with water 

 and a piece or two of board placed over it to keep the leaves 

 out. If two or more tubs are in use they should be set to- 

 gether, thus making one covering and protection suffice. If 

 the tubs have to be moved to some spot for protection, a 

 warm, sheltered one should be selected in front of a green- 

 house or other building, with a few boards. Snug winter 

 quarters may easily be contrived, and if a hot-bed sash can 

 be utilized it will afford much protection against frosts in 

 spring, besides lengthening the season three to four weeks. 



A good tank for growing aquatics is one made of brick and 

 Portland cement, or concrete, finished with Portland cement, 

 of a size that can be conveniently covered with a hot-bed 

 frame and sash in winter. With a lining of leaves or stable- 

 manure, salt hay or the like, this will prove satisfactory. It will 

 be necessary to examine the tank during mild spells, especially 

 as spring approaches. The amount of covering will depend 

 on the severity of the weather. Such tanks, with frames and 

 sashes for winter protection, and with some heat, will save the 

 plants from injury by the first cold snap and keep them in 

 flowering condition for a considerable time. In the spring, 

 s;rowth will commence some weeks before any start is made 

 in exposed tanks. 



If the tanks can be fitted up with a hot-water pipe the plants 

 of the tropical varieties can be had in flower throughout the 

 winter; but such tanks are not suitable for all purposes and 

 places. If the tank or artilicial pond is of irregular shape some 

 protection will be necessary to prevent the masonry from 



