344 



Garden and Forest. 



[Number 230. 



cultivation. Manure may be used in the compost in reasona- 

 ble quantities, but should be old and thoroughly rotted. During 

 the summer months Cyclamens can be well grown in a frame 

 outdoors, giving plenty of fresh air at all times, but keeping 

 sash over the plants to protect them from heavy rains and 

 strong sunlight. As soon as the nights become cool, how- 

 ever, the plants will be benefited by bringing them into the 

 greenhouse. Under this treatment strong-blooming plants are 

 produced in fifteen to eighteen months from the seed. As 

 green-fly is a prevalent pest of Cyclamens, fumigating may be 

 necessary occasionally, but otherwise the plants are not 

 specially subject to the attacks of insects. 



In the matter of varieties it is probably best to secure some 

 seeds of a good strain from some reliable seedsman for a be- 

 ginning, and then, by careful selection and crossing, the strain 

 may be still further improved by the grower. 



The Chinese Primrose now presents a wonderful variety of 

 forms, as the result of many years' careful selection and fer- 

 tilization by various specialists, and the colors range from 

 white through the various shades of purple to almost a blue, 

 andfrom pale pink to scarlet and crimson. The single varieties 

 are readily procured from seeds, while those with double flow- 

 ers must be perpetuated by means of cuttings and division, 

 and among the latter the double white form should not be for- 

 gotten, for it is of neat habit and extremely prolific in flowers, 

 the latter lasting very well when cut. 



The Primulas, in general, are a shade-loving class of plants, 

 and P. Sinensis is no exception to the rule, but in regard to 

 soil they are perhaps less exacting than their relatives the 

 Cyclamens, and almost any light, sandy soil will produce fair 

 results. In general treatment a similar plan may be followed 

 to that outlined for Cyclamens, but it should be remembered 

 that the Primulas do not require much water over the foliage, 

 though an abundance at the root when in active growth, and, 

 as the flowering period approaches, some weak liquid-manure 

 will be found beneficial. 



Holmesburg, Pa. W. H. Taplitt. 



Perennial Larkspurs. 



AFTER a long waiting and vexatious experiences with seed. 

 Delphinium Zalil is now in flower in the garden, where it 

 was planted in the spring of last year. This novelty is one of 

 Dr. Aitchison's discoveries in Afghanistan, and when first de- 

 scribed as a lemon-yellow Larkspur hardy-plant lovers were 

 all asking for it, but as it was distributed by means of seeds, 

 and these germinate only when fresh-gathered, many were the 

 disappointments. Our own plants are from fresh seeds kindly 

 sent me by Herr Max Leichtlin in the fall of 1890. These 

 germinated readily, and were wintered over in the greenhouse 

 and set out in spring, where they grew freely for a time, and 

 then disappeared to come up vigorously again and flower this 

 year. I mention this as a recognized authority has described 

 "D. Zalil as an annual, which it certainly is not, neither could it 

 be called a biennial, for, supposing that the plant completes its 

 existence after flowering, of which I am not sure, even then it 

 takes more than two seasons' growth to get it strong enough 

 to flower. D. Zalil belongs to a section of Delphiniums which 

 has many representatives in the United States — namely, those 

 that spring from a fleshy root-stock and die down as soon as 

 seed is matured to spring up again the follov^'ing year. These 

 are not well known in gardens, though some are well worthy 

 of cultivation, such as D. tricorne, which is widely distributed 

 through the southern and western states. D. azureum is an- 

 otherspeciesof whichthesamemay besaid. The specific name 

 of D. Zalil is the native name. Since a yellow die is extracted 

 from the roots in Afghanistan, another name, D. sulphureum, 

 was given the plant when first distributed, but D. Zalil has pri- 

 ority, though the synonym describes the color accurately. With 

 us the plants are three feet high, with much-branched flower- 

 stems, while the flowers resemble those of D. cardinale and 

 D. nudicaule in shape. The habit of the plant is slender and 

 the foliage very finely divided ; more so than in any other 

 known species. As a garden-plant D. Zalil is insignificant com- 

 pared with the beautiful double forms of the garden Lark- 

 spur, and would be passed by without remark by many, still it 

 is of much interest to those who love for other qualities than 

 mere showiness. 



While on the subject of Delphiniums, has any reader had 

 experience with the Larkspur disease, or smut ? It attacks the 

 flower-spikes and completely blackens them, in some cases 

 crippling the unopened flowers so that they never develop at 

 all. It is getting to be a question here whether we can have 

 Larkspurs or not. Two years ago there were infected plants 

 in the garden that were purchased, and in this way the disease 



was introduced. These were all destroyed, and a new lot 

 raised from seed, and" this year it is apparent in many plants 

 again, and my experience teaches that next year Larkspurs will 

 be a complete failure here. The old reliable, D. formosum, 

 is as liable to it as any others of garden origin. This smut has 

 much the same effect as that which attacks the Corn, and is 

 probably an allied species. Certainly the disease should be 

 investigated by some mycologist. 



D. Cashmirianum is a species that is perfectly hardy and dis- 

 tinct from all others. It has dense panicles of large flowers, 

 but the color is not a pleasing one, being a dull purplish blue. 

 It is not very desirable as a garden-plant except as a single 

 specimen. A short time ago a so-called white form was dis- 

 tributed, and this proves to be of a decided greenish white, and 

 even less attractive than the typical plant. 



Too much cannot be said for the Larkspurs of garden origin, 

 especially the double varieties, and it is worth repeating, now 

 that they are in flower, that if the double varieties are marked 

 when in bloom, and seed saved from them, this will produce 

 fully seventy-five per cent, of double-flowered plants. Named 

 varieties are very short-lived, as hardy-plant dealers know, and 

 have to be reimported often from Europe, as they cannot be 

 raised true from seed, and, indeed, seed is but sparingly pro- 

 duced from double flowers, but the seedlings are usually 

 strong enough and able to withstand the climate here where 

 the parents fail. Larkspurs are gross feeders, and need a rich 

 soil that never dries out, and therefore the heavier the soil the 

 better. In a damp position they will grow six to eight feet 

 high, with long spikes of flowers, which may be cut as soon 

 as they fade, and another crop of flowers will come on later. 

 Seedlings flower the first year, but do not attain full strength 

 until the second season. 



A word should, perhaps, be added with regard to D. Prze- 

 walskyanum, now in flower for the first time here. It was sent 

 out a year ago, and grew vigorously last summer and wintered 

 out well, and is now about four feet high, with spikes of pale 

 creamy white flowers that are small, and in no way attractive 

 from a garden point of view. The foliage is ornamental, be- 

 ing prettily cut, of a deep green, spotted with a paler green. 

 It is of Asiatic origin, and, like a species from Yunnan 

 grown last year, without name, is rather disappointing. 



South Lancaster, Mass. E. O. Orpet. 



[We have received specimens of the diseased Delphini- 

 ums, and the trouble seems to come from a mite and not 

 from a fungus. Professor Halsted thinks that if the affected 

 plants are wet vi'ith cold water the increase of the mite will 

 be checked. — Ed.] 



Melianthus major. — This is a half-hardy greenhouse shrub 

 which seldom fails to attract attention. Glaucous-leaved 

 plants seem to possess attractions for most persons, but when 

 the foliage is beautifully cut, as in this plant, it possesses a 

 double beauty. There is no plant in the garden of which the 

 name is so frequently asked as this, from which I presume 

 that it is not often grown, though it was introduced many 

 years ago. It is useful, not only as a specimen plant in the 

 greenhouse, but also in the open, in sub-tropical borders, 

 where its peculiar distinctness proves very attractive. It forms 

 a plant some four feet high, with smooth, hollow stems, leaves 

 stem-clasping and acutely cut. 



Jatropha podagrica,— A New Granada plant which seems to be 

 better entitled to the common name of Coral-plant than the 

 Erythrina, as its inflorescence bears a striking similitude to a 

 bunch of red coral. In all respects, this plant is a curiosity 

 of vegetation. It is euphorbiaceous and requires the cultiva- 

 tion usually given to that family. It grows readily from seed, 

 and forms smooth, erect, club-like stems, quite rounded at 

 the apex, from which spring large, smooth peltate-cordate 

 leaves. The plant becomes dormant late in the year, and as 

 the new leaves commence to move there is thrown up from 

 the apex of the gouty stems a long scape topped with an irreg- 

 ular raceme of orange-red flowers, arranged as a spray of 

 coral. This inflorescence continues about a month. 



Geranium Henry Cox.— Some few years ago, when visiting 

 Mr. John Thorpe's place, I happened to meet an intelligent 

 gentleman who was devoted to fine Pelargoniums in general, 

 and this variety in particular. Having become interested in 

 his experience, I took pains to secure a plant of the variety, 

 which proves a most interesting one with beautiful leaves, 

 when properly grown. It belongs to the golden tricolor sec- 

 tion, and is properly a greenhouse-plant, being a very weak 

 grower, very dwarf and slow to increase. It seems to need 



