430 



Garden and Forest. 



[Number 237. 



As regards cultivation, I have come to tlie conclusion tliat 

 all these Palestine Oncocyclus Irises should be treated in this 

 country by the "taking up" method — at least, until they have 

 become acclimatized, if ever they do. But one or two points 

 appear to be essential for success by this method. In the first 

 place, they should be planted quite late — say in October, or 

 even in November, according to climate; this prevents their 

 making any growth of leaves before winter comes on. In the 

 second place, they must be protected during winter and early 

 spring, so that the young shoots receive no injury from frost. 

 As soon as the foliage, after flowering, begins to lie down, they 

 should be taken up, well ripened in a sunny greenhouse, ami 

 kept absolutely dry until it is time to plant them again. The 

 object of this treatment is to secure their not making any very 

 active growth until fairly warm weather sets in, so that when 

 they are hardest at work they may be comforted by genial 

 sunshine, and not buffeted by autumn rains and winter frost 

 as they are when they are left in the ground or planted in 

 early autumn. — M. Foster, in the Gardeners' Chronicle. 



[The natural conditions of climate in large portions of 

 Califorjiia are such as are required for the successful growth 

 of this beautiful section of Irises which grow under similar 

 conditions to the Calochorli and Brodieeas. The Oncocy- 

 clus Irises would be a gain to the already rich flora of Cali- 

 fornia, and, incidentally, would probably prove proiitable 

 plants for export. — Ed.] 



Onions at the North Carolina Experiment Station. 



IN our Onion tests this year all the varieties grown made 

 a fair crop from the seed, and some varieties, including 

 all the Italian sorts, made a big crop, when the character of 

 the land, a hard-baking red clay, never before cultivated in 

 vegetables, is taken into consideration. In every instance 

 those that were transplanted young made the larger onions. 

 This was true not only of the Italians, but of the Wethersfield 

 Red and Southport Globe, which last, while not growing 

 to an enormous size, made a crop of beautiful onions, and 

 promises, on better soil, to be a fine variety for this climate. 

 All the varieties grown will be exhibited at our state fair, in 

 Raleigh, in October, for the purpose of demonstrating the va- 

 rieties that can be grown from seeds. We were also pleased 

 with the white Potato Onion. This, of course, must always 

 be grown from sets, as, like the brown Potato Onion, it makes 

 no seed. Our sets were planted in February. They will do 

 better set out here in October or November. This white Po- 

 tato Onion ought to be a profitable crop for our southern 

 market growers, because of its earliness, and it promises to 

 be a better keeper than the old variety. 



On suitable soils I cannot see why the cultivation of the 

 Italian and Spanish Onions, from fall-sown seeds transplanted 

 in February, should not be profitable in the south. Some 

 object to the labor of transplanting, but it is no more irksome 

 than pulling out sets. A shallow furrow is made, the plants 

 are laid along two and a half to three inches apart, with tops 

 all leaning one way, and a little soil drawn over them and 

 pressed tightly with the foot. The thing to avoid is getting 

 them too deep in the ground. This way of planting is more 

 rapid and easy than setting them with a dibble, and they can 

 be put in at a more uniform depth. We propose', to plant an- 

 other crop this fall to show the difference between fall and 

 spring sowing ; but there is no doubt that good crops can be 

 grown here by simply sowing the seed in February. 



The Mammoth Wliite Pompeii and White Garganus made 

 the largest onions. Queen was earlier and of good size. Bar- 

 letta matured at about the same season, and the transplanted 

 Barlettas were as large, or larger, than the Queen. I see little 

 difference between Barletta and Marzajola. White and Pink 

 Bermuda made fine crops, particularly the transplanted ones. 

 Giant Rocca is superb and very uniform in size. White Por- 

 tugal made a fair crop. Wethersfield Large Red was not 

 extra large, but uniform and solid. Southport White Globe is 

 handsome and uniform in size, and, though not so much im- 

 proved by transplanting as the Italian sorts, is well worth 

 growing in this way. As already remarked, I regard it as very 

 promising for cultivation here, though not so early as some 

 other varieties. The season was later, and the constant deluge 

 of rain kept all varieties growing later than usual, but all 

 ripened well. ,,, ,^ ,^ 



Raleigh, N. C. W. F. MilSSey. 



Torenia Fournieri is so generally classed as a tender annual 

 that it may be well to note that it is apparently incorrectly 

 rated as such. An abundant crop of plants now in my garden 



is the produce of self-sown seeds from last year's plants, which 

 indicates that they are properly hardy annuals. The seeds 

 have evidently strong vitality, as they lay dormant in the wet 

 border during the winter and spring, only germinating in July, 

 or, at least, no plants were noticed before that time, and if 

 any appeared they were raked out in loosening the soil. 



This is one of the most beautiful and useful of the small 

 annuals, and is too seldom cultivated; at least, it is unfamiliar 

 to others than those accustomed to greenhouse tfowers. 

 While it is useful in the greenhouse it is attractive in the bor- 

 ders, and, probably, would long since have been more "-ener- 

 ally grown out-of-doors if it were understood how easily it is 

 managed. Probably, also, the lack of a common name has mili- 

 tated against it, a taking, easily remembered natne seeming 

 to be a necessity if a garden-flower is to be popular, a poin'^t 

 well understood by the astute florist. A case in point was 

 recently told me by a seedsman. He one year catalogued a 

 rather novel Ipomcea with picture and description, but it met 

 with no notice and practically no sale. The next year it was 

 catalogued as a Morning Glory with the same picture and de- 

 scription, and the sale of several thousand packets resulted. 

 If we are sometimes disposed to criticise the catalogue makers 

 for their plant names, it may be well to remember that this is 

 not an unmixed evil, as gardens are thereby enriched with 

 plants which, olfered only under a scientific name, would at- 

 tract no notice or sale. Good plants in gardens, though 

 wrongly named, are yet distinct gains. 



Tom Thumb Dahlias. — Under this name last year an Eno-lish 

 florist offered a strain of plants originated with Mr. T. W. Gir- 

 dlestone, a well-known English amateur. These were offered 

 here this season by Messrs. Peter Henderson & Co. The 

 half-dozen plants in my garden prove to be interesting, thoun-h 

 taller than expected, being from eighteen to twenty-four inches 

 high. This, however, is not a disadvantage, as, were the plants 

 more dwarf, the flowers would inevitably be spattered with 

 earth by every rain. The flowers are single and of the usual 

 form and brilliant colors of the taller singles. Growing with 

 these are seedling plants of a French strain which are practi- 

 cally of the same type, equally dwarf, showing that the strain 

 is well fixed. 



At present the two lots of plants prove that seedling single 

 Dahlias will progress as fast and come into flower as quickly 

 as rooted cuttings or tubers. Of course. Dahlias are late sum- 

 mer and fall flowers, never doing well until the cool nio-hts 

 come, so that if one has facilities for starting seedlings, say, in 

 April, there does not seem any advantage in planting tubers 

 unless some special color is desired. The flower-stems of the 

 dwarf Dahlias are short, making it necessary to mutilate the 

 plants somewhat in securing flowers with sufficient elTective 

 foliage. For a low border they are useful at this season either 

 alone or in front of the taller-growing kinds, as they have 

 abundant foliage and are covered with the most effective and 

 brilliant flowers, in grace perfect foils to the somewhat lumpy 

 Ijut favorite doubles. 



Elizabeth, N.J. G. 



Correspondence. 



Some New California Plants. 

 To the Editor of Garden and Forest : 



Sir, — This has been a peculiar season in California, but all 

 bulbous plants have prospered beyond expectation. I have 

 some new native plants of this class which may be worth 

 noting. 



Calochortus nudus is a rare form with a small lilac blossom 

 much like that of C. lilacinus. It is found in damp meadows 

 in high altitudes, but with me it thrives in a sandy loam. C. 

 Plummeras is a new Calochortus of the Mariposa section, and 

 of striking beauty. The large shapely cups grew about two 

 and a half inches across, yellow at the centre and a rich shade 

 of purple without, while the entire inner portion is lined 

 with long fine hairs colored like the petals. It comes from 

 the dry table-lands of southern California. Another distinct 

 Mariposa Tulip is C. macrocarpus, from the Sage-brush deserts 

 of north-eastern California, the other extreme of the state. In 

 beauty of coloring it rivals all others of its class, being a pale 

 violet. The flower is large, the petals not very full, and the 

 habit poor, as the leaves dry up before the bloom appears, and 

 the stalk is stubby and very stiff. I find one trouble in growino- 

 these desert forms of Calochortus, and that is a fungus which 

 attacks theim when in full leaf and destroys every vestige 

 above ground, and sometimes even descending to the bulb. 

 This fungus comes from their native home and is litfle inclined 

 to injure other species of Calochortus. 



