SErXEMBER 14, 1892.] 



Garden and Forest. 



441 



and the best for our borders. • It is not too tall. The stout stems, 

 with their ovate-lanceolate leaves, rise to a height of foin- or 

 five feet and are branched at the top. On these small branches 

 the bright yellow (lowers are produced in large numbers. It 

 is found wild in the western states, growing on the prairies and 

 in open moist grounds. It grows best here in deep, stiff soil 

 and away from the shade ot trees. 



Botanic Garden, Cambridj^e, Mass. 



A". Cameron. 



Fall Work. 



THE potting of various bulbs for winter and spring flowering 

 should now be attended to. Among these are Lilium 

 longillorum and L. Harrisii, the latter being the more easy to 

 force early in the season, though for early forcing medium- 

 sized bulbs are preferable, and JBermuda-grownstockis usually 

 superior to that cultivated in this country. The best soil to use 

 is a light rich loam, with a liberal addition of good manure. 

 The bulbs should l)e potted quite firmly, and at least one inch 

 below the sm-face, as the stems will send out roots above the 

 bullis if they are planted deep enough, and the bulbs should 

 be placed at once in the pots where they are to bloom. After 

 potting it is best to place these Lilies out in a cold frame until 

 they are well rooted. During this period I prefer to cover 

 tliem with shaded sashes instead of burying the pots in soil or 

 ashes, wdiich tends to weaken the growth. 



Tulips, Hyacinths, Narcissi, Freesias and other Dutch bulbs 

 will soon be received. With all these root-action must be se- 

 cured before the tops are forced nito growth, or the flower- 

 spikes will be weak. Gladiolus Colvillei should be included in 

 the list of bulbs for winter and spring. Its handsome spikes 

 are a very acceptable addition to the stock of flowers for cutting. 



Quite an industry has been established of late years in the 

 growing of seeds and bulbs in California for the eastern mar- 

 ket. Among these are Calla bulbs of excellent quality, fur- 

 nished at reasonable prices. Some of these may well be 

 included in the fall bulb order, as the California bulbs seem 

 more floriferous than the home-grown article, possibly be- 

 cause they are more thoroughly matured. A few bulbs of 

 Amaryllis aulica will also prove a satisfactory mvestment. 

 Their bright flowers are a pleasing addition to the conserva- 

 tory, and no special nursing is required to induce free and vig- 

 orous growth. 



The removal of tender plants from the flower-beds will soon 

 be necessary, at least in northern latitudes, and cuttings should 

 be secured of Geraniums, special varieties of Verbenas, Coleus 

 and other soft-wooded plants, to make sure of some of them 

 before an unexpected frost arrives. The compost-heap must 

 be prepared before the ground becomes soaked by the fall 

 rains, and it is better to attend to this matter during the sum- 

 mer months, when the soil is in the best condition. 



The lifting of Carnations and Chrysanthemums planted out- 

 doors may Ise done whenever the weather is favorable, if pos- 

 sible, during dull weather. The plants will then suffer very 

 little, though, like many other simple operations, much de- 

 pends on tiie after care. I have seen Carnations transplanted 

 when the ground was so dry that it was impossible to lift a 

 ball of earth with them, and yet by careful treatment the plants 

 did well, while others, lifted under the most favorable condi- 

 tions, failed from lack of thorough watering in and frequent 

 syringing overhead for the first few days. Bouvardias sliould 

 also be lifted soon, and may be either potted or planted on a 

 bench, the latter system usually inducing the strongest growth 

 and greater quantity of flowers. 



Holmesburg, Pa. i^- J^- laplin. 



Anemone Japonica.— Too much cannot be said in favor of 

 this Japanese Anemone for piazza decoration, grown in pots. 

 It is very easy to grow, and can be stored in a cold cellar in 

 winter. To have flowers in August it is necessary to start the 

 plants in a cold frame in March, and to plunge them in the 

 open ground after danger from frost in May. When the 

 plants show their flowering stems in July a little liquid manure 

 will strengthen them. 



Phlox Triomphe du Pare de Neuilly is the brightest and best 

 of all the scarlet shades of herbaceous Phloxes. For tvi'o sea- 

 sons I have saved seeds and raised about one hundred seed- 

 lings from this variety, but not one in any way resembled the 

 parent, although they were very beautiful. 



Clematis paniculata will be in magnificent bloom here by the 

 i2th of September, and no doubt it is in full flower already in 

 the latitude of New York. This is one of the best species ever 

 introduced, and seems free from disease. It has, moreover, 

 a very sweet hawthorn fragrance. 



Funl<ia subcordata grandifiora. — This beautiful Day Lily is 

 graml when it succeeds well, as it does with us. Plants in 

 partial shade do better than those in the full sun. It is per- 

 fectly hardy, but suffers in sunny places from alternate thaw- 

 ing and freezing in spring. The young leaves are also very 

 liable to injury from late spring frosts. I saw a magnificent 

 clump a few days ago, and I shoidd think it could be very 

 effectively used for massing in public parks. Prior to the 

 blooming season its handsome foliage is very effective. 



Wellcsley, Mass. T. D. Hatfield. 



Correspondence. 



Water-lilies at Yarmouthport. 

 To the Editor of Garden and Forest : 



Sir, — For many years Water-lilies have been a special feature 

 in the gardens of John Simpkins, Esq., of Yarmoutliport, Mas- 

 sachusetts, and representatives from all parts of the world are 

 found here in one or the otlier of the three spacious tanks. 

 The newer hybrids and varieties are grown and tested as soon 

 as sent out. For one interested in Nymphajas no better op- 

 portunity for studying them can be found than this collection 

 offers, and no more willing or capable guide than Mr. Brydon, 

 the gardener of the establishment. 



Nymphasas may very conveniently be divided into day- 

 bloomers and night-bloomers. Among the tropical and sub- 

 tropical species and varieties (all of which are bulbous-rooted), 

 N. gigantea, introduced from Australia as long ago as 1852, is 

 one of the handsomest and best of those which bloom by day. 

 It is comparatively rare, principally on account of the difficulty 

 of keeping it over. It is also very impatient of being disturbed, 

 especially when small, and until well established it is liable to 

 go to rest, forming a poor bulb, or a number of small ones. 

 The flowers are violet-blue, with a deeper border along each 

 petal, sometimes measuring ten inches in diameter, and standing 

 boldly out of the water. The flower is, unfortunately, inodor- 

 ous. N. Sturtevanti, said to be a chance seedling from N. 

 Devoniensis, is remarkable for its handsome reddish brown 

 leaves. The flowers resemble those of N. Devoniensis, but 

 are more double, the multiplicity of petals giving them an 

 incurved form, and one fully open measured twelve inches 

 in diameter. N. stellata Zanzibarensis, introduced as re- 

 cently as 1880, is a well-known sweet-scented day-bloomer, 

 and produces an abundance of large flowers of the deepest 

 blue. The typical variety is a long time opening its flowers, 

 and opens them later in the day than do its seedlings, many of 

 which are very handsome, and range in color from blue to 

 pink and purple. Azurea and Rosea are named varieties of 

 this species. N. Lotus dentata is a variety with chalk-white 

 flowers of the well-known Egyptian Lotus. It is a night- 

 bloomer, and the flowers are star-shaped. N. Devoniensis, a 

 garden variety, originated at Chatsworth, England, is one of 

 the brightest and best. Its bright red flowers are produced 

 out-of-doors until very late in the autumn, and with the pro- 

 tection of a greenhouse it will bloom all through the winter. 



Of the newer hardy, or nearly hardy, species and varieties, 

 all of which are day-bloomers. Dr. Bahnsen's Nymphzea Caro- 

 linensis deserves to rank with the best. It is a supposed 

 natural hybrid, with a rhizomatous root like the common N. 

 odorata. The flowers often measure seven inches across, of 

 a light pink when they open, and changing to white. N. alba 

 candidissima is a splendid variety of the common European 

 N. alba. It is sometimes confounded with the American N. 

 tuberosa, but is quite distinct in that its flowers are more 

 double, a purer white, and it possesses a running rhizome. 

 Some of the dwarfer kinds are very pretty and interesting, 

 especially in showing the wide range of form in the genus and 

 in giving a certain completeness to a collection. N. Mexicana 

 is a dwarf and pretty free-flowering yellovi' species, and very 

 fragrant. It resembles N. flava somewhat, but the flowers are 

 larger and stand more clearly out of the water. Mr. Brydon is 

 of opinion that this species, instead of N. flava, is one of the 

 parents of N. sulphurea of Marliac. N. sulphurea possesses 

 many of the characteristics of N. Mexicana, especially in the 

 long petals, the longer rhizome, and the habit of the flowers, 

 which stand clear above the water. N. pygmaea is a neat little 

 central Asian species introduced into Europe in 1805. It is 

 white-flowered and very fragrant, and, according to Mr. Sturte- 

 vant (Ainericaji Florist, August 18, 1892J, is one of the parents 

 of Marliac's N. Helveola, and N. flava the other. N. Helveola 

 resembles N. Mexicana, but the flowers are shorter and less 

 doufjle. 



Many of Marliac's new varieties have proved equal to his 

 representation. N. exquisita, evidently related to N. odorata, is 



