October 12, 1892.] 



Garden and Forest. 



489 



dens, being neither effective nor interesting except in a collec- 

 tion. The popularity of Chionodoxas dates from the introduc- 

 tion of C. Lucilias from Asia Minor. This species has all the 

 points of a good garden-flower, and is one of the brightest 

 gems of the spring-time. The flowers from collected bulbs 

 vary considerably, but good forms have flowers over an inch 

 in diameter, with light blue tips and white centres. This 

 species, which is also known as C. Forbesii, produces flowers 

 more freely than the other kinds. 



Mr. Edward Whittall, of Smyrna, during his hunting expedi- 

 tions discovered that there were on the Taurus Mountains 

 many bulbous plants unknown to cultivation, and, with an 

 Englishman's natural fondness for flowers, organized a sys- 

 tematic search of the hills for bulbs which were likely to prove 

 attractive in gardens. This work is carried on by the natives 

 under direction. The country is in a shocking state of an- 

 archy, even within sight of Smyrna, and the work is done at 

 considerable risk. To Mr. Whittall we owe the following va- 

 rieties, which have been introduced by his efforts : C. Sarden- 

 sis, a dark blue-flowered kind, which has met with apprecia- 

 tion, the color being the blue of the interior of the cup of 

 Scilla Siberica. As the Scilla-flowers are duller on the outer 

 cup, C. Sardensis, with its upright flowers, is superior in its in- 

 tensity of blue as seen in the borders. C. Tmolusi is a species 

 collected on a height of this name, but appears to be a local 

 variety of the Luciliie type, having a large white eye such as is 

 often found in the type. 



Chionodoxa grandiflora, or gigantea, was next found, and 

 is a variety of much beauty, though it has met with slow ap- 

 preciation. It has a flower somewhat larger and with broader 

 petals than C. Lucilise, and the color is an opaque blue. The 

 eye is very small and white. In my border the plants have 

 shown only two or three flowers on each scape. The figure 

 of this Chionodoxa, in a recent number of The Garden, is not 

 satisfactory ; the color is too deep, and linings are shown 

 which do not appear in the flowers. Among bulbs of C. Luciliae 

 some are occasionally found which give pure white, or rose- 

 colored, flowers. The former are especially pure in color, and 

 are very charming. Unfortunately, these are among the rarest 

 of bulbs, and are not in the dealer's stock. This season Mr. 

 Whittall has sent out a new species, C. Alleni, which he says 

 is the finest yet found. As it conies without description, we 

 trust it to the border with pleasant anticipations of a new 

 charm to enjoy as the lengthening days of another spring bid 

 it welcome to a new home. 

 Elizabeth, N.J. • J.N.Gerard. 



Seasonable Notes. 



CHRYSANTHEMUMS will naturally have a prominent place 

 in the garden-world during the weeks to follow, and there 

 will be many magnificent blooms at the exhibitions through- 

 out the country ; but the amateur cultivator must not look for 

 similar flowers on the same varieties in his own collection, un- 

 less his specimens receive the same attention. 



To secure the immense flowers seen at exliibitions the 

 strength of the plant has been thrown into one or two blooms 

 by a careful system of disbudding and feeding, and the foliage 

 kept clean and free from insects. Unless the flowers are in- 

 tended for exhibition, greater satisfaction will be had from 

 more naturally grown plants, especially for conservatory and 

 house decoration, and a large mass of reasonably good flow- 

 ers will prove more effective than a few spindling specimens 

 crowned with a single blossom that some one has sarcastically 

 described as resembling "a variegated mop." Some disbud- 

 ding should be practiced, however, as there is usually a su- 

 perabundance of buds on most varieties, and tying and training 

 should also receive some attention, without disfiguring the 

 plants with a forest of stakes. 



Where the conveniences are at hand, the vaporizing of to- 

 bacco extract is the most cleanly and effective method of re- 

 moving aphides from Chrysanthemums. If this cannot be 

 done, fumigating with tobacco-stems must be resorted to, 

 either method being used at frequent intervals before the 

 buds begin to open, in order to keep the plants thoroughly 

 clean. Feeding with manure-water should also be persisted 

 in, but with pot-plants care must betaken to keep the drainage 

 open or the plants will soon suffer. 



Among the earliest varieties I have noticed this season are 

 Eldorado (Waterer), an excellent yellow of sturdy growth and 

 fine foliage, and Ivory (Harris), a particularly good white 

 either as a pot-plant or for cutting, being of medium size and 

 excellent habit. Outdoor Chrysanthemums may be preserved 

 from frost long enough to allow the full enjoyment of their 

 flowers by covering them at night with water-proof muslin 



stretched over a light frame-work of wood. The muslin may 

 be procured from almost any seedsman for from six to ten 

 cents per yard, according to the grade used. The present sea- 

 son has been a somewhat trying one for many outdoor opera- 

 tions. The lifting of stock from the open ground, as Violets, 

 Carnations and Bouvardias, has been attended with some diffi- 

 culty owing to the dry weather, but, as already noted in Gar- 

 den AND Forest; the success of this operation largely depends 

 on the care with which the plants are treated after they are 

 brought indoors. 



It is desirable to grow a few Fig-seedlings (Ficus carica), in 

 readiness for bedding out next season. In a mixed bed of 

 foliage-plants these have a pleasing effect, the foliage of the 

 Figs being both large and handsome, and seldom attacked by 

 insects to any great extent. The experience of the past sum- 

 mer tends to confirm the value of Crotons and Acalyphas as 

 bedding-plants, at least in this latitude ; but it should also be 

 remembered that while the Crotons will flourish in a green- 

 house temperature of seventy-five to eighty degrees, it is not 

 well to take the plants so grown directly from so warm a 

 house and plant them out. When properly hardened off they 

 are, however, among the most effective foliage-plants for out- 

 door decoration. 



The Crozy Cannas continue to add to their fame with 

 each succeeding season, and among the newer varieties 

 Alphonse Bouvier, a green-foliaged variety, with large bright 

 crimson flowers, takes a prominent place. Paul Marquant, 

 also, is a fine variety, with some resemblance to Antoine 

 Crozy, the flowers frequently over four inches in diameter. 

 Capitaine Suzzoni is perhaps the best of the spotted type ; the 

 ground-color is yellow, over which is spread a profusion of 

 red spots. 



Holmesburg, Pa. W. H. Taplin. 



Correspondence. 

 Fruits of Eastern Asia. 

 To the Editor of Garden and Forest : 



Sir, — I have read, with great interest and pleasure, the notice 

 on p. 438, with an illustration of a Chinese Peach grown from 

 seed at the Arnold Arboretum. I was also pleased to note 

 Professor Sargent's remark, " that the Peach is now believed to 

 be a native of China." The result of this experiment, so far as it 

 shows a superior hardiness in this Chinese seedling Peach, is 

 an argument that in transferring the fruits of the old world to 

 America there must be taken into account the difference in 

 climatic peculiarities between the eastern and western sides of 

 these two continents. I believe that the more this subject is 

 studied the more reason we shall find for seeking a renewal 

 of our tree-fruits for eastern America from among those of 

 eastern Asia. Professor Budd, of the Iowa Agricultural Col- 

 lege, has been experimenting in this line, and the Shense Apri- 

 cot, which originated from a seed sent to Professor Budd from 

 a missionary station in northern China, has proved to have re- 

 markable vigor and hardiness, and is being now quite exten- 

 sively planted. I hope the resources of the Arboretum may 

 be more extensively availed of to import the Chinese and Man- 

 churian tree-fruits as well as other plants from that region. 



I notice also Professor Bailey's article on scab-proof 

 Apples, on p. 442. There is a certain amount of reason, un- 

 doubtedly, in the apprehension that new and apparently scab- 

 proof fruits will not retain that characteristic long. That has 

 been the case certainly with many of the seedlings which have 

 originated in our northern states. They do well for a while, 

 but in time fall a prey to disease. But it should be borne in 

 mind that these seedlings are all from the old stock of west 

 European varieties, and although such seedlings show some 

 accommodations — some approach to what we call acclima- 

 tion — and although nearly all our profitable Apples are of this 

 class, yet there is a latent weakness in them all. It will not 

 take many generations to advance the work to a point which 

 we may reach much sooner if we extend our researches among 

 the orchards of north-eastern Asia. 



All this will, of course, fake time, and the older among us 

 can hardly expect to reap any personal advantage from these 

 efforts to introduce a better race of tree-fruits into our country. 

 It is very evident that all the tree-fruits of western Europe find 

 themselves quite at home in western America. It seems at 

 least equally probable that the tree-fruits of eastern Asia will 

 find a congenial habitat in eastern America, and these are con- 

 siderations that especially urge growers who find themselves 

 located in the most unfavorable localities, where our old stock 

 of tree-fruits are complete failures, now to pioneer the work 

 of research. In the cold north and in that region of extremes. 



