500 



Garden and Forest. 



[Number 243. 



down much further on the side toward the handle. Into this 

 oblique cut a wedge-shaped cion is inserted and tightly bound. 

 No wax was applied. None of the cions grew. 



(4) The operation was performed as described in i, but 

 the stock was cut below the surface of the ground and just 

 above the highest roots. All cut surfaces were covered with 

 common grafting wax, after wliich the earth which had been 

 removed was replaced. Tliis method gave better results, for 

 about sixty-one per cent, of the cions made a fine growth. 



(5) The work was done as in 4, but no wax was used. 

 Sixty-eight per cent, lived. 



(6) The stock was cut below the ground, as in 4. Two 

 longitudinal V-shaped cuts, about one and one-half inches 

 long, were made upon opposite sides of the stubs, and the 

 cions were cut so that they fitted into these grooves as neatly as 

 possible. They were then securely tied, but no wax was ap- 

 plied. In the fall, eighty-six per cent, of the stubs carried 

 vigorous canes. 



(7) The stock was prepared as in 4. Upon one side of the 

 stub the bark was cut away, so as to leave a flat, smooth sur- 

 face about two inches long and half an inch wide. The cions 

 were cut about eighteen inches long, and eight or ten inches 

 from their upper extremities a cut similar to that in the stock 

 was made, only it was not so wide. The two cut surfaces 

 were pressed together and firmly tied, the lower extremities 

 of the cuttings being buried in the soil. This method gave 

 the best results, for fully ninety-three per cent, of the stubs 

 (or the cuttings) carried canes in the fall. The growth was 

 much stronger than that made by ordinary cuttings, for in 

 some cases it aggregated fully seventy-five feet. 



From these experiments it would appear that the best place to 

 graft \'ines is underground ; whether wax or any covering other 

 than earth is beneficial still remains to be determined. In 

 these experiments the wax did not seem to do very much 

 good. If the cions were inserted by the cleft graft and almost 

 buried with earth, excellent results would probably be obtained, 

 and this method can be most safely recommended. Methods 

 6 and 7 may even be better, but the operations are more 

 tedious. 



The French have not contented themselves with using only 

 mature wood in grafting the Grape; they have given much 

 attention to this subject, and some advise the use of soft 

 wood. The following extract from an article by Rene Salomon, 

 which appeared in Vigne Aviericaine, will give a fair idea of 

 the manner in which this work is done : 



" Herbaceous grafting is very easily performed ; in half an 

 hour a novice can become so skillful in the operation that 

 from eighty to ninety per cent, of the grafts will be suc- 

 cessful, provided : (i) That the vine is in its most active 

 period of growth ; (2) that the weather is sufficiently warm (at 

 least sixty-five degrees, Fahrenheit) ; (3) that the shoots used 

 are sufBciently strong, and neither too hard nor too soft ; they 

 should still be flexible, yet the centre should be free from pith ; 

 (4) that the cions are placed beneath the fourth bud from the 

 extremity of the shoot ; (5) that the cions contain at most only 

 two buds. After being cut they should be kept a few days in 

 damp fresh grass, and they are then ready for use. In fact, 

 the most essential condition for success is the more or less 

 herbaceous condition of the cion and the stock." 



The splice-graft is the method recommended by Salomon. 

 He advises making the oblique cut through the centre of the 

 nodes, both in the cion and in the stock. The cuts are made 

 as nearly the same as possible, and the two pieces are then 

 firmly tied together with a rubber band, for this is preferable 

 to raphia, on account of its elasticity. After the operation the 

 graft is protected from the sun and rain for about ten days, by 

 simply rolling a grape-leaf about the place of union. In four 

 weeks the rubber may be removed, for at that time from two 

 to three inches of growth should have been made by the cion. 



Cornell University. E. G. Lodemait. 



The Herbaceous Garden. 



A S yet, although it is almost mid-October, there has been 

 ■^"^ no frost to cause serious injury to outdoor vegetation. 

 The Golden-rods and native Asters are still quite gay with 

 flowers, and some of the other native plants are equally' effec- 

 tive, although they are not so common or well known. The 

 Boltonias, for instance, are free-growing plants of graceful 

 habit, flowering profusely in August, September and October. 

 They resemble the Asters closely, but they are of a more vig- 

 orous character, with large, smooth, lanceolate, pale green 

 leaves. Boltonia glastifolia, said to be a form of B. asteroides, 

 attains to a height of about six feet, and it is the first to bloom. 

 The heads are about an inch and a quarter in diameter, the 



ray florets being either pure white or of pale purple color, and 

 those of the disk yellowish. B. asteroides flowers much later, 

 and is now a fine mass of bloom. This, indeed, from the gar- 

 dener's point of view, is the only material difference between 

 it and B. glastifolia. The flowers of B. latisquama are to be 

 seen side by side with those of B. asteroides, but this plant is 

 only about four feet high, and it has smaller and narrower 

 leaves than the latter. The heads, however, are much larger, 

 being somewhat over two inches across, and the rays are 

 bright purple. These three plants are perhaps the best of the 

 genus for garden purposes. They grow well in ordinary soiU 

 and are easily propagated from seeds or by division of the 

 clumps in spring. 



The \'ernonias, commonly called Iron-weeds, are conspicu- 

 ous for their dense cymes of dark purple heads. The flowers 

 are perfect, and thus the individual heads have the appearance 

 of double Daisies. A'ernonia altissima is about eight feet high, 

 leaves oblong-lanceolate, serrate, cymes very dense, and the i^ 

 flowers are at their best in August and September, the heads l{ 

 measuring almost two inches across. V. Noveboracensis is 

 very much like the last-named species. The leaves, however, 

 are a trifle narrower, their serratures less prominent ; the 

 heads smaller, of lighter color, and developed in September, 

 lasting into October, and the cymes are loose. \ . Arkansana 

 blooms at the same time as X . Noveboracensis ; the heads and 

 cymes are likewise similar, but the leaves are lirjear-lance- 

 olate and denticulate. Yernonias and Boltonias make satisfac- 

 tory progress under the same treatment, and they are propa- 

 gated under the same methods. They look well in shrubbery 

 plantations, and the flowers are admirable for cutting. 



Each succeeding autumn adds to the popularity of the 1 j 

 double-flowered varieties, Plenus and Soliel d'Or, of Helianthus 1 1 

 multiflorus. They are as useful as Chrysanthemums or 

 Dahlias, with the advantages over those plants of perfect 

 hardiness and a rigidity of the flower-stems, which would be 

 a vast improvement to the latter. They are about four feet 

 in height, and the growth is free and compact. There are few 

 better decorative plants, as they bloom freely from early 

 autumn until cut down by severe frost. The flowers have no 

 superior for cutting purposes, and they are more valuable be- 

 cause they will last two weeks in perfect form and color if cut 

 soon after full development and given proper attention in the 

 matter of water. The florets of Soliel d'Or are ah large, but 

 in Plenus those of the outer circle are more conspicuous than 

 those of the centre. I prefer the more uniform structure of 

 the flowers of the first-named, but both plants are eminently 

 desirable. They are well adapted for town gardens, growing 

 and flowering freely in almost any soil or situation, and they 

 are readily increased by division. It should not be forgotten, 

 in speaking of varieties of H. multiflorus, that multiflorus 

 itself is merely a garden name for a form of our native H. de- 



capetalus. ,^ z> z. 



Cambridge, Mass. M. Barker. 



Roses. 



APPARENTLY the most interesting among the newer Roses 

 at the present time is MadameCaroline Testout. Many of 

 the large trade-growers have already spoken in praise of this 

 hybrid Tea, and the supposition now is that the new-comer 

 will usurp the leading position among pink Roses so long held 

 bv La France. The flowers of Madame Testout are very 

 large, and of a specially pleasing shade of pink ; this color ex- 

 tends to the outer petals also, a quality not found in La France. 

 As far as known at present, it is a strong-growing variety, pro- 

 ducing fine foliage. As a rule, the buds are solitary, this also 

 being a point in its favor, as disbuddingis thus made unneces- 

 sary. As an indication of the anticipated popularity of this 

 Rose, it is stated that a single selling-agent has secured con- 

 trol of a stock of 20,000 young plants for distribution next 

 spring. 



Another new Rose to be distributed next spring is the pink 

 sport from American Beauty that originated with Mr. John 

 Burton, of Philadelphia. This certainly seems to be an im- 

 provement on its parent, being equal in size and fragrance, 

 and of a beautiful shade of pink, the color far superior to the 

 dull hue so often seen in American Beauty, and especially after 

 this Rose has been cut for a day. The sport retains its bright- 

 ness for quite a length of time after being cut, and will un- 

 doubtedly prove a more satisfactory flower for the retail 

 florists to handle. In token of his confidence in the good 

 qualities of the Rose in question, Mr. Burton proposes to dis- 

 tribute the flowers in the regular course of trade this winter, 

 thus allowing those interested a good opportunity to examine 

 and compare the new Rose with its parent and other varieties 



