514 



Garden and Forest. 



[Number 244. 



leaves and more numerously branched. B. racemiflora is a 

 variety very much HIce B. diversifolia, and, as grown by me, I 

 do not understand the reason for its distinctive name, tlie 

 habit of flowering not being different from that of tlie type. 

 Under the name of B. Martiana pulcherrima, Messrs. Le- 

 moine offer a variety, said to be a seedhng of B. Martiana 

 grandiflora, with large deep carmine flowers and red stems 

 and purplish leaves. Messrs. Pitcher & Manda have a form 

 with finely cut and silvery spotted leaves which seems to be 

 still unnamed, and wliicli has not yet been distributed. These 

 plants require positions well up to the glass, or they become 

 somewhat drawn. The culture is the same as that of other 

 summer-flowering tuberous-rooted Begonias. 

 Elizabeth. N.J. J.N.Gerard. 



The Ornamental Value of Sedges. 



T HAVE long thought that Sedges or Carices will some day 

 ■'■ be considered valuable ornamental plants, and I have 

 begun their cultivation for that purpose. I have just seen an 

 excellent example of tlieir value in the unique botanic garden 

 at the Michigan Agricultural College, where Mr. C. F. Wheeler, 

 who is a most ardent lover of wild plants, and of Sedges in 

 particular, has collected many of our native species. Two 

 distinct types of decorative value are to be seen in these Sedges, 

 one being the free and unique character of clumps shown in 

 the tall-growing and large-spiked forms, the other being the 

 compact and bunchy habit of leafy-based species, which are 

 suitable for use in borders. Among the tall species, Mr. 

 Wheeler regards the common Carex crinita as one of the 

 best. It grows readily in any low or moist place, as do most 

 of the species, and its tall spreading culms and swinging 

 spikes form a striking object. Other species of similar habit 

 are C. nionile, C. utriculata, C. lurida and C. Tuckermani, all 

 of which are common in many parts of the country. 



Large clumps of any of the strong Carices are unique objects, 

 if grown in a somewhat isolated position, so that the individu- 

 ality of the species can be seen. Among those species which 

 may be called border Carices, the low broad-leaved kinds are 

 most useful, and these vary so widely in color and habit that 

 excellent effects can be produced by them. Some of them 

 possess a rich glaucous blue color which is very striking. One 

 of the best of the blue ones, especially for sunny positions, is 

 Carex granulans, and C. laxiculmis is also good. Other excel- 

 lent native broad-leaved stooling species are C. plantaginea, 

 C. laxiflora, var. latifolia, C. platyphylla and C. Careyana. All 

 of these succeed in rich loamy soil, and although they usually 

 reach their greatest perfection in half-shady places, it the soil 

 is moist they do well in full sun. 



Cornell University. L. H. Bailey. 



Correspondence. 



Some Remarkable Plants in San Diego. 



To the Editor of Garden and Forest : 



Sir, — The remotest south-western city in the United States 

 has just been celebrating the three hundred and fiftieth anni- 

 versary of the discovery of California. Everybody and every- 

 thing has been laid under contribution to make the best display, 

 so that the celebration from every point of view was success- 

 ful. Garden art is still young here, and yet horticulture con- 

 tributed to the decoration of arches, streets and buildings most 

 effectively. Palm-leaves were largely used, and beautiful 

 flowers and choice plants ornamented many of the small 

 gardens surrounding the houses. Among plants worthy of 

 special notice was a Corypha Australis with a slender trunk 

 and a huge crown of leaves more than thirty feet high. There 

 were fine specimens of Seaforthia elegans twenty to twenty- 

 five feet high, one of them in flower ; Cocos Australis, in 

 flower also, was most conspicuous for its glaucous foliage ; 

 fine fruiting plants of Erythea edulis, the Guadaloupe Palm, 

 were observed, of which not niuch is known in the eastern 

 states, and even less in Europe. This is one of the best fan- 

 leaved Palms, and is sure to become a general favorite for its 

 elegance of habit and boldness of foliage. A few specimens 

 of Erythea armata, the Blue Palm, were seen. These, though 

 twenty years old, were not very tall, growing more slowly 

 even than Chamjerops humilis. Besides these there were a 

 numberless host of commoner Palms, such as Phoenix dactyli- 

 fera, P. reclinata and P. Canariensis, Washingtonia filifera, 

 Chamaerops excelsa and C. humilis. These, including the Sea- 

 forthia, stand full exposure to the blazing sun without damage 

 to their leaves, as happens so often in less hot countries. This 

 is remarkable, and not easy to be accounted for ; its cause 



must be sought in the telluric and climatic conditions of this 

 privileged country, where one is surprised to see Poinsettias 

 growing side by side with Hollies, and Yews with Apple-trees, 

 German Medlars and Raspberries ripening their fruit next to 

 Bananas, Pineapples and Cherimoyers. 



Many interesting plants are to be seen at the far-famed Hotel 

 del Coronado on the narrow peninsula encircling the beautiful 

 bay of San Diego. The spacious court-yard, laid out as a gar- 

 den not more than six years ago, contains two magnificent 

 specimens of Cocos plumosa, thirty to thirty-five feet high ; 

 two Seaforthias of about twenty feet ; a unique specimen of 

 Kentia Forsteriana fully fifteen feet high ; younger specimens 

 of other Palms, flowering shrubs of many kinds, and a luxuriant 

 growth of climbers, among them the large-flowered and large- 

 leaved Aristolochia Bataviensis, Stephanotis floribunda, pro- 

 fusely blooming all the year round, but at its best in winter ; 

 Phaseolus Caracolla and Ipomoeas and Bignonias in variety. 

 Los Angeles, Cal. E. F. FrancescM. 



Apples Exempt from Scab. 

 To the Editor of Garden and Forest : 



Sir, — While the blights from fungi have taken nearly every 

 variety of old kinds in our orchards, we are glad to report that 

 those which have a Russian origin are here almost entirely 

 exempt. The thick-leaf characteristic of this class of fruits 

 seems to resist the fungoid diseases, and, with the exception 

 of Tetofski and Zusoff, have given a full crop of fruits. Duchess 

 of Oldenburg, where it carried a heavy crop last year, gave 

 but little fruit this year, but the foliage is very healthy and 

 good. Alexander, an old Russian, gave a much better crop 

 than usual. Red Astrakhan is all right. Red Wine gave us 

 the finest crop we ever had, and they are the handsomest ap- 

 ples I ever saw in a collection of two hundred kinds. This is 

 a new Russian, ripening in September. Longfield is probably 

 the most profitable of the new Russians. In eighty varieties, 

 this, on trees four years planted, literally trailed its branches 

 on the ground with nice clean fruit, and the foliage is untar^ 

 nished. Yellow Transparent is also a success, to which there 

 are no objections unless the twig-blight shall injure it farther 

 south ; the leaf-blight does not seem to trouble this excellent 

 summer Apple. Hibernal is another successful Russian, and 

 I might mention fifty kinds that are successfully withstanding 

 the leaf-blights and scab in this unfavorable year. 



We have in Wisconsin a number of seedhngs that are car- 

 rying their fruit and foliage this year, among these Wolf River, 

 which we suppose is a seedling of Alexander, also McMahon, 

 supposed to be of the same origin. This last is somewhat 

 scabbed in fruit, but the foliage is but little injured. Avista is 

 another promising seedling which has not failed a crop in 

 twenty years. We are propagating Peerless, one of Minne- 

 sota's pets, and the foliage is as clean and healthy as that of 

 Duchess of Oldenburg. Here at Janesville, the Duchess has 

 brought to market as many bushels as the best ten varieties 

 of our standard Apples, and it would not be extravagant to say 

 more than all other kinds, but, with the present outlook. Long- 

 field will pay better, tree for tree and acre for acre. 



This season we found a tree of small white apples which 

 bore two barrels, and was so free from scab, blights and attacks 

 of insects that it attracted our attention, and we exhibited 

 branches with their fruit at our state fair. This tree stands in 

 a pasture where we did not spray at all either for insects or 

 scab, and it may possibly be of value, although the fruit is no 

 larger than Little Red Romanite ; season October and No vein- 

 ber ; very fine for cooking. 



What I should like to urge upon the readers of your paper 

 is to takenotesof valuableseedlingsandof any variety that pays 

 this off year, and bring such to the notice of their state and local 

 societies and help develop those kinds that are promising. We 

 believe the seedling crosses of Russian Apples with our best 

 native varieties will produce the paying crops of the near future. 

 Patten's Greening and Iowa Beauty are very promising seed- 

 lings along this line ; the foliage is perfect and the fruit very 

 desirable. 



Janesville, Wis. George J. Kellogg. 



Why do Fruits Drop Prematurely? 



To the Editor of Garden and Forest : 



Sir, — Is it not possible that the dropping of the little fruits 

 mentioned in Professor Bailey's article on Apple Scab, p. 490, 

 may be partly caused by lack of efficient pollination due to 

 rainy weather at blossoming-time, which interferes with the 

 usual transfer of pollen from flower to flower by insects ? In 

 some dwarfed Apples which were examined last summer no 



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