572 



Garden and Forest. 



[Number 249. 



not appear to be any great difference in the size and orna- 

 mental quality of the fruit of the common Winterberry (Ilex 

 verticillata) and the smooth one, Ilex la?vigata, but the berries 

 of the former are usually more abundant, they ripen later, 

 and they persist longer in a bright and showy condition. 

 These and the Barberries might furnish enough of the bright 

 reds in any group, but they may be augmented by still others 

 of similar colors. Besides one or two more southern species 

 with red or scarlet fruit which prove hardy in our northern 

 gardens, there has been introduced to the Arnold Arboretum 

 a Japanese species which is quite ornamental after the leaves 

 have fallen, which they do early. This was received without 

 a name some years ago from the Flushing nurseries of Messrs. 

 Parsons, and from descriptions it appears to be the Ilex Sie- 

 boldii of Miguel. The fruit is much smaller than that of our 

 native species, but is produced in abundance ,on slender 

 branches and twigs. A peculiarity of these fruit-bearing twigs 

 is that two of them are often produced from the axil of a leaf, 

 one being superposed immediately above the other. This 

 gives the shrub a particularly twiggy aspect. In striking 

 contrast to the normal red or scarlet of the fruit of these 

 different Winterberries is a clear, bright yellow-fruited form 

 of Ilex verticillata, which was found some years ago near 

 Andover, Massachusetts. It bears fruit in abundance and is 

 singularly showy at this season. 



The Burning-bushes, or species of Evonymus, are better 

 known than most shrubs which are valuable for late autumn 

 effects in color ; but the closely allied Bittersweets or Celastrus 

 are not often seen except where they grow wild. The native 

 species, Celastrus scandens, with its deep orange pods and 

 scarlet arils, is unlike any other species in cultivation, and in 

 some respects is better than its Japanese congeners. As it is 

 dicecious, care should be taken to procure stock by division 

 from fruiting plants, for if the plant should be a staminate one 

 it might grow rampantly and blossom, but would produce no 

 fruit. The best known of the Japanese species is probably 

 Celastrus articulata, which has much smaller berries than 

 C. scandens, with yellow instead of orange-colored pods. It 

 makes an excellent covering over rough places and rocks, as 

 it is of rather rank free growth. 



Roses of various species sometimes have fruit of quite an 

 ornamental quality at this late season, and the hips of R. 

 Carolina may be taken as an example. The Cotoneasters are 

 a group of shrubs almost unknown in American gardens, 

 probably because they are not conspicuous for flowers. The 

 fruit of such species as C. vulgaris and C. acuminata remains 

 of a rich purplish or reddish color after the leaves have fallen, 

 while C. Simoni, still holding some of its foliage, has fruit 

 almost scarlet in color. The purplish red fruit of the Choke- 

 berry (Pyrus arbutifolia) is fresh enough to be ornamental ; 

 and although the large j'ellow Japanese Quinces have fallen, 

 they perfume the air on a mild day if they have not already 

 been gathered for making jelly, as they can be converted into 

 a fairly good table dish. 



The high-bush Cranberry (Viburnum opulus), too, is not to 

 be overlooked, and, besides the brilliancy of its bright red 

 fruit, it may also serve a useful end as a sauce in regions 

 where the true Cranberries will not grow. The Coralberry, or 

 Indian Currant (Symphoricarpus vulgaris), which is as com- 

 mon as a weed in some places, is deserving of recognition 

 on account of its slender branches being laden with the small 

 dark red or magenta-colored berries, in striking contrast with 

 the large snow-white fruit of the allied Snowberry (S. race- 

 mosus), which usually does not keep its fruit so late into the 

 winter. For a shining black fruit the Common Privet is 

 unexcelled ; and the large egg-shaped scarlet berries of the 

 so-called Chinese Matrimony Vine (Lycium Chinense), hanging 

 thickly on the long string-like stems, are a surprise and 

 delight to every one who sees them for the first time. 



Arnold Arboretum. J. G. Jack. 



.Orchid Notes. 



'T'HE genus Dendrobium is so extensive that there are always 

 ■*• some of its representatives in flower. D. chrysanthum, 

 the golden Dendrobium, is just fading, after having been in 

 bloom for the past six weeks. The pseudo-bulbs of this plant 

 are long, pendulous and of medium thickness, and the flowers 

 are produced with the leaves on those of recent formation. 

 These are oblong-lanceolate, from four to five inches long, and 

 of bright green color ; and the deep yellow flowers, with dark 

 brownish blotch at the base of the lip, are two inches across, 

 borne on pedicels two or three inches long and in clusters of 

 two or three at the nodes of the pseudo-bulbs. This species 

 has two distinct flowering seasons, autumn and early spring, 

 and it requires a warm-stove temperature. It should have 



about three weeks of complete rest after flowering, and then, 

 with heat and moisture, it will start into vigorous growth. 



Dendrobium formosum is a remarkably handsome plant, 

 now flowering freely. The stout pseudo-bulbs are well clad 

 with deep green oblong leaves, bearing the large blossoms in 

 dense racemose clusters of three or four at the apex. The 

 flowers are from four to five inches in diameter, pure white, 

 with a large irregular patch of deep orange-yellow on the 

 spreading lip. This plant is, reputedly, difflcult to manage, 

 but its conduct here is quite satisfactory. It is rested mod- 

 erately after flowering — that is, it is placed in a minimum tem- 

 perature of fifty-five degrees, Fahrenheit, and kept sufficiently 

 moist at the roots to prevent the leaves from shriveling. The 

 plant is fully exposed to light and sunshine, and the surround- 

 ing atmosphere is kept as dry as possible. It is turned out of 

 the basket in spring, and replanted with fresh rough peat, char- 

 coal and sphagnum about the roots. Then it is placed close 

 to the glass in a house where the average temperature is sev- 

 enty degrees and the air is continually laden with moisture. 

 This is maintained, with frequent applications of water, and 

 shading from bright sunshine, until the new growth is com- 

 pleted, when the plant is again subjected to the cooler treat- 

 ment until the flower-buds'are well advanced. It is then given 

 a slightly warmer place for the flowers to develop. 



The flowers of Coelogyne fimbriata are pretty, though not 

 very showy. The plant is rare in gardens, but well worth cul- 

 tivation, as it is ever green and fresh in appearance, and 

 always blooms freely late in autumn. The racemes emerge 

 from the ape-x of the pseudo-bulbs,and they are slightly shorter 

 than the leaves. The peduncle bears three or four flowers 

 about an inch in diameter, developed in quick succession 

 from the base upward. The sepals are ovate-lanceolate, the 

 petals linear, and both of a yellowish green color. The tri- 

 lobed labellum is very beautiful. The lateral lobes are erect, 

 the front one spreading and prettily fringed. The ground color 

 is a trifle paler than the other divisions, and there are many 

 prominent lines and patches of rich velvety brown on the 

 upper surface. The blunt, curved column is bright yellow at 

 the tip, thus completing a combination of color that would be 

 called highly pleasing were the picture magnified a few times. 

 The freedom with which the flowers are produced compen- 

 sates for the deficiency in size. C. fimbriata is easy to grow, 

 and thrives luxuriantly in a well-drained pot or pan, with peat- 

 fibre and sphagnum about the roots. The sphagnum should 

 always be kept moist. An intermediate temperature gives the 

 best results. 



Cambridge, Mass. M. Barker. 



Basket-plants for Window Culture. 



THE cultivation of basket-plants in living-rooms is neces- 

 sarily somewhat limited, from the fact that many species 

 that show to advantage under this method of culture are not 

 best suited in the dry atmosphere of a dwelling, for the soil in 

 a basket will naturally dry out under such circumstances much 

 more rapidly than pot-grown specimens, and in all cases the 

 plants so grown, if in good health, will be found to require 

 thorough watering frequently, the most satisfactory method 

 being that of dipping the entire basket in a tub of water, and 

 then allowing it to drain off in a sink or other convenient place 

 before returning it to the window garden. There are, however, 

 a number of species that will thrive under all these disadvan- 

 tages, and prominent among them is Othonna crassifolia, a 

 prettyjittle composite with bright yellow star-like flowers about 

 half an inch in diameter. This is quite a rapid grower when 

 placed in a sunny window, and soon covers a basket with a 

 screen of its slender shoots, which are clothed with bright 

 green leaves of very succulent character. It is readily propa- 

 gated by cuttings, and it has the good quality of not being easily 

 discouraged by slight neglect, and overwatering is more 

 detrimental to it than an undersupply. 



The Variegated Ground Ivy (Nepeta Glechoma variegata) is 

 also a very useful subject for our purpose, and, though a com- 

 mon plant, it is one of real beauty, its small, kidney-shaped 

 leaves being prettily variegated with white, while its growth is 

 profuse under reasonably good conditions. This, also, is 

 easily increased by cuttings, and, besides, being a good basket- 

 plant, the Nepeta can be used to advantage for carpeting the 

 surface of a window-box or for covering the soil around a large 

 pot specimen — for instance, a large Palm or other decorative 

 plant. 



Fuchsia procumbens is another pretty little plant for house- 

 culture, and of rather different type from the general idea of 

 Fuchsias, being a trailing plant with small roundish leaves and 

 erect tubular flowers, which are rather insignificant in size and 

 yellow and blue in color. The flowers are succeeded by crim- 



