December 28, 1892.] 



Garden and Forest. 



621 



Tagetes signata. — Among plants whose beauty is often over- 

 looked because they are cheap and com mon is the delicate dwarf 

 Marigold, known in seedsmen's catalogues as Tagetes signata 

 pumila. Like other Marigolds, it is of the easiest culture, and 

 becomes a compact bushy plant with finely cut leaves, yielding 

 abundantly, and for a long time, its bright orange-yellov\' llow- 

 ers, an inch in diameter. After giving a brilliant coloring to 

 the garden for six weeks or more during the early autumn, a 

 few of the plants, when heavy frosts appeared, were potted for 

 indoor use. They appeared not to sulTer from the change in 

 the least, and continued to brighten our rooms for several 

 weeks longer, although receiving very little care, and placed 

 at a considerable distance from the windows. The delicacy of 

 its foliage and the warm glow of its profuse bloom, together 

 with its not unpleasant odor, made a most agreeable impres- 

 sion, so that the Marigold was the subject of even more com- 

 ment and admiration than was its distant aristocratic relative, 

 the Chrysanthemum. 



State College o£ Kentucky. C W. MathewS. 



Imantophyllum miniatum is one of the best plants for win- 

 dow gardens, yet it is seldom seen outside of greenhouses, 

 probably because its merits are not more fully known. It has 

 fleshy roots, Amaryllis-like flowers, and with us it commenced 

 to bloom in October. The first flowers open near the ground 

 and are nearly hid by the profusion of sword-shaped lustrous 

 dark green leaves, some of them two feet in length, which 

 surround the scape. Gradually the flower-stalk increases in 

 height and is now eighteen inches long. It is crowned with 

 nine large blossoms, which aie a beautif llI shade of salmon- 

 pink. They are delicately fragrant, reminding one of the odor 

 of Chinese Azalea. The plant has many buds still to open and 

 it is in bloom quite three months of the year. The six petals 

 of the flowers are alternately wide and narrow, and the interior 

 of the flower-cup is a light lemon-yellow. These flowers are 

 followed by ornamental bulbiforni fruits, which do not often 

 come to perfection under cultivation. Our specimen is on a 

 stand close to asoutli window, where it gets some sun on every 

 flne day, but is partially shaded by other plants. It has now 

 sent up a new plant from a bulblet, which we shall separate 

 and repot in the spring. Imantophyllum does not seem to re- 

 quire any rest and increases in beauty throughout the year. It 

 needs abundant water and a rich compost of well-rotted man- 

 ure and woods' earth. ^ , „ ... 



Rose Brake, w. Va. Dtinske Danclridge. 



Correspondence. 



The Black Knot. 

 To the Editor of Garden and Forest : 



Sir, — The passage of a law in New York state to enforce the 

 eradication of the black knot that infests Plum and Cherry 

 trees is notable mainly for its excellent purpose. The law is 

 too circuitous to be easily enforced. On a petition of five free- 

 holders a commission may be appointed, with power to act, in 

 any town. But it will rarely occur that five complainants and 

 petitioners will appear. It will hardly be worth while for one 

 town to be stringent in the clearance of the pest so long as it 

 grows freely in the adjoining township. 



I have found but little difficulty in keeping my trees clear, 

 except that it constantly reappears on that side of my land ad- 

 jacent to a very slovenly kept orchard and lawns. From this 

 side the spores enter my grounds and keep up constant war- 

 fare. 



There is great difference in the susceptibility of different va- 

 rieties of Plum-trees to this disease. Bleecker's Gage, or Lom- 

 bard, and the old English Horse Plum, or Large Damson, a 

 plum now seldom found, and Magnum Bonum are peculiarly 

 susceptible. Shropshire Damson, Washington, Coe, Brad- 

 shaw, Reine Claude are among those very little susceptible. 

 Green Gage may be classed midway between the others 

 named. I have found it possible by watchful care and cutting 

 to keep all varieties in good order except the Plorse Plum and 

 Bleecker's Gage. These I fmd it necessary to cut down after a 

 few years, and replace with young trees. But as both varieties 

 are very rapid growers, this is not a serious inconvenience. 



Three years ago a form of the knot appeared on my native 

 Bird Cherries, used as ornamental lawn-trees. The form of ' 

 the knot in these cases is longer, and folds in the whole twig or 

 limb. It is far more difficult to cut away. In the case of the 

 Plum-trees I send a trained man over my trees in the spring, 

 and again as soon as the crop is removed in summer. He 

 cuts knots out, and, if needful, cuts off lirnbs. His instructions 

 are to cut smooth, and two inches above and below a knot, as 



far as the black line appears under the softer layers of wood. 

 But the damage to my lawn Cherries is disastrous. 



Persistent care will surely keep a Plum-orchard in excellent 

 health. I have one hundred bearing trees, and am willing to 

 offer a reward for every knot found uncut. Our plum crop is 

 in great demand, and generally very remunerative. Whether 

 any law can be devised to take the place of public intelligence 

 and foresight is doubtful. One thing is certain, we must edu- 

 cate ourselves to a thorough understanding of our fungous 

 and insect foes, or be beaten in the strife, whatever our laws 

 may be. 



Clinton, N. Y. E. P. PoWC'll. 



The Spirit of the California Fruit-growers. 

 To the Editor of Garden and Forest : 



Sir, — The annual conventions of the California fruit-growers 

 are always interesting and important. From 250 to 500 of the 

 thirteen or fourteen thousand orchardists of the state assemble 

 and devote a week to reports and discussions. Two such 

 conventions are held each year, each time in a ditterent dis- 

 trict ; a monthly meeting takes place in San Francisco, and 

 one in Los Angeles ; and the fruit-growers also have county, 

 township and small district societies or clubs. The entire 

 body of fruit-growers is registered, and its effective organiza- 

 tion extends to every part of California. 



In the recent convention the high literary quality of manv 

 of the papers read, was very noticeable. University graduates, 

 ex-bankers, retired merchants and professional men of the 

 first rank who have taken up fruit-culture as a life-work, are 

 fully capable of going straight to the mark. Every great con- 

 vention of the horticulturists here is characterized by thought- 

 ful addresses, which are masterpieces in their way, full of 

 special knowledge, and always practical. 



One of the best fruit-growers said to me recently, " We, who 

 raise the fruit, are trying, at any cost, whatever looks feasible, 

 and we report to each other. We want more science of thi2 

 higher kind, no matter how many years or how many dollars 

 it takes, and we will advocate every expenditure on the part of 

 the state and the higher institutions of learning. We want to 

 educate men of science here, we want to support them when 

 they come, though the results cannot be measured in dollars 

 and cents." 



There are many of the leaders of the conventions who have 

 taken up the business in this broader spirit. They not only 

 discuss prices and markets, stocks, varieties, and the constantly 

 multiplying details of horticulture, but they appeal to the 

 higher intelligence of their class, and point out the larger re- 

 lations of the problems involved. The fruit-growers, for in- 

 stance, are becoming a unit in favor of the maintenance and 

 protection of the forests, and the last convention recommended 

 the passage of Senator Paddock's bill. To quote from the 

 opening address of President Elwood Cooper, of Santa Bar- 

 bara, if the fruit-growers continue to maintain an " unselfish 

 interest in the general welfare," they will " eventually become 

 a controlling interest in state alTairs." "While our especial 

 purpose," he says, " is to interchange ideas, and discuss 

 fruit problems, we are developing other interests, and effecting 

 more important results than even the successful culture of 

 fruits." This spirit, which pervaded many of the convention 

 addresses, appears to me full of happy promise. It really 

 makes very little difference to California's permanent interests 

 whether she takes a few more or a few less of the coming 

 Chicago honors, but it makes all the difference in the world 

 whether the informing spirit of her horticulture fosters higher 

 science and the nobler interest of the commonwealth. 



Illustrative of the practical side of the recent convention's 

 work I mention the following items : The fruit-growers asked 

 the state to appropriate $20,000, to be spent during four years 

 in experimenting with all the obtainable species of friendly 

 insects that will hold in check or destroy the enemies of plant- 

 life. The convention discussed this subject, and every phase 

 of the longdifficultfightagainst injurious insects ; it discussed 

 markets, and fruit-unions, in many forms ; it suggested the 

 need of a permanent Commissioner of Horticultural statistics : 

 it even took up the ten-block system of numbering country 

 houses and farms, which originated in Contra Costa County 

 and is a great convenience to all concerned. There was talk 

 about roads, village improvement clubs, gardens, and many 

 other topics, treated briefly and well. There were also excur- 

 sions to particular orchards, to see the methods of manage 

 ment. 



The one fact upon which I wish to put emphasis is that 

 these California conventions are growing in importance to 

 the community at large. They have increased in size every 



