February 29, 1888.] 



Garden and Forest. 



Mrs. John Laing {H. R., Bennett,) is a seedling from Fran- 

 cois Michelon, which it somewhat resembles in habit of growth 

 and color of flower. It is a free bloomer out-of-doors in sum- 

 mer and forces readily in winter. Blooms of it have been 

 offered for sale in the stores here since the first week in De- 

 cember. It is a soft shade of pink in color, with a delicate lilac 

 tint. It promises to become a general favorite, as in addition 

 to the qualities referred to, it is a free autumnal bloomer 

 outside. For forcing it will be tried extensively next winter. 

 Princess Beatrice (T., Bennett,) was distributed for the first 

 time in this country last autumn, but has so far been a disap- 

 pointment in this city. But some lots arrived from Europe 

 too late and misfortunes befell others, so that the trial can 

 hardly be counted decisive, and we should not hastily condemn 

 it. Some have admired it for its resemblance, in form of 

 flower, to a Madame Cuisin, but its color is not just what we 

 need. In shade it somewhat resembles Sunset, but is not so 

 effective. It may, however, improve imder cultivation, as 

 some other Roses have done; so far as I know it has not been 

 tried out-of-doors. 



Papa Gontier (H. B.,Nabonnaud.)— This, though not properly 

 a new rose, is on trial for the first time in this city. It has 

 become a great favorite with growers, retailers and purchasers. 

 In habit it is robust and free blooming, and in coloring, though 

 similar to Bon Silene, is much deeper or darker. There seems 

 to be a doubt in some quarters as to whether it blooms as 

 freely as Bon Silene ; personally, I think there is not much 

 difference between the two. Gontier is a good Rose for out- 

 door planting. Edwin Lotisdale. 



Two Ferns and their Treatment. 



Adiantum Farleyense.- — This beautiful Maidenhair is supposed 

 to be a subfertile, plumose form of A. tencrutit, which much 

 resembles it, especially in a young state. For decorative pur- 

 poses it is almost unrivaled, whether used in pots or for trim- 

 mmg baskets of flowers or bouquets. It prefers a warm, 

 moist house and delights in abundant water. We find it does best 

 when potted firmly in a compost of two parts loam to one of 

 peat, and with a good sprinkling of sifted coal ashes. In this com- 

 post it grows very strong, the fronds attaining a deeper green 

 and lasting longer than when grown in peat. When the pots 

 are filled with roots give weak liquid manure occasionally. 

 This fern is propagated by dividing the roots and potting in 

 small pots, which should be placed in the warmest house, 

 where they soon make fine plants. Where it is grown 

 expressly for cut fronds the best plan is to plant it out on a 

 bench in about six inches of soil, taking care to give it plenty of 

 water and heat, and it will grow like a weed. 



Actiniopteris radiata. — A charming little fern standing in a 

 genus by itself. In form it resembles a miniature fan palm, 

 growing about six inches in height. It is generally distributed 

 throughout the East Indies. In cultivation it is generally 

 looked upon as poor grower, but with us it grows as freely as 

 any fern we have. We grow a lot to mix in with Orchids, as 

 they do not crowd at all. We pot in a compost of equal parts 

 loam and peat with a few ashes to keep it open, and grow in 

 the warmest house, giving at all times abundance of water 

 both at root and overhead. It grows very freely from spores, 

 and will make good specimens in less than a year. It is an 

 excellent Fern for small baskets. F. Goldrins:. 



Timely Hints About Bulbs. 



CPRING flowering bulbs in-doors, such as the Dutch Hya- 

 •^ cinths. Tulips and the many varieties of Narcissus, should 

 now be coming rapidly into bloom. Some care is required to 

 get well developed specimens. When first brought in from 

 cold frames or wherever they have been stored to make roots, 

 do not expose them either to direct sunlight or excessive heat. 



A temperature of not more than fifty-five degrees at night 

 is warm enough for the first ten days, and afterwards, if they 

 show signs of vigorous growth and are required for any par- 

 ticular occasion, they may be kept ten degrees warmer. It is 

 more important that they be not exposed to too much light 

 than to too much heat. 



Half the short stemmed Tulips, dumpy Hyacinths and blind 

 Narcissus we see in the green-houses and windows of amateurs 

 are the result of excessive light when first brought into warm 

 quarters. Where it is not possible to shade bulbs without in- 

 terfering with other plants a simple and effective plan is to 

 make funnels of paper large enough to stand inside each pot 

 and six inches high. These may be left on the pots night and 

 day from the time the plants are brought in until the flower 

 spike has grown above the foliage ; indeed, some of the very 

 finest Hyacinths cannot be had in perfection without some 



such treatment. Bulbous plants should never suffer for water 

 when growing rapidly, yet on the other hand, they are easily 

 ruined if allowed to become sodden. 



When in flower a rather dry and cool temperature will 

 preserve them the longest. 



Of bulbs which flower in thesummerand fall. Gloxinias and 

 tuberous rooted Begonias are great favorites and easilv man- 

 aged. For early summer a few of each should be started at 

 once — using sandy, friable soil. Six-inch pots, well drained, are 

 large enough for the very largest bulbs, while for smaller 

 even three-inch pots will answer. In a green-house there is 

 no difficulty in finding just the place to start them. It must be 

 snug, rather shady and not too warm. They can be well cared 

 for, however, in a hot-bed or even a window, but some 

 experience is necessary to make a success. 



Lilies, in pots, whether L. candidum or L. longifloruin that 

 are desired to be in flower liy Easter, should now receive every 

 attention — their condition should be that the flower buds can 

 be easily felt in the leaf heads. A temperature of fifty-five to 

 sixty-five at night should be maintained, giving abundance of 

 air on bright sunny days to keep them stocky. Green fly is 

 very troublesome at this stage, and nothing is more certain to 

 destroy this pest than to dip the plants in tobacco water which, 

 to be effective, should be the color of strong tea. Occasional 

 waterings of weak liquid manure will be of considerable help 

 if the pots are full of roots. J. Thorpe. 



Entomology. 



• Arsenical Poisons in the Orchard. 



AS is well known, about fifty per cent, of the possible apple 

 crop in the Western States is sacrificed each year to the 

 codling moth, except in sections where orchardists combine 

 to apply bands of straw around the trunks. But as is equally 

 well known this is rather a troublesome remedy. At all events, 

 in Illinois, Professor Forbes, in a buUedn lately issued 

 from the office of the State Entomologist of Illinois, claims 

 that the farmers of that State suffer an annual loss from the 

 attacks of this single kind of insect of some two and three- 

 quarters millions of dollars. 



As the results of two years' experiments in spraying the 

 trees with a solution of Paris green, only once or twice in 

 early spring, before the young apples had drooped upon their 

 stems, there was a saving of about seventy-five per cent, of 

 the apples. 



The Paris green mixture consisted of three-fourths of an 

 ounce of the powder by weight, of a strength to contain 15.4 

 per cent, of metallic arsenic, simply stirred up in two and a 

 half gallons of water. The tree was thoroughly sprayed with 

 a hand force-pump, and with the deflector spray and solid jet- 

 hose nozzle, manufactured in Lowell, Mass. The fluid was 

 thrown in a fine mist-like spray, applied until the leaves began 

 to drip. 



The trees were spraved in May and early in June while the 

 apples were still very small. It seems to be of little use to 

 employ this remedy later in the season, when later broods of 

 the moth appear, since the poison takes effect only in case it 

 reaches the surface of the apple between the lobes of the 

 calyx, and it can-only reach this place when the apple is very 

 small and stands upright on its stem. It should be added that 

 spraying "after the apples have begun to hang downward is 

 unquestionably dangerous," since even heavy winds and 

 violent rains are not sufficient to remove the poison from the 

 fruit at this season. 



At the New York Experimental Station last year a certain 

 number of trees were sprayed three times with Paris green 

 with the result that sixty-nine per cent, of the apples were 

 saved. 



It also seems that last year about half the damage that might 

 have been done by the Plum weevil or curculio was prevented 

 by the use of Paris green, which should be sprayed on the 

 trees both eariy in the season, while the fruit is small, as well 

 as later. 



The cost of this Paris green application, when made on a 

 large scale, with suitable apparatus, only once or twice a year, 

 must, says Mr. Forbes, fall below an average of ten cents a tree. 



The use of solutions of Paris green or of London purple in 

 water, applied by spraying machines such as were invented 

 and described in the reports of the national Department of 

 Agriculture by the U. S. Entomologist and his assistants, have 

 effected a revolution in remedies against orchard and forest 

 insects. We expect to see them, in careful hands, tried with 

 equal success in shrubberies, lawns and flower gardens. 

 ^ - ,•/. 5. Packard. 



