132 



Garden and Forest. 



[May 9, iS 



and ran through eight editions. No book about plants 

 contains quainter expression or sounder instruction and advice. 

 George Don pulilished in London in 1831, " A General System 

 of Gardening and Botany," as a new edition of Miller's Dic- 

 tionary, but this is a book for botanists rather than for gardeners. 

 Johnson's " Gardener's Dictionary" followed this in England, 

 some years later, and for a long time maintained a standard 

 position in horticultural literature. But the great improve- 

 ments that have been made in horticultural methods, and the 

 vast numbers of new plants which gardeners are called upon to 

 cultivate in these days, make a new general treatise upon 

 gardening and garden plants in the English language a neces- 

 sity. The work which is now before us fully supplies the need, 

 and surpasses all its predecessors in completeness, conveni- 

 ence of arrangement, and in the number of its illustrations. 



The arrangement is alphabetical, and it contains the Latin 

 names of all the genera of plants found in English gardens, 

 with a short generic description, and under each genus, in 

 smaller type, all its species in cultivation, arranged alphabeti- 

 cally, each, also, with a short description, an asterisk marking 

 those species which are especially good or distinct. English 

 names, of which a great number are given, and Latin synonyms, 

 are referred to the Latin name of the plants to which they belong. 

 Much space is given to florists' flowers and horticultural va- 

 rieties, some important genera, like the Rose orthe Chrysanthe- 

 mum, occupying many pages, withdetailed illustrated descrip- 

 tions of all the best varieties. Insects injurious to garden 

 plants are figured and described ; and very carefully illustrated 

 articles are devoted to all horticultural operations, like graft- 

 ing, budding and pruning. An article upon the Cucumber 

 contains descriptions, not only of all the best varieties, but 

 descriptions and plans of the most approved glass-houses in 

 which to grow them. A dozen pages are devoted to the Pear, 

 and its best varieties, and the insects which are injurious to it, 

 and other English fruits and vegetal>les, are treated in the 

 same exhaustive manner. Most useful is the information 

 found in this book relating to the derivation of the generic 

 names of plants — information rarely given in works on botany, 

 and not always easy to obtain. 



Any plant, no doulit, can be cultivated successfully, if studv 

 and patience enough is given to its care, but some plants are 

 so impatient of confinement, and some are so difficult to man- 

 age, that they have little value to the ordinary gardener. Ama- 

 teurs want to know the defects and drawl>acks in a plant in culti- 

 vation as well as its good qualities. They always hear enough 

 about the latter before they buy, but very little about the former. 

 And it is in books of this character that such information 

 would naturally be looked for ; but while it contains excellent 

 suggestions for the cultivation of an immense number of 

 plants, little or nothing is said in these volumes about the 

 drawbacks to any particular species or variety, an omission 

 which those amateurs who are at the mercy of glowing 

 nursery-catalogue descriptions, will probably often have 

 occasion to regret. 



Mr. Nicholson has been assisted by Mr. J. Garrett, who has 

 prepared those portions of the work relating to fruit and vege- 

 table culture, florists' flowers and general gardening work ; by 

 his associate at Kew, Mr. W. Watson, and by Professor Trail, 

 who has written the articles on fungi, insects, and the diseases 

 of plants. He and his associates deserve the thanks and 

 should receive the congratulations of the horticultural world. 

 They have produced a work which is indispensable to all 

 persons whose studies, business or pleasure bring them in 

 contact with garden plants. 



Notes oil the Bald Cypress [Ta.xodiuiii distichuin), by N. S. 

 Shaler. Memoirs of the Museum of Comparative Zooloijv. 

 Vol. XVL, No. I. 



The functions performed by the peculiar woody growths or 

 " knees " which spring from the roots of our southern Cypress 

 have never been very clearly understood, but Professor Shaler 

 has now collected a series of facts which seem to substantiate 

 his theory that they are in some way connected with the 

 process of aeration of the sap. The facts are these : The 

 knees are not developed when the trees grow on high ground. 

 (This is still more apparent in Mexico, where the same species, 

 probably, or a second and very closely allied species, grows 

 only on dry ground at a considerable distance above the water- 

 level of the streams.) They are always developed when the 

 roots are permanently covered with water. The " knees " rise 

 above the permanent water-level and vary in height with that 

 level. Finally the trees die, when from any accidental cause 

 \ the water rises above the tops of the "knees." These facts 

 ""^^rtainly most " incontestably show that there is some neces- 

 sai^yxonnection between them and the functions of the roots 

 when the latter are permanently submerg'ed." 



There has always been some doul.)t how the seed of fiie 

 Taxodiiim, falling in deep water, could germinate, and yet 

 young trees are often found in tlie Cypress swamps, which 

 never become dry, growing in several feet of water. Professor 

 Shaler is inclined to believe that such trees are not seedlings, 

 but that they have sprung from branches, blown down from 

 neiirhborintr trees, which have taken root. 



Retail Flower Markets. 



New York, May jlh. 



Business throughout the city is quiet, funeral designs and steamer 

 baskets being all that keep it alive. The introduction of fruit into 

 floral designs for steamer gifts interferes with the florists' revenue. 

 Flowers have improved in quality during the week, those from 

 bulbous plants especially being much finer as their quantity has de- 

 clined. The novelty in first-class shops is Moss Roses. They cost 

 50 cts. a spray of one lialf-opened bud and one green bud. Catherine 

 Mermet Roses are prime, and cost $2 a dozen, as do the Bride, La 

 France and Madame Cusin. General Jacqueminots are superb in 

 color, and of good te.xture ; they bring from $2 to $4 a dozen. There 

 are liut few Papa Gontiers arriving ; these cost the same as Bon 

 Silenes — $1 a dozen. Perles des Jardins and Niphetos are Sl-Soa 

 dozen. The latter are of such size and beauty that they are almost as 

 much sought as the Bride. Puritan Roses are finer than they have 

 been at all this season ; they sell for 50 cts. each or SS a dozen. 

 American Beauties bring from Sj to $Sa dozen. Baroness Rothschild 

 and Mabel Morrisons run small, but are exquisite in form and color ; 

 selected blooms may be bought for $8 a dozen. Paul Neyrons do not 

 arrive in as good form as last week, and Ulrich Brtinner shows signs 

 of lioldingits petals loosely. The average price for all ffybrids may be 

 set down as $5 a dozen for second choice and S8 for selected stock. 

 Lilac is choice at $1.50 a bunch ; Mignonette is 50 cts. a bunch of 

 twenty-five sprays. Marguerites are 20 cts., Carnations 35 cts., and 

 Forget-me-nots are 25 cts. a dozen ; Heliotrope is 50 cts. a bunch, 

 Callas 20 cts. each. Gardenias 25 cts. each. Trailing Arbutus of 

 delightful color and fragrance appears from Long Island and is 50 cts. a 

 bunch. Violets grow poorer and scarcer ; they are from 75 cts. to 

 $1.25 a bunch. Meadow Cowslips (Collha pahistris] from New Jersey 

 marsltes are sold in tjuantities on the chief thoroughfares for 5 cts. a 

 bunch. Daffodils, Lily-of-the-Valley and Tulips cost from 75 cts. to 

 Si a dozen. Smilax is somewhat more plentiful as the demand re- 

 laxes; it remains as last quoted, as does Asparagus tenuissinius^ 



Philadelphia, May jth. 



Owing to the extremely warm weather, flowers were abundant 

 e\'erywhere early in the xveek. The only scarcity was of white Car- 

 nations and Lilac. It is between seasons for the last. Frequently it 

 is in bloom here out-of-doors at this date. Last year a supply was 

 obtained from Washington between the times when the stock for forc- 

 ing was exhausted and that out-of-doors had not commenced to bloom. 

 The warm weather also had a tendency, to check the demand for 

 flowers, but the returning coolness has braced up the market consid- 

 erably. May usually brings a break in prices here, but this year very 

 few flowers are blooming in the open air. Next week we may with 

 confidence expect to report lower prices for nearly every class of 

 flowers. Some of the dwarf Cannas are destined to be used for cut 

 flower purposes hereafter. They are easily forced, and will add a new 

 feature to floral decorations. Some of the spotted ^'arieties are ex- 

 tremely showy, and flowering, as they do, when only two and a half 

 to three feet high, they will not occupy much space in comparison with 

 the older varieties. Smilax is becoming more plentiful and better in 

 quality. 

 Boston, May jth. 



Mayflowers everywhere. The always welcome Arbutus is now in 

 the height of its season, and its popularity. The flower stores give it 

 the cold shoulder, but there is no scarcity on the street corners and it 

 forms for the time being the universal corsage bouquet, while the 

 violet quietly drops to the rear and will soon disappear for the season. 

 There are still some violets to be had, but they are small and pinched 

 looking. A few of the true English Violet are offered. These are 

 only seen in the spring. The stems are too short, but the rich dark 

 blue color and uncqualed fragrance make them popular in spite of 

 the short stems. These sell for 50 cts. a small bunch. The flower shops 

 are filled now with grand specimens of Hydrangea Otaisa. Plants 

 three feet high and three feet across sell from SS.oo to S12.00. With 

 a little care their beauty will last from one to two months in an or- 

 dinary dwelling-house. Neat plants of moderate size bearing se\'eral 

 heads of flowers, cost from $3.00 to $5.00 each. But few first-class 

 Roses are seen, and thev bring winter prices. P^he best Hybrids, such 

 as Baroness Rothschild, Ptu-itan and Mabel Morrison, are worth from 

 $6. 00 to S8.00 per dozen blooms, and American Beauty, when first-class, 

 sells with them. Catherine Mermet, Marshall Niel and La France are 

 worth from $2.50 to S4.C0, according to quality. Lily-of-the-Valley is 

 in better denicmd and the qualify offered is uniformly good. Price, 

 $1.00 per dozen sprays. There are still many forced Tulips and Nar- 

 cissus in the market, but a few more warm days will bring the out- 

 door crop in. Till then the price of these is 75 cts. to Sl.co per dozen, 

 flarris's Lilies on long stems are abundant and are sold as low as Si. 50 

 per dozen. Mignonette has become a standard flower. Sprays of the 

 large varieties sell readily for Si -OO per dozen. Among the novelties 

 offered are some fine blooms of double Ranunculus. 



