May 2.S 



S-] 



Garden and Forest. 



151 



The hardy and native Cypripediums are excellent plants tor 

 forcing'. C. acaule and C. pubescens require only three or four 

 weeks of artihcial heat, while the showy C. spcctabile takes 

 from five to six weeks. The Helhborous ni;rer is a very useful 

 and ornamental plant when kept in a trreen-house for ahout 

 three weeks, but the heat must be moderate, otherwise thev 

 turn green instead of white. There are many others like some 

 of the Saxifrages which could be named, but the aliove will 

 suffice for illustration. IV. A. Manda. 



[The number of plants which can be forced lo bloom 

 unseasonably with the aid of a little artificial heat is almost 

 endless. It is a question, ho\\'e\-er, whether we do not 

 lose more than we gain in thus changing the blooming i">e- 

 riod of hardy plants. The feeling of freshness and delight 

 ■which spring brings, with its bursting flower-buds, issome- 

 what dulled if we have been looking at these same spring 

 flowers under glass during the \A'inter. Each flower has 

 its appropriate season, and is best enjoyed at that season. 

 Daffodils gave far more pleasure in April, and June Roses 

 in June, before they became common winter flowers. 

 Flowers out of season, like vegetables out of season, satiate 

 the taste, without affording the real gratification which a 

 flower or a vegetable gives in its proper season. 



The Japanese, who, as a nation, are certainlv more fond 

 of flowers than any other people, never force them. They 

 are satisfied with their flowers as the}^ appear in the course 

 of nature, and make annual festivals and holidays to go 

 out and enjoy the blooming period of the Plum, the Iris or 

 the Chrysanthemum. 



There are tender plants enough which can be grown un- 

 der glass without dissipating the ]ileasuresof the garden and 

 the forest, and a return to a more general use of such plants 

 is certainly desirable. — Ed.] 



Forsythias. — Gardeners recognize three species, namely, F. 

 Fortunei, F. suspensa and F. viridissi/na. Mr. A. S. Fuller says 

 he has obtained all three from seeds of F. suspensa. But in a 

 garden sense they are decidedly distinct. The brightest and 

 best is /". Fortunei; F. suspensa is like a trailing form of F. For- 

 tunei, and F. viridissima in wood, foliage and habit, and in color 

 of flowers is, to the gardener, distinct from either of the others. 

 All are in their most showy condition about the first of May, 

 and this is the time to note their own condition as shrubs and 

 their position in the garden. They should ne\'er be scattered 

 haphazard about a place like yellow patches in a "crazy ciuilt;" 

 nor should thev be buried in thickets of other shrubs, nor 

 planted beside a doorway, or alongside a much frequented path, 

 or anvwhere else where their presence shall have a glaring 

 and obtrusive appearance. A little way off, as individual speci- 

 mens, or grouped by themselves, they have a pleasing effect. 

 But let them be in the vicinity of other shrubs or trees, and 

 rising from the turf. 



In their wildest and most neglected state they often appear 

 in their least ol)trusive and most effective condition, because 

 of their open, slender, graceful form — a shower of gold from 

 their topmost twig to the ground. But in well kept gardens, 

 as we have to regulate tlie growth of Forsythias and most 

 other shrubs, we cannot allow them unrestricted growth. In 

 many pretentious gardens, public and private, we often find 

 Forsythias, as well as Privet, Japan Quince, Deutzias, and the 

 like, clipped into close, round-headed forms. Such "well- 

 trimmed shrubs" are hideous. 



An old Forsythia in a neglected yard, with its golden wands 

 rising and curving and drooping to the turf in fluent grace — 

 surely this is more beautiful than a leafless lump that harmon- 

 izes with nothing in Nature. While we studiously avoid the 

 clipped monstrosity, we must curtail the freedom of the wild 

 plant if we would have a handsome shrub and profusion of 

 bloom. And now, after the plants have done blooming, is the 

 time to begin. Shorten back the young (last year's) wood to 

 within a few joints of its base, and cut out gnarled, scraggy 

 and weakly old wood ; prevent overcrowding of either old or 

 young wood, and if the shrubs have been neglected so that 

 the old stems have grown up high, leaving the bottom naked, 

 do not hesitate to cut them hard back. The points to be ol)- 

 served are : maintain a good supply of young wood from the 

 ground up, and have the flushes open enough to admit light 

 and air svifficient to well ripen the shoots before next fall, and 

 in this way secure an abundance of flower buds for the spring's 

 display, and work for medium-sized hard wood, rather than 



stout, sappy growths, and do not cut out the little twigs. Never 

 prune P'orsythias from June till they have done blooming, 

 except to thin out overcrowding shoots 



W. F. 



Campanulas. — In overhauling and top-dressing our rock- 

 garden a few days ago I was astonished with the extreme 

 hardiness and accommodating character of the Bell-flowers. 

 These sow themselves freely, coming up in crevices and on 

 ledges everywhere. C. Carpathica produces some well-de- 

 fined varieties and some fine hylirids. C. turbinata is one 

 of the most distinct and best. The flowers are purple, and 

 comparatively large, but the chief varietal distinction, and one 

 always relied upon, lies in its being uniflorous. This varietv 

 comes fairly true from seed. C. pelvifortnis, also verv 

 handsome, was sent out by Messrs. Frccfjel, of Zurich, as C. 

 turbinata pelvifortnis, having been selected from a batch of 

 the variety C. turbinata. This variety seldom comes true from 

 seed, and needs to fie propagated by division, which is easv. The 

 variety Hendersoni is a distinct hybrid, never producing fertile 

 seed — at least by its own pollen ; what it wovfld do if cross-pol- 

 lenized liy C. Carpathiea I do not know, but it would be inter- 

 esting to try. The plant's habit is stout, growing I foot high, 

 having much-branched flower stems, the flowers being simi- 

 lar in shape and color to those of Var. turbinata, but much 

 larger ; altogether a handsome and soinewhat rare plant. C. 

 Carpathica turbinata X pulla is noteworthy on account of Ijeing 

 ahylirid between two very distinct species. C. pul/a'\s the pret- 

 tiest of all the dwarf varieties, having wiry underground stolons 

 and uniflorous flower stems with pendulous, truly campanulate 

 flowers of dark purple. The hybrid retains the character of C. 

 pulla (even to the extent of bearing pendulous flowers) in all 

 liut the shape of the flowers, which resemble those of Far. 

 turbinata, except being a little smaller. C. rotiuidifolia, the 

 "Harefiell" and " Bhiefiell," grows about one foot high, pro- 

 ducing- gracefifl pjanicles of small, truly camoanulate flowers. 



' ' T. D. Hatfield. 



Magnolia stellata. — A fine specimen of this lieautilul Japan- 

 ese shrub, whidi flowered profusely a couple of weeks ago in 

 a yard on Fifth Avenue, near the Central Park, attracted the 

 admiration of the public. Magnolia stellata, which is also 

 known as IW. Halleana, was introduced a few }'ears ago by the 

 Messrs. Parsons from Japan, where it is a favorite garden or- 

 nament. It is a native of the forests which cover the slopes of 

 Mount Fusi Yama, where it is said to become a small tree. 

 Like M. conspicua and JM. obovata, M. stellata belongs to the 

 section of the genus in which the flowers appear before the 

 leaves. They are white, deliciously fragrant, three inches in 

 diameter, the sepals silkv-hairy externally, oblong-obtuse, 

 much shorter than the narrow linear oblong petals, which are 

 at first spreading, giving to the flower when expanded the ap- 

 ]5earance of a pure white star. Later they become quite re- 

 flexed. The obovate leaves, borne on short petioles, are nar- 

 rowly obovate, two to five inches long. M. stellata recjuires 

 the same soil and cultivation as j\l. conspicua and the other 

 Yulan Magnolias. It begins to flower freely when only a foot 

 or two higli ; and is an important and interesting addition to 

 our perfectly hardy early flowering shrubs. ^. 



Arsenical Poisons on Elm Trees.— The first brood of larvre of 

 the Elm-leaf beetle will appear in June. Timely applications of 

 Paris green or London purple in water sprayed over and 

 among the foliage of the trees will destroy this pest. But the 

 spray Vill leave" some poison on the grass. The poisoned 

 trees need not be m a pasture lot nor around the dwelling- 

 house to be a source of danger. If there is the least possible 

 chance of horses, cows, slieep or other animals grazing about 

 them, or of children playing there, the greatest caution should 

 be observed in using arsenites. 



A Group of Trees or Shrubs— A Suggestion.— Why not take Red 

 Maple, Red Bud, Spice-bush, Shepherdia, Fragrant Sumac, 

 Cornelian Cherry, Leatherwood, Japanese Corylopsis, and other 

 trees and shrubs of somewhat similar character, which bloom 

 before the leaves appear, and group them near each other in 

 some park, or large wooded estate. Hazels and other plants 

 bearing conspicuous catkins might also be admitted, but 

 i\Iagnc5lias, Forsvthias, Japan Quinces, and plants with showy 

 and discordant 'flowers excluded. As they differ so much 

 in some other wavs, much discrimination will be needed in 

 using them. I have never seen such a group, but have a 

 strong inclination to form one. R- 



