i8o 



Garden and Forest. 



[June 6, 



Last summer several families in different parts of town were 

 oliliged to call in a physician to treat a sore throat that " went 

 through the family." Several were in bed for more than a 

 week, suffering with nausea, extremely sensitive throat, ina- 

 bility to take any food, inability to sleep at night, a desire to 

 have the air filtered to prevent inhalation of poisonous parti- 

 cles. In each case an Ailanthus was in blossom in the neigh- 

 borhood. 



The Hay-Fever Association might obtain interesting sta- 

 tistics if a thorough investigation would be made. Several 

 persons visiting in town were attacked with acute hay fever 

 symptoms, lasting three weeks; but after the bloom was over 

 these symptoms gradually disappeared. These persons had 

 never before been troubled with such affections, nor had they 

 ever before been in the vicinity of an Ailanthus in full bloom. 

 A remarkably healthy child was one of the victims, and. 

 she did not regain her usual health until the following October. 



A hay fever patient for many years had a three weeks' sick- 

 ness in June, and could not account for tlie distressing sore 

 throat, influenza and constant nausea. Finally it was observed 

 by friends that this came on during the blooming of the 

 Ailanthus. At length hay fever set in, and it was found the 

 latter disease was but an aggravated form of the June attack. 



Is it not time that such facts should be published and 

 communities be protected from health-destroying influences ? 



Hagerstown, Md. C. V. Ticc. 



[What we belie^'e to lie an entirely unfounded belief in 

 the injurious pro]ierties of the Ailanthus tree has taken 

 possession of communities in this country at different 

 times and in different places. The flowers of the male tree 

 have an exceedingly disagreeable odor to many persons, 

 and as they produce large quantities of pollen, people 

 liable to attacks of hay-fever would be affected by it, in the 

 same way that the pollen produced by any other plant in 

 equal quantities or liy dust would affect them. We have 

 never seen any well substantiated statement of persons 

 supposed to be affected by the Ailanthus obtaining relief by 

 the destruction of the trees ; and it seems not improbable 

 that the particular cases to which our correspondent calls 

 attention have been the result of malaria or improper 

 drainage or impure drinking water — a belief sustained, in 

 part at least, by the fact that the Ailanthus is one of the 

 most commonly planted, .and most highly esteemed trees 

 in Paris and other European cities, while its bad reputation, 

 so far as we can learn, is contined to this country. As it is 

 only the flowers of the male plant which are disagreeable, 

 all risk, real or fancied, in planting this tree can be obviated 

 by selecting the female plants only. The influence of the 

 Ailanthus upon persons with catarrhal tendencies is a 

 matter of much general interest, and we shall be glad to 

 find room for a statement of well authenticated cases where 

 this tree has been the cause of sickness. — Ed.] 



Notes. 



Mr. T. S. Brandegee has lately explored Santa Crux, a small 

 island off the California coast possessing an interesting vege- 

 tation which differs in some of its features in a remarkable 

 manner from that of the adjacent coast, and which was first 

 made known a year or two ago by a paper published in the 

 Proceedings of the San Francisco Academy of Sciences, by 

 Mr. Edward L. Greene. The object of Mr. Brandegee's visit 

 to the island was to procure wood specimens of its peculiar 

 trees for the Jesup collection of North American woods in the 

 American Museum of Natural History in this city. This Mr. 

 Brandegee has accomplished, having secured fine specimens 

 of an oak, Ouercus toniciittUa, notknown within the limits of the 

 United States, except on this Island; of Lyonothamniis asplcii- 

 ifoliiis, a very beautiful small tree attaining a height of forty 

 feet, a representative of a small genus of the Saxifrage family 

 peculiar to this little group of islands, of which a second spe- 

 cies, a tall shrub, is known. This plant is interesting as the 

 only arborescent member in North America of a family, 

 which is very widely and generally represented in our flora 

 by humbler plants. The silva of Santa Cruz Island contains 

 also a very handsome arborescent Ceanothus (C. arborescens), 

 which has not been found elsewhere. Rhainnus insiilaris, 

 and a peculiar form of the mainland Prunus Uicifolia, are also 

 interesting trees peculiar to this island. Mr. Brandegee's visit 

 has, he believes, added nearly two hundred species to its flora. 



Mr. C. G. Pringle, someof whose interesting sketches of Mexi- 

 can vegetation have already appeared in this journal, has now 

 started for another long botanical journey in northern Mexico. 

 He will proceed by rail to Lerdo, a town on the Mexican Cen- 

 tral Railroad, about three hundred miles fro in the city of 

 Chihuahua, and then travel by wagon through the Lagoona 

 country practically over the route followed by Wislizinus half 

 a century ago, to Saltillo, Monterey and Matamoras, where he 

 wfll collect wood specimens of some of the trees peculiar to 

 the valley of the lower Rio Grande, for the Jesup collection. 

 Mr. Pringle then hopes to explore some parts of the Sierra 

 Madre of Nuevo Leon, a region still very slightly known bo- 

 tanically, and then later return to Chihuahua and the region 

 which he visited last year in time to collect the flowers which 

 only appear after the rains of midsummer. 



Retail Flower Markets. 



New Vokk, June isl. 



The large sales of small plants for Decoration Day were made at 

 wholesale rates. The supply of flowers continues abundant and prices 

 are low. Baroness Rothschild and Anna de Diesbach Roses are the finest 

 of the hybrids. Selected ones cost 40 and 50 cts. The average run 

 cost 25 cts. American Beauties cost the same. Gen. Jacqueminots 

 are large and have improved during the week in length o£ stems. 

 They are $2 a dozen. Bennetts and Madame Cuisins are $1.50 a dozen. 

 Brides and Catherine Merniets are unsatisfactory in quality. They 

 are 15 cts. each. Peiies, Niplietos and Souvenir d'un Ami cost $1 a 

 dozen. Papa Gontiers are of good size and color and they sell for 75 

 cts. a dozen. Bon Silenes are 50 cts. a dozen. The demand for speci- 

 men Hydrangeas has been fair throughout the week. Plants have 

 sold from $1.50 to $5. Pink Peonies are plentiful. They bring from 

 15 to 25 cts. each. Lilac costs 50 cts. a bunch. Mignonette is from 40 

 to 60 cts. a dozen. Carnation costs 35 cts. a dozen and Pansies 25 cts. 

 The yellow Paris Daisies bring 50 cts. a dozen. They are plentiful 

 and popular. Daisies are 25 cts. a dozen. Violets are small and 

 bring 75 cts. a dozen. Lily-of-the-Valley is out-of-door grown, but 

 large and handsome. It is 50 cts. a dozen. Smilax is 30 cts. a yard. 

 Asparagus costs from 75 cts. to ^i. In most of the baskets made up 

 for souvenirs, shrub blossoms are clustered in one side, while Roses 

 fill the other. Sweet Pea blossoms arrive in small quantities and bring 

 fancy prices. 



Philadelphia, ywic ist. 



Tlie demand for rdl choice flowers was very heavy until the middle 

 of this week, owing, in a great measure, to the festivities connected 

 with the ^■isit of Mrs. Cleveland. Pansies, the favorite flower of the 

 President's wife, were in especial demand. As a matter of covirse 

 all varieties of flowers were in request on Decoration Day. Flowers 

 are generally very plentiful now, excepting White Carnations, which 

 still remain quite scarce. Thousands of the wild Daisy are brought 

 into town, and florists report large sales e^•ery day. Roses are fall- 

 ing off in color and size, American Beauty being the best now on sale, 

 and line ones sell for $5 per dozen. Meteor is the best crimson Rose now; 

 it is brighter in color than Jacqueminot, as seen at this season of the 

 year, and it retains its bright color longer than any other in the same 

 class; as a Rose for summer blooming under glass it is destined to 

 rank very high. Gardenias are becoming more popular as a flowerfor 

 evening wear. A very few Sweet Peas are offered ai $1.50 per dozen. 

 These dainty flowers are deservedly increasing in favor each year. 

 Corn-flowers are also offered at 50 cts. per dozen; these vary in color 

 from pure white to purjile, pink, blue and yellow. Some Forget-me- 

 nots may yet be had, but it is only by careful growing that it is pre- 

 sentable at this late season. General prices remain about as they 

 were a week ago, with a fair demand and plenty of flowers. 



Boston, yum ist. 



As predicted last week, the stock of cut flowers in this market for 

 Decoration Day ran short, and prices were correspondingi}' high. 

 Roses of the commoner kinds and Carnations were more than double 

 the usual prices. Fancy Roses did not feel the pressure so much. 

 There is no Lily-of-Uie-Valley in the market excepting the small out- 

 door variety. Red and bright colored flowers in general are scarce, 

 and bring high prices in the wholesale markets. There has been an 

 abundance o£ doufile white Stocks and Spir;ca ; also a fair supply of 

 white Lilies, all of which were very useful for Decoration Day pur- 

 poses. One grower here forced a lot of Canterbury Bells, which met 

 with a ready sale, there being no other blue flower obtainable. Its 

 beautiful color and graceful form make it a welcome addition to the 

 small list of really efiecti\-e flowers a\-ailable for basket work at this 

 season of the year. Prices of staple varieties by the dozen are as fol- 

 lows : Hybrids, $6 ; Jacqueminots, $3 ; Mermets, Pedes and Sunsets, 

 $2; Niphetos and Bon Silenes, $1 ; Carnations, 50 cts.; Lilies, S2 ; 

 Lily-of-fhe-Valley, 50 cts.; Stocks and Spirtea, $1; Pansies, 25 cts.; 

 Mi<^nonette and Heliotrope, 35 cts. Smilax is of better quality, and 

 worth 50 cts. a string of four to five feet in length. But few corsage 

 bouquets of florists' "flowers are worn on the street at present, Apple 

 Blossoms, Wild Violets, Anemones and the like having the preference 

 while they last. 



