292 



Garden and Forest. 



[AcctsT 1 5 



occidentalis does not differ widely from other American Aza- 

 leas, such as A. calc.iididacea or A. nudiflora. It is decidu- 

 ous, with bright green, shining foliage, and grows herefrom 

 four to six feet high. The flowers are either pure white t)r 

 stained with a ruddy tinge on their exteriors, while there is 

 always a conspicuous yellow blotch on tlie upper petal. 

 The fragrance is powerful and delicious. Usually the 

 flower cluster is small and loose, and this is one of the de- 

 fects Mr. Waterer has endeavored to remedy by intercross- 

 ing with his finest trussed Azaleas. The many new hy- 

 brids thus obtained have the characteristic features of A. 

 occide7italis, with the large trusses and large and finely formed 

 flowers of the fine early sorts. Moreover, some beautiful 

 varieties have been obtained at Knap Hill by intercrossing 

 Azalea inoUis and A. ocddcnlalis. At one time it was 

 thought that such a cross v\-ould be impossible, but Mr. 

 Waterer now has plants with the peculiar characters of 

 both species, in foliage and growth as well as in flower. 

 One variety, to be known in future as Mrs. F. L. Ames, has 

 large trusses of snow-white flowers, with nothing to mar 

 their purity save a delicate slain of yellow on the upper 

 petal. The foliage is intermediate between that of the 

 parents, while it loses nothing in fragrance. As the race is 

 yet quite young, only the exceptionally fine sorts have 

 been named and there are great expectations from the 

 multitudes of unnamed seedlings. At the present time 

 (July 7th) the Californian Azalea is flowering in perfection 

 in Kew gardens, while all other sorts have been out of 

 bloom for ten days or a fortnight. To prolong the Azalea 

 flower season, which is unfortunately much too short, is 

 one of the worthiest efforts of hybridists, who should be en- 

 couraged by such good results to proceed further. 



A ]iew Passion-flower, a fine h)'brid, is now blooming 

 in the Royal Gardens, Kew. It is a cross raised by Mr. 

 Watson, the Assistant Curator, between the hardy Passi- 

 fora ccendea and the Brazilian P. Raddiana. The flowers 

 are larger than those of P. Raddiana, the petals and fringe 

 longer, while the color is carmine, suffused with blue, 

 which, though perhaps not so bright and pleasing as it is 

 in the parent, is a lovely color. The growth is very grace- 

 ful, the long shoots hanging down four or five feet like a 

 curtain, and each thickly wreathed with flowers. It is 

 likely to prove much hardier than P. Raddiana, which 

 requires a stove, and as we have so few green-house 

 Passion-flowers this novelty is a great addition. It is 

 proposed to call it Passiflora Kewensis, so as to hereafter 

 fix its birthplace. 



Very beautiful is the new Californian shrub, Carpenlcria 

 Californica, against one of the old walls at Kew. It is 

 one of the loveliest of all open-air shrubs, as no other bears 

 such large, snowy flowers. The saucer-shaped flowers are 

 quite three inches across, and the tuft of lemon-yellow 

 stamens serves to emphasize the purity of petals. As many 

 as a dozen buds and open flowers are on some of the 

 branches. They are borne quite at the tip, and in moon- 

 shine shine like satin. It is a pity that this shrub is not 

 hardy enough for culture as a bush in England generally, 

 though in the Isle of Wight and the Devonshire coast it 

 does not need the protection of a wall. -, , , ■ 



London, July 14th. '( . (jOldnng. 



New or Little Known Plants. 



Rhododendron brachj-carpum. 



THIS handsome and exceedingly hardy species of Rho- 

 dodendron is a native of Japan, whence it v\'as 

 brought to this country with many other new plants by 

 Mr. F. Gordon Dexter, of Boston, in the neighborhood 

 of which city it has since found a place in Mr. Parkman's 

 garden, without, however, having attracted the attention 

 which its hardiness and the peculiar color of its flowers 

 seem to justify. 



Rhododendron lirachycarpiim* is a tall, wide branching 



* R. brachycarpuni , G. Don, Gen. Sysi., Hi. 843. — DC. Prod., vii. 2, 723. — Gra\'. 

 Men. Acad. Arts and Sci., vi. 400. — Ma.x'iniowicz, Rhododendrn Asiw Orientali.'., 22 — 

 Franchet and Savatier, Enum. PL Jap,, i. 288. 



shrul), which, in its native country, sometimes attains 

 the height of ten feet. It has the habit and general ap- 

 pearance of the North American R. Catawbiense; the leaves, 

 however, are terminated with a stout, short mucro, and 

 are covered on the under surface with a fine, silky, rufous 

 tomentum, while the flowers are pale yellow or cream 

 color, the upper lobes of the corolla handsomely spotted 

 with green on their inner surface. It is widely distributed 

 in the mountain regions of northern and central Japan, 

 covering vast tracts on Mt. Fudsi-yama above the limits 

 of tree-growth, just as R. Catawbiense covers the upper 

 treeless slopes of Roan Mountain in North Carolina. 



Rhododendron brachycarpum is hardier in this climate 

 than the Carolina plant or than many of the hybrids de- 

 rived from that species, especially those with light col- 

 ored flowers ; its foliage is not burned or injured during 

 the most severe winters even, and its flower-buds never 

 suffer. These facts suggest the possibility of creating a 

 new race of garden Rhododendrons with light colored 

 flowers and hardier foliage than any we now possess, by 

 mingling the blood of this Japanese species with that 

 of some of'the Catawbiense varieties. C. S. S. 



Cultural Department. 



The Fruit Garden. 



GOOSEBERRIES of foreign origin do not tlirive in this coun- 

 try generally, and of native varieties, the Cluster or 

 American Seedling and Hougliton (Red), the difference be- 

 tween them being very slight, were almost absolutely success- 

 ful till tlie introduction of the Downing, Mountain, and Smith's 

 Improved. These being much larger tlian the preceding 

 kinds and quite as free from mildew, rapidly superseded them 

 and have held the field undisputed for ten years at least. 



In point of merit they stand in the order named. The latter 

 has never amounted to much here. The Mountain (Red) is 

 the most vigorous grower, less productive than the Downing 

 and a trifle smaller, but the Downing has been the leading 

 Gooseberry in every respect for us. It now has a formidable 

 rival in the Triumph, a berry a third larger, as vigorous and 

 productive apparently, and of a greener color. As we use 

 Gooseberries for canning or marketing in a mature, but yet 

 unripe, condition, these qualities answer every purpose. Those 

 who have become disgusted with attempting to grow the for- 

 eign kinds on account of their mildewing propensities need 

 not hesitate to plant any of these American kinds through the 

 dread of this pest. The new Industry Gooseberry, so highly 

 commended, has proved a total failure with us. The plants 

 could be persuaded to live a year or two and make a feeble 

 attempt to grow, but they finally gave up the struggle without 

 yielding a single specimen of fruit. This was one more proof 

 that the plants of native origin are the only ones to trust. As 

 a dessert fruit when ripe the Gooseberry is little used, but so 

 long as pie holds its place as an article of diet, canned Goose- 

 berries will always be in demand. 



Of Blackberries, besides the old reliable Kittatinny we have 

 the more recently introduced Early Cluster and the Erie. Be- 

 tween these two in point of eailiness there is little to choose. 

 Erie is the larger, but like the Lawton, it needs half its weight 

 in sugar to be palatable. The Cluster is not so intensely sour, 

 but most Blackberries have this defect unless they are thor- 

 oughly ripe, and it is impracticable to leave them on the canes 

 till this stage is reached, because then the bees and wasps begin 

 at once to prey upon them. These raiders are good judges of 

 quality ; they never attack a Blackberry until it is fully ripe. 

 The Snvder is hardy and very productive, its small size being 

 the chief objection to it. There is little choice between Snyder, 

 Taylor and early Harvest. After all-, the Kittatinny is the best 

 one of the whole tribe we have ever seen or tasted. That it 

 is so liable to the attaclc of the Orange rust is a great pity. A 

 Vineland correspondent writes that he has the finest crop of 

 Missouri Mammoth he ever saw of any variety, excelling 

 even the Wilson, Jr. — a choice variety in that region. This 

 Missouri Mammoth was tried here a score of years ago, but 

 failed to show any striking merit. The old Dorchester, now 

 very seldom met witli or heard of, was one of the most satis- 

 factory ever tried on our grounds. It was early, of fair size and 

 good quality, not as rich as the Kittatinny, but it was never 

 deceptive; if it appeared ripe it was ripe. It was only mod- 

 erately productive as a rule, but in one exceptional season it 



