322 



Garden and Forest. 



[August 29, iS 



" No Rose ever created so much attention in this country as 

 the WilUam F. Bennett. The liigh price paid for half the stocl';, 

 and the pecuHar restriction placed upon it, aided in whetting 

 tlie appetite of all florists, especially when its color and form 

 were known. It has been one of the most valuable Roses intro- 

 duced into our list of winter blooming sorts for a number of 

 years. The $5,000 paid for the Rose proved to be a good ad- 

 vertisement, and few of those who invested in it when hrst 

 distributed ever had cause for regi-et. It is a hard Rose to 

 get started on account of its free blooming tendency, but by 

 persistent disbudding, when planted no more than three or 

 four inches deep in rich, light soil, on a well-di^ained table, it 

 is one of the most profitable varieties grown. It requires 

 more heat than most of the Teas, and seems to improve in 

 constitution every year. 



" Madame Cuisin has had a hard struggle to gain the recogni- 

 tion to which it is entitled. It is a distinct type from the class 

 generally in use for cut flowers in winter, being somewhat 

 short in petal, and if cut too soon it has a diminutive appear- 

 ance ; but when allowed to get two-thirds open, at which time 

 it is at its best, it has the appearance, to those unacquainted 

 with it, of being ready to drop. It is, however, one of the 

 best varieties for keeping in the whole list. 



" Mademoiselle de Watteville belongs to the same class, but it 

 is larger, and lighter in color. It is sometimes called the 

 Tulip Rose, because the edges of the petals are tipped with a 

 darker shade of pink. It has been planted quite extensively 

 for the New York market, but whether it will prove a wise 

 investment or not remains to be seen. 



" American Beauty is perhaps the most remarkable Rose on 

 the list. A Rose of its size, form and fragrance, and at the 

 same time a perpetual bloomer, is indeed a great stride on- 

 ward. Some may feel that it is more of a boon to the re- 

 tailers than to the grower ; certain it is that good flowers of 

 it would never sell at wholesale for less than $25 per hundred 

 so long as the fires are going. It was introduced to the 

 American public just when the large Hybrid Perpetual Roses 

 had fjecome fashionable, and flower buyers wanted them at 

 all seasons of the year. American Beauty has relieved the 

 retailers from all anxiety, for it is obtainable from Janu- 

 ary to Septemljer. A houseful of these plants, when do- 

 ing well, is a splendid sight ; their large, finely formed, sweet- 

 scented, pink Roses, borne on shoots several feet high, 

 would make even its severe European critics change their 

 tone. It is easy to understand why it is condemned over 

 tlie sea, because it is useless out-of-doors even here, and in 

 winter time under glass, in tliat sunless climate, it could not 

 open its blossoms with any degree of satisfaction. It seems 

 to do equally Avell in solid beds and tables. It w.ill stand 

 much heat and moisture when in good health, and seems to 

 do better the third year after planting out than the first. The 

 plan of bending down the strong shoots seems to be the 

 best for this Rose. It causes flowering shoots to lireak from 

 the base, which generally prbduce fine blooms." 



I'ROM THE ESSAY OF MR. H. H. li.^T'JLES. 



" f>'ery person engaged in growing plants should know the 

 first principles, at least, in Ijotany. Last winter, while talking 

 to a grower who had been in lousiness all his life, as had his 

 father before him, I asked him a few questions about hybrid- 

 izing, thinking I would try to instruct myself by getting some 

 good, practical ideas. He said "he did not take much stock 

 in it, and thought it better to let Nature take its course and let 

 them cross themselves." It occurred to me that an argument 

 like this was on a par with advising faith cure to a disabled 

 man when the most skilled and advanced surgical operation 

 was necessary. Darwin was hardly of this gentleman's way of 

 thinking" ; he made a great many experiments in hybridizing ; 

 he speaks of the seventh generation of plants, and crossing 

 them when grown under diflerent conditions ; of the struggle 

 for existence among them, the eft'ect of climate on reprocluc- 

 tion, the sleep of the plants, self-production during sleep, the 

 influence of gravitation upon them, the power of digestion, their 

 movements in relation to their wants and the diverse means bv 

 which they gain their subsistence. A great many of the sub- 

 jects seem to be of no practical use, but putting our minds in 

 this channel is what elevates, not only ourselves, but those 

 with whom we come in contact, and in order to do this we 

 must first become interested in botany. On this suljject there 

 is no better teacher than the late Professor Asa Gray, whom, it 

 is said, no one has ever yet approached, in the rare art of 

 making purely scientific theories and dry details popular and 

 interesting. From his charming elementary work, " How 

 Plants Grow," to his more elaborate "Manual," there is one 

 simple, concise, and yet exhaustive, method of treating the 



various grades of the science. Flowery rhetoric, beautiful 

 figures, lofty speculations and romantic fancies are discarded, 

 and in their place is a simplicity of statement, a transparency 

 of language and an enthusiasm which lights up every page. 

 The leading scienfific men of this country and Europe have 

 awarded the highest place in the galaxy of botanists to Professor 

 Gray. 



Now, for the dealer to know the habits and requirements of 

 plants would be very useful and interesting ; but there are 

 other sulijects which demand his attention first. He comes 

 directly in contact with consumers, not only caters to their 

 wants, but stimulates the demand for flowers by the judicious 

 handling of them. Surrounded by the most beautiful colors, 

 the most exquisite forms, and the most delicious fragrance in 

 nature, one of the first thoughts of the dealer should be the 

 artistic arrangement of flowers. Taste, to a very great degree, 

 is a matter of education, and the study of color, form and 

 position should be carefully considered ; the knowledge of a 

 few of the laws of color are absolutely essential to the intel- 

 ligent arrangement of flowers." 



After stating the laws to be observed in the proper minghng 

 of various colors, Mr. Battles gave several rules for practice, 

 like the following: "If you have a blue vase, use orange 

 tints, if a green one, use red. If you are obliged to use flowers 

 that do not harmonize, separate and relieve them with white 

 ones. Be careful of reds, which are the most trying colors. 

 It is not unusual to see an expensive design or basket in which 

 is some choice tone of red, say a Jacqueminot Rose, where 

 the effect is entirely destroyed by a few red Carnations or 

 Bouvardia, which would have been much better thrown away 

 than put into the design. 



"The study of color is a beautiful and interesting one and 

 does not lack te.xt-books ; the subject is exhaustively treated 

 by Chevreul, ' On Color,' who is at the head of Gobelin's Tap- 

 estry works, and has made this subject a life study ; also in 

 G. Field's 'Chromatograph,' which has been modernized by 

 I. S. Tavlor, London. There is a delightful book on color, too, 

 by A. H. Church." 



THE CULTIVATION OF PALMS. 



Mr. C. D. Ball, of Holmesburg, Pa., read a paper on "Ferns, 

 Palms, and Decorative Plants," from which we take the 

 following ; 



" Nearly all Palms are propagated from imported seeds, 

 which, if obtained fresh, are not difficult to germinate. Or- 

 ders should be placed early enough to insure getting new 

 crops as soon as possible after being gathered. Some varie- 

 ties soon lose their vitality, and the sooner thev are planted 

 after being received the more likelihood there will be of good 

 results. In sowing I use five or six inch pots, filling them 

 about one-third full of broken pot or charcoal for drainage. 

 The soil used should be a mixture of about equal parts finely- 

 sifted peat and loam, to which a little sand is added. The 

 seeds can be planted thickly, almost touching each other. 

 They should be covered with from half an inch to an inch 

 deep, according to the kind and size of seeds, and the surface 

 pressed firm and smooth. Then plunge the pots to the rim 

 in cocoa-fibre in a warm house, where a fair bottom heat can 

 be maintained. The soil should be kept always moist, but not 

 wet, or the seeds are likely to decay before they germinate. 

 By plunging the pots in the manner recommended it can be 

 kept in this condition without freciuent watering. 



"The time reciuired to germinate varies under diflerent con- 

 ditions and with different varieties. Some kinds, such as 

 Areca lutescens, Latania Borhonica, Cocos Weddeliana, etc., 

 usually take from one to two months before the growth shows 

 above the surface. The young plants should not be potted off 

 too soon; it is better to leave them until they are thoroughly 

 rooted and the tops are well up. Arcca lutescens, Kentias and 

 some others of this type should be left until the second leaf 

 appears. When ready they should be potted olT into as small- 

 sized pots as will contain the roots without injury. A two or 

 three inch rose-pot I prefer, on account of the long, stift' roots 

 made. The soil should be about the same as that used for the 

 seeds. After potting they should be placed in a close, warm 

 house. Yet great care must be taken in watering; the roots 

 and foliage are tender, and easily damped off if kept too wet. 

 The best plan is to plunge the pots in cocoa-fibre, fine ashes 

 or something similar. A more even temperature can be 

 maintained at the roots and the soil can be kept moist with- 

 out frequent watering. A little bottom heat is of great help to 

 the plants until they have become established. 



" The second shift should not be made until they are well 

 rooted through and somewhat pot-bound, and then to the 



