404 



Garden and Forest. 



[October 17, 188S. 



leathery appearance which gives promise of the strongest 

 bloom. As a rule, the plants are over-watered at the root, 

 while too little moisture is given in the air. The flower-spikes 

 should always be supported in some way, for if allowed to 

 sway to and fro they will probably break many roots and 

 loosen the plants. 



I have found water charged with fertilizing ingredients, such 

 as ammonia, salt, guano or phosphates, very benelicial wiien 

 applied a few weeks after the baskets have been re-mossed. 

 Every care should be taken in ventilating, as Phalsenopsis will 

 not endure chilly an-. Fresh air should be admitted l>v the 

 ground ventilators, especially in windy weather. 



Shading should be carefully attended to, as the Ijurning rays 

 of the sun would soon destroy them when the leaves are 

 young and unaccustomed to its heat. They should always be 

 kept perfectly free from insects, and if thrips appear a slight 

 fumigation with tobacco will be needed. The night tempei-a- 

 ture of the house, from the ist of November until the ist of 

 May, should be 60° ; during May and October it may be 65°, 

 and during the summer it shoidd be kept at about 70=. The 

 day temperature should range from five to ten degrees higher, 

 according to the force of the sun. "/-". Atkfns. 



Staatsburg-on-the-Hudson, N. Y. 



A Few Choice Ferns. 



VXyiTHIN tlie last few years a large mmiber of beautiful 

 '^» Ferns have been introduced, niany of them useful for 

 cutting, and a few unexcelled for basket culture. The culti- 

 vation of Ferns is becoming more and more an important 

 branch of horticulture, and a few commercial establishments 

 have already confined themselves almost entirely to these 

 plants. The old and justly popular kinds will always take 

 the lead for general trade purposes ; for finer work, and 

 especially for conservatory decoration, the newer kinds will 

 always be sought for. One of the latest introductions, and the 

 best in its class, \'S,Nephrodiuiii rufcscens tripinnatifiila, a large 

 fern with fronds about four feet long, arching, wavy in out- 

 line, the pinnas being very irregularly divided, light green, and 

 covered on both sides with a reddish chaff. The stipes are 

 rcddish-brown and covered with a woolly coat of the same 

 color, and the general appearance of the fronds gives one the 

 impression of ostrich plumes. This plant is suitable for 

 baskets, and makes a magnificent pot-fern ; and for cutting 

 purposes, where large fronds are needed, it is excellent, ft 

 thrives in a warm green-house, growing rapidly in rich, well 

 drained soil, and requires an abundance of water.' It is troubled 

 at times with a soft scale, which may be prevented by constant 

 syringing. It increases freely by the adventitious buds on its 

 numerous stolons, which may be taken off as soon as they are 

 able to take care of themselves. 



DavalUa tenuifolia Veifchii is an elegant fern and admirably 

 adapted for basket culture. The fronds spring thickly from a 

 creeping, wiry rhizome, and are about eighteen inches high, 

 arching, with the pinuEe very finely divided, giving to the plant 

 an airiness quite unrivaled. In color the fronds are pale 

 green, while the stipes have a reddish tinge. It grows freely 

 \\\ an intermediate temperature, in a li,a:ht compost composed 

 niostly.of peat. It should never be allowed to become dry; 

 it is easily propagated by division of rhizome or by spores. 



Gryinnogramina schizophylla belongs to the silver Ferns, 

 and is vasiform in habit, with very finely divided, drooping 

 fronds. It is one of the most graceful of the wliole genus, if 

 is recommended for basket-work, but does best with us in 

 pots. This may be owing to the damp shelf on which the pots 

 stand. The fronds are proliferous, and the young plants may 

 be taken off, pegged in pots of sand and watered lightly until 

 root action is well advanced. If these young plants are not 

 needed, the beauty of the plant is much enhanced by leaving 

 them on. The variety Gloriosa is much more vigorous than 

 the last named, the fronds are longer, broader, but not so 

 finely divided. Both kinds delight in abundance of heat and 

 water, but if the foliage is wet too much the farinose powder 

 will soon be washed off. A large proportion of loam in the 

 soil will be found beneficial. 



Among tlie new Maiden-hair Ferns, Adiantiiin Williamsi is 

 probably the best. It is a strong-growing kind, with fronds 

 about two feet long, which wliile young are covered with a 

 yellow dust. It grows freely in an intermediate temperature, 

 and will very quickly grow into large specimens. The mature 

 fronds are good for cutting. A strong soil will l)e found best, 

 especially when permanent specimens are required, and lib- 

 eral applications of manure water are beneficial. 



Adianium Victoria is a valuable addition to the dwarf- 

 growing section. The fronds are about nine inches in heitrht 



with few pinn«, and tlie pinnules are large, with finely ser- 

 rated edges. The general appearance of the plant is that of a 

 dwarf A. Farleyense. It should be noted that to keep this 

 Fern in good health it should be often broken up. The 

 fronds grow so thickly together that large specimens are apt 

 to rot at the centre. 



Adiantuin Pecottii is a charming little plant, about six inches 

 high, much in the v/ay of A. bslluin, and, like this fine spe- 

 cies, will be found very useful for general decorative work. 



Among the many varieties of Adiantuin cuneatuin that 

 named Grandiceps is one of the best. In this Fern the fronds 

 are terminated by a tassel-like appendage caused by the fas- 

 ciation of tlie terminal pinna?. It is a splendid kind for baskets, 

 and young plants in pots will be found superior to the species. 

 It may be raisetl and will come true from spores. 



Adiantnm Weigandii, of American origin, is a handsome, 

 robust species, which can be grown both in a warm and a cool 

 temperature, and will prove an excellent kind where heavy 

 foliage is needed. 



Nephrodiuiii Rodigasianum. — This is a very elegant Fern of 

 vasiform habit, with broad, arching fronds, two to three feet 

 long, of darl-c green color. The pinnje are long, deeply and 

 irregularly cut, with somewhat wavy edges. It has decided 

 preference for a cool house, and reciuires liiieral treatment in 

 respect to soil and water. It grows rapidly, and is easily 

 raised from spores. Unfortunately, the fronds are too brittle 

 to be of any use for cutting. F. Goldring. 



Kenwood, N. Y. 



Removing Raspberry Canes. — It is still debated whether this 

 should lie done soon after the fruit is gathered or left till later 

 in the season. I have for years cut them as soon as conve- 

 nient, after the berries are picked. My reasons for an early 

 cutting of tlie old canes are that, having served their purpose, 

 they are of no further use, and if allowed to ripen and mature 

 till a natural death follows, they are a useless drain upon 

 the soil and the vitality of the plant. If removed, the young 

 canes receive all the nourishment furnished by the roots, and 

 should be better de\'eloped and matured as a consequence. It 

 is also easier to cut off the canes while still green than when 

 dry and dead. Hand-shears are preferable to a knife, avoid- 

 ing the pull, which sometimes lifts the whole plant, when the 

 canes are hard and dry. 



The opponents of early removal claim that these old canes 

 are an aid to the maturity and development of the young 

 canes ; that it is Nature's way, and therefore right. It is also 

 claimed that if left till spring they afford needed protection 

 during the winter to the young canes. There is a show of 

 reason in the protection theory, but as the injury is very apt 

 to occur in early spring, after the old canes are removed, the 

 benefit becomes less apparent, and is more than counter- 

 balanced by the draught on the plant in the process of ripening. 

 The above remarks will apply also to Blackberries, the worst 

 of all the berry canes to handle. 



Geraniums, Crane's-Bills. — These include some useful bor- 

 der and rock-garden plants. All the kinds in cultivation, with 

 one or two exceptions, are hardy in this country. The alpine 

 species will recjuire good drainage, but the others will grow 

 almost anywhere. Geraniums have a long Howering season, 

 and bloom more or less from early May until frost. This is 

 the case, particularly, with G. sangiiineum. Plants are easily 

 raised from seeds or root-cuttings, and they hybridize freely. 

 The best alpine kinds are G. argentum, with silvery foliage, 

 and pinkish flowers with darker veins ; G. cinereum, resem- 

 bling the preceding, except in having greener foliage and 

 darker flowers ; G. macrorhizon, with purple flowers and a 

 woody root-stock; G. sanguinetiin. a trailing species, with 

 pretty blood-red flowers and blooming from spring till fall. 

 This plant always looks neat and is very easy to grow. Its 

 variety, Lancastriense, is equally hantlsome, with pink flowers 

 and darker veins. 



Amongst the border Geraniums are some very handsome 

 ones. G. coUiniim, purple ; G. Ibericittn, blue ; G. Ibericiun 

 palatypctahim, violet and veined ; G. phceum, very dark blue, 

 witli a white spot at the base of each petal; and G. pratense, 

 notably the double blue and single white forms — all liloom in 

 spring, and make a considerable display while thev last, and 

 again in the fall, tliough not so abundantly. G. Endressii, 

 rose, one of the best and very useful for cutting ; and G. Ar- 

 tni'nimn, one of the noblest of all, growing sometimes fourfeet 

 high, with dark crimson flowers, bloom all the season. The 

 common Geraiiium inaculatiun grows in swamps, and on 

 dry lianks as \vell, though less luxuriantly. T. D. Hatfield. 

 Wellesley, Mass. 



