452 



Garden and Forest. 



[November 14, 18 



In some of our large cities, where florists have no sod at 

 command, they resort to somewhat different metliods, for 

 wliile tlieir compost heap may be similarly constructed, they 

 also utilize their old soil liy seeding- it witli grass, so as to pre- 

 pare a sod for future use. This mode of procedure seems to 

 have some disadvantages. One is, that it must necessarily 

 take a considerable time for this partially exhausted or soured 

 soil to regain its former good qualities ; a second and more 

 serious one is, that when the old soil has been taken out of a 

 house infested with the Rose bug {Aramigiis FuIIcri), there is 

 some danger of increasing and perpetuating this formidable 

 pest, from the fact that it has not been positively demon- 

 strated that its larvEe are destroyed Ijv frost, and, therefore, it 

 would seem to be decidedly the safest plan to use only new 

 soil for the Rose bed. 



Some experiments have been made to test the hardiness of 

 the Rose bug, but, so far, the result has not been conclusive, 

 and it is understood that further experiments will be made 

 dm'ing the coming winter, so that another year will furnish 

 us with more definite knowledge on this point. W. 



Philadelphia. 



Out-Door Roses. — An Indiana correspondent writes about 

 these as follows ; Mrs. John Laing is really a very fine Rose, 

 equal to American Beauty in the number of blossoms it bears, 



of a pallid blue. Tlic flower stalk is two feet long and bears from 

 fifteen to twenty flowers. VaiKia Sanderiana wears a differ- 

 ent appearance, having fine, bold flowers from four to five 

 inches in diameter, which last in bloom about six weeks. 

 Cypripediums are out now in great force; the most beautiful 

 at present in bloom are the following ; Cypripcdium Parishii, 

 C. Stojiei, C. calopliyllum, C. ionsuin, C. Harrisianuiii, C. Fair- 

 rieanum, C. Spicerianuiii, C. Haynaldianuni, C. iiiarinorophylhun, 

 C. Sediwii, C. vexillarium, C. cone /life nun, C. purpuratuin 

 (Kimball's variety); C. Sedeiii eandidiilum, C. Roezlii, C. Law- 

 renceanuin, C. obsciiruin. C. Spiee?-ianuiii I consider the inost 

 beautiful of the lot and the most useful, though C. vexillariiini 

 is a great favorite of mine, and if it were more abundant, it 

 would make a spirited rivalryforthefirstplace. C.Fairrieaniim 

 is a little gem and worth more than its weight in gold, not more 

 than six being in tliis country. Renanthera Lowii (or Vanda 

 Loivii), a very rare Orchid, is now in bloom, its long flower 

 spike holding from forty to sixty blooms. Tliis is a remarka- 

 ble plant, having two dissimilar forms of flower on the same 

 spike — that is, the two flowers at the base of the spike are of a 

 dilferent color from that of the others — which strange contrast 

 gives it a distinct value. 



There are a great many other Orchids in bloom in 

 the way of Cattleyas, Epidendrums, Oncidiums, Zygope- 

 talums, Pleiones, or Indian Crocus, Dendrobiums, and 



71. — Spiraea trilobata. — See page 453. 



and the average is better in quality. American Beauty is very 

 fine, if budded, but does not succeed with me on its own roots. 

 Lady Helen Stewart and Earl Dufferin have the merit of grow- 

 ing well, but neither of them blossomed with me this season, 

 although they were large plants when set out last spring. 



Folkstone comes nearer to La France, as a bedder, than any 

 other hybrid Tea; I like it very much. Puritan, as a failure, is 

 fully equal to Her Majesty. I have tried it now for the second 

 season, and have not yet had one perfect Rose from it. I did 

 not get one perfect bloom on Her Majesty in three years. Nearly 

 all Roses do better for me if budded — that is, if they are budded 

 low, say within three inches of the crown of roots. I have 

 just finished planting fifty newly purchased kinds, most of 

 them being budded ; but in more than half of them the bud 

 was at least six inches above the root. As I always, in plant- 

 ing, set the bud three or four inches below the surface of 

 the ground, it will be almost impossible to set the roots 

 of these in good soil. 



Orchid Notes. — The most beautiful in bloom now, as the 

 season opens, is Vanda ceerulea, with erect scapes, and fiowers 



quite a number of botanical curiosities that are very pretty. 

 Oncidiiim iridifolium is one of the smallest and also one of 

 the rarest; a beautiful dwarf, about two inches in height, re- 

 sembling a small Iris in growth, with bright, large, yellow 

 fiowers. 



Roctiester, N. Y., October 3otti. GeO. Savage. 



Two Beautiful Stove Bulbs have been in flower lately in the 

 Palm house at Kew, and both deserve attention in private 

 gardens. One is the Ceylon Crinum (C. Zeylanieum), a robust 

 looking plant, with a big bulb and long channeled leaves. 

 Its stout flower-stem bears about half a dozen lovely blos- 

 soms, with the white petals having a broad crimson band 

 running down the middle of each. Being large, the cluster 

 is very showy, and lasts a long time before fading. The 

 other bulb is Pancratium speeiosuin, than which no flower 

 could be more lovely or more fragrant. It is also a large 

 plant, with broad, luxuriant-looking, evergreen leaves. The 

 flower clusters rise above the foliage, each stem bearing 

 several snow-white blossoms, with long, narrow petals and a 

 web-like cup in the centre. Both plants are easily grown in a 



