522 



Garden and Forest. 



[December 26, 1888. 



Island as elsewhere in New England, but tlie best and fairest 

 fruit conies from the Cliamplain valley and islands. The Fa- 

 meuse is of Canadian origin, and Canada has produced a vast 

 number of seedlings from it, some of which, though little 

 known, surpass it in many points. These seedlings are now 

 lieing made better known, and somewhat disseminated, 

 through the efforts of the Montreal Horticultural Society. 



Connecticut's l.>esi contribution to our list of fall dessert 

 apples is the Mexico, which is pretty well distributed in the 

 east, yet not largely grown for market. This is a small red 

 apple, much in the style of Fameuse, with tender flesh and a 

 fine, high flavor. Origin, Canterbury, Connecticut. 



In New Hampshire Jewett's Fine Red (Nodhead) takes the 

 lead as a fall apple everywhere, both for home use and mar- 

 ket. Like the Fameuse, it can be kept into the wdnter, but 

 does not long retain its remarkably fine, delicious, aromatic 

 flavor. This apple is also well distributed in southern Maine 

 and Vermont. Origin, Hollis, New Hampshire. 



The Winthrop Greening is a native fall apple, held in very 

 high esteem in western Maine. It is large, golden yellow, 

 with slight russet and a tinge of red in the sun. This apple 

 has a tender, crisp, and very juicy flesh, with a sprightlv, 

 luscious flavor, mildly tart. Its reputation seems to be strictly 

 local. 



But the great native fall apple of southern New England 

 (e.xtending somewhat into the winter along the nortliern 

 range) is unquestionably the Hubbardston Nonesuch, of Mas- 

 sachusetts. Truly does Downing declare that this Apple is 

 worthy of extended culture ; and it has attained it. The 

 Hubbardston is found in nearly every orchard in southern 

 New England, but unfortunately its northward range is not so 

 wide as we could wish. It is a failure in most parts of Ver- 

 mont and New Hampshire, and succeeds only in south-western 

 Maine. A fine, large, roundish, oval apple, striped and 

 splashed with two shades of red, with vellow, juicy, tender 

 flesh, mingling sweetness with sprightly acidity, it is well 

 entitled to class with the best, in our^ lists. It also has the 

 ciualities needed for a great market apple, the tree being vig- 

 orous and productive, and the fruit firm enough for transpor-- 

 tation. 



In northern New England the Duchess of Oldenburgh is 

 planted everywhere, and produces fruit superior in size, 

 beauty and quality to the same variety grown further south. 

 Yet there is only a day or two in its existence when it can l;ie 

 classed as even a tolerably good eating apple. With cold 

 storage it can be kept till Christmas, and this long-kept fruit, 

 losing no beauty, gains considerably in quality, so that it 

 brings good prices. " 



A favorite fall apple in the cold north-west, for home use, 

 is the Peach of Montreal. This variety is worthless for ship- 

 ping, as it will not improve if prematurely gathered, while if 

 allowed to mature on the tree it bruises with the slightest 

 touch. The tree is vig-orous and productive, and the fruit one 

 of the most Ijeautiful grown, having a creamy skin with a 

 lovely pink blush in the sun. The size is medium to large, 

 form conical, flesh white, delicate, very soft, juicv, subacid, 

 and pleasant in flavor, without inuch aroma or distinctive 

 taste. 



Lyman's Pumpkin Sweet is, I think, the most widely grown 

 and popular among the Fall Apples of this class. The tree is 

 vigorous and productive, and the fruit is especially fine for 

 baking. T. H. Hoskins. 



Newport. V[. 



A Garden of Chrysanthemums. 



A NOVEMBER garden, even if filled with the most ob- 

 -'^"^ scure flowers, would make a very satisfactory ending 

 of the out-door season; but the illustration on the opposite 

 page, from a photograph taken in late November, dimly sets 

 forth what even a small garden can show at that season in 

 the way of Chrysanthemums, which certainly have no rivals 

 among autumn flowers. 



Those shown at the side of the house (with the exception 

 of a few pots useful for filling- vacancies) are grown where 

 they bloom, and at approach of frosty weather are protected by 

 cold-frame sashes resting on temporary framework. If the 

 weather is very severe, a canvas curtain is dropped in front, 

 and the window of a warm cellar in the rear is opened to tem- 

 per the air. If kept dry, plants in such a position are seldom 

 injured, in this latitude, before their blooming time is 

 naturally over. The main jjortion of my collection, some 

 250 plants, is, however, more thoroug"hly protected from frost 

 and winds by the tent shown on the right of the ])icture. This 

 has aground area of twenty Ijy thirty feet, with foiu'teen feet 

 ridge, two inasts and six feet walls. It is made of sail-duck 



and is strongly roped. It is easily raised over the plat by five 

 men in as many minutes when the usual early October frost 

 threatens. The walls are clewed up in pleasant weather, and 

 the plants have as cool treatment as is consistent with safetv. 

 The heat is supplied by a Hitchings Base Burner located in 

 the cellar, with a two-inch wrought iron flow and retLU-n pipe 

 running around inside the lower base of the walls. With this 

 arrangement the plants passed through two nights this season, 

 with an outside temperature of 20° Fahrenheit, uninjured, and 

 much sharper weather would probably injure none but a few 

 in the centre of the plat. I cannot see that the light in the 

 tent is prejudicial to the coloring of the flowers. The walls are 

 up every fine warm day, and the flowers have a certain amoimt 

 of strong light in any case. If any flowers are affected they 

 are the pinks, which perhaps come a little lighter in the cen- 

 tre of the tent. Ventilation is somewhat self-regulating, as 

 the wall hooks on the roof under a curtain, leaving open 

 spaces which have to be pinned up when the weather becomes 

 severe. 



It is no great trouble to grow Chrysanthemum plants, and I 

 have no general cultural theories to explain. I leave home 

 at eight o'clock in tlie morning and return at seven in the 

 evening, I keep no gardener, and yet find no difficulty in car- 

 ing for 400 Chrysanthemums, besides a considerable col- 

 lection of hardy perennials and other garden plants. My pur- 

 pose is to grow a large crop of good flowers with tlie smallest 

 outlay of money and labor. 



My practice is to plant out the slips (with a strong stake to 

 each) as early in May as possible, in double rows, say eigh- 

 teen inches apart each way, with a thirty-inch space between 

 the double rows. For my very heavy soil a liberal supply of 

 horse-manure and hone-dust under each plant affords the 

 needed nutriment. The plants are in no way coddled at anv 

 stage, the care being about the same as that given to a crop 

 of Corn. The ground is cultivated several times and kept 

 loose until the siu'face roots appear, when a mulch of manure 

 is given. Chrysanthemums are very impatient of surplus 

 moisture at the roots (no plants more so), and the object being- 

 to produce stocky plants -^vith short joints, they are seldom 

 watered at the roots during a norn-ial season unless thev 

 show signs of being dry. 



Discretion must be used in reading these signs, as some 

 plants with drooping foliage, like Soleil Levant, always appear 

 to lack moisture. Water is usually applied overhead to keep 

 the foliage fresh and to induce breaks. My plants are never 

 "stopped," as they almost invariably produce more sten-is 

 than are needed, and, besides this, I prefer to have them 

 throw their blooi-ns high. If plants are frequently stopped, 

 one cannot pluck stems tvi'o or three feet long, which add so 

 much grace to the cut flowers. In August the plants are gone 

 over and tied up thoroughly, in anticipation of high winds, and 

 to avoid restaking the stakes are cobwebbed together with 

 strong twine. When ready to show, rails are run between the 

 double rows and the plants tied closely and securely back. 

 The aisles seem narrow, yet several thousand people passed 

 between them last season without injuring a plant. Disbud- 

 ding is the nice art of Chrysanthemum culture, and is a 

 matter of experience and judgment. In a general way, I pre- 

 fer to remove all but one bud, preferably the crown bud, from 

 each stem. However thoroughly one disbuds, he will wish 

 Ijefore the end of the season that he had removed a few more, 

 for only in this way can fine, characteristic flowers be had. Of 

 course there are exceptions. One reads in the papers»fre- 

 quently of some one who prefers the flowers in all their 

 natural luxuriance, but, in actual practice, I find that visitors 

 universally appreciate the best productions. Six, seven and 

 eight inch flowers are no rarities now, and many of these 

 are as refined as the smaller ones, if not overdone in the cid- 

 ture. John N. Gerard. 



Elizabelli, N.J. 



Ferns for Cutting. 



N estimating the relative value of various species and va- 

 rieties of Ferns for use in a cut state, some special qual- 

 ities are to be considered, the more important ones being- 

 beauty, durability and rapidity of growth. It is also desira- 

 ble that they should be easy to propagate, so that the stock 

 can be quickly renewed when the plants become weakened 

 by frequent use of the knife. In beauty, few Ferns, if any, 

 excel the Adiantums, taken as a group, and several of the 

 varieties, notably A. Wiegandi, last a long time when cut. 



But though this variety makes a very prettv plant, it has 

 not the elegance and grace of A. ciineatinii, A. cuveaivin 

 grandiceps or A. gracilliinuiii, the latter having a most beauti- 

 ful effect wlien used with skfll in arrangements of white or 



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