jANl 



l8 97 . 



Garden and Forest. 



23 



■will take the experience of years to decide which plan is the 

 best. In my younger trees, where the stump will probably 

 heal over, I have let only one grow, as I much prefer a single 

 trunk. In the case of old trees killed to the ground it will be a 

 temporary makeshift at the best to get a few oranges while 

 the newly set tree is growing, so that it makes but little differ- 

 ence whether two or half a dozen are grown. I am taking 

 advantage of this opportunity to change varieties to the fullest 

 extent, discarding all those that have not proved the best for 

 this locality. I have rebudded all my Navels ; have discarded 

 most of the Maltese and imported varieties generally ; have 

 reduced the number of Tangerines one-half and added largely 

 to the number of Grape-fruit grafts. I have budded almost 

 exclusively with our best home varieties, adding a limited 

 number of Boones and Parson Browns for early, and Hart's 

 Tardiff and Valencia for late varieties. Nearly every grower 

 has one or more trees in his grove which bear a superior 

 quality of fruit, and from these trees he should take his buds. 

 Indian River oranges have a special quotation in the market, 

 and it is necessary for the reputation of this locality, as well as 

 for individual success, to keep the quality of fruit up to the 

 standard and improve it at every opportunity. 



Conifers on the Grounds of the Kansas Agricultural 

 College. — III. 



THE RED CEDAR, EUROPEAN LARCH AND OTHERS. 



THE Red Cedar, Juniperus Virginiana, has been quite 

 extensively planted, probably next to the Scotch and 

 Austrian Pines in point of numbers, and in general its growth 

 has been very satisfactory. This might have been ex- 

 pected since it is a native of this region. The principal 

 objection to it has been the extent to which it was infested 

 with Gymnosporangium macropus. The trees become 

 covered with the brown knots due to this fungus, and after 

 a rain in the spring or early summer are fairly yellow with 

 the gelatinous spore-masses. Before 1895 some desultory 

 attempts were made to pick off these balls, but with no 

 very satisfactory results. In that year, however, a group 

 of Cedars was selected and all of the balls which appeared, 

 even down to the size of a pea, were carefully removed. 

 The result was so encouraging that the practice has been 

 extended to most of the trees on the grounds, with the 

 result that the fungus has been greatly reduced. It is 

 hoped that by continuing this practice systematically for a 

 number of years they may be practically freed from it. 

 Eight Cedar-trees planted in 1872 on the lower part of the 

 farm, where the soil is deep and rich, now average as fol- 

 lows : Height, 3 1 yi feet ; diameter at the ground, 13 inches ; 

 at 2 feet, 11 inches, and at 6 feet, 9 inches. In 1888 these 

 trees averaged 11^ inches in diameter at the ground, and 

 8 inches at 6 feet. Thirty-five trees set in groups about 

 the lawns in 1884, and then about 4 feet in height, now 

 average iS^feet in height, 8$4 inches in diameter at the 

 ground, 6^ inches at 2 feet, and 4.%. inches at 6 feet. 

 Another group of forty-seven trees set in the spring of 1888 

 at three years old now average 9 feet in height, 3 inches in 

 diameter at the ground, z% inches at 1 foot, and i3/( inches 

 at 2 feet. The soil is here a clay loam of about ten inches 

 in depth, underlaid by a rather friable red clay subsoil. 



The European Larch has not been extensively planted 

 here, but three rows of them stand at the extreme eastern 

 edge of the college premises, where the soil is very deep. 

 They were set in the spring of 1888, and when bought 

 were some sixteen inches in height, but at setting they were 

 cut back nearly to the ground. For the first three years 

 they made comparatively little growth in height, but sent 

 out long side branches, spreading about irregularly over 

 the ground. In the spring of 1892, however, they began to 

 send up strong leaders, and since then they have increased 

 rapidly in height. The three rows above mentioned, some 

 thirty odd trees, now average 16 feet in height, sH inches 

 in diameter at the ground, and 3 inches at 6 feet. They 

 seem perfectly hardy and are certainly worthy of more 

 extended trial. 



Among other conifers which have been tried in limited 

 numbers, the following deserve mention : The Bald Cypress, 



Taxodium distichum, is represented by a single old tree set 

 in the spring of 1873, and a number of younger ones set in 

 1884. They cannot be recommended for general planting, 

 as many of the younger trees have died, and there seems 

 to be a decided tendency for the leader to die, and thus 

 destroy the beauty of the tree, but in some locations they 

 have done well. In 1888 the old tree measured 23 feet in 

 height, 16 inches in diameter at the ground, and 9 inches at 

 6 feet high. It now measures 24^ feet in height (the 

 leader having died since 1888), 20^ inches in diameter at 

 the ground, and 12 inches at 6 feet. 



The Ginkgo-tree is fairly hardy when grown in sheltered 

 situations, and, although very slow of growth, it is well 

 worth planting where a tree of peculiar habit is desired. 

 A specimen near the college greenhouse, set in 1884, now 

 measures 11 feet in height, 4^2 inches in diameter at the 

 ground, and 3 inches at 2 feet. 



The Colorado Silver Fir, Abies concolor, and the Siberian 

 Fir, A. Sibirica, are apparently quite hardy in favorable 

 locations, but so slow of growth as to be valuable only for 

 ornamental planting. 



A number of Arbor Vitaes have been tested, but only two 

 are worthy of mention, and these should be planted spar- 

 ingly and only in favorable, sheltered locations. They are 

 Thuya occidentalis, the American Arbor Vita;, and the 

 Siberian, T. Sibirica, really a form of the American species. 



Agricultural College, Manhattan, Kan. _/**. Q, ScdfS. 



Foreign Correspondence. 



New Garden Plants, 1S91-1S95. 



INSTEAD of reviewing the new plants of the year just 

 ended, I propose to devote this letter to a review of the 

 best of the plants introduced during the five years from 

 1 89 1 to 1895, inclusive. Plants that promise well when 

 first obtained often turn out failures on further acquaint- 

 ance, and only a small percentage of the plants that are 

 introduced as likely to prove useful in the garden really do 

 so. This may be due to numerous causes, the three prin- 

 cipal of which are want of attractiveness, difficulty of culti- 

 vation and slowness of increase. Many Orchids fall under 

 the third category, especially those of hybrid origin. Thus 

 hybrid Cattleyas raised twenty years ago are still rare. On 

 the other hand, a few of the quick-growing hybrids, such 

 as Calanthe Veitchii, Cypripedium Leeanum, Phajus Cook- 

 soni, Disa Veitchii and D. Kewensis, are now so abundant 

 as to be available for all collections. 



According to the lists of new plants prepared each year 

 at Kew and published as an appendix to the Kew Bulletin, 

 the average number of new introductions is about 400 per 

 annum. For five years this makes a total of 2,000. I have 

 been through the whole of these, and noted all those plants 

 that may now be considered established garden favorites, 

 or on the way to becoming such. These are enumerated 

 below. It is possible that some of those excluded will by 

 some be considered as worthy as some of those enumerated, 

 but, so far as I can judge from experience and observation, 

 the selection here made is. not far from the mark. 



Orchids. — For obvious reasons hybrids of garden origin 

 are excluded. They are, as a rule, represented by only one 

 or two examples, the exceptions being the hybrid Disas. 

 Among tropical Orchids I find only Cypripedium Charles- 

 worthii, a first-rate garden Orchid in every sense. C. Exul 

 also deserves mention, but I question if C. Chamberlaini 

 does. It is a remarkable Orchid, lacking, however, in those 

 qualities required by the ordinary cultivator. Cochlioda 

 Noetzliana is a good second-rate Orchid for the cool house. 

 Catasetum splendens, in all its numerous varieties, is a rich 

 addition to the garden representatives of this singular 

 genus. Dendrobium Hildebrandii grows freely and flowers 

 profusely, but its flowers lack the charm of color, and I 

 doubt if it will be accepted as a garden Orchid. Eulophi- 

 ella Elizabethas is a beautiful Orchid when properly grown, 

 but I hear it is a failure in many collections, and this will 



