56 



Garden and Forest. 



[Number 468. 



firm, juicy and of fine quality ; juice highly colored. It ripens 

 about June 25th in this latitude, and is one of the most prom- 

 ising varieties in the list. Montmorency probably stands next, 

 with its large, bright red, showy fruit. In productiveness it 

 equals the Early Richmond, but ripens ten days to two weeks 

 later. 



Lutorka is a large, bright red cherry with a deep suture, with 

 firm flesh and of good quality, ripening about June 10th. This 

 variety has received favorable comments from growers in the 

 east as promising. So far, with us, it has been a very shy 

 bearer; otherwise it would be recommended for general 

 planting. Griotte du Nord is a good tree, with fine foliage. 

 The fruit is large, almost black when fully ripe ; stem two 

 inches in length. It resembles the Brusseler Braune in gen- 

 eral appearance, but ripens a little earlier. 



Dye House has been spoken of very highly in some locali- 

 ties, but with us it is only medium ; no better than many 

 others. French Morello is a large, dark red cherry of good 

 quality and quite productive, ripening about June 25th. Mont- 

 morency Extraordinary is of medium size, bright red, good 

 quality, short-stemmed, and ripening June 10th. Friihe Mo- 

 rello is a large, bright red fruit, of fine quality, short-stemmed, 

 quite productive, and ripening June 8th. Spate Morello is a good 

 bearer ; fruit medium in size, dark in color when fully ripe. 

 The skin is tough, making it a good shipping variety ; 

 ripens June 25'h. Wragg makes a low-spreading tree, with 

 fruit ot medium size, dark red and of very good quality when 

 fully ripe; ripens June 25th. Weirs No. 2, inferior and not 

 recommended for this locality. Bessarabian would be a fine 

 variety if it were more productive, but thus far it has produced 

 very sparingly. The fruit is large, dark red and of good qual- 

 ity, and ripens about June 20th. Cerise de Ostheim is a round- 

 topped tree, the branches somewhat pendulous in growth. It 

 seems to be one of the best varieties of its class that we have 

 fruited. The fruit is medium in size, of a dark color when 

 fully ripe; flesh firm and tender, juicy and rich, and the tree 

 yields a heavy crop every year. Frauendorfer is a strong-grow- 

 ing tree, with large dark red fruit, tender and juicy. As yet it 

 has not been prolific enough to warrant us in recommending 

 it for general cultivation. Carnation is a sweet cherry of great 

 promise. The fruit is very large, bright red, rich and meaty. 

 It ripens about June 8th, and is a most excellent variety for 

 family use. 

 La Fayette, Ind. J. TrOOp. 



Greenhouse Notes. 



\X7'HAT may be called the busy greenhouse season is now 

 * * at hand. In the Palm-house the principal work is clean- 

 ing and sponging, preparatory to repotting, and in the Orchid- 

 house potting is the work in order, while in the propagating- 

 house the benches will soon be taxed to their utmost capacity. 

 We usually commence propagating with Crotons, Dracaenas 

 and similar greenhouse subjects to give them as long a season 

 as possible. The main trouble in the cultivation ot Dracajnas 

 is what is commonly known as club-root. This makes its 

 appearance very quickly if the plants are allowed to become 

 stunted in growth, either from the soil becoming sour through 

 an oversupply of water or insufficient drainage, or from 

 excessive dryness. There is no cure for this, so far as I know. 

 When it appears, cuttings should be made of the top and stem 

 and the old diseased root be destroyed. 



Rose cuttings should be struck before the sun's ray's be- 

 come too strong, as it is then possible to supply a genial 

 bottom-heat and at the same time keep the atmosphere of the 

 house comparatively cool. The sand must be fresh and clean 

 and kept well moistened until the cuttings have rooted. We 

 prefer thumb-pots for the first potting ; the smaller the pot the 

 less is the danger from overwatering before the roots have 

 sufficient strength to use the moisture. A light sandy soil is 

 best for this potting, but for subsequent pottings it should be 

 moderately enriched with dried and finely sifted cow-manure 

 that has been well frozen. 



Carnations may be struck, either in a hotbed or Under com- 

 paratively cool treatment. We prefer the latter system, for, 

 "though it takes longer, better and healthier plants are pro- 

 duced. The hot-bed method rushes the plants into weakly 

 growth from which it takes them considerable time to recover, 

 even if they are removed to cooler quarters after being struck. 

 The first of March is quite soon enough to put in cuttings of 

 bedding plants such as Coleus, Alternanthera, Strobilanthes, 

 etc., unless the stock of any of these is short or extra-large 

 plants are desired. By allowing the stock-plants all the possi- 

 ble light and air now, stout, firm growth will be promoted and 

 the striking will be much easier when the time arrives for it. 



Cyclamens still continue to bloom freely. This season, 



instead of using leaf-mold and sand as heretofore, for the last 

 shift in September, we substituted a liberal addition of turfy 

 loam for one lot. The experiment was altogether satisfactory, 

 and we mean to grow all in this way in the future. The growth 

 is more compact, the leaves firmer in texture, the flowers 

 stronger and more durable, while the quantity is slightly 

 increased. The young plants from seed sown in October are 

 now ready for a second handling. Frequent shiftings while 

 the plants are young promote compact growth and also pre- 

 vent the leaf-mold becoming sour or cloggy. As it is hard 

 to regulate the moisture in soil of this nature, the house in 

 which they are grown is run at a night temperature of fifty 

 degrees, a rise of fifteen degrees being allowed by sun-heat. 

 A light sprinkling is given two or three times daily during 

 bright weather. The old plants intended for seeding purposes 

 are kept apart from the others on a shelf well up to the light, 

 and these are labeled in distinct colors so they shall not be 

 mixed. We usually do some hand pollination with a view to 

 strengthening some of the weaker growers or to impart bright- 

 ness of color to those lacking in that respect. As there is 

 danger from damping during the seeding period an over- 

 supply of moisture must be carefully guarded against. 



Cinerarias are now well established in their flowering-pots, 

 and free growth is promoted by frequent applications of weak 

 liquid-manure. The points of the leading shoots were re- 

 moved before the flower-buds began to show. We consider 

 this operation of considerable importance, as it induces branch- 

 ing and gives a larger and better-balanced plant. 



Last year we set plants of Calla out in the garden after they 

 had finished flowering, about the beginning of June, and lifted 

 them again in the fall. They commenced to flower rather 

 earlier than usual under the drying-off system, but otherwise 

 there was no marked advantage. It is a mistake to grow them 

 under too high a temperature, and forty-five degrees by night 

 is quite high enough ; at this temperature the flowers will be 

 much stronger and more durable than if grown in more heat, 

 while the plants are less subject to the ravages of insect pests, 

 such as greenfly and thrips. Frequent syringing will help to 

 keep these in check, but if the latter pest gets a footing the 

 leaves must be sponged with a moderately strong solution of 

 whale-oil soap or other insecticide. Smock will destroy the 

 fly, but must not be given too strong ; rather make the appli- 

 cations more frequently. These plants are strong feeders, 

 and stand a liberal supply of liquid-manure. 



Ferns grown from spores sown in November are now ready 

 for pricking over, and will make nice, useful, little plants for 

 filling small vases by May. Another sowing should be made 

 during the early spring to come in later, as the first lot grow 

 too large for the smallest vases. We use varieties of the 

 Pteris family principally, these being the most durable, but a 

 few Adiantums are also useful. The old plants of the latter 

 should be potted on before the young growth is too far ad- 

 vanced, and Davallias and other rhizomatous sorts should be 

 divided if it is desired to increase the stock by this means. 



Tarrytown, N. Y. William Scott. 



Flowers in January. 



GREENHOUSE plants toward the end of January have a 

 look of vigor due to the increasing sunlight. The change 

 in the plants is mostly shown in the production of shoots and 

 leaves rather than of flowers. There are not many blossoms 

 except of bulbous plants which thrive in the dark, short mid- 

 winter days, and after about ten weeks of abundant flowering 

 these will continue for, perhaps, a fortnight longer, when a 

 month or two is devoted to the ripening of their bulbs pre- 

 paratory to a long rest. I still have one much belated flower 

 of Dahlia imperialis, a noble species, whose natural blooming 

 time is the end of November. The plant is a fine greenhouse 

 shrub, with the drawback of too tall growth. Its habit is to 

 run up ten or twelve' feet, and then form a head of foliage 

 from every axil of which the flower-stalks shoot, each bearing 

 from one to three blush-white flowers ; in form these are more 

 like a Lily than a Dahlia, and from four to six inches across. 

 An Italian firm of seed growers state that they have some 

 seminal varieties of this species which are of earlier bloom 

 and dwarfer growth ; if their hopes are realized we shall some 

 time have a race of Lily Dahlias for garden decoration. The 

 ordinary kinds are subject to red spider when grown under 

 glass, but this is quite free from the pest. 



Lachenalias are mostly past. L. Nelsoni, a fine hybrid with 

 a stem a foot high thickly hung with waxy deep yellow bells an 

 inch and a half long, is now in full beauty. This is one of the 

 best in my collection, but it sometimes bears green-yellow 

 flowers. L. isopetala, which commonly is the latest to flower, 

 is just beginning to blossom. While not showy, it is quite 



