78 



Garden and Forest. 



[Number 470. 



Majus have more or less round-shaped sterile leaves and 

 nearly upright fertile ones. P. grande, P. Willenckii and P. 

 stemmaria have very ornamental sterile fronds, especially the 

 two former, which are beautifully divided. The fertile ones 

 are drooping and gracefully cut. These Ferns can be propa- 

 gated by sowing the spores of which old plants give a very 

 plentiful supply, or by the root-buds which develop freely on 

 all the species except P. grande. 



Botanic Garden, Washington, D. C. 



G. W. Oliver. 



Hardy Cyclamens. 



AMONG the interesting plants which emerged from the 

 melting snow last week were some Taurian Cyclamens 

 with beautifully mottled leaves and brightly colored flowers. 

 The Cyclamens have been so much improved in size of flowers 

 and grown under glass so generally that we are apt to forget 

 that many of the numerous species are hardy and very attrac- 

 tive in suitable borders. The hardiness, as in the case of many 

 so-called hardy plants, is comparative, for they will not endure 

 our winters except under certain precautions of planting ; but 

 if so established they are fairly reliable, and few small plants 

 are more dainty and attractive. The first requisite to the suc- 

 cessful cultivation of Cyclamens of all species is perfect 

 drainage, and this must be arranged for in the borders or 

 there is no chance for success. A good soil is an open sandy 

 one with a trifle of peat, and the best position a raised one 

 where they will have slight shade, possibly under deciduous 

 trees. Limestone is said to be helpful to their growth ; broken 

 up old mortar is a good substitute, and will help provide 

 drainage. The Cyclamens are natives of the Mediterranean 

 region from Spain to Syria, and there is at least one African 

 species. 



Among the various species flowers may be had at all sea- 

 sons of the year. Cyclamen Coum, C. Ibericum, C. repandum 

 and C. Persicum flower in January and until May. C. Euro- 

 pium flowers in summer. C. Neapolitanum, C. Graecum, 

 C. Cilicicum and C. Cyprium from September to December, 

 and C. Africanum in December. The flowers of C. Graecum 

 and C. Neapolitanum appear before the leaves ; in the other 

 species they appear together. Of these, C. Africanum, from 

 Algiers, is tender, but is an interesting greenhouse plant, 

 usually having a monster conn six inches or more in diame- 

 ter. C. Persicum is also tender, and is the parent from which 

 all the modern large-flowered varieties of the greenhouse sorts 

 have been evolved. Theseare certainly remarkable triumphs 

 of the gardener's skill, but lately they have shown a tendency 

 to further changes in the way of cresting and doubling which 

 will try the temper of the botanist. 



The other eight species described by Baker will probably be 

 found hardy in gardens under conditions noted above. If a 

 trial is attempted, perhaps Cyclamen Coum would be the most 

 likely to succeed. My garden is cold, wet and clayey, and 

 these plants do not stay long with me, yet my losses have 

 been, I think, more from careless planting and treatment than 

 from real difficulty in growing the plants. _. .. _ 



Elizabeth, N.J. _ J.N.Gerard. 



Propagating Chrysanthemums. 



CUTTINGS of Chrysanthemums intended for specimen 

 plants may be put in to advantage now. We have started 

 them earlier, but, taking everything into consideration, noth- 

 ing is gained unless very large plants are desired, and it is a 

 question whether an extremely large plant is evidence of cultu- 

 ral skill. In any event, the feat accomplished, it is no longer 

 considered commendable. The Massachusetts Horticultural 

 Society has wisely, I think, lowered the size limit in pots from 

 twelve to ten inches in diameter. 



In selecting cuttings we prefer stout suckers, avoiding those 

 found on the old stems as liable to run to bloom prema- 

 turely. No special treatment is required in rooting cuttings ; 

 any piece will grow, even a leaf, and leaf-cuttings often make 

 very fine plants. It is the only way to fix a sport. Plenty of 

 water and air is essential, and the mistake of giving too much 

 warmth is the most common one. From the time the cuttings 

 are rooted they must be kept growing steadily. It ruins them to 

 leave them in the cutting-bed when they are once rooted, as they 

 become hardened ; such plants often come from the dealers, 

 and they never make specimens. They can be detected at a 

 glance. We take the soft tips and endeavor also to get them 

 to start afresh from the root-stock. Cuttings got in this way 

 are the only ones we can expect to succeed with. We start 

 with four cuttings of a kind, select two to grow, and as exhi- 

 bition time approaches finish the best one. 



Wellesley, Mass. * ■ U. Hatfield. 



Correspondence. 



Notes from Wellesley. 

 To the Editor of Garden and Forest : 



Sir, — A day can be profitably spent in making a tour of the 

 greenhouses in and about Wellesley in winter, although the 

 places are seen at their best early in June, when Rhododen- 

 drons and Azaleas are in flower, or in October and early No- 

 vember when autumn tints light up the landscape. 



In the greenhouses belonging to Wellesley College, the 

 head-gardener, Mr. Butler, generally has something good to 

 show visitors, although his space is somewhat limited and the 

 structures are not of a very modern type. Statice Halfordi, a 

 garden hybrid of S. macrophylla, was represented here ten 

 days ago by some fine plants in full bloom. This Statice, 

 although one of the most handsome decorative plants in cul- 

 tivation for winter flowering in a cool greenhouse, is by no 

 means common. Acacia pubescens, of which Mr. Butler has 

 two standards, seven to eight feet high, with well-expanded 

 heads, was flowering well. Although it has been in cultivation 

 more than a hundred years, no plant has been found to take the 

 place of A. pubescens when thicklv clothed with its racemes of 

 yellow flowers. It is to be regretted that some of our nurseries 

 have not worked up a stock of Acacias in variety. No Ameri- 

 can firm catalogues them, so far as 1 know. In addition to 

 A. pubescens, such old but beautiful sorts as A. Drummondii, 

 A. dealbata, A. Riceana, A. lineata and others, which are prob- 

 ably familiar to the oldest plantsmen, should have a place in 

 every establishment where hard-wooded plants are grown. 

 A specimen plant of Dendrobium nobile, which annually pro- 

 duces nearly a thousand blooms, was bristling with buds, and 

 in a few weeks will be a mass of flowers. Angraecum sesqui- 

 pedale, one of the best of winter-flowering Orchids, was 

 showing its great ivory-white flowers, the sepals and petals 

 spread out like rays six inches across. Odontoglossum crispum 

 andO. triumphans were pushing up stout spikes, andO. pulchel- 

 lum majus, a healthy little sweet-scented white species, was 

 flowering finely. In a warm house Phalasnopsis amabilis and 

 the beautiful white variety, P. grandiflora, were in flower ; the 

 leaves of these are tough and leathery, and Mr. Butler says they 

 never fail to flower well. They are grown in a much lighter 

 position than is usually accorded Phalasnopsis. 



At Mr. H. H. Hunnewell's, the beautiful new Begonia, Gloire 

 de Lorraine, a cross between B. Socotrana and B. Drejei, was 

 covered with clear, rosy carmine flowers. This variety ought to 

 become highly popular when it is sufficiently known ; from its 

 habit it promises to be suitable for a basket plant. This spe- 

 cies was quite largely grown in England last summer, and it 

 is said to bloom well out-of-doors there. No other Begonia 

 bears flowers of so beautiful a color. Streptosolon Jamesoni, 

 grown as a standard, was effective in one of the cool houses. 

 Mr. Norris holds back as many Orchids as possible to flower 

 during the Rhododendron season, but some good species 

 were in bloom. Laelia anceps was represented in some huge 

 baskets, the plants carrying many spikes. The white forms, L. 

 anceps Sanderiana and L. Schrcederiana, Laelio-Cattleya Pallas 

 and CattleyaTrianae, were also in flower in the Cattleya-house. 

 In the Orange-house the fine specimen of Clematis indivisa, 

 already figured in Garden and Forest (see vol. vi., p. 167), 

 covers a large portion of the roof, and was in beautiful flower. 

 Cypripedium Harrisianum (barbatum x villosum) was repre- 

 sented by several good specimens. Phalasnopsis amabilis, P. 

 Stuartiana, P. Schilleriana and P. grandiflora were all in flower. 



At Mrs. B.P.Cheney's beautiful place in South Natick, Mr. John 

 Barr had a magnificent show of Cyclamens. Several hundred of 

 these plants are grown, chielly in eight and ten inch pots, and 

 one side-stage about one hundred feet in length is entirely 

 devoted to them. Others are being held back in a cold struc- 

 ture. The range of colors, size of flower, foliage and quantity 

 of flowers to the plant were all that could be desired. Mr. Barr 

 usually takes some of the leading honors for these plants at 

 the Boston Spring Show. If he can keep his plants back this 

 year until the third week in March they will not easily be sur- 

 passed. Roses, Carnations and all other plants on this place 

 were clean and thrifty-looking. The early grapery was just 

 beginning to break nicely, and the appearance of the canes 

 gave promise of fine bunches. 



A visit to Wellesley would not be complete without a call on 

 the veteran florist, Mr. Joseph Tailby, whose compact and 

 well-kept establishment is close to the Boston and Albany 

 Station. Mr. Tailby's specialty, as is well known, is Carna- 

 tions. Mrs. Fisher is grown largely here and surprisingly well. 

 One large house and part of another are devoted to it. Mr. 

 Tailby still finds it the most profitable variety of the many he 



