March 31, 1897.] 



Garden and Forest. 



127 



be of chopped sphagnum moss and well-decayed cow manure 

 in equal proportions ; the manure should be put through a 

 No. 4 sieve and the moss through a No. 2. Add a liberal 

 sprinkling of sharp sand, press this material pretty tightly 

 around the tuber and leave a space of at least one inch below 

 the rims of the pots ; to keep them in a uniformly moist state 

 a layer of moss can be placed between the pots when standing 

 them on the bench. When they have grown sufficiently for 

 their first shift, some of these high-colored, slow-growing 

 kinds which have recently been sent out will do all the better 

 if a similar compost is used in this operation, but care ought 

 to be taken to have the pots sufficiently drained and the com- 

 post firmly pressed. Grown this way they need more water 

 than when grown in soil. 



Botanic Garden, Washington, D. C. Lr- W. Oliver. 



Nelumbiums and Hardy Nymphasas. 



'THE Egyptian Lotus has gained such an established reputa- 

 -•- tion in this country that every lover of aquatic plants who 

 has any place to grow them aims to have them. Although 

 these plants are perfectly hardy they are rather difficult to 

 establish. This is a good time to plant hardy Nymphasas, and 

 although Nelumbiums are also hardy they should not be 

 treated the same. Most of the Nelumbiums are indigenous to 

 warmer climates than the hardy Nymphasas are, and are 

 more impatient of removal. Many failures have resulted 

 from digging tubers and transplanting them too early in the 

 season, and as seasons vary considerably what is applicable in 

 one state may be fatal in another state, or even in another sec- 

 tion of the same state. Some general conditions exist, how- 

 ever, in all parts of the country, but the date of these varies 

 with the latitude. In the southern counties of New Jersey bor- 

 dering on the Atlantic and on Delaware Bay vegetation is three 

 to four weeks earlier than in the northern part of the state. A 

 similar difference exists in other states, so that the precise time 

 for planting must be judged locally. But it may be considered 

 safe to plant Nelumbiums when there are indications of 

 spring weather, that is, when the early-flowering shrubs, such 

 as the Forsythia, Japan Quince, Wild Cherry, etc., put forth 

 their blossoms, when the grass is not only green, but ready for 

 the mower, and the Dandelions are gleaming on the lawn. 

 These are not harbingers of spring, but declare clearly that 

 spring is here. 



fn some sections of the country where Nelumbiums are 

 established they have penetrated into deep soil and some are 

 in deep water. These are slow in starting into growth in 

 spring, for it takes a long time for a large body of water to 

 become warmed bv the rays of the sun, and consequently the 

 tubers remain in a dormant state for a longer time. Artificial 

 ponds should, therefore, not be too deep, but deep enough to 

 protect the tubers from freezing. Two feet of ice above them 

 will do no injury so long as the tubers themselves are not 

 frozen. In spring the water may be drawn off and a few inches 

 will suffice. When planting or transplanting in spring, dor- 

 mant tubers, or those already active, are sure to grow under 

 the weather conditions referred to, but if planted while it is 

 cold — and a cold spell often follows the few first warm 

 days of spring — when the tubers have already become excited 

 or started to grow, the check to their growth consequent on 

 the chill will, undoubtedly, prove fatal. In planting Nelum- 

 biums it is well to make haste slowly. 



There are numerous varieties of Nelumbiums. The well- 

 known Egyptian, so called ; the Chinese ; the Japanese of 

 various hues and shades of color, from pure white to deep 

 carmine, single and double ; and the native American Lotus, 

 Nelumbo lutea. The latter is not as vigorous in this sec- 

 tion as the others and is consequently more difficult to estab- 

 lish. The best treatment is to start the tubers indoors in seed- 

 pans or pots, or even in an old pail, and when well established 

 to transplant in permanent quarters. Seed may also be started 

 and grown on in pots and afterward transferred to tubs or 

 planted in ponds, but the seedlings will not flower the first 

 season. Among those of recent introduction a few deserve to 

 be better known and more generally grown. Album stri- 

 atum is robust, vigorous and free-flowering. The flowers are 

 large, pure white, flaked and margined with crimson carmine ; 

 sometimes this coloring is slight, and at a short distance the 

 flowers appear pure white. They have exquisite fragrance. 

 Kermesina is not so robust, but is vigorous and free- 

 flowering and equals N. speciosa. The flower is a delicate 

 shade of carmine-rose. N. rosea is also of good constitution. 

 The flower is bold and massive and the deepest rose-color of 

 any in cultivation. 



Hardy Nymphasas may be planted two or three weeks ahead 



of Nelumbiums and should receive attention first. Yet these 

 may be planted any time during summer, and as late as the 

 first of September in warm sections. The season for flowers 

 will be short, however, if there are any flowers at all, but an 

 advantage is gained for the following season. The great im- 

 provement of varieties and the addition of new ones make 

 them highly valuable as hardy decorative plants. Only a few 

 years ago a hardy pink variety was a valuable novelty and 

 limited in distribution ; but now this class embraces all the 

 deep rich reds of the tropical varieties, and in some instances 

 they are unsurpassed. The blending of colors in these charming 

 flowers baffles description. Among those within reach of most 

 cultivators and deserving of mention are Nymphaea Marliacea 

 carnea, N. Marliacea rosea, N. Laydekeri rosea, N. Laydekeri 

 purpurea and N. lilacea. Among those that are yet scarce, 

 and consequently high in price, are such superb varieties as 

 N. Robinsoni, N. lucida, N. flammea, N. ignea and N. ful- 

 gens. These are fiery crimson, orange-scarlet and purplish 

 maroon, with intermediate shades unsurpassed by any other 

 class of hardy plants. 



Riverton, N. J. W. Triikt'r. 



Soils and Potting. 

 AT a recent meeting of the Massachusetts Horticultural 

 /~\_ Society, Mr. T. D. Hatfield read a paper on the above 

 title, and we quote from an abstract of it which appeared 

 in the Evening Transcript, of Boston : 



Gardeners seldom agree entirely about the proper soil for 

 any crop. Soil may be heavy or light, the land high or low 

 and with much variation of exposure, and we often wonder at 

 our neighbor's success under conditions where we should 

 consider failure certain. An acquaintance of mine, a gardener 

 at Cape Ann, told me that the only potting soil he could find 

 was turf from what had once been a salt marsh. After it had 

 been broken up and exposed to frost and air he found he could 

 grow almost anything in it. 



We gardeners believe in "leaving well enough alone," and 

 there are methods which we continue because it is the cus- 

 tom, though we cannot explain why. We read in old books, 

 " one-third turfy loam, one-third leaf-soil and one-third sand," 

 or it may be fourths, including rotted manure, or four-fifths, 

 with peat added. This accurate measuring, however, is slow, 

 and but few such mixtures of soil are in use to-day by men who 

 have left off obeying the rule of thumb and have taken lessons 

 in the school of experience. Leaf-soil, one of the best ingre- 

 dients in any compost, is seldom used except in private gar- 

 dens. Well-rotted manure is a good substitute. However, 

 the soil should be light for potted plants and there is less dan- 

 ger from overwatering with the hose. Rose-growers always 

 find means of meeting the wants of the soil. They may add 

 clav, but can generally do without it. 



With Azaleas it used to be considered necessary to use Eng- 

 lish peat, and ninety percent, of these plants are still so grown 

 in England. But look at the Azaleas grown by Mr. Sander, 

 gardener to Professor Sargent, of Brookline, and you will see 

 that Azaleas can be grown in soil almost wholly lacking peat. 



There are other considerations almost as important as the 

 soil and its consistency. For Gloxinias I tried various kinds of 

 soil to little advantage. With these plants much depends on 

 caring for the tubers during the so-called resting season, 

 though they are never absolutely at rest, and it is a mistake to 

 remove them and store in dry sand. They should never be- 

 come thoroughly dry, for living shoots will always be found 

 which require some nourishment. Start with sound, healthy 

 roots, withholding water until some leaf-growth is made, and 

 keep them near the light, and then Gloxinias will succeed in 

 almost any soil. 



I have but one compost heap. Good turfy loam is not plen- 

 tiful, and some of us have found how to get along without it. 

 Old Country Carnation growers are extremely carefully in mix- 

 ing their potting soil, but the American grower prepares his 

 in the field without a foot of turf. The best method is to culti- 

 vate the area for stripping, growing thereon a crop of clover 

 with no other object beyond turning the best of what is put 

 into the soil as manure into plant-food of the kind which the 

 Carnation most needs. The American grower raises the better 

 Carnations, though it is true he hois better light during winter- 

 time, has made a specialty of the work, and has originated a 

 new type of the plant. This shows that the importance of a 

 prescribed composition for soil is overestimated. I have 

 grown Chrysanthemums in soil from the common compost 

 heap which were just as good as those grown in special soil. 



In the spring there is generally turf trimming to be done, 

 and I used to get enough in this way for a season's use; but 



