158 



Garden and Forest. 



[Number 47S. 



veloped in height. The plant flowers freely, each bulb pro- 

 ducing several blooms. The Sternbergias are all valuable 

 bulbous plants in any garden and are perfectly hardy, even the 

 leaves of S. lutea, which are in evidence all the winter, and 

 only ripen at this season, being unaffected by the rigors. That 

 they are not more grown is probably owing to their need of a 

 special position in the border, which they do not always find. 

 As S. lutea now ripens it requires a position where it will be 

 fairly dry, and a warm place where it will be well roasted in 

 summer. In such a position, in rather heavy soil, it has never 

 disappointed me ; and it starts in due time in the late fall and 

 blossoms profusely, and even multiplies. The large-flowered 

 S. macrantha, which follows this species in flower, evidently 

 requires the same kind of location, for several clumps planted 

 in other conditions here have as vet failed to do much in the 

 way of flowering, though the leaves are now prominent 

 enough. 



Elizabeth, N.J. J. jV. G. 



Carnations. — These plants were never finer than they now 

 are in the houses of William Nicholson, at Framingham, Mas- 

 sachusetts. Eldorado is perfection here and unique in its 

 class. It is a fragrant picotee with yellow ground and red- 

 edged petals. The demand for fancy striped varieties is very 

 properly increasing every year. Delia Fox has not given entire 

 satisfaction. It was expected to supersede Daybreak, but there 

 seems to be room for both of them, and especially for Dav- 

 break as it is grown by Mr. Nicholson, and Mr. Tailby. of Wel- 

 lesley, has Delia Fox at its best, and this is remarkably good. 

 Hector, where it succeeds, is a superb variety, but florists 

 about Boston are looking fora better scarlet than Portia. Avery 

 high opinion is given of Tailbv's new scarlet. As seen with 

 him it does not appear to have a fault. In strength of stem 

 and size and shape of bloom it is Daybreak in every particular 

 except color, while it is better in constitution and fully as free. 

 Jahn's scarlet has first-rate points, hut it fades quickly, and 

 the same may be said of Nicholson's Camp Fire, which has 

 proved a splendid summer bloomer. 



Calla Elliottiana.— Mr. Watson's reference to the yellow Cal- 

 las reminds me that I saw just one hundred seedlings a few 

 days ago at Mr. Tailby 's, all from one head of seed ; 104 seeds 

 germinated and four plants died. From the three original 

 plants raised two years a?o Mr. Tailby has raised twenty by 

 offsets and division. Dividing i= hazardous, and onefine plant 

 was lost through this method. That they need some moisture 

 during the winter and tolerable warmth is the experience on 

 this side. Hybridizing with our common Arums has been 

 tried, and also with the Little Gem Calla, but evidently without 

 advantage. What seems the most likely and possible cross 

 will be tried this season with Richardia alba maculata, a spe- 

 cies in appearance very similar to C. Elliottiana. 



Wellesley, Mass T.D.Hatfield. 



Correspondence. 



Notes from Cornell University. 

 To the Editor of Garden and Forest : 



Sir, — A number of interesting things are now going forward 

 in the Horticultural Department at Cornell University. Per- 

 haps the most unique venture is the plan to grow this year all 

 the kinds of annual flowers. These plants have been given 

 very little systematic study in this country, and their botanical 

 classification and direction of evolution are very little under- 

 stood. An excellent piece of land has been set aside for the 

 test, and all the tender species have already been sown in flats 

 in the forcing-houses. The greater part of the kinds, how- 

 ever, will be sown directly in the field. J. M. Thorburn & Co. 

 have supplied over 800 kinds of flowers to this test, and it is 

 the desire of Professor Bailey to receive seeds of any varieties 

 of annual flowers which seedsmen or others may wish to have 

 tested. 



The Dahlia test is to be continued this year. An excellent 

 plot of ground is available for this purpose. Seeds and tubers 

 of a number of the wild species have been received from 

 Mexico, and these are already growing under glass. It is not 

 expected that this Dahlia test is to comprise all the varieties 

 now on the market, but it is probable that over 500 kinds will 

 be grown. The American Dahlia Society will send a com- 

 mittee to inspect the plantation this year. 



Just at present a fine collection of Geraniums is in bloom in 

 one of the houses. About 430 varieties are in flower, dis- 

 tributed among the various groups, as Bedding Geraniums, 

 Ivy-leaved Geraniums, Show and Tricolor Pelargoniums, Rose 

 Geraniums and the like. Professor Bailey is taking great 



interest in Pelargoniums just now because the group is a most 

 fertile one in which to study many problems connected with 

 the evolution of plants. He is in correspondence with persons 

 at the Cape of Good Hope, whence he hopes to secure some of 

 the wild types, and he will look up the subject abroad during 

 the present summer. 



A very large collection of Ixias is just now passing out of 

 bloom. Over fifty varieties of Mignonette are now in full 

 glory, and a number of experiments are going forward respect- 

 ing the influence of certain conditions upon fragrance. 



The second crop of Strawberries is now passing. The first 

 crop was off about a month ago. The larger part of a house, 

 twenty by thirty feet, has been devoted to the Strawberry, and 

 the most satisfactory results have been secured. The 

 first crop averaged six to eight perfect berries to the pot, and 

 the first quart sold (early in March) for $2.00. So far, the Beder 

 Wood has given the best results, although the color is too 

 light for an attractive berry. Van Deman is now in crop, but, 

 although a perfect flower, it seems to need extra care in polli- 

 nation. The handsomest berry in the house is the Hunn, but 

 its lateness debars it from winter cultivation. 



An extra effort is being made to determine the causes of 

 unsatisfactory results in the growing of Mushrooms. In order 

 to study the question under the best conditions an ideal house 

 was built last summer, with stone sides and iron roof, with an 

 inside space of about thirteen by eighty-two feet. Something 

 like a dozen methods of growing Mushrooms have been tried 

 during the winter. Some of them have resulted in entire fail- 

 ure, and others have given excellent results. One of the 

 curious things in connection with the experiment is the fact 

 that the wettest beds — even those which are almost soaking 

 wet— have, so far, given the best results, although this seems 

 to be contrary to general experience. 



Ithaca, N. Y. A. B. C. 



An Orchid Scale, Aspidiotus biformis. 

 To the Editor of Garden and Forest : 



Sir. — The scale which I described as Aspidiotus biformis was 

 discovered on June 9th, 1S92, on a plant of Cattleya Bow- 

 ringiana at Hope Gardens, Jamaica. On July 7th of the same 

 year I found it again on an Orchid at the Kingston (Jamaica) 

 Flower Show. In December, 1892, Dr. Henderson found a 

 variety of the same scale on Odontoglossum grande at King- 

 ston, Jamaica. In the meanwhile Mr. Hart had detected it in the 

 Royal Botanic Gardens, Trinidad, on Oncidium sprucei ; later 

 he found it also on Epidendrum. Occurring thus on several 

 genera o-f cultivated Orchids, I had expected that the scale 

 would before long be brought to the United States, though no 

 PDecimens had yet been seen except from the West Indies. 

 This expectation has now been realized, but, fortunately, the 

 scale has been prevented from landing by Mr. Craw, who found 

 it on a vessel from Central America arriving with Orchids at 

 San Francisco. The specimens have been transmitted to me, 

 but the exact locality where the Orchids were obtained is un- 

 known, nor do I know the species of Orchid. 



The female scale is small and round, nearly flat, of a reddish 

 brown color, quite dark ; the male scales are very small and 

 inconspicuous, elongate in form. By the shape of the male 

 scales, especially, the insect is readily distinguished from Aspi- 

 diotus ficus, which it somewhat resembles. The microscopical 

 characters are very distinct ; the lobes are very distinct, and in 

 the Central American specimens I find four groups of ventral 

 glands, rather scattered, four or five glands in a group. The 

 margin cephalad of the third lobe presents three low minutely 

 crenate elevations, after which comes a conspicuous notch, 

 and beyond this are more minute crenations. 



It is very probable, of course, that this scale will gain access 

 to some of our hot-houses, where it may become troublesome 

 on choice Orchids. 



Mesiiia, N. M. J- • D . A. Lockereu. 



Plants at Wellesley. 

 To the Editor of Garden and Forest : 



Sir, — The greenhouses on the place of H. H. Hunnewell, at 

 Wellesley, Massachusetts, are just now especially interesting 

 for plants which are intended for summer decoration. Pelar- 

 goniums, Show Geraniums, Fuchsias, Roses, Spiraeas, Astilbes, 

 Indian Azaleas and many other plants in pots are pushing 

 vigorously forward. 



Cytisus Andreanus in bloom is especially beautiful ; the 

 large yellow flowers, with reddish brown standards, are very 

 showy. It must be a splendid plant for shrubbery borders 

 where it is hardy, as, for example, in our southern states or in 

 California, where it ought to flourish. A bush of the European 



