30o 



Garden and Forest 



[Number 492. 



sixteen inches square. It goes to Buffalo for use in building 

 vessels for the lake marine. Of late years Indiana farmers 

 have not been disposed to rush their timber to market regard- 

 less of prices. The result is that much good oak is still found 

 in that state. 



Peas, string-beans, celery, corn, cucumbers and eggplants 

 may now be had as fresh as they ever reach the city buyer, 

 since much of the present supply of these vegetables comes 

 from Long Island, New Jersey and other near-by points. Tur- 

 nips, carrots, potatoes, cabbage, onions and peppers also come 

 from neighboring farms, as do tomatoes, while Lima beans 

 are supplied from Maryland and red sweet potatoes from Vir- 

 ginia and North Carolina. Cauliflower and squashes are 

 among the staple vegetables of the season, but the gathering 

 and shipment and sales of all these products have been seri- 

 ously interfered with by the frequent heavy rains of the past 

 two weeks. 



In view of the attention which the flowering of Lathyrus 

 splendens at Kew has attracted, Dr. Franceschi writes to say 

 that the color of these flowers is hard to define, but that it is 

 rather a shade of crimson than of scarlet. This Pea only 

 grows in the extreme south of California and in Lower Cali- 

 fornia, being a native of the high desert region of the interior. 

 It adapts itself, however, to liberal watering, and in this case, 

 with sufficient drainage, it will continue to grow and flower all 

 summer, and not die down as it does in its native habitat, 

 where it is essentially a winter bloomer. Since frost often 

 occurs on these highlands, Dr. Franceschi predicts that it will 

 prove hardy in those parts of England where Romneya and 

 Fremontia have been grown successfully. 



The Fruit Trade Journal quotes a complaint from Florida 

 about the scarcity of fruit in that state. Of course, there is no 

 lack of oranges and grape-fruit in the winter, and of berries, 

 pineapples, pears and grapes in spring and early summer, and 

 in the autumn there are some bananas. But just when other 

 states have an abundance of fruit and fresh vegetables— that 

 is, in late summer and early autumn, there is a deficiency 

 which needs to be supplied. It seems odd to northern gar- 

 deners that vegetables should lie lacking at the season which 

 is most productive here, and we should think that even if irri- 

 gation or generous fertilizing was required, there ought to be 

 no lack in Florida gardens at this season. As for fruits, the 

 problem is more serious, but the wide-awake horticulturists 

 of that state ought to be able to keep a subtropical climate in 

 full producing power all the year round. 



A discussion of the merits of the newer Sweet Peas takes up 

 a considerable space in The Florists' Exchange for the current 

 week. Ordinary growers do not appreciate some of the alleged 

 improvements in these flowers, and it is impossible to discover 

 any real difference either in form or color or habit in some of 

 the varieties sent out. What we wish to call especial attention 

 to is that while Mr. Eckford has for many years been the 

 hybridist to whom the world looked for the best work in this 

 direction, many beautiful varieties are now produced in this 

 country. Some of the seedlings of Burpee, at Ford Hook, 

 Doylestown, Pennsylvania, and those of Walker, an expert 

 who is working in Oregon, are said to be equal, if not supe- 

 rior, to any forms hitherto raised. It is said that Mr. Burpee 

 made 373 separate tests this year, of which 348 were of named 

 varieties and the remaining 25 of mixed kinds. 



We have already alluded to the fact that we are not getting 

 a single bunch of bananas from Cuba, although formerly at 

 least 2,000,000 bunches came from that island every year. Of 

 course, there is no lack of the fruit in this country, for 

 Jamaica, Porto Rico and other islands, Mexico and Central 

 America have all increased their exports to supply the mar- 

 ket, and so energetically have they carried on the work that 

 bananas are now cheaper than ever, and the supply has kept 

 increasing to meet a constantly growing demand. Materially, 

 this must be a great loss to Cuba, and, indeed, it is a loss to 

 American capital, for the great importing firms had planta- 

 tions covering thousands of acres, and eastern Cuba was 

 rapidly becoming a continuous banana garden. A large part 

 of the plantations have been destroyed during the war and the 

 most fertile part of theisland isnowproducingnothingof value. 



Mr. Charles A. Keffer, in writing on the forest fire laws of 

 Minnesota, says that legislation of this sort acts quite as much 

 as an educational as a prohibitive force. In his travels through 

 Minnesota, in both prairie and forest regions, Mr. Keffer fre- 

 quently saw copies of the law in schools and post-offices. 

 Otherwise careless citizens have thus had their attention called 

 to this important matter, and the most prolific cause of forest 



fires, thoughtlessness or carelessness, has been averted ; for 

 there can be no question that neglect or lack of proper care in 

 the kindling and extinguishing of useful fires is a most prolific 

 source of danger to the forest. The pleasure-seeker, whose 

 attention has been attracted at every station between his city 

 home and his outing-place, is awakened to the damage 

 his carelessness may cause. The woodsman, to whom life- 

 long familiarity with camp-fires has only brought indifference 

 in his handling, will be arrested and restrained by the knowl- 

 edge that such carelessness is criminal. The railroad employee 

 will be more and more careful in cleaning his right-of-way, 

 knowing the danger of dismissal which is likely to result if his 

 company is held responsible for damage that he has caused. 



The Maryland peach crop, especially that on the Eastern 

 Shore, was seriously injured by a frost on the 20th of April, 

 which killed a large portion of the fruit-buds in the tidewater 

 section of the state. But it is true also that the curculio has 

 done an uncommon amount of injury, as the great number 

 of specked peaches coming to this market indicates. Peach 

 growers have never feltthe necessity of combatingthe curculio 

 as plum growers are compelled to do. And certainly they have 

 not yet taken ordinary precautions against this danger. Last 

 year the peach crop was unusually large and the overloaded 

 trees produced much small and inferior fruit, which was 

 allowed to remain in the orchard. This gave the curculio an 

 unusual opportunity, and Professor W. G. Johnson, the state 

 entomologist, suggested to the growers last fall that it would 

 be wise policy to destroy as many of the small peaches as 

 possible so as to prevent the larvae of the curculio from enter- 

 ing the ground for pupation. There is no doubt that if this had 

 been done the crop would have been less seriously injured. 

 The fact that Professor Johnson predicted this danger ought to 

 lead peach growers to listen more carefully to expert counsel 

 in the future. 



Certain species of Cattleya, notably the ever-varying forms 

 of C. Gaskelliana, are found in the highest branches of the 

 giant trees which form the primeval forests of many of the 

 valleys of Venezuela. In order to get the best plants these 

 trees are felled, and from the harvest thus produced only the 

 very finest plants are taken, the smaller ones being left to 

 perish with their natural supports on the ground. In writing of 

 these facts, a correspondent of The Orchid Review says that 

 many valleys are thus stripped of their virgin forests and 

 many of the finest species of Orchids are being surely exter- 

 minated. Even now the well-known Oncidium Papillio is 

 getting scarce in Trinidad. Mention is made of a collector 

 who took 1,500 fine plants of Cattleya Gaskelliana from 

 Venezuela, but in order to do this he had cleared out a valley 

 and left 10,000 small plants and seedlings to perish. Only 

 plants like the 1,500 selected ones would meet the demands of 

 his London employer, and the enormous cost of transportation 

 from any distance inland in South America makes this destruc- 

 tive system necessary to one who wishes to make his expedi- 

 tion pay. It is to be hoped that the Government of Venezuela 

 will put some check on this vandalism, as has been found 

 necessary in other countries. 



Delaware, Niagara, Moore's Early and the small green 

 Thompson's Seedless grapes are all represented in our mar- 

 kets now, and come from South Carolina and Georgia. Black 

 Hamburg and White Muscat of Alexandria grapes, from New- 

 port glass houses, are seen in the fancy-fruit stores, and sell 

 for $1.50 a pound. Alligator pears, from Caraccas, were seen 

 here last week, and some of the same fruit has since arrived 

 from Colon. Green ginger-root, from Jamaica, is one of the 

 latest receipts among new products of the season, and the first 

 eastern apricots are now arriving from the interior of this state. 

 The supply of pineapples is beginning to decline, but many 

 other fruits, such as apples, pears and plums, are coming in 

 increased quantities, and indeed the supply of fruits in this 

 city was never larger nor more varied. During last week 

 eighty-four car-loads of California fruits were sold here, the 

 largest weekly sale made this summer. Tragedy prunes are 

 especially plentiful, as are Bartlett pears, and the latter are now 

 of large size and highly colored. Decker, Foster and Early 

 Crawford peaches are among the best sorts now coming from 

 California. A few peaches are coming from New Jersey, Dela- 

 ware and Maryland, as well as from North and South Caro- 

 lina and Georgia, but none of these are of the first quality. 

 Even the largest and best in baskets containing eighteen se- 

 lected fruits for $1.00, are only notable for their extra size, since 

 they lack color and flavor. Wild Goose plums and cherries, from 

 near by, are becoming scarce, and raspberries and blackber- 

 ries have proved perishable stock during the persistent rains 

 of the past fortnight. 



