September 8, 1S97.] 



Garden and Forest. 



355 



The plants are thus much more under control than if the 

 operation is postponed. Care in lifting the plants is necessary 

 to keep the roots enlire, but a large ball of earth does not 

 seem to be essential. Indeed, some growers go to the oppo- 

 site extreme and shake off all the soil from the roots before 

 replanting, and they claim that a better start is gained by this 

 plan. When this is done rather more care is required in fre- 

 quent syringing and ventilation until the plants become estab- 

 lished in their new quarters. After the Carnations have begun 

 to grow again but little syringing is needful, and during the 

 dull and damp days of fall and winter no water from overhead 

 is the safest rule. About five to six inches of soil on the bench 

 is sufficient for Carnations, but this should be of good quality. 

 Well-rotted sod is the best material, and of fertilizers, stable 

 manure, wood-ashes and bone-dust are among the most satis- 

 factory, and should be used in such proportions as are best 

 adapted to the particular soil used. 



Improved methods of staking and tying Carnations are still 

 being discussed by the experts, many of whom have devised 

 wire stakes of special form for this purpose, so as to support 

 the plant neatly and admit plenty of light and air. 



The frequent and unusually heavy summer rains in the 

 eastern states have proved quite disastrous to Carnation- 

 growers in some sections. One instance noted recently is that 

 of a florist in Connecticut- who planted out 16,000 Carnations in 

 the spring, and at this time has only about 3,000 live plains, the 

 remainder having been destroyed by wet weather. 



Cyclamens that have been growing in frames during the 

 summer will also be safer in the greenhouse from this time 

 onward, for the damp and chilly nights of early autumn are 

 likely to injure these useful plants. While in growth Cycla- 

 mens should never become very dry, yet an overplus of water 

 also checks them. 



Acacias, Azaleas and other hard-wooded greenhouse plants 

 may remain out-of-doors for some time yet without injury ; in 

 fact, the early housing of plants of this character may induce 

 a secondary growth, and to some exient interfere with their 

 spring flowering. 



Poinsettias should be brought under cover, for too much 

 rain and chilly nights cause loss of roots, and consequently of 

 the lower leaves, and frequently change a promising lot of 

 plants into the unsightly specimens so otten seen. 



Lilium longiflorum and L. Harrisii should be left out in 

 frames for the present unless they are intended for very early 

 forcing. The 1st of October is a good time to transfer them to 

 the greenhouse, and in favorable seasons I have sometimes 

 left them out until November 1st, as a stronger root-growth is 

 thus gained. The tops are in this way kept short jointed and 

 sturdy, and no staking is required unless the plants are 

 packed for shipment. 



Young Begonias for winter flowering, of which the Incarnate 

 varieties, those of the Socotrana section (for example, B. Gloire 

 de Sceaux and B. John Heal) and B. Digswelliana are among 

 the most useful, may need another shift to give sufficient root- 

 space to carry them through the season. Six-inch pots are a 

 convenient size to use for well-grown and showy plants for 

 conservatory decoration. 



Show Pelargoniums are also admirable for the conservatory 

 in spring and early summer, and while these plants may be 

 kept outdoors to advantage during the summer months, it is 

 not advisable to leave them out late. The heavy rains and 

 cool nights affect these plants unfavorably, as they require but 

 little water during fall and winter. A few strong young 

 clumps of Arundo donax now lifted from the garden and 

 potted up in large pots or tubs, will be found a useful addition 

 to the conservatory plants during the winter ; not only for 

 their graceful habit and beauty of foliage, but the shoots may 

 be cut and used effectively among cut flowers for tilling large 



vases - ,,' IT T j./- 



Holmesburg, Pa. "■ ''• lapllll. 



Chrysanthemums and Rex Begonias. 



T^ROM this time onward will be a critical period forChrysan- 

 -^ themurns. Plants in pots have now filled them with roots, 

 and to keep the plants in good condition they must be fed, and 

 judgment and experience are necessary in the proper applica- 

 tion of nourishment. The misuse of a fertilizer may spoil a 

 season's work, not taking into account the worry and disap- 

 pointment. I know how easy it is to make mistakes and also 

 the danger of repeating the error. The grower must feel his 

 way, especially with a stimulant of whose strength he is uncer- 

 tain. Drainage from the stable is sate, diluted to one-eighth 

 strength, or until it has the color of weak tea. An application 

 once each week is sufficient for the first month, but the culti- 

 vator must be guided by the foliage area. Change of diet is 



good for plants as well as for men, and at intervals sheep- 

 manure water may be applied, and occasionally soot-water. 

 These latter mixtures we make by putting the materials in a 

 coarse bag and letting the strength leach through. If worms 

 are troublesome, a little lime-water will drive them away and 

 benefit the plants as well. As the season advances we may try 

 a little of Albert's Horticultural Manure. Its action is quick for 

 benefit as well as injury. A pound to fifty gallons of water is 

 full strength, and a weaker solution would be safer. This 

 manure gives a fine color to the folia. 



Rex Begonias are now in full beauty. While they are 

 more or less evergreen they are benefited by a season of 

 rest, but it is surprising how much hardship they will endure 

 so long as the atmospheric conditions are suitable. Seedlings 

 and broken parts of leaves frequently take root in gravel or 

 under the greenhouse benches. A favorite place for them is 

 the walls of artistic ferneries, with little else than decayed moss 

 and charcoal to root in. Rex Begonias are an attractive feature 

 in the grotto on the estate of the late F. L. Ames, at North 

 Easton. On the Simpson place, at Saxonville, they are used 

 in the same way, and their large glistening, often iridescent, 

 obliquely cordate leaves stand in bold relief from the walls. 

 Upon remarking to a friend how well they did on the dark side 

 of his tropical plant house, and that the close atmosphere of 

 such a place suited them, he directed me to the greenhouses 

 belonging to Mr. J. D. Little, of Brookline, Massachusetts, and 

 I there found the handsomest plants I have ever seen, grow- 

 ing under very different conditions. The plants were in an 

 old-fashioned lean-to with front ventilators and heavy eaves, 

 under the shade of which they were growing. 



The typical Rex Begonia is characterized by a surface-grow- 

 ing rhizome, all the leaves being radical. Besides the type 

 the collection includes a large number of hybrids, which, while 

 maintaining the zonal character of the type, are more shrubby 

 in habit, and often have deeply cut foliage. It is difficult to 

 trace the parentage of many of these hybrids, although the 

 blood of B.diademaandB. Olbia is plainly seen in many of them. 



A description of some of the most striking varieties must 

 include Lesondsii, dark and light green with silver spots and 

 margin ; Magmfica, deep bronze, with lighter green spots ; 

 Mrs. E. Bonner, hybrid Rex, shrubby, the leaves very much 

 divided, silvery, with dark centre; Madame Treive, hybrid 

 Rex, dark and light green shadings, with silver band ; Fen- 

 delet, dark green, silver spotted, the raised midribs stained 

 with red ; Desfontaine, finely spotted, with band of silver, red- 

 dish hue ; Annie Dorner, hybrid Rex, cut-leaved, dark and 

 light green, spotted slightly ; Bertha McGreggor, hybrid Rex, 

 dark centre, with bands of silver and bronze; Mrs. Bonner, 

 long-pointed, silvery green, dark edge, very fine. There are 

 many other fine varieties, but these are the best. 



Wellesley, Mass. T. D. Hatfield. 



Antirrhinums. 

 HPHIS genus, though not extensive, contains several species 



-^ all more or less hardy and mostly herbaceous. The ma- 

 jority are mainly useful for rock-work, but probably the best 

 of all is the old-fashioned Snapdragon, Antirrhinum majus, 

 and its numerous varieties. These easily lead all the other 

 species in variation and brilliancy of coloring. Names have 

 been given to some of the more distinct varieties, but few 

 growers take the trouble of keeping them true to name. 



These plants are often classed among hardy herbaceous plants, 

 but I have never found them quite hardy in this section. When 

 it is desirable to perpetuate some of the most distinct varieties 

 I find it necessary to strike cuttings in September and winter 

 them in cold frames, planting them out when the ground has 

 become dry enough to work in spring. These plants bloom 

 much earlier than those grown from seed unless the seed is 

 sown in fall and the seedlings wintered in the same way. 

 Under favorable conditions the plants usually begin to flower 

 in May. They are useful as bedding plants and in the her- 

 baceous border. 



Ttie readiest and most common method of obtaining plants 

 is from seed, and one packet selected from a good strain will 

 give all the variety desired. If sown in the greenhouse in 

 Much and grown with care they will flower by July and i on- 

 tinue throughout the summer season. Though of the easiest 

 culture, they will repay a little extra attention. Too often they 

 are crowded together and receive little or no attention, with 

 the result that their true character is not brought out and 

 much of their beauty is lost. They should he planted in well- 

 enriched ground and sufficient space allowed lor the devi 

 ment of each plant, with proper attention to staking and tying. 

 The handsome Hower-spjkes will full) repay this cue. 



Tan-ytown, X. V. William S 



