386 



Garden and Forest. 



[Number 501. 



established in the new soil. They should finally be removed 

 to permanent quarters as they begin to grow. These details 

 of management are, however, the most difficult lessons to 

 learn in the work of propagating. 



Holmesburg, Pa. W. H. Tap/ill. 



Sternbergias. 



STERNBERGIA MACRANTHA, which was reported last 

 year as flowering much later in the season, opened its 

 first flower in the middle of September, and its blossoming 

 time is evidently about that of S. lutea, which is now in full 

 bloom. S. macrantha, as its name indicates, has a large flower 

 about twice the size of that of S. lutea, but one misses the 

 foliage which only appears in late winter, and unless S. ma- 

 crantha is grown under a mat of some low-growing plant it 

 misses much of its effectiveness. This species was collected a 

 few years ago by Mr. Whittall, who introduced it to cultivation. 

 Sternbergia lutea, which has a strong tradition of being the 

 Lily of the Field, is certainly one of the most cheerful and 

 attractive of the low-growing small flowers. The common 

 name of Winter Daffodil is not as inapt as popular names often 

 are, for it some what repeats the spring effect of yellow Daffodils, 

 with golden-yellow flowers and plentiful foliage to enhance its 

 charms. The flowers show their full charms only to the sun. 

 Elizabeth. N.J. J- N. Gerard. 



Calochorti in a Southern California Garden. 



DURING the past season I have had much pleasure in cul- 

 tivating Calochorti in the garden. In a good collection 

 the season of bloom here continues from the first of March 

 to the middle of July. The first species to open is C. Catalinas, 

 with large white flowers, shaded lightly with purple on the 

 outside and with deep wine-colored spots at the base of the 

 petals. It continues in bloom for two months. A rare and 

 lovely form is C. Catalinae alba, with pure white flowers and 

 no trace of purple, but small yellow spots at the base of the 

 petals. C. Catalinae is in flower for two months. Before it is 

 done C. clavatus appears, and this, in my opinion, is the finest 

 of all the yellow-flowering kinds. A year ago I wrote to Gar- 

 den and Forest (see vol ix., p. 249) in praise of C. luteus con- 

 color. I have since found that I was in error and that the 

 plant described was C. clavatus. These flowers are often four 

 inches in diameter, of the richest golden-yellow, with rich 

 brown markings in the centre. Occasional plants bear pure 

 yellow flowers. The plant is robust and easy to grow in any 

 soil. About the same time flowers of C. venustus and its 

 varieties appear. C. venustus roseushas charming pink flow- 

 ers. Some of the venustus El Dorado varieties are fine, and 

 one having rich wine-red flowers was conspicuous. 



Even here the desert species are difficult to grow outside of 

 their habitats. My best success with Calochortus Kennedyi was 

 in boxes of decayed granite soil brought from the mountains. 

 The flowers of this species are unique in color, being of the 

 richest orange-scarlet, with purple spots in the centre. C. 

 Weedii and C. venustus citrinus bear interesting flowers, but 

 they cannot compare in beauty with those of C. clavatus. The 

 last species to bloom is C. Plummerse ; the flowers are large, 

 in color rich lavender-purple and lined with yellow hairs. It 

 continues in flower quite into July. C. luteus, C. albus and C. 

 amcenus are interesting, but to my mind not so fine as the 

 true Mariposa Lilies. 



Los Angeles, Calif. E. D. Sturtcvatlt. 



Correspondence. 



Notes from Missouri. 

 To the Editor of Garden and Forest : 



Sir, — After favorable weather in spring and early summer 

 throughout this section came the unwelcome change of a 

 drought, and week after week the earth was scorched. The 

 dust was bottomless and the meadows have been brown as 

 in winter. Here and there on rocky hillsides great patches of 

 trees are apparently dying, and every leaf hangs crisp and sere 

 from the shriveled twigs. Early in September I noticed Peach 

 and Pear-trees growing in thin, hard soil, with the fruit actually 

 shriveling upon the trees. Should this drought be followed by 

 a severe winter thousands of fruit-trees in this state will die, 

 for experience has repeatedly demonstrated that imperfectly 

 developed and prematurely ripened wood has low vitality ; 

 seasons such as this are vivid object-lessons, showing the 

 need of extra care in planting. 



Vegetation has by no means suffered alike. Flowers, vege- 

 tables and young trees planted in ground that was well pre- 



pared found encouragement for early and deep growth ; while 

 these have languished, they have borne the drought well and 

 have attained fair development. Trees that have been pruned 

 and mulched, and in the case of fruit-trees, had the fruit 

 thinned so as not to tax the tree's vitality, withstood the trying 

 heat well. In the third week in September we picked pears, 

 peaches, grapes and apples of fair size and smooth and free 

 from blemish. A popular belief exists that it does not pay to 

 grow fruit extensively in a climate subject to drought. It is 

 more reasonable to protest against neglecting fruit-trees in a 

 country liable to dry summer seasons. Nature has given this 

 south-western country a soil and climate peculiarly adapted to 

 the production of large and highly-flavored fruit. Even in this 

 drought I have seen peaches half of which would not go 

 through the mouth of an ordinary Mason fruit-jar, and in 

 favorable seasons pears weighing twenty-two ounces and 

 plums measuring six inches in circumference have been 

 grown here. But such fruit does not grow promiscuously. 

 Overcropped trees, or those left to trie "mercies of the apple- 

 borer and codling moth, give but common fruit in the most 

 favorable seasons ; in trying seasons such as this they are all 

 but failures. Our most productive Pear and Plum-trees are 

 mulched, and I believe this care pays in dollars and cents. 



The flowers at Oak Lawn withstood the dry heat remarkably 

 well. A threatened failure of water-supply cut off the use of 

 the hose except for a few potted and special plants. The 

 closely shorn sward of the lawn has been distressingly brown, 

 and the contents of several flower-beds have succumbed. 

 Nevertheless, there are many plants yet in full bloom, even 

 where the sun has shone fiercest and hottest. I can account 

 for it in no other way except that the beds are deep and mellow 

 and the plants have grown large enough to shade the ground 

 and prevent surface evaporation, while their roots have struck 

 deep enough into the earth to find moisture. Roses, Cannas, 

 Cockscombs, Phlox, Snapdragons, Dahlias, Petunias, Portu- 

 lacas and Marigolds have done best among flowering plants, 

 though a score more have given a few scattering blossoms. 

 Vines of all kinds have been unusually luxuriant, and Passi- 

 floras, Manettias, Ipomceas, etc., have flowered luxuriantly. 

 My experience is more and more in favor of vines, shrubs, 

 perennials and tuberous plants for ornamental purposes in 

 countries subject to dry weather. Annuals and bedding plants 

 should be planted in situations which are in shade a part of 

 the day or in the shelter of some building. Double the dis- 

 play of flowers may be had for the same expenditure of labor 

 and money if good judgment is used in selecting and planting. 

 Pineville, Mo. Lora S. La Mance. 



A Missouri Fruit-farm. 

 To the Editor of Garden and Forest : 



Sir, — The Olden Fruit Farm, to which reference was made 

 last week in my notes from the Ozark region, now comprises 

 three thousand acres. This tract was mostly virgin soil, and 

 covered with the native tree growth which is largely made up 

 of Black Jack Oak, when the farm was established between 

 thirteen and fourteen years ago. But it also includes several 

 outlying farms of much older origin, all of them having Peach 

 and Apple orchards, some now thirty years old. The condi- 

 tion of these orchards aided Colonel J. C. Evans, the experi- 

 enced fruit grower, who founded the "greater Olden Fruit 

 Farm," and who still controls it, in deciding on a suitable lo- 

 cation for his enlarged enterprise. This large farm takes its 

 name from a pioneer fruit grower named Olden, who owned 

 the old place that became the nucleus of the present great 

 undertaking. 



Altogether there are 105,000 Peach-trees on the place. 

 Among the large proportion of Elberta trees there is one 

 block of 12,800 trees of that popular variety. Of these 

 about 75,000 are in bearing. 



The average expense of starting a new Peach or Apple 

 orchard is given by Superintendent Mosely.of the Olden Fruit 

 Farm, as follows : Cutting off the trees, known locally as 

 slashing, $3.00 an acre; clearing and burning, $1.00; grub 

 breaking, $3.50 ; picking and burning stumps and roots, $2.50; 

 stock, $7.00, or about tour cents apiece for either Peach or 

 Apple-trees. 



Peaches are invariably set on the highest ground in the 

 Ozark region, as the position largely exempts them from the 

 danger of late spring frosts. Apple orchards occupy the dip- 

 ping intervales. In many orchards Peach and Apple-trees are 

 set alternately, with the idea that the Peach-trees will have 

 reached the limit of profitable bearing by the time they crowd 

 the Apple-trees. But this plan is neither followed nor ap- 

 proved on the Olden farm, where that limit is not yet estab- 



