November io, 1897.] 



Garden and Forest. 



445 



discarded, William Scott being so much better. Bridesmaid 

 is of little value, except when a few fine exhibition blooms 

 are desired. Triumph, good in some parts of the west, has 

 proved ot no value as a persistent bloomer. Nicholson has 

 had its day and appears quite run out. Rose Queen is only 

 now and again met with. Abundance is a neat little plant for 

 a side bench. Victor, one of the 1897 novelties, proves disap- 

 pointing; thus far. None of these varieties succeed except in 

 certain localities, while William Scott seems to do equally well 

 from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and is probably more exten- 

 sively grown than all other varieties of its color. Among 

 white varieties decidedly the best of the new sorts we have 

 tried is Flora Hill, introduced by E. G. Hill & Co., Richmond, 

 Indiana. The flowers are very large, freely produced and 

 have a delightful odor. The plant is the most vigorous grower 

 of any kind we have. Harrison's White, the so-called white 

 William Scott, has proved disappointing; the flowers are few 

 and of medium quality. Edith Foster is a very promising 

 variety, with stiff stems and flowers of good size and form. 

 Alaska is grown to some extent by commercial growers, but 

 the small flowers do not usurp the place of those of Lizzie 

 McGowan, which we still find to be the most prolific and best 

 all-round white Carnation. This variety does not appear to 

 be popular in the Boston market. The leading Carnation 

 growers for that market seem unable to grow it successfully. 

 In many New England cities hardly any other white variety is 

 to be seen. Occasionally Mrs. Fisher is grown, and one culti- 

 vator in this vicinity has two houses devoted to it and refuses 

 to grow any other kind. For summer flowering it is unap- 

 proached. Nivea, a slender-growing sort introduced by Mr. 

 H. A. Cook, Shrewsbury, Massachusetts, is largely grown here 

 this season, but it is not equal to some other sorts up to this 

 time. F. Mangold is still the leading crimson. Meteor is gen- 

 erally discarded. Now and then a small planting of Sebec is 

 seen ; this is a good crimson Carnation and flowers finely out- 

 doors in summer. It lacks a stiff stem, however, such as F. 

 Mangold has. The new variety, Mrs. George M. Bradt, as 

 seen in one of the houses of Mr. W. Nicholson, Framingham, 

 Massachusetts, a few days ago, looked specially well ; this is, 

 without doubt, now the finest striped variety ; the color is 

 white, striped with scarlet. The flowers do not fade out as 

 many of those on Helen Keller do, and it is far more 

 prolific than Minnie Cook. Delia Fox proved unpopular 

 in the markets here last season and is generally discarded. 

 Daybreak still holds its own as one of the most popular 

 market varieties and continues to do well. Its habit of 

 growth is not of the best, but no other kind has yet been 

 sent out which will take its place. Maud Dean, white, with 

 a blush centre, is a neat, compact-growing sort, but its 

 color is not of the delicate shrimp pink color which gives Day- 

 break its popularity. A first-class scarlet is still needed. 

 Morello is a promising kind, but 1 think not so good as 

 Jubilee. We still raise Hector, although it is not by any 

 means an ideal grower. Such small varieties as John's Scarlet, 

 Portia and E. G. Hill continue to be the leading market sorts 

 here, and will probably be so until a scarlet variety with the 

 many virtues of William Scott or Lizzie McGowan is intro- 

 duced. Portia is perhaps the oldest commercial variety, 

 largely grown for cut flowers, now on the market, as it is 

 the healthiest. ,,..,,■ ,, r- ■ 



Taunton, Mass. " llliam N. Craig. 



The Storing of Bulbs. 



BULBOUS and tuberous-rooted plants are indispensable for 

 the garden in summer, and each autumn the best method 

 of storing the bulbs and tubers must be considered. A great 

 number of these plants rest annually at this period, and unfor- 

 tunately, the plants that are taken the best care of while 

 growing are often sadly neglected when at rest. They are 

 frequently put to one side after they have flowered, as if they 

 did not need further attention until it is time to plant them. 

 But it takes a bulb longer to recuperate after flowering than it 

 does to produce a crop. Often the flower-stem and leaves may 

 be found within the bulb seemingly ready to start and come 

 into bloom in a few weeks; but months of preparation are 

 necessary for this growth to be possible. The Hyacinth 

 and Narcissus are instances. What are known as Holland 

 bulbs are for the most part spring-flowering, and are now in 

 a cool cellar buried in sand and ripening for planting. Most 

 of the south African bulbs and others from various parts of 

 the globe are inclined to take their rest at this time, fortu- 

 nately, and we thus have a store to draw upon when winter 

 and spring bulbs are past. 



Amaryllis are steadily increasing in popularity. These plants 



are admirably adapted to house decoration and are easy to 

 cultivate. Our stock has become so large that it is each year 

 more difficult to store it. A cellar is not suitable, for at this 

 time these bulbs need light and warmth to mature them. 

 Much of the foliage is yet green, indeed A. aulica and its off- 

 spring are evergreen. It is unwise to cut off the stems and 

 leaves, and these must die naturally. When the bulbs are per- 

 fectly at rest they may be stored under the benches or on 

 shelves in the greenhouse ; care must be taken that they do 

 not become dust-dry or soaked with water. Amaryllis are for 

 the most part deciduous, but a few roots will remain through 

 the winter, and these are a great aid to the production of 

 strong flower-spikes if they are properly taken care of and not 

 allowed to rot or dry off. We are now starting a few of the 

 bulbs which have matured earliest for an early display, and at 

 the beginning of the new year all will be started. The only 

 way to make up a collection of Amaryllis is to raise them from 

 seeds of a good strain. Seedlings, however, are evergreen 

 until they have reached maturity ; that is, at the beginning of 

 the third winter after sowing the seeds they begin to lose 

 their leaves and should be treated like the older bulbs. 



Gloxinias are, perhaps, the most showy of summer-flower- 

 ing bulbs and are grown in large numbers. They are slow to 

 go to rest if well grown and not neglected after blooming. 

 We hesitate to dry off Gloxinias even at this time if they show 

 no signs of drying, but give moisture as long as it is necessary 

 to support the leaves that are building up the bulb to greater 

 dimensions and vigor. After Gloxinias are dried off it is pref- 

 erable to store them in the pots they grew in during sum- 

 mer. We frequently have not room enough to keep them in 

 this way and they are shaken out and stored in boxes, soil 

 being sifted in between the bulbs. Tuberous Begonias are 

 treated inexactly the same way. If they have been used out- 

 of-doors and have been cut off by frost they must be lifted 

 and laid in an airy place until the stems part readilv from the 

 bulb, and then they may be put away in boxes. Both Begonias 

 and Gloxinias are apt to suffer from what is known as dry rot 

 in winter. A little moisture should be supplied to keep the 

 bulbs plump, and then many of the root fibres will survive the 

 winter and be an advantage in spring. It is often said that a 

 place where potatoes may be safely wintered is suitable for 

 storing Begonias and Gloxinias. I prefer a place with a little 

 more warmth ; a minimum of forty-five degrees is advisable, 

 and certainly not more than fifty degrees as a maximum 

 for any length of time if it is desired to have a late summer 

 display. 



At this time we shake Achimenes out of the soil in which 

 they grew and use the pans for other bulbs. These bulbs may 

 be picked out of the soil, placed in dry sand and kept perfectly 

 dry during the winter if stored on a cool bottom in a cool 

 house. We take the precaution to put a board under the pots 

 or moisture would be drawn up by capillary attraction suffi- 

 cient to start them too early, or at an inconvenient time. 

 Our last Achimenes are just going out of flower ; we find that 

 these plants flowering late in September are a pleasing feature 

 in the cool house ; in the hottest summer months the flowers 

 wilt at midday and the display is then short-lived. 



We grow a large number of Japan Lilies for summer deco- 

 ration, mostly of the L. speciosum type, and these have just 

 been cut down and put in a cellar. There are no more valu- 

 able plants for use in late summer. To have them late it is 

 advisable to store the bulbs in a cellar where there is moderate 

 freezing. This will keep them dormant until it is safe to put 

 them outdoors. If stored in a cellar that is frost-proof they 

 will certainly start to grow before it is safe to have them out- 

 side, and in a glass structure their flowering period is has- 

 tened at least a month, and they will not last until the Japanese 

 Anemones come in to take their place. 



Nerides are valuable autumn plants and would, no doubt, 

 be seen oftener if they did not take up so much valuable space 

 in winter. As they flower first and then produce foliage they 

 need care now. It is a mistake to repot them before they 

 bloom, as we have found to our cost, but it may be safely done 

 now. If it is not desired to increase the stock all the young 

 bulbs may be taken off and thrown away. The point is to 

 take the strain of support from tin- flowering bulbs or the dis- 

 play will be poor the next season. They should be potted 

 according to their size, five or six bulbs in each pot. They 

 should not again be disturbed for two years. With this treat- 

 ment we have had a fine display this tall, and .1 good growth 

 is now being encouraged. 



Where summer decoration is required few plants lend them- 

 selves more kindly than the ornamental-leaved Caladiums. 

 The set of Brazilian sorts shown at Chicago in 1893 has greatly 

 increased the popularity of these plants, and they are becom- 



