454 



Garden and Forest. 



[Number 50S. 



hardy in the Arnold Arboretum, where there are now a 

 number of large plants which during the first week of No- 

 vember were brilliant with their orange and scarlet foliage 

 and small bright red fruits. 



Crataegus Carrier:. — Two years ago we called attention 

 (vol. viii., p. 495) to the beauty of the fruit of this tree. It is 

 valuable, too, for the splendid orange and scarlet tints of 

 its leaves, which make a delightful contrast at this season 

 with the large oblong bright scarlet, lustrous haws, which 

 hang on the branches long after the leaves fall and well 

 into the winter. This interesting tree originated in the 

 Jardin des Plantes in Paris, where it was raised, it has 

 been said, from a seed of Crataegus Mexicana. More prob- 

 ably it is a hybrid of Crataegus Crus-Galli, which it resem- 

 bles in many characters, and of some species not easily 

 determined. Whatever its origin may have been, however, 

 this is a perfectly hardy tree of good habit, and in the 

 autumn it is unsurpassed in beauty of foliage and fruit. 

 Altogether, it is one of the most desirable of the whole 

 genus for the north, and a plant of first-rate merit. 



Two Chinese Trees. — Two little-known north China 

 plants in the Arnold Arboretum were conspicuous during 

 the first week in November from the brilliant coloring 

 of their leaves. The Chinese variety of the Mountain Ash, 

 theSorbus discolor of Maximowicz, retains its leaves much 

 longer than any other Mountain Ash in our gardens, and, 

 unlike those of the other species, the leaves turn deep dark 

 purple-red before falling, making it a distinct and very at- 

 tractive autumn plant. Crataegus pinnatifida. sometimes 

 cultivated in China for its edible fruit and distinguished by 

 its deeply divided leaves, is conspicuous in the autumn 

 from the brilliant orange and scarlet tints of its foliage. A 

 perfectly hardy small tree, this promises to be an important 

 addition to plants of this class. 



Cultural Department. 



Chrysanthemum Novelties of 1897. 



THE best very early white Chrysanthemum for commercial 

 purposes I have ever seen is Midge. The plant is but 

 twelve to fifteen inches high, needs no staking, and makes an 

 ideal pot-plant. The foliage is beautiful in form and is carried 

 down to the base and well up to the flower. The leaves are 

 dark green, almost black, and make a bold contrast with the 

 pure white flowers of the snowball type. Flowers were ready 

 to cut October 4th, and some of the first flowers are still crisp 

 and altogether salable. Midge is claimed by the introducer to 

 be a fuller flower and better in every way than the flowers of 

 Madame F. Bergmann. This is an important claim, for there 

 is no early variety about which there is such general agree- 

 ment as Madame F. Bergmann, except among the yellows, 

 where Marion Henderson is the general favorite. We have 

 not grown Madame F. Bergmann this year under the same 

 conditions as we have grown Midge, but in dwarfness, fullness 

 and keeping qualities we believe Midge is superior. On the 

 whole, Midge is the greatest improvement of the year. 



A second early white of the same snowball type, and a 

 worthy successor of Midge, is the new variety, George S. Kalb. 

 Like Midge, the flowers are only medium-sized, but this is no 

 objection, as they are too early for the shows, and large flowers 

 are not so necessary by October 10th. This variety also gives 

 a succession of flowers, some of which are salable as late as 

 November 10th, and there seems to be no reason why it should 

 not produce ten flowers as well as four. 



I see no improvement in the midseason white Chrysanthe- 

 mums. Western King with us is distinctly inferior to Mrs. 

 Henry Robinson. The numerous late varieties are common- 

 place, except Mrs. Martin A. Ryerson ; this promises to be a 

 worthy predecessor of Yanoma, which ends the succession of 

 whites. 



The yellow varieties have not advanced at all. There is 

 nothing equal to last year's Modesto, Duchess of York, W. S. 

 Devis, Mrs. C. B. Freeman, or Buff Globe, all of which rep- 

 resent different types. Sunstone, however, is entirely perfect 

 within its limitations of color, and may be safely commended 

 to those who do not appreciate the fading out of Philadelphia. 

 Maud Adams is an unusual type, if not a wdiolly new one, but 

 its strange, stiff, tubular florets, with their indescribable form 

 and carriage, mark it as a curiosity for fanciers. It is not a 



variety like Modesto, which amateur and professional culti- 

 vators would both wish to grow, and which is suitable for 

 exhibition, for cut flowers and for pot-culture. Indeed, it rarely 

 occurs that a variety is suitable for all these purposes. Such 

 an exception, however, is Casco, which seems to be a decided 

 improvement among the dark sorts. Although it is properly 

 classed with Chrysanthemums in the early section, it lasts well 

 through the midseason. It belongs to that large group called 

 by the English Amaranths. The reverse of the florets in these 

 sorts is always lighter than the face, sometimes bright and sil- 

 very, often dull neutral shades, evidently derived from the 

 face, as though they were stained through. The dull reverse 

 is the chief feature of Casco, but the florets are relaxed enough 

 to give a suggestion of the rich garnet within. Leonidas is a 

 large flower of the Amaranth class. It is early and long-keep- 

 ing, with a bold and rugged, almost bristling, form. This, too, 

 is a decided advance. 



I see no improvement among the bronzes or reds except in 

 Loantika, which might be classed in either group. It resem- 

 bles Pluto, which is by far the best red with a yellow reverse 

 we have yet seen, not even excepting Charles Davis, which 

 still seems to be the commercial favorite. Loantika is an 

 early sort, and ends just as Pluto is well started on its interest- 

 ing and daily changing development. There is no late variety 

 yet to complete this succession. 



The pink sorts have received two notable additions this sea- 

 son. There has never been as satisfactory an early pink 

 variety as is Marion Henderson among the yellow-flowering 

 kinds. Last year a superior pink Chrysanthemum seemed to 

 be attained in Glory of the Pacific, although the variety with 

 us was an utter failure, being so far " off character" as to be 

 practically not true to name. Elvena is the best early light 

 pink of its form we have seen, and lasted seventeen days be- 

 fore the yellow disc appeared, and ended its salable condi- 

 tion. There is no improvement in the midseason pinks, Mrs. 

 Perrin and Madame Felix Perrin of last year (these are practi- 

 cally the same) being the best rosy pink varieties yet attained 

 for all-around use, though still far from ideal as regards even- 

 ness of color. Several others advertised as pink are capital 

 whites, but fourteen out of thirty-one varieties grown under 

 the same, and otherwise successful, conditions have shown 

 only a trace of pink at most. Merula might be classed among 

 the light pinks. It is badly lined at first, but at its best the 

 mass effect is dainty in color and loose in form, although very 

 dense and full and round likeOphir and others which are close 

 to the Chinese type, but not quite regular and formal enough 

 to be included by the English in their Incurved section. 



Among the less familiar sections, such as the large-flowered 

 varieties and the Japanese Anemones, I see no improvement; 

 but there is one single variety, Mizpah, worth serious consid- 

 eration. This is a plant from twelve to fifteen inches high, 

 ideal for pot-culture. A plant of this variety, with eighty or 

 more crimson flowers, proved one of the greatest attractions 

 to our visitors. It probably originated from C. frutescens, 

 the same species to which the Paris Daisy or Marguerite be- 

 longs, but may be used as a rough illustration of the long way 

 our cultivated Japanese Chrysanthemums have come from a 

 primitive form. Mizpah has two or three series of rays, but 

 is single in effect. Of course, the florets have not the brilliant 

 color and velvety finish of a Cineraria, but for artistic decora- 

 tive work the general effect is quite as good at this time of 

 year. The only drawback to Mizpah is the fading of the color 

 to a pinkish hue, when the yellow disc becomes inharmonious 

 unless the flowers are picked off. 



This view of the American novelties is fairly complete, as 

 we have grown under the same conditions all but ten of the 

 sixty-five varieties of American origin first described in the 

 catalogues of 1897. The American introductions are not so 

 numerous as the importations, but it is impossible to say 

 when a variety of European, Australian or Japanese origin be- 

 comes a novelty in America, and it is impossible to grow them 

 all. The Californian novelties are not considered in this 

 account, as California is practically a foreign country to the 

 eastern states in the matter of novelties. Judging by the 

 thirty seedlings sent to the Cornell Experiment Station in ad- 

 vance of the trade, there is more of promise in 189S than in 

 1897 for advances in American novelties. 



Ithaca, N. Y. 



Wilhelm Miller. 



Nsegelias. 



NOW that the frost has killed everything I had out-of-doors 

 except a few Kniphofias, I must look for solace to such 

 things as are under glass. This is not a season for abun- 

 dance of greenhouse flowers for one who grows no Chrysan- 

 themums, yet I have a few plants which I now enjoy. 



