488 



Garden and Forest. 



[Number 511. 



are now willing to practice gymnastics, which but few would 

 attempt in the beginning. Nearly 3 000 towels, used in the 

 girls' bathrooms alone, show how the once "unwashed" are 

 learning to appreciate the free baths provided for them after 

 exercise. 



Any one who would visit the playgrounds which the Asso- 

 ciation has taken such generous care of for ten years, would 

 feel with me that it is the most touching and interesting of 

 charities, and one that cannot be too generously aided in its 

 good work. A contribution of one dollar is sufficient to give 

 one child for a summer the privileges of the playgrounds and 

 valuable instruction in good citizenship. The matrons, of 

 course, have to be paid, and there are certain incidental ex- 

 penditures for toys and implements, though most of these are 

 free gifts, as is the sand, ten heaps of which have been dis- 

 tributed for ten years by one firm. The public spirit of citizens 

 has been generous, but an enterprise such as this, now so well 

 started, with its course so clearly indicated, should not be left 

 to charity alone, but be made one of the duties of the mu- 

 nicipality. 

 Hingham.Mass. Mary C. Robbins. 



Notes. 



Professor James Troop, Horticulturist of Purdue University, 

 was recently appointed State Entomologist by the Governor of 

 Indiana. 



During last week 1,003,900 cocoanuts reached this port on 

 four steamers, from San Bias, San Andreas, Kingston and 

 Port Antonio. 



In the second number of The Platit World there is an ac- 

 count of Amos Eaton, one of the Nestors of American botany, 

 accompanied by a full-page portrait. 



Notwithstanding heavy rains in California, which interfered 

 with the work of drying, the raisin product of that state for 

 this year is estimated at 75,000,000 pounds, according to The 

 Fruit Trade Journal of this city. 



From three-year-old Peach orchards in the Ozark region, 

 operated by the McNair Brothers this season, an abundant 

 crop, of excellent quality, was produced. Eleven days were 

 required for gathering and shipping, and the selected fruit was 

 forwarded to eastern markets in refrigerator cars. The net 

 returns amounted to $165 an acre. 



In the Revue of the Horticultural and Botanical Society of 

 the Mouths of the Rhone, published in Marseilles, Monsieur 

 Naudin has recently published notes on the fruiting at the 

 Villa Thurer of Araucaria Bidwillii, Jubsea spectabilis and 

 Cocos australis, a fact which will be of interest to gardeners in 

 the warmer parts of the world. 



Monsieur Andrg in a recent issue of the Revue Horticole 

 describes the new system adopted in Berlin for watering 

 street trees by means of a number of small pits dug at some dis- 

 tance from their trunks and filled with perforated vertical drain- 

 pipes. The pits are covered with movable covers, and when 

 it is desirable to water the trees these are removed and the pits 

 filled with water, which enters the vertical drainpipes through 

 the holes in their sides and gradually finds its way down to the 

 roots of the trees. This system has been found very economi- 

 cal because none of the water is wasted, and as it reaches 

 directly the ends of growing roots it is not necessary to water 

 the trees frequently. 



Mr. C. C. Andrews, Chief Fire Warden in Minnesota, in his 

 preliminary report for 1897, regarding forest and prairie fires 

 in that state, says the season of possible danger of forest and 

 prairie fires lasted this year longer than usual, and a few fires 

 occurred after the middle of November. The recent snowfall, 

 though light, extended over most of the state, and probably 

 no further damage need be apprehended this year. Dry 

 weather prevailed over an extensive forest area about three 

 weeks in April and May, and again in September and October. 

 A number of fires occurred and a good proportion of them 

 were extinguished or controlled by fire wardens and citizens 

 who assisted them, so that no fire proved of very serious mag- 

 nitude. Probably the total damage by forest fires in Minne- 

 sota this year will not exceed $14,000. This is an improvement 

 over last year, and considering that the standing timber in the 

 state, at a low valuation, is worth $100,000,000, the amount of 

 damage is small. The principal work done under the fire- 

 warden law is that of prevention. At a low figure the standing 

 value of the Pine that will be cut in Minnesota this winter is 

 $5,000,000. When sawed into lumber at the mills its value 

 will have increased to $10,000,000, of which increase eightv 



per cent, or $4,000,000, represents labor. These figures only 

 indicate in part the importance of the forest resources of the 

 state. 



The value of Begonia Gloire de Lorraine, as this admirable 

 plant becomes better known in this country, is clearly demon- 

 strated. It is a hybrid raised by Lemoine, of Nancy, in 1891, 

 and is one of the most valuable of the long list of hybrids wiih 

 which he has enriched gardens, and was obtained by crossing 

 the winter-blooming tuberous-rooted Begonia Socotrana with 

 B. Dregei. The hybrid, curiously enough, however, is not 

 tuberous-rooted, but produces from the base of the stem 

 numerous shoots which insure its rapid multiplication. This 

 Begonia, with its neat habit and rather small clear green 

 leaves, is covered from November to May with bright pink 

 flowers, and is a delightful object with which to enliven the 

 conservatory in winter or for table decoration. A flowering 

 plant was figured in the fifth volume of Garden and Forest 

 (page 244, fig. 48), and this Begonia was also described a year 

 ago by our London correspondent (vol. ix., page 494), who 

 speaks of it as the most popular Begonia in England. Although 

 the flowers are considerably smaller than those of B.Socotrana 

 and the foliage is less bold and striking, it will probably be- 

 come a more popular plant than that species, as it is rather 

 easier to manage, the flowers are numerous even on plants a 

 few inches high, and the flowering season is much longer. 

 In every respect this is one of the best winter-blooming plants 

 of recent introduction. 



The final importations of Almeria grapes for this year, re- 

 ceived last week, showed no improvement in condition over 

 those sold earlier in the season, many being unsound. A few 

 barrels of choice-quality fruit in good condition reached the 

 extreme price of $15.00 a barrel at wholesale. The season for 

 shipping New York state grapes has also just closed. From 

 the grape section about Lake Erie alone 6,000 carloads of this 

 fruit were forwarded. Last week marked the last arrivals of 

 California grapes, when five carloads were sold here. The 

 season for so-called deciduous fruits from the Pacific coast 

 is now ended, and that of Citrus fruits is fairly begun. 

 These oranges and lemons are, however, unduly hur- 

 ried into market, being inferior in size and color. The 

 orange crop of Florida for this season is estimated at 

 275,000 boxes. Last year's crop amounted to 160,000 boxes, 

 and that of 1895, after the freeze, to 65,000 boxes. Four-filths 

 of this year's crop has already been sold by the growers, the 

 fruit commanding $2.00 to $2.25 a box on the trees. The cost 

 of wrapping, boxing, transportation, commissions, etc., must 

 be added to these figures, and choice Florida oranges com- 

 mand from $4.50 to $5.50 a box from retail buyers in this city. 

 Mandarins from the same state cost $6.00 a box at wholesale, 

 Tangerines, $7.00 to $10.00, and grape-fruit $5.50 to $6. 00a box. 

 Among fruits recently exported were 100 boxes of Navel 

 oranges, from California, shipped to England for the Christ- 

 mas trade, a carload of pears from Oregon, and 100 boxes of 

 California apples, to Hamburg. 



Mr. William Hamilton, who, a century ago, lived at Wood- 

 lands, on the Schuylkill River, in what is now West Philadel- 

 phia, was interested in the cultivation of trees. Many exotic 

 species were first planted in the New World in his garden, 

 which in his time was the most famous establishment of the 

 kind in America. Among other trees, he introduced the 

 Lombardy Poplar and the Norway Maple into this country, 

 and Pursh and other famous men were in his employ. Wood- 

 lands was long ago converted into a cemetery, and many of 

 Hamilton's trees have thus been spared. The most conspicu- 

 ous and interesting of these now are four plants of the Cau- 

 casian Zelkova crenata, probably the largest specimens of this 

 interesting tree in America. They are comparatively low 

 bushy trees, with short trunks about four feet in diameter, 

 covered with smooth gray bark like that of the Beech, the 

 small, crowded, erect branches forming dense oblong heads, 

 which in winter, when the trees are bare of leaves, are ex- 

 tremely picturesque and interesting. Zelkova, which belongs 

 to the Elm family and is related to Planera, of our southern 

 states, consists of two species, one, the type of the genus, Zel- 

 kova crenata, being found only in the Caucasus and the adja- 

 cent regions, while the otherspecies, Zelkova Keaki, is confined 

 to Japan, where it is a large and exceedingly valuable timber- 

 tree (see Garden and Forest, vol. vi., page 323, fig. 49). 

 Introduced into the United States several years ago, this Japa- 

 nese Zelkova promises to become here a large and handsome 

 tree. The Caucasian species is less hardy, and, so far as we 

 have observed, is only well represented in the LTnited States 

 by these four trees at Woodlands. 



