March zi, 1894.] 



Garden and Forest. 



117 



Hollow-crowned : square shoulder, depressed at crown, half- 

 long bulb, very heavy, of the best quality. Short Round : 

 turnip-shaped root, which is rarely used. All the Parsnips I 

 have tested seem to be of about equal value in regard to 

 flavor; a deep mellow, rich soil produces the best roots. 



Peas, in the order of their earliness. — The varieties cata- 

 logued as Philadelphia Extra Early, First of All, etc., are selec- 

 tions of the old Daniel O'Rourke type, worked up to various 

 degrees of perfection, every prominent dealer having his own 

 particular stock. The points of merit given apply to the 

 best strains offered by trustworthy seedsmen : Two and 

 a half-feet high, enormous croppers, resist drought well, 

 not wrinkled, but of fair flavor, well-filled pods. American 

 Wonder : one foot, the favorite dwarf variety, densely 

 compact pods, prolific, tender and delicious. Advancer : 

 two feet, second early, vigorous plant, good cropper, ad- 

 mirable flavor. Heroine : two and a half-feet, largest main 

 crop variety, pods five inches long, well-filled with enormous 

 peas of perfect flavor. Champion of England : five feet, the 

 popular tall late variety, very prolific and of good flavor. Tele- 

 phone : five feet, finest tall late variety, of incomparable flavor. 

 Admiral : three and a half -feet, a promising second early va- 

 riety, most prolific, small pods literally jammed full of deli- 

 cious peas. 



Peppers. — Small Red Chili : small plant and pod, prolific, 

 best for sauces and pickles, very hot. Long Red Cayenne : 

 larger than the above, very pungent, used mostly for pickles. 

 Sweet Mountain : best for mangoes, mild in flavor and a 

 heavy cropper. Golden Dawn : beautiful yellow color, mild, 

 tender, succulent. 



Pumpkins. — Large Cheese: the largest cropper, medium- 

 sized fruit, fine-grained flesh, a favorite for pies and good also 

 for stock-feeding. Calhoun : small variety of the same type, 

 finer-grained in flesh, heavy cropper, the best for pies. Jumbo : 

 the largest variety, sold under various names ; it has a delicious 

 flavor. 



Radishes. — Red Forcing : smallest top and tap-root, fair 

 size, bulb matures in twenty-one days. White-tipped Scarlet : 

 best for general crop, good appearance, mild flavor. French 

 Breakfast : olive-shaped, white at base, small tap-root, crisp 

 and sweet. Yellow Summer Turnip : best summer variety, re- 

 mains solid long, mild flavor. Long Brightest Scarlet : sold 

 under various names, of a vivid scarlet in color, white-tipped at 

 the base and the best long variety. 



Spinach. — Savoy-leaved or Bloomsdale : crumpled leaves, 

 very early, tenderandsucculent, but runs quickly to seed. Thick- 

 leaved : the heaviest plant, producing large leaves and a dense 

 heart, good for any season, best for fall, very hardy. New Zea- 

 land : distinct from the other varieties, growing in bush form 

 and producing thick fleshy leaves all through the season. 



Squash.— White Bush Scalloped: the best early variety, 

 creamy white, thin shell, fine grain, juicy and excellent in 

 flavor. Bush Summer Crook Neck : fine dry flavor, very 

 prolific. Boston Marrow : best for late keeping, shell orange, 

 very deep dry flesh, good flavor and grand cropper. 



Tomatoes. — Lorillard : not the earliest but the first good 

 variety to mature, small rind, very solid fruit, bright scarlet 

 throughout, delightful flavor. Dwarf Champion : strong bushy 

 plant, needing little support, medium-sized fruit, solid, purplish 

 in color. Perfection: best all-round variety, prolific fruit, vivid 

 scarlet flesh, solid, flavor unexcelled, small seed cavity. Igno- 

 tum : large fruit, solid and meaty and stands well. Mikado : 

 has corrugated fruit, but very solid, and is one of the heaviest 

 croppers. 



Turnips. — Red Top Strap-leaf : medium-sized flat bulb, pur- 

 plish red at the top, white at the base, early, tender, fine- 

 grained. Snowball : pure white, round, early, admirable for the 

 garden. Golden Ball : round, very mild and delicate in flavor 

 and an excellent keeper. 



Bloomfield, N.J. •"-. 



Snowdrops. 



A FEW warm days have encouraged the Snowdrops to ven- 

 ture out, and show plainly that even flowers of such 

 hardihood appreciate genial conditions. The bees were very 

 busy among the expanded flowers on Sunday, March 4th, and 

 the borders were a picture of animation. Nature seems to have 

 her forces always ready for action, but it appears strange that 

 these insects in such numbers should so promptly discover a 

 few flowers in an obscure garden. It is evident, however, that 

 the Snowdrops are very attractive to insects, and if one is to 

 grow seedlings of known pedigree it will be necessary to adopt 

 precautions to prevent the exposure of the flowers. Cross- 

 fertilization often occurs in their natural haunts, if one can 

 judge from collected bulbs. 



Snowdrops have greatly interested growers of hardy plants 

 during recent years, for, aside from their beauty and especial 

 value as the first flowers of the year, many fine new forms 

 have been introduced to cultivation. There are now some 

 fifty or more quite distinct forms of Galanthus in cultivation, 

 though some of these are as yet very rare. The Snowdrops 

 are very simple flowers, and it would seem scarcely possible 

 that so many distinct kinds could be distinguished ; yet, while 

 they have a close family resemblance, the varieties are easily 

 recognized, and some kinds are strikingly distinct even to the 

 most casual observer. There are varieties, however, which 

 are only distinct in the time of flowering, as G. Octobrensis, a 

 variety of G. nivalis, which blooms in October, and G. Corcy- 

 rensis, a variety of the same species flowering in November. 

 They differ from the type only in having a light glaucous line 

 in the channel of the leaf. Both of these varieties are weak 

 growers with me, as our Decembers are too severe for their 

 foliage. The latter variety flowered feebly this year in January, 

 though one of the bulbs given to a friend flowered at the nor- 

 mal time. 



Galanthus Elwesii is the earliest Snowdrop of the year, and 

 may be expected any time in January when the weather per- 

 mits growth. This species is now well known, and is the 

 largest and showiest kind available — that is, which can be se- 

 cured readily at a moderate outlay. It does not do well every- 

 where, but when it takes kindly to its position it leaves little to 

 be desired. As collected it varies considerably in size and 

 form. Good examples have petals from three-quarters to a 

 full inch long, and rather broad. Still larger forms are sepa- 

 rated, as the variety Major, and there is a form with short 

 broad petals and a closed or globe-shaped bud known as G. 

 globosus. These forms have broader leaves than the type, 

 and seem also more vigorous. The leaves of G. Elwesii are 

 broader than those of G. nivalis, light green and glaucous. 

 The weak point of G. Elwesii is its odor, which is not as 

 agreeable as that of other varieties. 



Galanthus Aidin is a new Snowdrop collected last year by 

 Mr. Whittall, to whom I am indebted for my samples. These 

 flowered as early as G. Elwesii and are very promising. They 

 vary somewhat in size and markings, as is usually the case 

 with collected Snowdrops. The flowers are usuallv of fine size, 

 and in many cases have simply dots of green on the lobes 

 and a green base to the inner petals. Their promise, however, 

 is not so much in the novelty of their flowers as in earliness 

 and prolific bloom. Almost every bulb of the hundred or 

 more grown gave me two flowers, and in many cases there 

 were three. In one instance I found a double-flowered scape, 

 the extra flower having four outer petals. I have also found a 

 bulb with a fasciated scape, with two flowers and a remarkable 

 profusion of extra petals, some of which spring from the pedicel. 

 If they retain this habit they will prove more floriferous than 

 any kind yet tested by me. At the same time Mr. Whittall 

 sent me a lot of large, long-necked bulbs asG. Cassaba. These 

 were so distinct as to lead to visions of something quite unique 

 in the way of flowers. Unfortunately they were rather soft 

 from being a little unripe. The variety cannot be fairly judged 

 as yet ; they evidently will prove superior to G. Aidin in ro- 

 bustness and size of flower, but I consider G. Aidin the most 

 valuable acquisition. Both of these are probably varieties of 

 G. Elwesii. Another of Mr. Whittall's varieties, G.Ikaria?, from 

 the island of Icaria, has broad green leaves, Leucojum-like, 

 with flowers of good size and shape. There is still another 

 Asia Minor Snowdrop with small flowers and narrow leaves, 

 light green, and unlike those of G. nivalis. I am also indebted 

 to Mr. Whittall for other specimens which do not yet show 

 striking characteristics, but prove that Asia Minor is rich in 

 Snowdrop varieties. Another Asia Minor Snowdrop sent out 

 by Dammann, G. robustus, is a noble variety, well named. 

 The bulbs are large and flower-scapes very strong. The flowers 

 are large, with petals fairly narrow, making a long bud. These 

 are scarcely as pointed as well-grown flowers of G. Imperati, 

 which is the Italian form of G. nivalis, with highly pleasing- 

 flowers larger than the type. The inner petals of these are 

 white, with green markings on the sinus. A large form of this 

 is G. Imperati Atkinsii. This is most striking in the border, 

 being the largest-flowered and tallest of the collection. This 

 variety also sometimes has four outer petals and shows a 

 tendency to produce extra inner ones which are not fully 

 developed. Another form of G. Imperatii is G. Melville 

 major, which is a beautiful form of great purity of color. 

 The inner petals of this variety are without lobes and in- 

 curved. 



Galanthus Scharlockii is a curious little Snowdrop which has 

 green markings on the tips of the outer petals, and the spathe 

 is divided, branching over like a pair of horns. These spathe 



