124 



Garden and Forest. 



[Number 318. 



Garden and Forest I cannot quite make out if you possess 

 plants of Incarvillea Delavayi at Kew. I can' send you 

 plants three years old. The flowers are much larger and 

 brighter in color than those of Amphicome Emodi, and it is 

 altogether a better plant. I am testing its hardiness this 

 winter, having left a dozen one-year-old plants in the open 

 ground. The Amphicome is not hardy here. " Should the 

 Incarvillea prove hardy enough to be left safely out-of- 

 doors in temperate latitudes it will be a most valuable 

 acquisition, and even if not so hardy as this, it is still a 

 plant to be looked after sharply. 



Marianthus ringens is a greenhouse climber which was 

 introduced from the Swan River, Australia, to Kew, in 1860, 

 and was figured in the Botanical Magazine, t. 5233, under 

 the name of Calopetalum ringens. It has been again sent 

 recently from Australia and is now in flower in the green- 

 house, where a second species, M. Drummondii, has 

 been in flower for some months, the latter being an attrac- 

 tive little climber with bright blue flowers. M. ringens is 

 a stouter plant, having wiry brown scabrid stems, alternate 

 oblong-lanceolate bright green leaves, with a petiole half 

 an inch long and blade six inches long. The flowers, 

 which are in terminal umbels on the branches, are yellow 

 and orange-red, an inch long, the lower half tubular, the 

 upper divided into five spreading segments. The flowers 

 last a fortnight or more and are pleasing in form and color. 

 For growing on small trellises, both this and M. Drum- 

 mondii are worth a place among choice plants for the con- 

 servatory. The genus, which belongs to Pittosporese and 

 is allied to Sollya, comprises fourteen species, all natives 

 of Australia. 



Tchichatscheffia isatidea is a terrible name for an Eng- 

 lish tongue, but it has been given to a delightful little 

 alpine which was introduced two years ago from Asia 

 Minor, and was noted in Garden and Forest last year, p. 267, 

 by Herr Max Leichtlin, to whom Kew is indebted for a plant, 

 and, equally valuable, for the following directions for its cul- 

 tivation. " It is a fine, a beautiful plant. When you plant 

 it place it in a horizontal position between two stones with 

 soil between and behind, so that while moisture gets easily 

 to the roots the rosette of leaves will be sheltered from rain. 

 It delights in plenty of sunlight. I expect to hear that the 

 plant I send you will this summer produce heads of beauti- 

 ful Lilac-like flowers a foot across." The description of the 

 plant when in flower, as looking as if a bunch of bright- 

 colored Syringa-flowers had been grafted on a herbaceous 

 plant, is exceptionally alluring. Beside this there is the Va- 

 nilla-like fragrance and months' duration of the flowers. 



Enkyanthus quinqueflorus. — Possibly this striking Chi- 

 nese Ericaceous shrub is much more appreciated in Ameri- 

 can gardens than it is here. It is handsome enough in its 

 shining green leaves and the rich red-purple of the bracts 

 and young leaves to merit a place in good collections, but 

 it is specially attractive in early spring when clothed with 

 its whorls of reddish waxy-looking bell-like flowers. In 

 your southern states it would, no doubt, grow to a large 

 size, if planted out in a sunny position. Here we grow it 

 in pots in the temperate house, along with many other 

 Chinese and Japanese rarities. It is said to be both wild 

 and cultivated in Canton, where it forms a moderate-sized 

 spreading tree, and its branches, when in flower, are much 

 used for house-decoration by the mandarins, as well as in 

 the temples. According to the Botanical Magazine, where 

 it was figured eighty years ago (t. 1649), it was introduced 

 by Knight, the Chelsea nurseryman. The genus is mono- 



typic and is allied to Vaccinium. „ r Trr 



London. W. Watson. 



Cultural Department. 



Seasonable Vegetable Notes. 



THE first half of March has proved so balmy and spring-like 

 that many persons have been tempted to make earlier 

 sowings of several kinds of seeds than they have done for 

 several years past. It is just possible, however, that the latter 



half of the month may prove more like winter and show the 

 wisdom of those who have done no premature garden work. 

 Thanks to the fine weather, digging operations ought to be 

 well advanced, but nothing is gained by sowing seed too early. 

 Here we make our first sowing of Peas from the 25th to the 

 30th of March. Last year we sowed on March 27th and April 

 10th, and the first sown l'eas, fit for picking, were only two 

 days. ahead of the second. For our earliest sowing we use 

 Henderson's First of All, which gives more satisfaction than 

 any kind we have tried. American Wonder, Little Gem and 

 other dwarf kinds may be good for small gardens, but are not 

 profitable where a large supply is required. For a second crop, 

 McLean's Advancer still holds its own, while for main and late 

 crops, Champion of England, Stratagem, Telephone and John 

 Lull are all excellent. Where Pea brush has not already been 

 secured no time should be lost in obtaining it and trimming 

 it to the requisite lengths. Where brush is not available, wire 

 netting, as recently recommended in Garden and Forest, is 

 the best substitute, and for Sweet Peas it is decidedly prefer- 

 able to the brush. 



Early Celery should, by this time, be pricked off and kept 

 growing in a temperature of sixty degrees at night. It is now 

 time to sow for the main supply of Celery, if this is not already 

 done. We find Giant Paschal the best keeping variety, and at 

 the present time, March 16th, we have it in good condition. 

 White Plume proved disappointing and has been discarded. 

 Boston Market rusts so badly that it is waning in popularity. 

 Kalamazoo, a western variety, has been introduced into the 

 Boston market this year, and in flavor it is superior to all 

 others; we purpose giving it a fair trial, also the Paris Market 

 White Solid, said to be rust-proof. 



Tomatoes, if sown eight weeks before the time for planting 

 out, will make strong plants. It is a good plan to have at least 

 a portion of them in six-inch pots, and if some fruit is set on 

 them ail the better. By using early varieties, such as Nichol- 

 son's Hybrid, Conference and May's Favorite, fruit may be 

 gathered outdoors by July 1st. For a main crop we consider 

 the middle of March early enough to sow the seed ; if kept 

 growing along without check these will be more profitable 

 plants than those sown a month earlier. There are so many 

 kinds now in cultivation that hardly any two persons in one 

 locality consider the same Tomato the best. We find Living- 

 stone's Perfection, President Cleveland, Table Queen, Pon- 

 derosa and Mikado all excellent varieties. If, instead of plant- 

 ing out in hills and allowing the plants to ramble at will, 

 they are trained up to a trellis they will give far better returns. 

 To construct a trellis, two by three inch posts six feet high are 

 set in at intervals of six feet and laths nailed to these a foot 

 apart; coarse wire-netling may be used instead of laths, but the 

 netting prevents the foliage from standing out naturally. To- 

 matoes trained in this way take up little room, they are orna- 

 mental, the fruit enjoys sun and light, and is not bespattered 

 with dirt by every rain-storm ; it is of finer color, too, and better 

 flavor than when lying on the ground. It costs a little extra 

 work to tie up the plants, but one is amply repaid for it in the 

 end. 



Early sown Cauliflowers may now be transferred to a gentle 

 hot-bed, and plants intended for outdoors gradually hardened 

 off in a cold frame. The sashes should be thrown off Cabbage 

 and Cauliflower plants on all fine days. Successional sowings 

 of Lettuce and Radish should be made every ten days ; when 

 one crop is pulled or cut off, the same ground, with some fer- 

 tilizer added, will answer again. To preserve lettuce when 

 headed up it is well to whitewash the glass on the frames and 

 give abundance of air. If not already done, sowings may be 

 made in a hot-bed of New York Improved Egg-plant and Pep- 

 pers of sorts. Hot-beds for both Melons and Cucumbers 

 should now be prepared. Early Christiana is our favorite 

 Melon. Among the English frame Cucumbers we have found 

 Telegraph, Tender and True, Sutton's Ai and Pearson's Long 

 Green all first-class sorts. Beets sown the latter part of January 

 may now be transferred to a gentle hot-bed ; any surplus may 

 be pricked out-of-doors about the middle of April. 



As soon as the ground can be worked the main sowing of 

 Onions can be made. Yellow Globe Danvers is the popular 

 kind in this section. Red Wethersfield also keeps well, and 

 has a fine flavor. 



Between the early rows of Peas we make sowings of Round 

 Spinach. Sow- seed of Beet, Turnip. Early Melon, Early Horn 

 Carrot and Parsnip, and plant out Onion sets and Shallots as 

 soon as the weather permits. Asparagus-beds may be forked 

 over, raked and a dressing of salt given. Asparagus-seed can be 

 sown early in April, and where new beds are to be made the 

 same time is a convenient one. 



Taunton, Mass. W. N. Craig. 



