i 7 8 



Garden and Forest. 



[Number 323. 



two really double-flowered forms appeared, which have been 

 flowering for several seasons. They are as hardy, robust and 

 free-blooming as the single-flowered varieties. One is pure 

 white, with a hundred petals of all sizes, while still showing the 

 seed-receptacle and many yellow stamens in the centre, reliev- 

 ing it from that stiffness and formality which is sometimes the 

 fault of double flowers. The second variety has eighty petals 

 of a bright deep rose color, similar to that of the Rose, Paul 

 Neyron, the nearest approach to red of any variety in cultiva- 

 tion here. 



They form a pleasing variety which will be appreciated by 

 all who are making collections of these plants and other 

 aquatics. 



Los Angeles, Calif. 



E. D. Sturtevant. 



The Vegetable-garden. 



THE genial weather experienced for some days past has had 

 a quickening effect on the vegetable-garden. Peas and 

 other early seeds, which remained in an almost dormant state 

 during the first half of April, are now growing rapidly. The 

 expectations of an early spring, however, will not be realized, 

 as vegetation was more advanced a year ago to-day than it now 

 is. Peas, when through the ground, require careful hoeing. 

 Break the soil up fine, so that in two or three days they can be 

 quickly and efficiently molded up. In molding up earlier rows 

 care should be taken not to draw the soil tightly up against the 

 plants nor too high. The proper practice is to draw it up so 

 as to form slight ridges on both sides of the rows in such a 

 manner that the tender young plants are in a slight hollow be- 

 tween them. When fine soil is drawn up in this way the 

 crumbs which roll down toward (he base of the plants will be 

 sufficient for absolute contact with them. Successional sow- 

 ings of Peas should be made every ten days at least, and main- 

 crop sorts, such as Champion of England, can be put in at the 

 same time as the earlier varieties, which will be cleared away 

 before the others come into bearing. After this date a moister 

 piece of ground should be chosen than was needed for the 

 earlier sowings. 



In this section we do not find it safe to sow String Beans 

 before the middle of May ; if an early picking is desired, 

 one or two hot-bed sashes may be utilized for the purpose. 

 Early Mohawk and Red Valentine we have found serviceable 

 kinds, for successive sowings throughout the season, the last- 

 mentioned being the favorite. Additional sowings can now be 

 made of Beet, Parsnip, Turnip, Carrot, Salsify, Chicory and 

 herbs in variety. Among Lettuces, we have found Satisfaction 

 and Black-seeded Tennis-ball the least likely to run to seed 

 prematurely in hot weather. A sowing of Cos Lettuce and 

 Endive may also now be made. If possible, a moist and par- 

 tially shaded piece of ground should be allotted to Lettuce. 

 The finest heads are obtained from frames where abundance 

 of water can be given. It is an excellent plan to remove the 

 sashes altogether after the middle of May and run lath shad- 

 ings over the plants during the heat of the day. 



Tomato-plants should have ample room, so that they will 

 not become spindly. A cold frame is the best place for them 

 after this date, although we cannot with safety plant them out 

 before May 20th in this latitude. Stout and stocky plants should 

 always be ready to start with. Egg-plants and Peppers, if planted 

 out in a moderately warm frame, will make excellent plants by 

 the third week in May. Sweet-potatoes are grown but litlle in 

 this state, but last season Yellow Nansemond proved quite 

 satisfactory ; slips ought to be put at once into 'a. genlle hot- 

 bed, if not already started. A light sandy soil suits Sweet-po- 

 tatoes best, and the slips ought to be planted on ridges, a few 

 inches above the ground-level ; the beginning of June is as 

 early as we can set them out here. Muskmelons and Cucum- 

 bers, started in bits of turf about four inches square in a hot- 

 bed, and planted out under hand-lights about the middle of 

 May, will give much earlier fruit than plants from seed sown 

 out-of-doors. For outdoor sowing, if small frames or hand- 

 lights are not at disposal, sheets of glass laid over the hollowed 

 space containing the seeds will help them on materially. Be- 

 fore Celery-plants become crowded in the boxes into which 

 they have been pricked, they should be planted out in frames. 

 Three or four inches of rotted manure, with a dressing of fine 

 loam over it, will suit them admirably, and they should have 

 copious watering. When transplanted to the open ground the 

 plants can be lifted witli large balls adhering to them, which 

 is impossible when they are planted hap-hazard in anyordinary 

 compost which the sashes may happen to contain. 



A sowing of Brussels Sprouts should be made early in May. 

 This excellent vegetable is not nearly so much grown as it 

 should be. At the same time additional sowings may be made 



of Cabbage and Cauliflower. A pinch of dwarf green Curled 

 Borecole ought not to be omitted ; this is the hardiest of the 

 Brassica family, and stood the past winter without any protec- 

 tion here. A very useful vegetable at this season is the Leek. 

 Musselburgh is the best variety, and the present is a good time 

 to make a sowing of the same. Early planted Cauliflowers 

 should be well watered in dry weather, or many "buttons" 

 will be the result. About May 10th we make our first sowing 

 of Sweet Corn, first crop Sugar and White Cory being the 

 kinds used. As soon as Onions can be traced in the rows 

 clearly, the hoe or hand cultivator should be used to stir the 

 soil, and this treatment should be given to all early plants. 

 Frames will need constant attention in watering and ventilat- 

 ing at this season, as a few minutes of neglect may be the un- 

 doing of days of patient labor. 



Taunton, Mass. W. N. Craig. 



Correspondence. 



Notes from North Carolina. 

 To the Editor of Garden and Forest : 



Sir, — Referring to Mr. Joseph Median's list of shrubs in bloom 

 in Germantown in April (see page 160), and comparing it 

 with the season in Boston, you properly say it is very difficult 

 to make a calendar for our big country. Lonicera fragran- 

 tissima, which Mr. Meehan reported in bloom, begins to 

 flower here soon after Christmas, and perfumes our lawns all 

 through January and February. . The mildness of the past win- 

 ter is shown by the fact that the Birds-foot Violet, which usually 

 blooms here in March and April, and, in fact, is still blooming, 

 began to show flowers on the sunny sides of the woods early 

 in January. The naked flowering sorts of Magnolia were all in 

 gorgeous bloom here when the March freeze closed them out 

 for the year. Wistaria Sinensis was at its best at the same 

 time. Jasminum nudiflorum gave us most of its flowers in 

 January, and the Japan Quince was blooming by the last 

 of the same month and kept it up into March. Pyrus coro- 

 naria was superb when the freeze struck it. How we wish our 

 Peaches had been "just opening their flowers " in April. The 

 poor things had fruit set on them when the ice came. 



Every spring's experience satisfies me that it is wise here 

 never to prune Grape-vines until March. True, they bleed, 

 but this is_ trivial compared with the damage a late freeze may 

 do. Vines pruned last fall and early in the winter pushed 

 strongly and were unfolding tender leaves at the time of the 

 late freeze. In a vineyard of 20,000 vines we deferred the 

 pruning until middle of March. The buds were hardly 

 swollen when the cold came, and the result is slight 

 injury. 



One of the most showy shrubs in bloom when the cold came 

 was Zanthoceras sorbifolius, a shrub seldom seen, but far 

 superior to many of the Spiraeas. Its flowers are borne in long 

 racemes, white, with reddish centre. The finely cut foliage is 

 suggestive of our China-trees. Thefreeze destroyed its flowers, 

 of course, but the foliage proved very resistant and now looks 

 as handsome as ever. One of the most reliable of the rather 

 tender shrubs here, which usually escapes damage from spring 

 frosts, because it persistently refuses to start until the 

 weather is settled, is the Caesalpina, which, later on, gives us a 

 profusion of its showy yellow flowers with protruding red an- 

 thers. These shrubs are .much more hardy than is generally 

 supposed. Though injured, they survived the cold of January, 

 1893. The older trees of Sterculia Platanifolia lost many of 

 their upper shoots at the same time, and were so pruned by 

 the cold as to give them a scrubby top while leafless. The 

 younger trees seemed to escape better. This extremely rapid- 

 growing tree forms a striking object, either in foliage or leaf- 

 less, because of the smooth greenness of the bark, even on quite 

 old stems. The people here call it "Japan Varnish -tree," and 

 also call the Paulownia imperialis the "Cotton-tree," because 

 of the resemblance of its seed-vessels to the unopened ball of 

 cotton. Just now this tree, too, is clothed with flowers. 

 Albizzia Julibrissin has completely run wild with us. I stum- 

 bled on it all through the field and woods, and near the city 

 the Paulownia is nearly as plenty. Eichornia crassipes has 

 survived the winter in our open pond, and just now seems to 

 be the favorite breeding-places for the young of the dragon- 

 flies, which swarm in the water about their roots. We always 

 keep a few of these Water Hyacinths over in the greenhouse 

 in tubs, to guard against loss, and transfer them to shallow 

 water in the pond in spring. They bloom better, however, 

 when crowded in a tub than in the pond. 



Some time since Garden and Forest mentioned that I 

 had urged the use of galvanized wire-netting for Peas five 



