May 16, 1894.] 



Garden and Forest. 



197 



Daffodils are so uncertain in their behavior. With us they 

 promised well the first year, as the flowers were strong and of 

 the most varied forms of any section, but the next season they 

 did not do so well, and this year very few have put in an ap- 

 pearance. The conclusion that I have reached is that they 

 are not to be depended on for our northern latitude, and 

 intending cultivators should be cautious about planting them 

 in any section until they have been fully tested. In sharp con- 

 trast to these Spanish kinds, the older and well-known sorts 

 have been better and stronger than ever, and are among our 

 choicest spring-flowering bulbs, as well as the most satisfac- 

 tory. This is especially true of Countess of Annesley, all the 

 bicolors, not omitting M. Foster, the latest of all in this section 

 and as good as Emperor or Horsfieldii. The Incomparabilis 

 varieties always do well, and so do the Leedsi and Burbidgei, 

 for each have half the blood of N. Incomparabilis in their 

 parentage. 



Some very beautiful species of Tulip are now in bloom. 

 Tulipa Greigi has been undisturbed for three years, and is as 

 good as when first planted. It should be more often seen in 

 the border, for it is one of the most ornamental of spring 

 flowers. There came among the bulbs of T. Greigi a single 

 bulb that has similarly spotted foliage and a bright yellow 

 large flower, the outer petals of which are marked with crim- 

 son. This is unknown to me by name ; it might be a yellow 

 variety of the latter, but it is more robust, and I do not know 

 of a yellow one being in commerce. 



The Mertensia Virginica has been a pretty sight again this 

 spring, and it seeds freely in the borders here. Young plants 

 are coming up about the old plants and will soon have to be 

 taken out, they are so plentiful. It is not often that this plant 

 seeds in cultivation, or at least the plants do not usually come 

 up spontaneously, but this may be accounted for in the fact 

 that the borders are never forked over, all weeds being pulled 

 by hand as the best way to avoid damage to the plants. This 

 practice encourages the generation of self-sown seeds of all 

 border-plants, and makes it easy to fill up gaps. 



Pasonia tenuifolia is now in full beauty, and it is one of our 

 best early spring flowers. Both the double and single varie- 

 ties are good. They are rather scarce, and more expensive 

 than the older herbaceous Paeonies, but are well worth having, 

 as they soon form nice chimps and flower freely. The tree 

 Pasonies will shortly follow, and these in turn will be followed 

 by the herbaceous kinds. This is a well-marked period, for 

 as soon as the herbaceous Pseonies open their flowers the 

 rose-bugs will be here, and there will not be more than a day 

 or two of difference either way. If these pests would but stay 

 away a week or so, the Paeonies would have a chance to show 

 their full beauty, but we know no way to prevent their coming. 



Aside from the Funkias, there are very few good border- 

 plants with variegated leaves that are hardy, or will keep their 

 color all the season. An old plant, Centaurea nigra variegata, 

 not often seen, would make a good edging to a border where 

 such plants are desired. It is easily divided, and keeps its color 

 throughout the season. Its habit is dense or tufted, the 

 leaves being margined with bright yellow. If the flowers are 

 kept cut off it improves the leaf-growth, and the blossoms 

 are the least desirable feature, and easily spared. 



Scabiosa Caucasica is a valued border-plant on account of 

 its pretty lavender-colored flowers, a color rare in hardy plants. 

 The plant is also rare in borders, due, I believe, to its dying 

 out for some unknown reason. It has been suggested that S. 

 Caucasica is a biennial, but it is a true perennial. It seeds 

 freely, and a quantity of young seedlings generally spring up 

 that will flower the same season if carefully transplanted in the 

 spring. We grow our plants in a plot by themselves, as they 

 are much used for cutting ; at this time a quantity of seedlings 

 are coming up. 



Many hardy plants are of a very weedy nature, and insist on 

 a great deal more space than was intended for them in the be- 

 ginning. Many we could not well do without, so they must be 

 forked out now when we can best determine a good place for 

 them. The Achilleas, Monarda didyma, Spirasa lobata, Heli- 

 anthus rigidus, Boltonias, Anemone Pennsylvanica and many 

 others will suggest themselves as being offenders in this way. 

 These need annual thinning out to keep them from appro- 

 priating the whole border. So much for permanent border- 

 plants ; but we must now prepare for those of annual duration, 

 for these are indispensable. Asters, Stocks, Zinnias, Gladioli, 

 Mignonette and other old favorites will have to be dotted in to 

 take the place of those that flower early and then die down. It 

 is never safe to begin setting these out before the end of May 

 in this section, but they should now be in readiness for plant- 

 ing then. Annuals should be carefully hardened off in cold 

 frames. Cannas, Geraniums and all plants of this description 



pay well for a careful hardening off also, for if taken out of the 

 greenhouse and put in the open sun they are apt to scorch and 

 look rusty for a week or two after being set out. 



South Lancaster, Mass. E. 0. Or pet. 



Spring Flowers in Vermont. 



THE spring of 1894 has been a very peculiar and trying one 

 for hardy perennials here in Vermont. The early 

 warm spell in March took about all the frostout of the ground, 

 and in sheltered positions plants started into growth. Until 

 this time plants were in excellent condition, and the extreme 

 cold weather had apparently not injured them in the least. 

 After this came the most trying time of all. The ground 

 froze to a depth of three and four inches, and we had a course 

 of warm and cold waves most injurious to plant-lite. Some 

 of the native species, such as Uvularia grandiflora and Ari- 

 sasma triphyllum, in exposed positions were entirely killed. 

 Several species of native Ferns were also killed. In nearly 

 every instance where a covering had been given the plants in 

 the fall, sufficient to prevent the frost from coming out, no 

 great injury was sustained at first, but in almost every case 

 where, for experiment, the covering was removed during the 

 first warm spell, the injury was severe, and in several in- 

 stances fatal, even though the plants were well established 

 and had stood the winter perfectly up to March 5th. 



Lilium Brownii is a tender species here, and though not dif- 

 ficult to grow when established, it will not stand our winters 

 without protection. The same may be said of L. Parrvi, and 

 most of the Erythroniums of the Pacific coast also need some 

 protection in so trying a spring. Fritillaria pudica will stand 

 almost anything in the way of frost, without protection. All 

 the Fritillarias from the Pacific coast do well here and in- 

 crease in size with cultivation. They may not show them- 

 selves above ground the first year, as is often the case with 

 some of the Lilies, but they establish themselves for a good 

 start the second year, and apparently make up for lost time in 

 size and vigor. 



Draba Arizoides was among the first plants to flower here. 

 It grows three to six inches high, with one to six umbels of 

 pretty bright yellow flowers. The leaves are quite attractive 

 and are clustered at the base. Among other plants which 

 flowered in April were several of the Chionodoxas, Trillium 

 nivale, T. recurvatum.T. erectum andT. grandiflorum; Iberis 

 stylosa, Viola Zoyzii, Fritillaria pudica and F. liliacea ; Primula 

 spectabilis, P. minima, P. Wulferiana, P. denticulata and P. 

 cortusoides ; Arabis alpina, Anemone vernalis and A. nemo- 

 rosa ; Viola blanda and V. rostrata ; Claytonia Virginica and C. 

 Caroliniana ; Erythronium albidum, E. Americanum and E. 

 grandiflorum ; Arabis albida foliosa and Mertensia Virginica. 



Charlotte, vt. F. H. Horsford. 



Sweet Peas. — Many persons make a mistake in sowing their 

 Sweet Peas too thickly, and the consequence is the plants are 

 spindly, and produce a poorer quality of bloom than when full 

 space is given to each one. I prefer to sow in wide drills, 

 somewhat thinly. If the seed comes up thicker than we think 

 is required, we can thin out the young plants when about 

 an inch high. That this practice pays we have had abundant 

 proof. It has been stated that one plant of the variety Emily 

 Henderson has produced more than a thousand flowers in a 

 season. We have never tested individual plants, but last year 

 we kept a record of the spikes cut from a row sixty feet long, 

 partly composed of the Eckford varieties and partly of good 

 mixed sorts. The first flowers were cut on June nth, and the 

 last on October the 20th. The number gathered for each 

 month were as follows: June, 2,000; July, 17,600; August, 

 iS.ooo; September, 6,400; October, 3,500; total, 47,500. Be- 

 sides this large numbers went to seed, and probably the row 

 would have yielded 60,000 spikes if it had been carefully 

 picked over. It pays to go over the rows as often as once a 

 week, at least, and pick off the seed-pods. If they are allowed 

 to remain, the flowering season will soon come to an end. 

 Thorough soakings of water are necessary to secure the best 

 flowers. Some liquid-manure can be added to each water- 

 ing, and twice a week is none too often to give the plants a 

 good soaking. Before flowering commences it is well to 

 mulch a space of about eighteen inches on each side of the 

 rows with some spent mushroom-manure or other short 

 manure. We have seen hay and grass used for this purpose, 

 but the mulch is better, because it not only keeps the soil cool 

 and damp but furnishes the plants with the food they need. 



Violets. — New runners inserted about the middle of April 

 will now have made fairly good roots, and the sash should be 

 thrown off of them on all evenings when there is no likelihood 



