240 



Garden and Forest. 



[Number 239. 



Notes. 



The Scotch Broom is a useful flowering shrub early in June. 

 When planted on high well-drained land it is perfectly hardy 

 near Philadelphia, although further north it suffers unless 

 carefully protected in winter. 



At the meeting of the Dutch Horticultural and Botanical 

 Society of May 12th the Floral Committee awarded first-class 

 certificates to Iris Ibparad, described as a hybrid between I. 

 Iberica and I. paradoxa, and to I. Agatha, a hybrid between I. 

 Iberica and I. Korolkowi venosa, exhibited by C. G. vanTubi- 

 gen, of Haarlem, and to Mr. P. W. Voet, of Haarlem, for I. 

 atrofusca of Baker. 



Among hardy Catawbiense Rhododendrons which have 

 been produced in England in recent years none is more beau- 

 tiful than Lady Gray Egerton, distinguished by its large, dark, 

 lustrous leaves, good habit and great trusses of light mauve- 

 colored flowers, which are unsurpassed in delicacy. In a se- 

 lection of six of the very best hardy Catawbiense Rhododen- 

 drons for American gardens this variety must be included 

 with Everestianum, Lady Armstrong, Album grandiflorum, 

 Caractacus and Charles Dickens. 



Mr. N. O. Howard, of New York, a graduate of Cornell, has 

 been appointed entomologist of the Department of Agricul- 

 ture to fill the position made vacant by the retirement of Dr. 

 C.V.Riley. Since 1886 Mr. Howard has been the first assist- 

 ant to the entomologist of the Department, and is the author 

 of numerous memoirs published by the Department, and a 

 joint editor of Insect Life, the periodical issued by the Division 

 of Entomology. The position of first assistant, created by Mr. 

 Howard's promotion, has been filled by the appointment of 

 Mr. C. L. Marlatt, of Kansas. 



A great branch covered with flowers of the Japanese Vibur- 

 num tomentosum, which was figured on page 594 of vol. iv. 

 of this journal, was exhibited last week before the Massachu- 

 setts Horticultural Society by Mr. George Chase, of Salem, and 

 attracted much attention. This is certainly one of the most 

 distinct and beautiful of hardy shrubs. Of free and graceful 

 habit, it is, as an ornamental plant, superior to its sterile off- 

 spring, familiarly known in gardens as V. plicatum. Although 

 not often seen in cultivation, V. tomentosum may be safely 

 planted when a tall graceful shrub is desired. 



In Germany, where the white grubs of the Dor or Maybug 

 are as destructive' as they are in this country, the local authori- 

 ties, when the beetles abound, give notice, we read in the Gar- 

 deners' Chronicle, that on a certain day every person, without 

 exception, who possesses a garden or farm must rise early 

 and shake and rap their trees. The school children of all the 

 folks' schools, with their teachers, are 'obliged to collect the 

 beetles which have been shaken from the trees, gratuities be- 

 ing paid to each child who fills a leitre measure with them. 

 The insects are killed by being put into tubs of boiling water, 

 and are then used as manure. 



Probably the prettiest floral display recently seen in New 

 York filled the window of a florist on upper Broadway. The 

 bottom of the window was covered with a mass of Lycopo- 

 dium, in which were small sunken tanks filled with Water- 

 lilies. Above these, at the back, leaned a fringe of Maiden-hair 

 Fern, and back of this again were tall thick masses of Moun- 

 tain Laurel in full bloom, while bunches of blue Iris occupied 

 one corner of the window. The arrangement was charming 

 in itself, and the rural ideas it suggested were in refreshing 

 contrast to those inspired by the Orchids, huge Roses and 

 other hot-house flowers usually seen in florists' windows. 



South African fruit now finds a ready market in England, 

 and there is every prospect that the cultivation of choice fruits 

 and other garden produce at the Cape for the supply of Euro- 

 pean markets will soon become an important industry. Since 

 the commencement of the fruit season, more than one hun- 

 dred tons of fruit have been shipped to England ; the condi- 

 tion of the fruit on its arrival has been very satisfactory to 

 exporters, and the prices on the London market have been 

 good. As things stand at present, it is cheaper and — always 

 granting that the fruit arrives in marketable condition — pays 

 better to ship to Covent Garden than to send to the Goldfields. 



Spiraja media is a tall, erect-growing species, the first blos- 

 soms of which generally appear soon after those of S. Thun- 

 bergii, but hardly persist so long. The blossoms are produced 

 in great abundance in large sessile umbels along the upper 

 sides of the branches. The flowers, however, are of a greenish 

 white rather than pure white color, and are, therefore, not 



generally considered so attractive as some others. This is 

 also true of the Saint Peter's Wreath, S. hypericifolia, which 

 blossoms at the same season. The flowers of this species are 

 much smaller and less attractive than those of S. media, and 

 the foliage is small and appears scattered, so that the straggling 

 gray stems are prominent. 



Mr. J. H. Hale writes to the Farm Journal thai while every 

 Strawberry that is grown has some particular point of merit 

 either in plant or fruit, he believes that if the present list of 

 two hundred or more varieties was cut down to less than 

 twenty, every one would be better served, and if it were not 

 that many of the best varieties were imperfect bloomers, and 

 needed others to go with them to furnish pollen, the list might 

 be made still shorter. Mr. Hale's list of six varieties for mar- 

 ket, named in the order of their ripening, would be Leader, 

 Bubach, Lovett, Windsor, Greenville and Swindle, while for 

 family use, to cover the longest season, he would plant Day- 

 ton, Haverland, Princess, Sharpless, Greenville and Windsor. 



_ Among Rhododendrons now offered for sale for the first 

 time by Anthony Waterer are F. L. Ames, a variety with ex- 

 cellent foliage and well-shaped trusses of large flowers, the 

 white corolla being marked on the border with a broad band 

 of pale pink, and Mrs. C. S. Sargent, with the habit and broad, 

 dark, rich green leaves of Everestianum and bright rose- 

 colored flowers marked with a yellow blotch. This Mr. 

 Waterer considers one of the best Rhododendrons which have 

 been raised at Knap Hill, where nearly all the most desirable 

 varieties common in our gardens have been produced. 

 These two varieties have been thoroughly tested in the Arnold 

 Arboretum for several years before being put in commerce, 

 and there is no question of their hardiness in this climate. 



A distinct and beautiful seedling Rhododendron, called 

 Mrs. James Comley, was exhibited last week in Boston by its 

 raiser, James Comley, of Lexington, who produced it several 

 years ago by crossing our native Rhododendron maximum 

 with some variety of the Catawbiense race. It produces pale 

 flowers, shaded with pink, and is distinctly marked on the up- 

 per lobe of the corolla with a large, yellow blotch, showing in 

 the leaves its relationship with Rhododendron maximum. 

 These hybrid offspring of Rhododendron maximum and 

 Catawbiense varieties, of which the best known here is Rho- 

 dodendron delicatissimum, are well suited to our climate; 

 and the English Rhododendron raisers, who are always 

 anxious to secure good, hardy seedlings for the American 

 market, can well devote their attention to producing new 

 forms of this race in which varieties with red or dark-colored 

 flowers are still unknown. These hybrids, in addition to their 

 hardiness, have the merit of flowering after the Catawbiense 

 varieties are out of bloom and before the flowering time of 

 Rhododendron maximum, and are therefore useful for pro- 

 longing the Rhododendron season. 



In the Orchid Review for April some interesting particulars 

 are given in relation to the length of the period during which 

 one who hybridizes Orchids must wait before he reaps the re- 

 ward of his labors. The Disas seem to be the most energetic 

 of the different genera, and one of them, D. Kewensis, flowered 

 in eighteen months from the time the seed was sown. The 

 Calanthes follow, with an average period of from three to four 

 years between seed-sowing and flowering, although the first 

 artificial hybrid, Calanthe Dominii, flowered when it was only 

 two year's old. Cypripediums, Selenipediums and Dendro- 

 biums follow close after Calanthes, and then Masdevallias, 

 Chysis and Phajus crossed with Calanthe will require on an 

 average from four to five years. Zygopetalums and Lycastes 

 require more time to reach the flowering stage, and Cattleyas 

 and Laalias, with crosses between them, average from seven 

 to ten years, with four years as the minimum period yet re- 

 corded and nineteen years as the maximum. Laelio-Cattleya 

 caloglossa enjoys the distinction of bringing up the rear. The 

 time required for maturing the capsule after the flower is 

 fertilized also varies considerably. Calanthes take from three 

 to four months ; Masdevallias, four ; Phalasnopses, six ; Laslia 

 purpurata, nine; while Dendrobiums, Anguloas, Cypripe- 

 diums and Cattleyas require a year to ripen seed. Seed 

 is usually sown as soon as ripe, and a tiny leaf may push up 

 within five or six weeks, or it may require as many months or 

 still longer. And yet in some cases young plants have been 

 pricked off within two months from the date of sowino- the 

 seed. It is pretty clear that the hybridizer must be content, as 

 a rule, to wait some years after his experiments begin before 

 he is rewarded by the sight of a flower, but meanwhile he has 

 the pleasure of watching the development of the minute seed, 

 which ought to be an ample reward to the true enthusiast. 



