296 



Garden and Forest. 



[Number 335. 



with extraordinarily large fruit, of extra quality, was widely 

 advertised by some unscrupulous nurserymen,.and thousands 

 of plants were sold. These afterward proved to be merely a 

 variety of our native Shad-bush or June-berry (Amelanchier 

 Canadensis), the fruit of which is by no means unpalatable, 

 but which, botanically and culinarily, is widely different from a 

 blueberry. 



Arnold Arboretum. f- Cr. JtZCK. 



N' 



Perennial Sweet Peas. 



'OW that the annual varieties of flowering Peas are so 

 popular as garden-flowers, the thought occurs that those 

 of perennial duration are also among the best of garden- 

 plants that are easy of growth, and they do not require half the 

 care and attention that is necessary to get the best results from 

 the annual sorts. All of these hardy kinds can readily be 

 raised from seeds, but where a special variety is wanted, or 

 perpetuated, it is best to rely on cuttings taken in fall after the 

 flowering period is past, or early in spring from cuttings taken 

 from old plants stored in the greenhouse for that purpose. 

 An old root will furnish a large quantity of good cuttings, and 

 ninety per cent, of these will root and flower the same year if 

 planted in the open ground. Peas, in common with all others 

 of the Pulse family, require a good soil, one, above all, that is 

 moist in summer, or that can easily be watered in such dry 

 weather as we are suffering from now. 



The most useful species, so far as we have found, is Lathyrus 

 latifolius ; it is also the most often seen in gardens along with 

 its white variety called Albus. The latter is a valuable garden- 

 flower, specially useful for florists and others who require 

 white flowers-in quantity in summer, as there are frequently 

 five and six flowers to each stem, and these last well when 

 cut. There is a variety of L. latifolius called Splendens which 

 may be regarded as the best type, but one that cannot be de- 

 pended upon to come true from seed. In this respect it 

 resembles the white form, so that it is best to obtain plants 

 instead of seeds of these two kinds. It is rather unfortunate 

 that there should be a mere variety called Splendens when there 

 is such a fine species of the same name. It has more than once 

 occurred that when trying to obtain the latter the other has 

 been sent instead, and the error was not discovered until after 

 considerable time had passed. I am in serious doubt whether 

 this Californian L. splendens is really hardy in the east, for it 

 never seems to have survived the winter here. 



There is another good species called Lathyrus grandiflorus, 

 or biflorus. It is the largest of all in size of individual flowers, 

 but it rarely happens that there are more than two flowers on 

 a stem. It is quite hardy, a good perennial, and should be 

 grown where the others are appreciated. 



Lathyrus sylvestris is also a perennial plant, but much infe- 

 rior to all the others named. In habit it resembles L. latifolius, 

 but the flowers are smaller and paler in color. Of L. tuberosus 

 we have had a good opinion for several years. It is the 

 smallest grower of all, the vines being very slender, and pro- 

 duced from a tuberous root not unlike a small potato. It also 

 has the peculiarity of coming and going as it pleases ; some- 

 times it is in one place, and then in another, as it spreads from 

 the roots, but not to such an extent as to make it objectiona- 

 ble, for the flowers are very pretty and abundant, though 

 small. It is a plant that will take care of itself in a semi-wild 

 situation, and be sure to flower every year. It never grows 

 more than two feet high, though it requires support, as do all 

 the others, and this is best afforded by planting near a fence, 

 or even against a building, where the shoots may be trained 

 upon wires. If grown in borders the plants must have a few 

 Pea-stakes neatly set for their support ; but a semi- wild garden 

 suits them, where they may ramble at will. 



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



Pelargoniums. 



F N OR some years past Pelargoniums have not received the 

 attention to which their merits entitle them. In richness 

 of coloring their flowers have no superiors, and well-grown 

 plants in full bloom attract universal attention ; in short, they 

 can hardly be excelled for the decoration of conservatories or 

 greenhouses. Plants which are now going out of bloom 

 should be set out-of-doors and watered more sparingly until 

 they lose most of their leaves and their wood becomes well 

 hardened up. If it is desirable to have large plants they 

 should be cut well back about the middle of August, and then 

 shaken out and repotted when they have begun to break. For 

 ordinary purposes smaller plants are desirable, and the best 

 way to secure them is to insert cuttings in well-drained boxes 

 of sand in September, placing them on a light shelf and giving 



the treatment suitable for bedding Geraniums. When rooted 

 it is preferable to keep the young plants somewhat dry until 

 they are potted off in two-and-a-half-inch pots in January. As 

 the pots fill with the roots the plants may be shifted to four, 

 six and eight inch pots, the latter size being as large as is 

 usually desirable. For compost any tolerably rich loam, such 

 as is used for soft-wooded plants, will be found suitable for 

 Pelargoniums. If the plants are to be shapely they must be 

 well grown up to the light in a cool, airy house, and their 

 growth should never be allowed to slacken for want of water. 

 They should be syringed overhead every fine day, and a 

 weekly fumigation is necessary, since no plants are more 

 quickly ruined by the attacks of the green aphis. After the 

 plants are well rooted in their flowering-pots liquid-manure 

 may be given to them freely. Topping should be discontinued 

 after the first week in March, as it is better to have Pelargo- 

 niums in bloom from the latter part of April until the begin- 

 ning of June than later on, because hot weather tells on them 

 severely. 



Specimen Pelargonium-plants are rarely seen now in Ameri- 

 can exhibitions. Last year a prize offered by the Massachu- 

 setts Horticultural Society did not bring out a single entry. 

 Some years ago they lost some of their popularity in Europe, 

 but they are now largely grown and are extremely popular. 

 Few cottage-windows in Great Britain are to be seen without 

 one specimen at least. Owing to the cooler weather, their 

 flowering season is much more prolonged there than it is here, 

 continuing from April until July. Tens of thousands of beau- 

 tifully grown plants are sold in Covent Garden Market, and the 

 magnificent specimens shown at York, Manchester, London 

 and other shows are worth a long journey to see. The best 

 varieties which I have tested are Duchess of Bedford, a pure 

 white ; Kingston Beauty, pearly white, spotted with dark pur- 

 ple ; Princess of Teck, pure white ; Madame Thibaut, white, 

 blotched with rose ; Beauty of Oxton, rich maroon ; Queen 

 Victoria, vermilion, margined with white ; Gloire de Tours, 

 bright scarlet ; Jeanne d' Arc, blush, blotched with maroon ; Il- 

 luminator, crimson-scarlet; Duke of Albany, crimson-maroon. 



It is hard to obtain good varieties even from reputable 

 American nurserymen, the varieties they have on hand being 

 usually behind the time. If some enterprising firm would se- 

 cure the best possible selection of these plants and exhibit a 

 well-grown group of them at a prominent exhibition they 

 would create something like a sensation and give the plants a 

 well-merited boom. 



Taunton, Mass. W. N. Craig. 



Gladioli. 

 pLADIOLUS OPPOSITIFLORUS, now in flower, is a very 

 ^-* vigorous species, with leaves nearly five feet long and 

 flower-scapes rising above them. The flowers are a rosy pink, 

 with darker rose markings and splashes, and they are borne in 

 opposite rows. The spikes show from twenty to thirty flow- 

 ers, and on the strongest specimens have branches. This 

 Gladiolus is interesting from the fact that it is supposed to be 

 one of the parents of the Gandavensis hybrids, though not 

 definitely proved. Its history has already been told in Garden 

 and Forest, and it was lately figured in a colored plate in The 

 Garden. It was originally credited to Madagascar, but it was 

 lost to cultivation for many years. We owe the present stock 

 to the energetic Herr Leichtlin, who has lately introduced it 

 from Natal. It may be as well to say that if the history were 

 suppressed this Gladiolus would not excite much attention 

 from a fancier of the modern hybrids, with their compact 

 spikes of handsome flowers. Still it has an informal beauty, 

 and is an attractive plant of stately port, and at present is very 

 bright and pleasing. 



Gladiolus dracocephalus lutens is a plant of the greatest 

 vigor, and only a trifle less tall than G. oppositiflorus. The 

 variety differs from the type in having flowers of a more pro- 

 nounced yellow, with reddish brown markings. As is well 

 known, the Dragon's-head Gladiolus has hooded upper seg- 

 ments, and is a flower of quaint, although not striking, beauty. 



Gladiolus platyphyllus is one of the newer species which has 

 lately flowered. My specimens may not have done it justice, 

 as they did not grow very strongly, and the leaves have shown 

 no abnormal width. The flowers, of moderate size, are widely 

 opened and borne on a lax spike. In color they were a green- 

 ish yellow, with reddish brown linings. 



Gladioli are not among my favorite flowers, as they require 

 special care at both ends of the season, when garden matters 

 are rather pressing. Lately, however, I have been growing a 

 small collection of the original species rather as objects of 

 study and interest than as garden ornaments. Their beauty, 

 as far as observed, is usually rather that of quaintness, though 



