3io 



Garden and Forest. 



[Number 336. 



lately sold to a Chicago capitalist. This is said to be the largest 

 sale of Cypress timber-land on record. 



The foliage of Narcissus Trumpet major, from the Pyrenees, 

 did not complete the ripening of its foliage until after the mid- 

 dle of July, while other varieties in the same position have long 

 since gone to rest, and probably the Poeticus varieties have 

 begun to move and start new roots. Such facts show the ne- 

 cessity of discrimination and lifting and planting the bulbs of 

 different varieties. 



The large sales of melons in this market would seem to in- 

 dicate that the southern growers of this crop were having a 

 successful season. But the farmers of Georgia say that the 

 late frost killed the entire early crop, while the second crop 

 has been shortened by the drought and the closing of the 

 western markets by the railway blockade has brought addi- 

 tional hardship, so that few growers will make their expenses. 



A meeting of the botanical societies of France and Switzer- 

 land is being held in Geneva this week. To the programme 

 of the meeting, our correspondent, Dr. Christ, President of the 

 Botanical Society of Switzerland, adds a most interesting and 

 instructive account of the botanical features of those parts of 

 the Valais which the members of the societies expect to visit 

 in the numerous excursions from Geneva which have been 

 planned for their instruction and amusement. 



The railway troubles which checked the shipment of Cali- 

 fornia fruit to eastern markets has led to a heavy increase in 

 the amount of dried apricots, which will reach a grand total of 

 12,000 tons. Eastern buyers are now offering no more than 

 seven cents a pound for this fruit, but California dealers are 

 asking ten cents. The disposal of this large quantity of dried 

 apricots, nearly double the product of any previous season, 

 will be helped by the scarcity of the prune crop. 



During the past year or two experiments have been made 

 in various ways by German officers with peanut flour and 

 dried and roasted peanut grits as food for soldiers as well as for 

 horses in the German army, but, although no symptoms of in- 

 jury to health resulted from the use of these articles, they were 

 not adopted as a part of the army ration. The troops showed 

 an unconquerable disliketo food prepared from peanutflouror 

 grits, and its frequent use is not considered healthful or nour- 

 ishing. An investigation of the merits of peanut-food articles 

 was also made in the imperial navy, and their value as a diet 

 for invalids was tested, but their use was not sanctioned. 



A Municipal Art Society, modeled after the one in this city, 

 has been organized in Boston. Its object is "to increase 

 the beauty of the metropolitan district of Boston by the gift 

 and erection of works of art in public places, and by promot- 

 ing public action having in view the better aspect of the city." 

 Its" executive committee consists of nineteen members — a 

 president, two vice-presidents, a secretary, treasurer and coun- 

 sel, the Mayor of Boston, and twelve others, three of whom 

 mustbe architects, three painters, three sculptors and three lay- 

 men. It would seem as though at least one professed land- 

 scape-gardener might well have been included in the list. 



Experiments during three years have been carried on at the 

 New York State Experiment Station by Mr. D. G. Fairchild to 

 compare the efficacy of different fungicides against the leaf- 

 blight, so destructive of nursery stock of Plums and Cherries. 

 Windsor, Yellow Spanish and Montmorency Cherries on Maha- 

 leb stock, and the same variety on Mazzard stock, were treated, 

 and in every case where the Bordeaux mixture was used the 

 leaf-blight was prevented to a notable degree. The same was 

 true of Plums on Myrobolanand Marianna stock. The sprayed 

 trees held their leaves a month later than the unsprayed. The 

 tops and roots weighed more, and the stem was larger. 



A memorial has just been presented to Congress by Senator 

 Squire, of Washington, praying for the establishment of a 

 National Park on the Pacific coast, which shall include Mount 

 Rainier. The memorial, which is signed by many eminent 

 men of science, speaks of the singular grandeur of the moun- 

 tain scenery which it is desirable to protect from defacement, 

 and makes a special appeal for the preservation of the rare 

 colony of Arctic animals, as well as the Arctic plants, which 

 inhabit the flanks of the mountain, where they are completely 

 isolated from their kind. Other objects of interest are the eight 

 large glaciers, besides the magnificent forests on the slopes 

 of the mountain and at its base, where the trees attain a size 

 and beauty rarely seen outside of the Puget Sound region. 



The Summer School of Science for the Atlantic provinces of 

 Canada closed its eighth session on the 19th of July. The 

 meetings, which were this year held in Charlottetown, Prince 



Edward Island, had a membership of almost a hundred stu- 

 dents, many being teachers from remote points, who were 

 refreshed by a vacation in a delightful climate, and amid 

 scenery of quiet beauty, while enjoying excellent opportunities 

 for instruction in the natural sciences. Especial attention was 

 given to botany. This department was directed by Professor 

 G. U. Hay, editor of The Educational Review, Mrs. W. W. 

 Andrews and Miss Antoinette Forbes. The meeting next 

 year will be held at Wolfville, in the Annapolis Valley, which 

 is the centre of the fruit-growing region of Nova Scotia and 

 the seat of the Government School of Horticulture. 



Monsieur Laverune, in an article on bread, published in 

 Cosmos, gives some interesting information on this form of 

 food which is so universal in enlightened countries that the 

 word is used as a synonym for all food.. In early historic time 

 men were not familiar with the preparation of wheaten flour 

 which we call bread, and in our own day there are entire pop- 

 ulations wholly ignorant of its use. In the vast empire of 

 China, for example, containing a quarter of the human race, 

 bread, as we understand the term, is used in one province 

 only. The bread-eaters are still a minority in the world. No 

 more than five hundred millions of persons habitually con- 

 sume wheaten bread. Even in Europe, great numbers of the 

 people who eat bread are reduced to use an inferior article 

 made of coarse cereals and pulses and indifferently prepared. 

 In fact, the world is moving but slowly toward the realization 

 of the familiar prayer of Christendom, " Give us this day our 

 daily bread." 



Most cut flowers look better when associated with their 

 own foliage than with any other surrounding, and carnations 

 do not make an exception to the rule. In writing on this sub- 

 ject, Mr. Albert M. Herr suggests to commercial growers in 

 The American Florist that in order to obtain the requisite 

 amount of foliage t6 accompany a given number of flowers 

 some plants should be grown for their leaves alone. The 

 foliage could be grown in cheap houses without much heat, 

 and the extra price received for a dozen long-stemmed flowers, 

 together with a dozen or so sprays of good foliage, would pay 

 for the trouble and be more satisfactory to the buyer. A 

 bunch of carnations is handsomer when some buds are in- 

 cluded with the flowers, but not so many of these are needed 

 when enough foliage is used. Varieties differ much in the 

 form and color of their leaves, and certain kinds might be se- 

 lected with reference solely to the value of their foliage for 

 cutting. There seems to be nothing visionary in this sugges- 

 tion, and we hope to see carnation-foliage a merchantable 

 commodity as well as carnation-flowers. 



Only eight car-loads of California fruits were sold in this city 

 during last week, and these were the earliest arrivals after the 

 railroad blockade. But on Monday of the present week seven- 

 teen car-loads were sold at auction, and the market is once 

 more full. Last week peaches commanded the extreme whole- 

 sale price of $5-55 a box, and the same peaches are now sell- 

 ing at J1.50, while Tragedy prunes, Washington plums and 

 Bartlett pears are quite as cheap. Crawford's Early is, per- 

 haps, the most plentiful among California peaches now here, 

 and of other seasonable varieties St. John, which originated in 

 Louisiana, is among the best ; it is even earlier than Craw- 

 ford's Early, though somewhat smaller ; the flesh is juicy and 

 rich in flavor, while its orange-yellow and deep red color makes 

 it very attractive. Decker, Foster, Strawberry and Red Free 

 are other varieties which are here in quantity. Nearly a 

 dozen varieties may be seen in any large assortment of plums, 

 including Purple Duane, Columbia, Washington, Peach, 

 Kelsey, Ogon, Bradshaw, Ouackenbos and Royal Hative. 

 Buerre Clairgeau and Clapp's Favorite pears are quite abun- 

 dant, and large Princess Anne cherries of a most delicious 

 quality are now so plentiful that they may be bought as low as 

 eighty-five cents for a ten-pound box. A few late Moorpark apri- 

 cots and the first new white nectarines came in this week with 

 early white Astrachan apples from the Sacramento valley. The 

 California fruit season in the east is thus fairly open again, and 

 it is gratifying to know that the losses of fruit-growers on the 

 Pacific coast will not be as serious as has been feared, because 

 the fruits there are ripening at least two weeks later than their 

 usual time. Choice Niagara and Delaware grapes, from North 

 Carolina, are now twenty-five cents a pound, and hot-house 

 White Muscats and Black Hamburgs, from Long Island, cost 

 $1.25 and $1.50. A few Alligator pears in the markets are sold 

 for $2.00 to $3 00 a dozen, and many more could be handled, 

 since salads made of them are rapidly growing in favor among 

 epicures. Evaporated California peaches, as well as cherries 

 and blackberries of this year's crop, are already on sale. 



