September 5, 1894.] 



Garden and Forest. 



357 



until the middle of October. They are pure white, and 

 bear some resemblance to the flowers of the smaller Mag- 

 nolias. They have five broad petals somewhat incurved, 

 so that they never open widely, but give the flower a 

 half-expanded appearance. They are some three inches 

 across, and a cluster of yellow stamens and anthers adds 

 much to their beauty. The odor is very delicate and contains 

 a suggestion of tea, which is hardly surprising since Gordonia 

 is as nearly allied to the Tea-plant as any of our American 

 trees. The leaves are dark, with an evergreen appearance, 

 and they turn in autumn to rich crimson. Altogether, its 

 charms are sufficient to tempt any planter in the middle 

 states who has a suitable soil and position to test the har- 

 diness of this Franklinia, as it is often called in the cata- 

 logues. 



Veronica longifolia subsessilis. — A vase filled with tall 

 spikes of this hardy herbaceous Speedwell at the exhibition 

 connected with the Florists' Convention reminded us once 

 more that this is probably the best among the late-bloom- 

 ing species of this numerous and very useful genus. This 

 variety is perfectly hardy, the spike is much longer than 

 that of the species, and the flowers are larger and of an 

 intense blue and singularly lustrous. It grows from two 

 to four feet high, according to the richness of the soil in 

 which it is placed, thriving best in deep rich ground and in 

 open situations. It is easily increased by division of the 

 roots. Of course, there are other species which should not 

 be neglected, among them V. cerca;oides, which blooms in 

 late spring, and the low-growing V. rupestris, whichclosely 

 follows it and spreads out in a mat of bright color. The 

 hoary-leaved V. incana is well known as a good plant for 

 rock-work and effective in border lines, while our native 

 V. officinalis has proved an admirable plant under trees 

 and other shady places where the grass will not grow, 

 covering the ground with a permanent sod. The European 

 variety, V. repens, is another creeping species which is 

 said to make a close sward-like growth in a short time. 

 All these have their special uses and their special seasons ; 

 but for flowering now, the Japanese plant, which is the 

 subject of this note, is so robust and distinct that no con- 

 siderable collection of hardy plants should be without it. 



Cultural Department. 



Ornamental Fruits for the Conservatory. 



'"PHERE is no lack of flowering plants for the winter decora- 

 A tion of the conservatory, but it should not be forgotten 

 that well-grown specimens of certain berry-bearing plants will 

 prove equally attractive, especially for temperate or cool 

 houses, such as are frequently formed by enclosing a portion 

 of a veranda. A structure of this kind is often the only avail- 

 able one for the amateur cultivator, but it is capable of giving- 

 much pleasure to the owner, providing a proper selection of 

 plants is made. 



Among the species adapted to such use are the Aucubas, 

 plants which are nearly hardy and have such tough foliage as 

 to be almost dust-proof. Aucuba Japonica is an easy subject 

 to manage, requiring only to be potted in good loam, with 

 sufficient drainage to protect it against stagnant water at 

 the roots. Cuttings from half-ripened wood root readily, 

 and the young plants will make the best progress when planted 

 outdoors during the summer, although they should be lifted 

 and potted up before hard frost comes in the fall. These 

 plants are unisexual, and it is, therefore, necessary to have both 

 male and female in order to secure a crop of berries. The fer- 

 tilization of the female flowers is very readily performed, it 

 being only required to shake the pollen from the male plant 

 over the flowers to insure the setting of the fruit. 



Callicarpa purpurea, though quite hardy in many portions of 

 the United States, is a highly ornamental species for indoor 

 use, its slender shoots being profusely dotted with small clus- 

 ters of purple berries, which are not large enough to be very 

 striking individually, but decidedly attractive on the plant. 

 This, also, is not difficult to propagate from cuttings of soft 

 wood in the spring, while hard-wood cuttings may be handled 

 much the same as those of Deutzias and similar shrubs, but, 

 naturally, take somewhat longer to root than those of young 

 growth. 



The Ardisias should not be overlooked if the temperature 

 of the house does not go below forty-five to fifty degrees in the 

 winter, and of these the well-known A. crenulata is proba- 

 bly the most satisfactory, since it makes a sturdy dwarf plant 

 and can be nicely berried while growing in a five-inch pot. A. 

 crispa is another good form, somewhat stronger in growth 

 than the foregoing, and, like that species, carrying bright red 

 berries about the size of peas. The culture of these plants is 

 quite simple, good loam of a sandy character being the best 

 compost, but strict attention should be given to watering, for 

 while they require abundant moisture during the growing 

 season, yet stagnant water at the root will cause total failure. 



The Jerusalem Cherry, which does not come from Jerusa- 

 lem and is not a Cherry in any proper sense of the word, but 

 is known botanically as Solanum capsicastrum, is one of 

 the best plants with ornamental berries for amateurs. It 

 thrives under ordinary care, and its bright fruits are freely 

 produced and last in full beauty for a long time. S. capsicas- 

 trum can be multiplied either by cuttings or from seeds, and 

 the young plants should be grown on out-of-doors during the 

 summer, with frequent pinching of the leading shoots to keep 

 them in shape and produce a stocky growth. 



The dwarf Oranges are also good subjects, with their golden 

 fruits, glossy foliage and fragrant flowers. They are interest- 

 ing and attractive at all times, and particularly so when the 

 beauty of fruit and leaf and flower are all displayed on a single 

 plant at the same time. 



The Prickly Heath, Pernettya mucronata, is another pretty 

 plant for a cool conservatory. It has a shrubby form, with 

 small stiff leaves somewhat resembling those of an Epacris. 

 The flowers are small and white and are followed by numer- 

 ous berries about the size of large peas, and varying in color 

 on different plants, from pink to dark red, or sometimes al- 

 most black. This Pernettya is, perhaps, more difficult to han- 

 dle successfully than the species previously noted, but it is 

 quite worthy of the extra effort that may be required during 

 our hot summers to keep it in condition. 



Holmesburg, Pa. W. H. Taplill. 



Eremurus robustus. 



OF the genus Eremurus I have practical knowledge of the 

 species robustus only, but my experience with that has 

 been so satisfactory that I long to know everyone of them and 

 have taken steps to that end. 



My plant came from Dammann & Co. in the shape of a 

 tuber with six fleshy arms or prongs, all in the same plane, and 

 much resembled a star-fish. It was about two inches in diam- 

 eter. The purchase was made in the summer of 1891. As I 

 knew nothing of its hardiness I planted it, in November, in a 

 cold frame and covered it with leaves. In the beginning of 

 the following April I removed the covering and was much 

 pleased to find my Eremurus already coming up to try the 

 delights of a New England spring. The pushing bud was much 

 unlike a living thing, except in color; it was more like a block 

 fashioned by a carpenter, for so closely were the leaves pressed 

 together that it seemed like a hexagonal prism of wood or 

 stone, with each face cutaway at the tip so as to form a pyra- 

 midal end. The plant grew well, and in July died down, as 

 was its nature to do, and when I lifted it in August the root was 

 as much of a star-fish as ever, but had attained a diameter of 

 about ten inches. In November I again planted it and con- 

 cluded not to risk breaking it by another removal. Those who 

 have watched long for the blooming of a plant of whose 

 beauty they have heard much can imagine my pleasure at find- 

 ing a blossom -shoot appearing among the green leaves when 

 they opened out last April. 



The stalk grew rapidly, so fast that I almost fancied that I 

 could see an increase in its height day by day. It finally 

 reached a height of six feet and seven inches — the flower'; 

 occupying the upper thirty inches. The first bloom expanded 

 on the 29th of May, and in spite of the dry weather the spike 

 was not through with its display for three weeks. The flower:; 

 were of the tint of a peach-blossom and were nearly twoinche:; 

 across; the whole number of them was 246. It grew in such 

 a position that it was seen by a person approaching the house 

 against a dark green background of Cedars, and it was, on the 

 whole, the most admirable thing I have had for many a day. 

 Thirty-nine of the flowers set seed — the seed-vessels being of 

 a spherical shape — and as they ripened assuming an upright 

 position so that their axes were at right angles to the stalk of 

 the flower which produced them. On the 23d of July all were 

 ripe, and I at once sowed the seed. To-day, August 26th, sev- 

 eral of the seedlings are three inches high, while others are 



coming up. 



Canton, Mass. 



IV. E. Endicott. 



