January 28, 1891.] 



Garden and Forest. 



45 



flowers, which appear after most other single Roses have done 

 blooming, and for its peculiar habit of growth, this species is 

 likely to prove valuable for planting on rockeries, covering 

 slopes or embankments and the ground among open shrub- 

 bery. A little further south it will probably prove to be quite 

 distinctly evergreen, as under some circumstances it retains 

 its leaves throughout the winter here. The plant is one of 

 those which may be propagated by cuttings with the greatest 

 ease. 



Through some mistake of German nurserymen this species 

 was sent (under the name of R. bracteata) to the Park Depart- 

 ment of Boston instead of another kind of Rose which was 

 ordered. In this case, however, the mistake proved not en- 

 tirely atthe expense of the purchaser, for the plants are con- 

 sidered to be quite an acquisition. The experienced superin- 

 tendent of the planting ot parks says of it : "I have planted it 

 on very exposed situations in the Franklin Park ; for instance, 

 on the top of the Overlook; and also on the slopes of the Back 

 Bay. It stood the last winter exceedingly well ; only some of 

 the softest, latest shoots suffered a little on the tops. The six 

 original plants in the nursery made shoots from ten to fifteen 

 feet long the first season. I covered part of them with leaves 

 the first winter, but there was no difference noticed in the condi- 

 tion of the covered and the uncovered plants in the following 

 spring. This is the third winter I have had them." R. 

 Wichuraiana is reported as found in nearly all parts of Japan, 

 where it is said to grow on sandy or gravelly soils, often being 

 met with on the sands near the sea-shore, and having stems 

 which attain a length of thirty or forty feet. 

 The closely allied R. Lucice has not yet been grown here. 

 In the European Field Rose (A. arvensis) we have the near- 

 est approach to R. Wichuraiana, in habit of growth, among the 

 hardy white-flowered species. But the Field Rose is not always 

 fully hardy here, its hardiness apparently varying according 

 to the climate of the region from which it was sent. Plants of 

 it, received under the name of R. repens, from one of the 

 gardens of central Germany, have proved nearly as hardy as 

 could be wished. It is a desirable plant for rockeries, banks, 

 and for training on walls and similar situations. As is well 

 known, it is a form of this which is cultivated as the Ayrshire 

 Rose. 



Although possessing an interest and charm of blossom pe- 

 culiar to itself, the Field Rose has a formidable competitor for 

 popular favor in the true R. multiflora from Japan, which was 

 so recently described and figured in Garden and Forest 

 (vol. iii., pp. 404-405). This may be trained to a post or pillar, 

 where it will attain a height of fifteen or twenty feet, making 

 a beautiful show when its panicles of small white flowers are 

 in their fullest bloom. It has been used in hybridizing with 

 other species, and some interesting and valuable variations 

 have resulted from these mixtures. 



To the professional Rose-grower, however, R. multiflora (or 

 R. polyantha, as many insist upon calling it) promises to be a 

 great acquisition as a stock upon which to bud our choice cul- 

 tivated Hybrid and Tea Roses. At the Arboretum it has been 

 found quite equal or superior to the Dog Rose as a stock, and 

 it has been extensively tried by some French propagators, 

 apparently with much success. Among the advantages claimed 

 for it is the fact that stocks are more easily propagated either 

 by cuttings or seeds, the latter germinating within a few weeks 

 from the time of sowing. The roots are not as inclined to be 

 tap-rooted as the Dog Rose, and they are finer and more 

 fibrous, which especially adapts it for forcing in small pots. 

 Plants budded on A', multiflora are more easily forced and 

 come into bloom sooner, the earliness not being at the ex- 

 pense of quality. The record of an experiment, on a large 

 scale, with stocks of R. multiflora and the Dog Rose (A'. 

 canind), given exactly the same treatment and budded with 

 one variety of Rose (Etoile de Lyon), showed that the average 

 was twice as many blooms on the R. multiflora stocks, and 

 the flowers were fifteen days earlier. 



The only known hardy climbing Rose of our own country, 

 the Michigan or Prairie Rose (R. setigera), is not surpassed by 

 any other in showy character of blossom. It has also an 

 added value in the fact that it blooms so late, the flowers 

 being contemporary with those of R. Wichuraiana, or at a 

 time when the flowers of nearly all other species have faded. 

 It is unfortunate that, although so handsome, the flowers 

 of the Prairie Rose are not fragrant, a fact which is against 

 its value and popularity. Hybrids have been produced with 

 this Rose, but none of them appear to have much perfume. 

 It seems singular that no fruit ever appears to be formed or 

 matured on the Prairie Rose in cultivation in this part of the 

 country. 



Arnold Arboretum. J. G. Jack. 



Protecting Evergreen Plants. — We have been very fortunate 

 so far this winter with our evergreens, and hardly any plants 

 have suffered from the cold. True, it has not been severely 

 cold; but our evergreen Magnolia plants and Gordonias look 

 quite fresh; much more so than they will later on if they are 

 not covered. From this time to the end of March is the try- 

 ing period for broad-leaved and some other evergreens. In 

 fact, now is the time to shield them from sunshine and fierce 

 winds. Let a few cold days come now, with snow on the 

 ground and a bright sun shining, and very quickly Yews, Cun- 

 ninghamias, Euonymuses will show signs of distress. It is 

 not protection against cold, but against wind and sun, that 

 must be given. Provide straw, sheeting, mats — anything of 

 this kind for large plants, and headless barrels for smaller 

 ones. Branches of Pine or Arbor-Vitas will prove a help. And 

 now is the time to guard small herbaceous plants from being 

 thrown out by frost and destroyed in spring. The slightest 

 covering of leaves will prevent this. The protective value of 

 a mulch for this purpose can hardly be overestimated. 



Germantown, Pa. Joseph Meehaii. 



Iris Bakeriana. — It is about two years since Max Leichthn, of 

 Baden Baden, enriched the Harvard Botanic Garden with this 

 little gem. Herr Leichtlin introduced the plant from Kurdis- 

 tan some three years ago. The specimen at this place flow- 

 ered last spring, and is now again in bloom. It belongs to the 

 spring-flowering, bulbous-rooted section of Irises, of which 

 I. reticulata is a familiar example. The cylindrical, or semi- 

 cylindrical leaves (some of them are flattened on one side), 

 barely exceeding six inches in height, are of a pale green color 

 and minutely ribbed. The spathed flower-stalks proceed from 

 clusters of these leaves, each one bearing a single flower of 

 the characteristic Iris form and about two and a half inches 

 across. The fall segments are white, spotted and tipped with 

 rich purple, and feather-veined at the base with lilac ; the inte- 

 rior segments of a beautiful soft lilac. 



In England this plant grows and blooms satisfactorily in the 

 open air, but its hardiness has not as yet been tested here. 

 The only specimen in the garden is considered too valuable 

 at present for the risks of experiment, and, therefore, it has 

 been grown in a pot under the protection of a frame heated 

 to exclude frost. It is a charming subject for pot culture. 

 The roots should be potted in fall and allowed complete rest 

 during the summer months. I have not been able to detect 

 the Violet-like odor attributed to the flowers. The amount of 

 forcing, however, to which the plant is necessarily subjected 

 under pot cultivation, though in this case reduced to a mini- 

 mum, may perhaps suppress the fragrance. 



Cambridge, Mass. M. Barker. 



Correspondence. 

 Orchids at North Eastern 

 To the Editor of Garden and Forest : 



Sir. — There is now a magnificent display of bloom in the 

 Orchid houses of Mr. F. L. Ames, at North Easton, Massa- 

 chusetts. Cattleyas and Cypripediums contribute most exten- 

 sively to this, but many other genera are represented by a 

 bewildering array of species and varieties. An enthusiast 

 would perhaps consider the new Cypripediums, C. Niobe x and 

 C. Calypso X, the most interesting plants of the entire collec- 

 tion.- They are very beautiful, and the former has often been 

 alluded to in your columns. C. Calypso is a hybrid of C. vil- 

 losum Boxalli and C. Spiceriamim, the latter being the male 

 parent. Some idea of the amount of bloom which this 

 princely collection affords may be obtained from the statement 

 that about 500 racemes are now showing on the Odontoglos- 

 sums, besides a considerable number already fully developed. 

 There area considerable number of seedling Cypripediums, 

 Dendrobiums and Masdevallias, from which the gardener, Mr. 

 William Robinson, expects some good things. 



One of the best of the small collections of Orchids in the 

 vicinity of Boston is that of Mr. E. W. Gilmore, at North Eas- 

 ton. The greenhouses are situated but a few minutes' walk 

 from those of Mr. Ames, and visitors to one of the places 

 should not miss the opportunity of inspecting the other. Cat- 

 tleyas, Cypripediums, Odontoglossums and Phalrenopsesform 

 the largest part of Mr. Gilmore 's collection, and his gardener, 

 Mr. Thomas Greaves, evinces a degree of skill in their culture 

 which is rarely excelled. " We attempt only a little here," said 

 Mr. Greaves, " but that little is done as well as we know how 

 to do it." A good example of the utility of this motto is found 

 here in a lot of Cattleya citrina, which, after being six years in 

 cultivation, is probably the finest in existence. There are 



