56 



Garden and Forest. 



[Number 154- 



the care is apt to become a burden sometimes, and it is much 

 better to start with a small house and long for more space, 

 than to have so much to water, etc., that pleasure changes to 

 disgust. The heater is the article which gives the pause to 

 many people desiring a greenhouse; and various arrangements 

 are constantly recommended and said to work perfectly. The 

 hot-water apparatus, with furnace, pipes and expansion-tank, 

 is in general use by florists, and as it is a commercial matter 

 with them it may be concluded that what they use is the most 

 desirable for the purpose. The first cost is rather more than 

 other fixtures, but a base burner gives out heat quite uni- 

 formly, will burn with slow combustion a long time without 

 attention, and by the pipes a uniform heat is distributed 

 through the house. Their fault seems to be that they are 

 wasteful in radiating heat from the outer surface, as this is lost 

 in the furnace-room. However, the stove can be jacketed and 

 water in pipes thus kept hotter. In my case the surplus heat 

 tempers an adjacent frame. My house has a single two-inch 

 flow and return, and, though not at all air-tight, is rather over- 

 heated. 

 Elizabeth, N. j. J. N. Gerard. 



Cypripedium venustum. 



A LTHOUGH by no means a large-flowered species, Cypri- 

 -£"*■ pedium venustum is an object of much attraction during 

 the winter months. From December until February, and even 

 later, this pretty Lady's Slipper will be met with in flower, occu- 

 pying a prominent place in the Orchid-house as much on ac- 

 count of its beautifully marbled foliage as for its flowers. The 

 latter appear generally singly on an erect scape, six to nine 

 inches high, but it is not unusual to see two flowers on one 

 scape. The white upper sepal is broadly cordate-acute and 

 conspicuously striped with bright green, while the much 

 smaller lower sepal is pale green, with darker green veins. 

 The bearded petals are dark green at the base, with some 

 blackish purple spots near the edges, and the apical portion is 

 dullish purple, the entire length being traversed with dark 

 green veins. The lip reminds one very much of an inverted 

 helmet; it is small, yellowish green, but nicely netted with 

 dark green veins, and sometimes washed with purple, while 

 the basal incurved lobes are of a shining tawny yellow, with 

 numerous small spots or warts. Great variation exists among 

 the flowers as regards coloring, some forms being much more 

 highly colored than others, owing no doubt either to geographi- 

 cal or cultural differences. The two varieties known in gar- 

 dens as Pardinum and Spectabile are, however, the most 

 distinct, and may always be recognized by deep coloring and 

 beautiful markings on the lip. 



The discovery of C. venustum is due to the well-known In- 

 dian botanist, Dr. Wallich, who met with it in north-eastern 

 India, and had plants sent to be cultivated in the botanic gar- 

 dens at Calcutta. About 1819 plants were obtained from the 

 botanic garden and introduced to England, where it met with 

 a favorable reception. Since this time it has been imported in 

 quantity on several occasions by enterprising nurserymen, 

 whose chief desire, however, is not so much for the typical 

 plant as for its more attractive varieties. 



The cultivation of this species is very easy. An interme- 

 diate house, with a temperature varying from fifty-five to sixty 

 degrees Fahrenheit in winter to sixty to seventy degrees in 

 summer, will suit it admirably, with plenty of light. The com- 

 post should consist of rough peat and sphagnum moss, and 

 during the period of growth water may be given in liberal 

 quantities, but at other times must be given sparingly. 



isleworth, London. John Weathers. 



Color in Conifers. 



IT is noticeable that the public interest in the multiplied 

 varieties of conifers has greatly increased within a few 

 years past. Especially has this been true in the case of the 

 Silver Firs and Spruces. At the present time there is a large 

 demand for the light colors of Abies concolor and Picea pun- 

 gens to contrast with the darker shades of Abies Nordmanniana 

 and similar kinds. Nor is this in any way surprising when we 

 consider the striking effects which are produced by grouping 

 trees of differing shades of color, which retain their beauty 

 throughout the year. To one unfamiliar with these conifers 

 it will be a revelation to witness how completely a winter land- 

 scape, even in our northern latitude, may be transformed into 

 a garden of color. 



But it is objected that in the case of some of the kinds most 

 desirable on account of color, this characteristic is lost as the 

 tree attains age. At a recent discussion before the Massachu- 

 setts Horticultural- Society the opinion was expressed that 



Picea pungens would soon lose its popularity, because of the 

 unreliability of its color even with the best selected trees. 

 The fact was stated that in its home on the mountains the for- 

 ests of this Spruce have lost the silvery sheen of young trees. 

 This is not the case with Abies concolor, which retains its glis- 

 tening gray foliage even to old age. But we must not be 

 hasty in our judgment of Picea pungens. In the first place, 

 it is to be considered that to a great degree the beauty in color 

 and form of many conifers is confined to their youth and mid- 

 dle age. Stately specimens of mature age are, indeed, mag- 

 nificent. But we may well be satisfied if we can secure results 

 which will continue for twenty-five or perhaps for fifty years. 



And again, I think there are numerous indications that this 

 quality of color is to a considerable extent within our control. 

 An observer who has visited the forests of northern New Eng- 

 land, especially on the coast of Maine, will have noticed the 

 fine color of our native White Spruce. It delights in a cool, 

 moist climate. The Balsam Fir is also at its best in such local- 

 ities. In a hot and full exposure these trees lose this distinctive 

 coloring. I have had young seedlings of P. pungens planted in 

 a warm, sunny place, which became almost without exception 

 of a uniform green. It was very apparent that the, position 

 was too hot and too sunny and the soil too sandy for '"them to 

 develop the glaucous color. A marked improvement has 

 been noticed upon transplanting them to a cooler western 

 slope and into a good loamy soil. So many instances have 

 been observed that I think we may lay down the rule that rich 

 color depends largely upon culture. It is well known that 

 Rivers' Purple Beech, when it is a large tree, requires feed- 

 ing. Left to an impoverished soil its foliage becomes a dull 

 bronzy green. But a generous feeding will restore it to its 

 early color. The same principle applies to conifers. It is a 

 fact that where well-rotted manures have been applied the colors 

 have been restored. The secret of the remarkably distinct 

 color of some notable trees near Boston is from -the fact that 

 they have an abundant supply of compost or cow-manure. 

 Specimens of P. pungens twenty-five or thirty feet high are of 

 the richest shining silver and show no signs of change. Give 

 the tree good treatment and it will retain its beauty for years. 



And it may be added that the luxuriant effect of conifers is 

 surprisingly enhanced by a judicious application of fertilizers. 

 It is an exploded idea that evergreens will not bear feeding. 

 Waban, Mass. William C. Strong. 



Some Useful Acanthads. 



Eranthemum pulchellum. — Those who grow a mixed col- 

 lection of plants would find this free-flowering species very ser- 

 viceable in winter. It is not common in cultivation, though 

 known since 1796, when it was introduced from the East Indies. 

 It branches freely, but is, nevertheless, of compact habit. The 

 opposite leaves of deep green are elliptical, pointed at the ex- 

 tremity, and narrowed at the base to a short petiole. The flow- 

 ers are borne in short terminal and axillary spikes. The tube 

 is narrow and an inch in length ; the limb an inch in diameter, 

 spreading abruptly, and divided into five oval segments of 

 bright blue color. The calyx divisions are white, insignificant, 

 and covered by the conspicuous bracts, variegated green and 

 white. Blue flowers are nearly always scarce in green- 

 houses, and it is, therefore, desirable that a plant which pro- 

 duces them abundantly in winter should be known to every 

 one. 



Peristrophe speciosa. — In a warm greenhouse this plant is 

 extremely prolific of its pretty flowers during the winter and 

 early spring months. It is a native of the East Indies, and was 

 introduced to the notice of gardeners in 1826. The plant is of 

 an erect, free-branching character, with opposite, ovate-acumi- 

 nate, pale green leaves. The flowers proceed singly or in 

 pairs from the axils of the leaves which clothe the little 

 branches at the top. The narrow twisted tube is about an 

 inch in length, and the limb consists of two broad but 

 slightly shorter segments, one of which is thrown backward, 

 while the other opposite protrudes or droops slightly. A 

 reddish purple color prevails, and the upper segment of the 

 limb is spotted with dark purple at the base. It is a very 

 attractive plant. Justicia speciosa, though now considered 

 generically erroneous, is a much commoner name for this 

 species. 



Strobilanthes isophyllus. — Although deficient of the 

 showiness which characterizes the subjects generally grown 

 by florists, this plant deserves notice as one worthy of a promi- 

 nent place in those private gardens where easy contrasts of 

 color give more satisfaction than glaring effects. It was in- 

 troduced from Sylhet in 1845. But the nurserymen have never 

 given it much attention, and thus the plant is seldom met with 



