io6 



Garden and Forest. 



[Number 158. 



A remarkable specimen of Vanda ccerulea is now to be seen 

 here. The flowers are over four inches in diameter. The 

 coloring' of the petals and labellum is a deep blue ; the sepals 

 are lighter, with a still lighter, nearly white, marbling over the 

 whole flower. Cattleya Triance, var. Leeana, is a portion of the 

 original plant. In the size of its flowers it is a monster, some 

 of them measuring eight inches across the petals, with a pro- 

 portionately large labellum. The petals are lilac-mauve ; the 

 lip deep mauve ; edges shading lighter ; throat with yellow 

 markings. Cattleya (Ltzlia) Exoniensis is a rare and beautiful 

 hybrid, probably between Cattleya Mossice and Ltzlia purpu- 

 rata, somewhat intermediate in character between these plants. 

 The very select collection of Cypripediums here contains 

 some handsome specimens of many new and rare species, 

 varieties and hybrids. C. Morganice (C. superbiens x Stonei) is 

 conspicuous for the sulphur-green petals, with bronzy purple 

 blotchings and ciliated margins. Its general habit is that of 

 C. Stonei, with a pouch like that of C. superbiens. The fine 

 specimen here now bears three scapes with ten flowers, and 

 as recently as last August it carried twelve flowers on three 

 scapes, and therefore it may be rated as a pretty free bloomer. 

 C. Mastersii is a new species. The scape is erect, sixteen 

 inches long, and hairy; the petals deep bronze veined with 

 violet-purple, and pouch bronzy purple. C. insigne Chantini 

 (Philbrick's variety) is, without doubt, the handsomest of the 

 varieties of this fine species. It has a deep, arching, dorsal 

 sepal, with reflexed margins. The white nearly covers the 

 whole, and the violet punctation is very delicate. This is 

 sometimes confounded with the varieties Maulei and Puncta- 

 tum-violaceum, both inferior kinds, with a flat dorsal sepal. 

 C. Godseffianum (C. hirsutissimumy. Boxallii), now blooming- 

 tor the first time, is of very recent origin. The centre of the 

 dorsal sepal is a black bronze on a yellowish green ground. 

 Petals large, wavy at the base, the upper part reddish purple, 

 and the lower sulphur-yellow, with dark spots. C. Leeanum 

 superbiens (C. insigne X Spiceriamim) has a dorsal sepal not 

 unlike that of the variety Chantini, but it is larger and almost 

 wholly white, with violet punctation extending across the lower 

 half and continued up the median line to the tip. C. cardinale 

 {C. SedeniX Schlimii) is a very handsome and almost contin- 

 uous blooming hybrid in the way of C. Sedeni, but brighter; 

 the pouch is more round and the petals are not twisted. 



The new and rare Odontoglossnm Harry ana is now in bloom. 

 It is probably the handsomest and most distinct of all the 

 bronze-flowered Odontoglots. The sepals and petals are 

 bronze, with clear yellow tips ; base of labellum yellow and 

 purple, with white lines and white tip. 



Masdevallias were represented by many quaint and beautiful 

 species and varieties. The M. Chimcera group, which have a 

 strange fascination forjmany people, are here in full force. M. 

 R oezlii almost black; M. Winnianum purple; M. rubra ; M. 

 aurea; M. Veitchiana, the groundcolor of which is orange-scar- 

 let, with the violet hairs suffusing three-fourths of the surface, 

 giving it a peculiarly brilliant hue ; M. ignea with its varieties, 

 Rubra and Aurantiaca ; M. Lindeni and M. Harryana, con- 

 spicuous for violet shades, and M. Tovariensis are all rep- 

 resented by fine specimens. Plurothallus Roezlii is a curious 

 novelty, with plum-colored flowers. Fine spikes of Oncidium 

 splendidum, effectively placed, with the lovely pure white form 

 of Lycaste Skinneri, bring my list to a close. 



Wellesley, Mass. 



//. G. 



Wanted, a Tract on Forestry. 



To the Editor of Garden and Forest : 



Sir. — The necessity of forestry reform is admitted by all 

 intelligent people who take time to examine the question, but 

 no reform can make much headway until the people at large 

 become convinced of its necessity. The prime need, then, in 

 every such cause is to instruct them as quickly as possible in 

 that which so greatly concerns their welfare. 



The two great avenues to the human mind are through the 

 eye and the ear, and of these the first is, no doubt, the most 

 important. That which we see makes, on the whole, the 

 greatest impression. Such object-lessons, therefore, as that 

 contemplated by the Adirondack League Club, referred to in 

 your issue of February 1 8th, will, of course, be a vast help in 

 forming a healthy public opinion concerning the management 

 of our national forests. The fine example of the city of Lynn, 

 which is now engaged in acquiring a vast and varied tract of 

 adjacent woodland, embracing some 1,400 acres, to be held as 

 a public forest and park for the use of the people forever, is 

 another splendid object-lesson ; the enterprise of the little vil- 

 lage of Freedonia, New York, which has had the wit to seize 

 the park idea by the right handle and forestall the future by 



boldly laying out two parks in the very heart of the town. 

 These and other similar examples help along the causes with 

 which they may severally be classified far more rapidly than 

 can the very best of preaching. May such tangible teaching 

 increase. 



Yet there is a large and important work to be accomplished 

 through the "foolishness of preaching." The press has done 

 and is doing much. Still it occurs to me that there is need of, 

 or at least room for, special work through such tracts as that 

 one which assisted in the great reboisenient of certain districts 

 of France. There, the forests having disappeared through 

 heedless cutting, and the turf been gradually destroyed by the 

 sharp hoofs and the hungry gnawing of the flocks, great and 

 increasing damage from floods began to overwhelm the val- 

 leys. To reclothe the heights and restore the equilibrium was 

 found to be impossible until the people— the peasantry who 

 had votes— had been won over. A prize was offered for the 

 best short work adapted to teaching them these lessons, the 

 little book "Studies of Master Peter" being the successful 

 competitor. Some similar work, all the better if shorter, 

 which could be widely disseminated among our rural popula- 

 tions would, I am confident, accomplish much toward produc- 

 ing a right popular view of the vast forest-interests of out- 

 land. Who will write one ? 



Dorchester, Mass. S. 



[Mr. B. E. Fernow, Chief of the Forestry Department at 

 Washington, has already written some leaflets for general 

 distribution, but we cannot have too many of them nor 

 have them prepared from too many points of view. — Ed.] 



A Hand-book of Plants. 

 To the Editor of Garden and Forest : 



Sir.— Can you refer me to some book which contains a 

 description of all the plants in ordinary cultivation ? I have 

 examined a work in four volumes which seems to give the in- 

 formation I wish, but it is too expensive and cumbersome for 

 my purpose. 



Tarrytown, N. Y. E. J ' . 



[Perhaps the best book for such a purpose is the " Hand- 

 book of Plants " by Peter Henderson. The new edition, 

 which was published something like a year ago, is prac- 

 tically a new book, not only because it includes such 

 species and varieties of plants as have been introduced 

 since the first edition was published, but because of the 

 instructions given for the cultivation of various kinds of 

 fruits and garden plants. Of course it is not so full as 

 larger dictionaries like Nicholson's, but it has the advantage 

 of being prepared expressly for American readers, and it 

 will be found as complete as one ought reasonably to ex- 

 pect a book of such a size to be, and much more accurate 

 than manuals of garden plants and practice usually are. — Ed.] 



Primula obconica. 

 To the Editor of Garden and Forest : 



Sir. — Ever since the first reports of the poisonous character 

 of Primula obconica were published in your journal I have 

 been examining and experimenting with it at times. In so far 

 as structural features are concerned there is little to add to the 

 excellent account by Dr. Thurber (vol. iii., p. 104). All parts 

 of the plant are covered more or less densely with glandular 

 hairs. The secretion is not so abundant at any time as to be 

 viscid, and there is an entire absence of silicified hairs, which 

 he suggests as a possible cause of the injury. There is nothing 

 about this species which is widely different from P. Sinen- 

 sis and P. veris, two old plants of gardeners, against which 

 not a breath of suspicion has ever been raised. Figures of the 

 cuticle made under the microscope show but slight differences 

 in the length and profusion of hairs only. Otherwise one figure 

 would stand for all three species. 



Although I am moderately subject to plant-poisoning, all 

 trials with P. obconica have given negative results, and I know 

 of no one who has suffered, although several here have 

 been frequently exposed. 



Without calling in question the accuracy of reported cases, 

 may we not put this Primrose into the list of plants poisonous, 

 if at all, only to such persons as are extremely sensitive, and 

 hence not necessary to be excluded from cultivation ? 



Slate College, Pa. W. A. Buck/lOllt. 



[It was nearly three years ago — that is, in the issue of 

 Garden and Forest for May 3d, 1888 — that Dr. James C. 



