March 25, 1891.] 



Garden and Forest. 



139 



It is remarkable that these Palms, which are wild only in 

 this small island, should prove under cultivation so indifferent 

 to treatment as to grow under all sorts of conditions, if only 

 they can obtain heat and moisture. 



London. W. WatSO?l. 



Cultural Department. 



Rose Notes. 



'THE season about to close has not been satisfactory to most 

 -*- of those who grow Roses for cut flowers ; there have been 

 many failures, and in many instances the failures are unac- 

 countable. Careful growers, as well as careless ones, have 

 been tried to a greater or less extent by the failure of some 

 variety or varieties to come up to the high standard of excel- 

 lence now generally established. Of course some of these 

 losses may be directly traced, as usual, to either overfeeding 

 or overforcing. An instance of the latter I observed a few 

 weeks since, when a house of Brides, that in the early part of 

 the season had been very promising, was apparently struck all 

 at once by disease in the form of the "yellows," and at the 

 time of my visit most of the foliage had turned nearly the color 

 of the Golden-bedder Coleus, and, of course, the house was 

 completely ruined either for flowers or for stock. In this case 

 it was plain that the house had been kept too warm in order to 

 hasten the flowers for the holiday trade, and it therefore 

 seemed reasonable to infer that this caused the sudden break- 

 down of the plants some six weeks later. 



The growers of early hybrids, too, seem to have had their 

 full share of misfortunes, for many of the early crops were not 

 nearly up to the standard. Mrs. John Laing and Ulrich Brun- 

 ner continue to retain their popularity, some very fine blooms 

 of the latter having been in market for weeks past. The early 

 Mrs. Laings were not remarkable, many of them being more 

 or less malformed, but really good flowers of this variety were 

 always in demand. 



Captain Christy is a hybrid Tea that should be more widely 

 grown, for when in good condition its good size and its ex- 

 quisitely tinted flowers of delicate flesh color are highly attrac- 

 tive. Unfortunately, Captain Christy is a somewhat shy 

 bloomer when forced, but still a few such flowers as we some- 

 times see, cut with stems eighteen inches to two feet in length, 

 will well repay for the space and trouble they require. 



Another old Rose that deserves attention is Maurice Ber- 

 nardin, a seedling from General Jacqueminot, and sent out 

 some thirty years ago. It is bright crimson, of good size, and 

 also a free grower and bloomer. Maurice Bernardin forces 

 very well, too, but has the disadvantage of blooming in clus- 

 ters frequently, and it therefore becomes necessary to disbud 

 in order to secure good flowers when forced. As an out-door 

 Rose this variety is a very satisfactory one, the color being 

 very fine. 



Eugenie Verdier is also a good out-door Rose, its silvery 

 pink flowers being of good shape and size, and the shade of 

 color is a very pleasing one. 



Since the novelty has worn off Duchess of Albany does not 

 seem quite as popular, and, though a lovely Rose when in per- 

 fect condition, yet this variety certainly has not displaced La 

 France, and in many instances the experience of the florists 

 during the present season has been that they could sell two La 

 France roses for every Duchess of Albany they disposed of. 



Good flowers of Madame Hoste have been in demand, and, 

 generally speaking, this has proved a useful Rose ; and it is a 

 prolific one, too, though the flowers are to a great extent pro- 

 duced in crops, and the foliage seems quite susceptible to 

 mildew. 



The old stand-by, Bon Silene, has also been much used in 

 some cities this season, and while .it cannot compare in the 

 matter of size with some of the newer introductions, still the 

 color is attractive, and when well grown it makes a charming 

 corsage bouquet. 



The most noted new Rose of American origin, Waban, is 

 rinding a ready sale among the trade, the stock prepared for 

 the first delivery (April 15th) being now exhausted, and orders 

 are being booked by the agents for a second delivery, which 

 is promised to take place May 15th. This Rose has already 

 been described in the columns of Garden and Forest, but it 

 may be well to repeat that it is a sport from Catherine Mermet, 

 much deeper in color than its parent, and in growth and habit 

 very similar to that well-known variety. It originated in a flor- 

 ist's establishment in Massachusetts, and is being simulta- 

 neously distributed by several wholesale agents in various parts 

 of the country. 



Young Roses for future planting should now be growing 

 freely, and should not be allowed to become starved for want 



of repotting. A stunted condition is often invited by a little 

 neglect in this essential, and once in such a condition it is hard 

 to get the plants out of it. Thorough syringing will also be 

 required every bright day, for the sun is now strong and evap- 

 orates much moisture in the day. Pot-grown hybrids will take 

 an abundance of water, and applications of liquid manure 

 from time to time will increase the size of the flowers and 

 general vigor of the plants. 



Plants of this class are now much used in decorations, 

 Anna de Diesbach and Magna Charta being two favorites for 

 this purpose, while the well-known hybrid China, Madame 

 Plantier, is also used with charming effect, its pure white flow- 

 ers being produced in great abundance. The latter variety, 

 however, needs to be brought on slowly in order to secure the 

 best result, for when forced hard the flowers have very little 

 substance. 



The pruning of out-door Roses should not now be post- 

 poned, as it should be done before the sap rises. 



Holmesburg, Pa. W. H. Taplitl. 



Hardy Narcissus. 



T N English gardening periodicals the complaint is now cur- 

 -*• rent that bulbs of Narcissus, planted in the open ground 

 late last fall, have been kept perfectly dormant all the winter 

 owing to the unusual severity of the season, and fears are ex- 

 pressed for the crop of bloom and welfare of the bulbs, owing 

 to insufficient root action. Although this is a complaint of 

 English growers alone, still we may gather some useful hints 

 from it which may help us when planting time comes again. 

 It is perfectly safe to say, that as soon as the value of a per- 

 manent bed of out-door Narcissus is generally recognized 

 these charming spring bulbs will be planted in large quanti- 

 ties. But failure, or partial failure, is almost sure to confront 

 the cultivator in the first attempt unless certain precautions 

 are taken at planting time, and of one of these precautions the 

 complaint referred to forcibly reminds us. Nine-tenths, per- 

 haps, of the Narcissus planted each year are newly imported 

 bulbs, for which we have to depend upon dealers who get 

 them with their other bulbs in fall, and by the time these get 

 to the planters the season is far advanced and sharp frosts are 

 upon us, rapidly robbing the soil of its store of warmth laid 

 up during the summer. Such was my own experience last fall 

 when planting an extensive permanent bed of Narcissus in 

 the open ground. Fortunately the difficulty was foreseen, and, 

 after planting, a covering of twenty-four inches of dry leaves 

 was placed over the whole bed, and it was scarcely completed 

 before snow was upon us, and hard frosts. It was a long time 

 before the thick blanket of leaves was wet through, and con- 

 sequently the soil did not freeze, and an examination to-day 

 proves that the growth made by the bulbs is ample at the root 

 to support the leaves and flowers when the time comes for 

 them to appear. There is no doubt that the covering of leaves 

 served as a protection from cold above and prevented the 

 escape of warmth from the soil. As soon as the weather per- 

 mits the covering will be carefully removed and the bulbs will 

 be in flower a very short time after, as they are now pushing 

 through the soil. 



There is one other way to ensure success with a new plant- 

 ing, and this is by obtaining American-grown bulbs. In this 

 way the beds may be planted as early as the middle of July, 

 and better at that time than later, for, owing to the strong 

 sunshine, the foliage will have already turned yellow, and root 

 action will have ceased. This action begins again, however, 

 about the end of August, and it would be better to buy im- 

 ported bulbs than home-grown ones lifted after the roots have 

 commenced to grow, as the best roots and the principal 

 feeders would be injured beyond help by removal, and a 

 second start would have to be made at the expense of the 

 vital forces stored up in the bulb. 



To a beginner the difference in shape and size of home- 

 grown Narcissus bulbs and imported ones is perplexing; the 

 latter have very short necks, while of those grown here such 

 kinds as Sir Watkin and Horsfield's often have necks that make 

 the bulb measure six inches in length ; this is brought about 

 by the different systems of planting. Our climate makes it 

 necessary to plant much deeper than is the custom in Europe. 

 If we planted as shallow here the plants would be above the 

 soil in fall, owing to the much greater heat here at that period. 



As already mentioned, our planting is intended to be a perma- 

 nent one. And in summer, plants of annual duration will be 

 planted between the rows, such as Mignonette, Asters and 

 other kinds for cutting, and in fall, when the first sharp frosts 

 have killed these, the beds can be cleaned and a good top 

 dressing of well-decayed manure spread on them. The 



