May 6, 1891.] 



Garden and Forest. 



213 



the precaution to dig' a trench eighteen inches deep and place 

 plenty of manure at the bottom, filling in the soil and sowing 

 the seeds. In hot dry weather the rows will also be mulched 

 and watered, and in this way a constant supply will be main- 

 tained. Do not buy mixed seed. 



Mignonette is so much liked, and there are so many sorts 

 offered, that one does not know which to sow out in the open 

 ground. While all may be good in-doors, few will stand our 

 hot sun and dry weather. We have found Machet the best ; it 

 produces good stout spikes of fragrant flowers until the fall. 



Nasturtiums are often planted in rich soil. This is a mis- 

 take, for very few flowers are then produced ; but when sown 

 in poor soil they will flower abundantly. The same rule holds 

 with Salvia splendens, now often treated as an annual. The Pop- 

 pies, of which there are so many kinds, are very showy. They 

 do not last long, but if cut when about to open they will last 

 several days, and are useful for large vases for room 

 decoration. 



South Lancaster, Mass. E. 0. Orpct. 



Odontoglossum CErstedii. 



THIS small compact species is nearly always sure to be 

 found in flower during the early months of spring, and 

 although its blooms do not equal in size those of many other 

 Odontoglossums, nor are they borne in such profusion, never- 

 theless they possess a charm peculiarly their own. The 

 pseudo-bulbs are small — aboutthe size of a pigeon's egg when 

 fully developed — ovoid, more or less compressed, and fur- 

 nished at the summit with a solitary oblong-elliptic leaf from 

 three to five inches long, the lower portion being narrowed 

 somewhat abruptly into a petiole. About two or three flowers 

 are generally borne on the scapes, which spring from the base 

 of the ripened pseudo-bulbs. Each flower is from one to one 

 and a half inches across, and pure white with the exception of 

 the bright yellow callus, which is more or less densely covered 

 with deep orange spots. The sepals are rather broader than 

 the petals, and are bluntly oblong with apiculate tips ; the 

 spreading petals are somewhat similar in shape, but are con- 

 tracted at the base, while the roundish or wedge-shaped lip is 

 more or less cut in the centre. 



Messrs. Veitch & Sons, of Chelsea, were the first to flower 

 0. CErstedii in England in 1873, a year after its actual introduc- 

 tion to cultivation through the collector Endres. The knowl- 

 edge of this species, however, dates as far back as 1848, when 

 it was discovered by Warscewicz in moist situations in Costa 

 Rica at the height of 7,000 to 9,000 feet above the sea-level. It 

 was afterward found by Dr. (Ersted (whose name it bears), 

 Endres and Wendland, the latter, it might be remarked, being 

 now the sole survivor and director of the gardens at Herren- 

 hausen, Germany. It is possible that the first plants intro- 

 duced were somewhat sickly or did not produce flowers of 

 much merit, for, although shown on several occasions since 

 the time of its first flowering, it was not until March, 1884, that 

 this plant received a first-class certificate from the Royal Hor- 

 ticultural Society, the specimen on this occasion having been 

 grown in the then famous, but now obsolete, collection of Mr. 

 William Lee, of Downside, Letherhead. 



Growing at a high altitude in its native country, 0. CErstedii, 

 naturally requires only a moderate amount of heat under cul- 

 tivation. It is found to thrive best in well-drained shallow pans 

 in a light compost of peat and sphagnum. The pans should 

 be suspended near the glass, so that the plants may obtain the 

 greatest possible amount of light, without, however, subject- 

 ing them to the very hot rays of the sun. Watering is regu- 

 lated according to the condition of growth, more frequent 

 supplies being given when the young bulbs are rapidly increas- 

 ing in vigor, and a gradual diminution, with plenty of air, as 

 they are becoming mature and ready to produce their flower- 

 scapes. The temperature may be fifty to fifty-five degrees 

 Fahrenheit in winter, gradually rising to sixty or sixty-five de- 

 grees during the summer. 



Isleworth, London, W. J- Weathers. 



Iris Caucasica came into bloom about the middle of April. 

 This is one of the hardy bulbous (Xiphion) Irises of the Juno 

 section, and should probably be grown in rather stiff soil. 

 The habit is very peculiar and distinct. The plant is dwarf, 

 leaves short, pointed, shiny above, with a slight, thin, white 

 line on margin. The leaves are distichous, 2. e., arranged in 

 two perpendicular rows. The flowers are small, and appear 

 in succession from the axils of the upper leaves. They have 

 a very quiet beauty, being of a translucent greenish yellow, 

 with a distinct crest on the claw and blade. 



Scilla trifolia is a distinct but not very showy Squill, which 

 was in flower in April. The three leaves are lance-shaped, 

 slightly glaucous, and rather thinner in texture than is usual 

 in the family. The flowers are individually small and borne 

 in pyramidal raceme on short scapes. In color they are 

 light blue, of a pleasing shade. They are natives of Asia 

 Minor, and excellent subjects for the rockery. 



Phlox subulaia Sadie. — This is a plant to be made a note of 

 now that it is in bloom. It is apparently a cross between P. 

 subulata and P. stellaria, showing many of the characteris- 

 tics of the latter, with the compact growth of the former. The 

 flowers are large and white, with a very slight lavender tint. 

 As grown in a large mass at Myer's nursery, where I saw it 

 coming into bloom a few days since, it was very effective, and 

 seemed a valuable variety for an early spring border. 



Begonia Triomphe de Lemoine, the flowers of which have been 

 illustrated in Garden and Forest (vol. ii., p. 557), proves to be 

 a very distinct variety of this interesting family. The plant has 

 not proved of very attractive habit in the greenhouse, but this 

 may be a fault of cultivation, as the stock was secured too late 

 to cultivate out-of-doors in summer, as advised by the raiser. 

 The leaves are round and pektate, the stems herbaceous. The 

 influence of the Socotrana parentage is quite pronounced in 

 these, as well as in the flowers, which are the most persistent 

 of any Begonia yet introduced. I am not prepared to say ex- 

 actly how long they remain on the plants, but some clusters of 

 flowers which appeared in the winter still seem to-be undi- 

 minished. The flowers individually are not specially attrac- 

 tive or large, but they are of a good pure dark red and very 

 abundant. Plants of this variety should be secured now and 

 grown in the open air during summer, so that they will be 

 strong for their winter work. Begonia Socotrana seems to be 

 the missing link between the fibrous and tuberous-rooted sec- 

 tions, making crosses with either. None of the fibrous-rooted 

 hybrids as yet have the large showy flowers of the tuberous 

 crosses, but in some respects they are more desirable for gen- 

 eral cultivation, as they do not have such a distinct period of rest 

 and are always in evidence. The deciduous section are easily 

 lost if care is not taken of the bulbs, and there is always more 

 or less care required to dry them off properly and start again 

 at proper season. 



Begonia Louis Closson.— Among the Rex Begonias, Louis 

 Chre'tian has long held first place as the brightest and most 

 effective, but it is very probable that this new variety will at least 

 equal the older one, if not surpass it, in popular favor. The 

 leaves of Louis Closson are broadly margined and centred 

 with a lustrous pure black, and the zone is a rich satiny deep 

 wine-red, a very quiet, rich and effective combination. 



Elizabeth, N. J. J. N. G. 



Correspondence. 



Botanical Nomenclature. 

 To the Editor of Garden and Forest : 



Sir, — The discussion in regard to the establishment of a stable 

 botanical nomenclature has a special interest to me from the 

 fact that, in a short time, I propose to have published from 

 this division a check list of the arborescent flora of the United 

 States, containing both botanical and vulgar names ; and, 

 while Mr. Sudworth is working out the botanical synonymy, 

 it will fall to me to decide muted points. 



I should like, therefore, to see all such points discussed 

 fully, in order to arrive at what the consensus of opinion is, 

 and to render our work of revision as stable as possible. 



Dr. Britton suggests that we follow the practice of the orni- 

 thologists in not citing the author of a new combination of 

 specific and generic names. I think this would be a mistake, 

 and, while we may admire the modesty and the deference to 

 artistic sense on the part of the ornithologists (inasmuch as 

 the names of one or two authors who made the revision would 

 appear endlessly repeated), we have no such reasons in the 

 botanical nomenclature for abandoning historical accuracy. 



The practice of adding the author's name to the plant name 

 serves, first of all, the valuable purpose of identifying the 

 plant to which the name is given ; it is the mark of identity. 

 Thus, by writing Tilia Americana, L., we want to insure that 

 we call up the plant which Linnseus described and named, 

 and not, perhaps, the plant which Walter described under the 

 same name. 



Next comes the historical relation which the citation of an 

 author at once brings before the student. We are informed 

 that Linnteus knew the genus Tilia and the species Ameri- 



