May 27, 1891.] 



Garden and Forest. 



247 



the veteran Monsieur John Linden and his son, as being- likely to 

 reveal some treasures in the way of D. Phalcenopsis, D. 

 Goldieana, etc., before very long. A big batch of Cattleya 

 Buyssoniana, another of the new Coryanthes Bungerothii, 

 another of Grammatophylluni Ellisii, and still another of the 

 new Bornean Ccelogyue peltasites followed each other in rapid 

 succession. These may be taken as an example of the rich- 

 ness of the collection which was revealed as we walked 

 through one house after another ; they also are evidences of 

 the enterprise of this company in the work of introducing new 

 plants, for in these plants we have new discoveries made by 

 Monsieur Linden's collectors, and under his directions, in 

 Australia, Borneo, Madagascar and South America. At pres- 

 ent there are five collectors employed solely in the search 

 for new plants, two others being told off to look after those 

 which are in great demand, such as Odontoglossums and 

 Cattleyas. 



Smaller houses contain many rarities such as delight the 

 eye of the connoisseur in Orchids. I noted in them living 

 plants of the beautiful Telepogons, which are certain to rival 

 the best Masdevallias if they can only be induced to stay with 

 us. Trichoceras muralis, LissocJiilus giganteus, Hcemaria 

 Otlcta, a prettily veined ally of Anaectochilus, Cattleya Rex, 

 which Monsieur Linden declares is the most lovely of all Cat- 

 tleyas, and which has been seen by his collector with fourteen 

 flowers on a spike. Cattleya Gibesi, the white variety of C. 

 sicperba ; Odontoglossum Leopoldii, one of the most beautiful 

 of recent discoveries. I might go on to enumerate all the 

 best Orchids hitherto described, and add to them nearly fifty 

 new ones as yet undescribed, but here growing under Mon- 

 sieur Linden's watchful eye, and even then I should not have 

 exhausted the list of interesting Orchids to be seen at this 

 nursery. 



Although Orchids are the principal plants, there are many 

 •others which are objects of Monsieur Linden's special care. 

 Nepenthes of all kinds are grown in large numbers, a large 

 house being entirely filled with them, so far as roof-space is 

 concerned. Stove plants of the choicest kinds, such as 

 Aroids, Palms, Ferns and many flowering plants, are repre- 

 sented by many beautiful species, a considerable number of 

 them being quite new. Monsieur Linden has decided to pay 

 particular attention to this class of plants, which have lost con- 

 siderably in popular favor, chiefly because collectors have 

 neglected them for Orchids. He has already secured a large 

 number of new things, which, unless I am very much mis- 

 taken, are certain eventually to meet with general favor among 

 lovers of exotic plants. At present I can only refer to them 

 thus vaguely. 



By their work in the introduction and distribution of plants 

 alone the Messrs. Linden have won for themselves a reputa- 

 tion of the very highest standing among European horticul- 

 turists. Besides this, they have enriched the literature of the 

 garden by their publications, of which Lindenia is the most 

 meritorious, the Illustration Horticole and the Orchidophile 

 being also useful to practical men. Monsieur Lucien Linden 

 has also invented a boiler for heating plant-houses which is 

 likely to become a powerful rival to the best of boilers in use 

 at present. It may be described as a combination tubular and 

 saddle, with an arrangement which insures the exhaustion of 

 all the fire-heat before it leaves the boiler, and the economy 

 of fuel. For large structures, where much piping is neces- 

 sary, this boiler is likely to become popular. 



To those who want to look at all the best Orchids grown, as 

 only few can grow them, I would recommend a visit to Mon- 

 sieur Linden's establishment. Altogether this nursery is one 

 of the most instructive as well as one of the most delightful 



to be found in Europe. 



London. 



Visitor. 



Cultural Department. 

 The Abuse of Insecticides. 



GREAT things are evidently anticipated, all over the country, 

 from the use of insecticidal poisons in Orchards, and 

 upon many of our small-fruit plants. There is also a strong 

 disposition to use mineral poisons as fungicides. I am by no 

 means disposed to make objections to any proper and neces- 

 sary use even of arsenical preparations, when they are not 

 applied directly to the edible product of our orchards and 

 gardens. I am fully prepared to allow that they may be so 

 used, and that no traceable evils will be noted, perhaps for a 

 long time, if ever. I will admit even, that a small quantity of 

 arsenical spray, falling upon green grass, will not be likely to 

 cause any marked effect upon the health of the animals fed 



upon either the grass or the hay made from it. It may be true 

 that in many cases nothing short of spectrum analysis will 

 show the presence of arsenic in such food. But, nevertheless, 

 arsenic is a very dangerous substance to introduce into the 

 food of man or beast, even in minute quantities. This is fully 

 proved by the many cases of poisoning from inhabiting rooms 

 papered with arsenical papers. The symptoms of this form 

 of poisoning are so very obscure that even the most skillful 

 diagnosticians may fail to recognize them. On the other hand, 

 1 will allow that too much has sometimes been made of the 

 danger arising from this cause. With all reasonable discounts 

 called for by these admissions, hundreds of tons of a most 

 virulent mineral poison in the hands of hundreds of thousands 

 of people, to be freely used in fields, orchards and gardens 

 all over the continent, will incur what in the aggregate must 

 be a danger worthy of serious thought. 



As for myself, I have decided that I cannot consent to the 

 use of arsenical sprays in my orchards, either as an insecti- 

 cide or a fungicide. I have no doubt at all that they can be 

 made effective in the destruction of some of our worst insect 

 pests, especially the codlin moth, the curculio and all leaf- 

 eating species. But there are other effective means within 

 our reach, and without the use of these sprays we may still 

 easily supply, and even overstock the markets with fine fruit 

 in all except such very exceptional seasons as last year. The 

 careful grower should be very cautious in the use of this class 

 of remedies. What will be the effect on consumers when it is 

 widely understood that arsenical sprays are in general use in 

 American orchards ? 



The codlin moth is rather a benefit than an injury in well- 

 managed orchards. Without them our trees would be over- 

 laden, and even with their help, thinning by hand is often 

 imperative. True, the moth makes no discrimination in de- 

 positing her eggs, and the worms infest the largest and finest 

 as well as the inferior fruits. But still there is enough for the 

 market, and if all orchards were even fairly well managed 

 there would be a large surplus for export in all but the very 

 worst seasons. As for other insects, like the curculio, which 

 may be met and foiled by simple mechanical means, no other 

 method is needed. Plum-growing is really made more profit- 

 able to reasonably active growers by these little beetles, and, 

 without the curculio, plums would soon become too plentiful 

 to be profitable, except in the case of the very finest fruit. In 

 the highest interests of orchard-industry, therefore, I hope it 

 will be seen that the direct application of this substance to 

 fruit-trees, after the formation of the fruit, had better be 

 avoided, at least until its necessity is more fully established. 



Newport, Vt. T. H. HoskitlS. 



The Influence of Stock upon Cion. 



A BOUT a year ago a large number of experiments in 

 -**- herbaceous grafting were performed by a student under 

 the direction of Professor Bailey, and, among others, a trial 

 was made of grafting a portion of a half-grown Dwarf Cham- 

 pion Tomato upon a similar fruit of the Ignotum variety, 

 from which a corresponding piece had been removed. In 

 habit of growth, as well as in fruit, the Dwarf Champion is 

 very distinct from the Ignotum ; the former has thick and 

 short-jointed stems, thick, crumpled, dark green leaves, and 

 the fruit has a distinctly purple tinge ; the Ignotum is similar 

 in character to the common red varieties. The two parts of 

 the graft united and grew to maturity, after which the seeds 

 were removed and planted, care being taken to keep the 

 seeds of the two halves, stock and cion, separate. 



The results obtained from the seeds of the cion half of the 

 fruit, the Dwarf Champion, were very striking ; so surprising, 

 indeed, that it was decided to distrust the accuracy of the 

 records of the experiment until it should be confirmed by fur- 

 ther trials. Soon after their appearance above ground the 

 plants from these seeds began to show some of the character- 

 istics of the stock. As the plants developed, this resemblance 

 to the Ignotum increased until at maturity both the plants and 

 the fruit which was produced were indistinguishable from the 

 pure Ignotum variety. 



The interesting development of this experiment led to its 

 repetition during the past winter, the work being carried on 

 by means of the Tomato-plants growing in the forcing-houses 

 of the Experiment Station. Of the grafts thus made a part 

 were Ignotum upon Dwarf Champion as a stock, the recipro- 

 cal of that mentioned above, and from the seeds of the cion 

 half young plants are now growing which again show a very 

 decided influence from the stock, being plainly intermediate 

 in character of leaf and in habit between the two varieties, 



