June 3, 1891.] 



Garden and Forest. 



261 



lum peltatum). It can be found in almost any thinly shaded 

 location that is not wet, and makes a very strong and healthy 

 growth. Unlike most plants, it seems to be avoided by cattle 

 and other animals, for it is in the pastures and fallow fields 

 that it thrives best. In pastures, where the cattle had eaten off 

 nearly every green thing, and where hogs had dug over a good 

 portion of the ground around them, I have seen large thrifty 

 patches of this plant untouched. 



There are few of our native perennials more attractive in 

 their natural homes than the Spiderwort (Tradescantia Vir- 

 ginica), which is quite common here. It is smaller than in 

 cultivation, and, though it is a valuable plant in our gardens, it 

 seems to lack the charm that it has in the woods. Its rich 

 blue petals, golden yellow stamens, and dark green sepals and 

 leaves are a pleasing combination of color. The ten to twenty 

 flowers which are borne on a stem do not open at once, but 

 come in long succession, and prolong the flowering season. 

 Cynthia Virginica is also common here, and is just coming 

 into flower.' It selects the shade in this region, though when 

 cultivated in New England it seems to prefer the full sunlight. 



Botanical Garden, St. Louis, Mo. F- H. H. 



Succulents for Bedding. 



IN certain locations a bed filled with plants o£ a succulent 

 character may be used with good effect, notwithstanding 

 the stiff and formal habit of growth common to so many 

 plants of this class. But, while of formal appearance, there is 

 yet great variety of form to be had in the various genera 

 usually considered under this heading, and, by a proper ad- 

 mixture of types, a very pleasing result may be attained. 

 Among the plants so used are some of the Euphorbias. E. 

 Canariensis, E. grandidens, and E. hystrix are all odd-looking 

 plants, with leafless, or comparatively leafless, stems that are 

 stiffly branched like some of the Cereus. The first two species 

 are unarmed, while E. hystrix is ornamented with long spines. 

 It should be remembered, however, that all of the Euphorbias 

 are more or less poisonous, and consequently some care 

 should be taken to' avoid getting any of the sap from these 

 plants into a scratch or sore on the hands. 



Almost any of the Cereus also may be used with good effect 

 in the succulent bed. Moderate-sized specimens of C. gigan- 

 teus, C. flagelliformis, C. serpentinns and others are recom- 

 mended. The Agaves, of course, should be well represented. 

 The familiar A. Americana and its variegated varieties are all 

 desirable plants for this purpose, the latter especially so. A. 

 filifera is another good species, and has the advantage of 

 being quite a moderate grower. The leaves are six inches to 

 one foot in length, and from one to one and a half inches in 

 width, gradually tapering to the usual terminal spine ; they 

 are dark green in color, the edges being gray and more or less 

 ornamented with gray threads, from which it receives its 

 specific name. A. schidigera is another handsome species 

 and of somewhat similar character to the last-named. A. 

 appalanta is a striking species, and has rather broad leaves of 

 bluish green color, edged with brown and terminated with a 

 long brown spine. A. horrida is a distinct type with numer- 

 ous bright green leaves with gray borders ; both the margins 

 and tips of the leaves are armed with sharp spines. Several 

 varieties of this species have been named and distributed, 

 and, in common with the whole family of Agaves, are well 

 adapted for out-door use in summer. 



For filling in and carpeting among the larger plants some 

 small-growing species are necessary, it being essential to the 

 appearance of succulent beds that they be filled moderately 

 close; the slow-growing character of most of these plants is 

 well known, and for this purpose there is nothing superior to 

 the Cotyledons, or Echeverias, as many of them were once 

 known. Of the Cotyledons there are several that deserve 

 special mention, among them being C. sccitnda glauca, C. 

 Mexicana and C. Peacockii. All of these are small growers 

 and of compact rosulate form, and are therefore among the 

 most useful. For variety, C. agavoides, which grows some- 

 what like a small Agave, and C. metallica, with leaves of a pe- 

 culiar combination of purplish metallic tints, and about six 

 inches in length and also in breadth, may be considered, while 

 for distinct character and pleasing effect C. orbiculata is one of 

 the best. The latter is of moderate growth, and has nearly 

 round fleshy leaves that are thickly covered with white fari- 

 nose powder. Cotyledon litrida and C. Pachyphytnin are also 

 interesting species, the latter being formerly known as Pachy- 

 pliytum bracteosum. 



Kleinia repens is an old plant that may also be used -effec- 

 tively in the class of bedding referred to. It has thick fleshy 

 leaves of a bluish green color, covered with a glaucous bloom, 



and the plant is of dwarf-branching habit. As an edging some 

 of the Houseleeks are useful, the tiny Sempervivum aranoi- 

 deum, with its web-covered rosettes of leaves, being a pretty 

 variety for this purpose, as is also S. calcareum and S. 

 fimbriatum. 



Holmesburg, Pa. W. H. Taplltl. 



Points of Merit in Asparagus. 



nPHERE has been a good deal of discussion as to whether 

 -*- this vegetable should be blanched or green, and some, 

 claiming that blanched shoots only are really fit to eat, refer for 

 proof to the long, tender and delicious shoots served up in 

 France, where only blanched Asparagus is used. Others say 

 the brown or blanched portion is always tough, woody, and 

 flavorless, and only the green portion should be used ; that 

 we must never cut or break below the surface. We think a 

 little consideration of how the plant grows will disclose the 

 cause of this difference of opinion. The young shoots of 

 Asparagus expand and elongate very fast at first, but with 

 decreasing rapidity. The hardening or development of woody 

 fibre commences at the base of the shoot and extends upward, 

 slowly at first, but with gradually increasing rapidity until it 

 overtakes the elongating point about the time it breaks into 

 branches, and the entire shoot becomes hard and inedible. 



An Asparagus-shoot, or bud before it becomes a shoot, is 

 woody at the point of juncture with the collar from the first, 

 so that if we cut it at the collar when it is ever so small the 

 lower part will be woody and tough, and we shall have to cut 

 it at a proportionately greater distance from the collar, as the 

 shoot elongates, to avoid this woody portion ; so that, if we 

 plant shallow and cut much below the surface, we shall always 

 have woody butts, and to avoid them we cut above ground 

 and have green and tender shoots. If, however, we plant 

 deeply (or better still, follow the French method and plant 

 shallow and thin, during the cutting season banking up over 

 the plants with light, friable soil, or other suitable blanching 

 material) we may have long, perfectly blanched shoots, but 

 far enough from the collar to insure tender blanched aspara- 

 gus without woody butts. The secret is, cut your shoots at a 

 distance from the roots proportionate to their age. — Professor 

 W. W. Tracy, before the Michigan Horticultural Society. 



Vegetable Garden Notes. 



A MATEUR gardeners often wait for what they call a favor- 

 -^*- able season to transplant vegetables. After a hard sum- 

 mer rain they hasten to get plants and set them in the muddy 

 soil. This is bad practice, as men of experience know. 

 Plants should not be set immediately after a heavy rain, while 

 the soil is soaking wet, for the packed earth hardens in the 

 sun and bakes into a dry cake about the roots of the plants. If 

 planted just before a rain, they would have taken hold at once. 

 But we cannot select a day before the rain with any certainty. 

 It is safer always to transplant when the soil is moderately dry. 

 Have the plants in a bucket of water, to keep them fresh, 

 make holes large enough to contain the roots without crowd- 

 ing, let an assistant fill the holes with water, put in the plant, 

 then fill the hole with earth, press the soil closely about the 

 roots and cover the surface — that is, mulch the plants with 

 dry earth. In this way the ground will not bake, and the 

 growth of the plants will be unchecked. Tomatoes and Sweet- 

 potatoes particularly need this treatment. 



I gathered a beautiful crop of little pickling onions on May 

 21st. These were sown in February and are now fully ripe, 

 and the ground is free for other crops. Of course, this is 

 earlier than they can be had at the north, but I mention it to 

 note the fact that even at the north a crop of these little Queen 

 Onions can be grown in time to use the ground for late Cab- 

 bage, Salsify, Beets or Carrots. Sown at the same time with 

 these the Giant Rocca Onion is still growing, and will prob- 

 ably keep on growing all summer. For family use we prefer 

 the Oueen^OniOn for all purposes. Those grown early will not 

 keep, but we can sow them here in September and let them 

 remain for use all winter where they grow. At the north this 

 Onion will mature a crop if sown early in August. 



We are much pleased with the Parker Earle Strawberry from 

 one season's trial. Hoffman is still here the earliest good 

 berry. Cloud is nearly as early, but is small, soft and worth- 

 less. Bubach No. 5 lacks productiveness, but is a fine spring 

 sort. Jessie is early, large and good ; our market-growers are 

 planting it largely. We have a promising number of seedlings 

 at the station, but, of course, nothing will be done with any of 

 them until tested at other stations. 



