July 22, 1891.] 



Garden and Forest. 



345 



nished with short fleshy leaves of bright green color, and during 

 the summer is profusely dotted over with star-like bright yellow 

 flowers about half an inch in diameter. It is of the easiest cul- 

 ture, and enjoys full sunlight and plenty of, water, and, when 

 so encouraged, will soon entirely cover a basket with a mat 

 of bright verdure. 



The variegated form of the Ground Ivy, Nefieta glechoma, 

 also makes a very pretty specimen when well grown in a 

 basket, its kidney-shaped leaves being handsomely marked 

 with white, and the long slender shoots are very graceful. Its 

 flowers are not very showy, being quite small and blue in color. 

 It roots very readily, and can be grown well in either a cool 

 greenhouse or in a window, and it makes an admirable car- 

 peting for a window-box. 



Among summer-flowering plants that maybe used in bas- 

 kets with good effect the Achimenes are prominent. These 

 plants comprise a very showy group of the Gesneriacecs, and 

 require a light open compost well enriched with old manure, 

 as their growth is rapid under congenial conditions. By using 

 large, deep baskets, shaped like an ox-muzzle, the Achimenes 

 may be planted all around the sides as well as in the top of the 

 basket, and, with the aid of a few stakes to keep the plants 

 from falling about too much, the basket will be completely 

 hidden by the mass of brilliant flowers and attractive foliage. 

 The Achimenes are deciduous and must be watered occasion- 

 ally during the season of rest, in order to keep the tubercles in 

 good condition. At this period they may be stood under the 

 bench in a warm house. The Achimenes now make a long 

 list, and much variety in color is to be found among them, but 

 the following are all good sorts : Ambroise Verschaffelt, pale 

 lilac, with reddish spots in centre ; Aurora, dark scarlet, yel- 

 low eye ; Longiflora alba, white, with blue lines in centre ; 

 Major, large, bright blue. „. „ „ 



Holmesburg, Pa. W. H. Tapltn. 



The Newer Varieties of Strawberries. 



HTHE early part of the season just closed has been a very 

 A trying one for Strawberries, as we had but one inch of 

 rain-fall from May 1st to June 15th, at which time the vines of 

 many varieties had the appearance of being scorched by fire. 

 On the 16th of June there was a rain-fall of nearly three inches, 

 thoroughly saturating the ground, reviving a large number of 

 varieties to such an astonishing degree that one of the best- 

 paying crops ever grown in this section has just been har- 

 vested. Of the newer varieties tested for only one season, 

 I should place first on the list of early ones Van Deman, a va- 

 riety originated by J. C. Bauer, Judsonia, Arkansas, and not 

 yet in market. This has proved the earliest variety from which 

 a quart of fruit could be picked. The growth of plants is vig- 

 orous and stocky ; foliage dark green ; fruit-stems short, 

 hiding the fruits, which are of a very glossy scarlet color, with 

 yellow seed, firm, and of a brisk tart flavor. This berry, while 

 not of mammoth size, will sell well both on account of its 

 earliness and brilliant color. Michell's Early has failed to justify 

 the claims made for it ; it was neither extremely early nor very 

 productive. The fruits are of but medium size, soft, and of a 

 very poor color ; too light for a market berry. The flavor, 

 however, is very choice. I am of the opinion that if this va- 

 riety could be grown on light sandy soil it might prove more 

 productive, as it naturally would not exhaust itself in making 

 the number of runners it does on well-enriched clay loam. 

 Tippecanoe is an improvement on Sharpless, as fruited here 

 this year, earlier and more productive. Phillips' Seedling and 

 Greenville are of the same type, each as vigorous as Sharp- 

 less ; fruits of same shape, but without the characteristic green 

 tip of the latter, and larger fruits on individual plants. Im- 

 proved Manchester, a cross of Manchester and Miner's Pro- 

 lific, seems a promising sort, and quite productive ; fruits 

 similar in shape to Jersey Queen, of darker color, but with the 

 distinct peculiar flavor of the latter. 



Shuster's Gem has not done very well here. The growth of 

 vines has been poor, and the yield moderate. California and 

 No. 19, two varieties from Delaware, are of low stocky growth, 

 but not productive, the former bearing long dark scarlet fruits 

 of but medium quality ; the latter with fruits a fac-simile, in 

 every respect, of Jersey Queen. Oliver is an Illinois produc- 

 tion of wonderful growth, each plant making a perfect ball of 

 dark green leaves ; fairly productive. Gipsey, from New Jersey, 

 did not do as well as expected from reports. It is a very showy 

 berry, firm enough to ship, and of excellent flavor. Mrs. 

 Cleveland makes a very fine growth, and set a large quantity 

 of fruits, but the fruits ripened imperfectly, having the end 

 imperfect or hard. Edgar Queen gave promise of being a fine 

 berry, but, with Cloud, suffered severely by reason of drought. 



Beeder Wood proved wonderfully productive. It is a stocky 

 grower, but the fruit-stalks are weak, and, if grown in stool, 

 plants would need to be mulched ; fruit rather soft, but could 

 be shipped to near-by markets. Its season is long, as we 

 picked fruits of it for twenty-two days. Parker Earle has sus- 

 tained the claims made for it, being in every respect, but firm- 

 ness, perfect. One who has not seen a row of this variety 

 when in full bearing, can have little conception of its appear- 

 ance, with almost every berry of uniform size and shape. The 

 brilliant scarlet color, the large yellow seeds and the immense 

 clusters, combined with the final test of flavor, make it one of 

 the most desirable of the newer varieties. Its season here 

 has been about with Gandy, which, however, gave a good 

 picking a few days after Parker Earle had finished fruiting. 

 Eureka has proved itself to be a fine variety, the quality of the 

 fruits superb, quite productive and firm. Stayman's No. 1, 

 while above the average in productiveness, did not sustain its 

 record of last year. It set a large crop of fruit, but was not 

 able to withstand the drought. 



The Jessie has given better satisfaction this year than in for- 

 mer seasons. The fruits have been of a uniform size, and, 

 while not extra large, held good size through picking, and 

 gave a very fair yield. The quality I have always considered 

 fine, and where it can be grown under suitable conditions 

 must take rank, in my opinion, with the best. Lady Rusk gave 

 a larger yield than last year, but the fruits run small and ill- 

 shaped. Bubach has never succeeded in bearing a good crop 

 here, although highly spoken of in most localities. Haver- 

 land, a fine variety to look at when in full fruiting, is too soft 

 for general use. Middlefield, while not up to its former record, 

 is still, in my mind, one of the best new pistillate varieties, 

 ripening its first fruits about midseason and continuing late in 

 bearing. One variety, not as new as the above, should not be 

 omitted in any collection, that is the Burt's Seedling, claimed 

 to be the old Captain Jack revived. In general appearance 

 and yield of fruit there is no difference between them. It 

 proves a fine cropper in most localities. The fruits resemble 

 those of Wilson, firm and subacid. Being a perfect flowering 

 variety, is a first-class fertilizer for the early pistillates. Dur- 

 ing a recent visit to several of the Strawberry-plantations of 

 Oswego County, I found Cloud, Eureka, Burt's Bubach and 

 Warfield were the leading varieties grown. The soil being 

 stony light loam, they had not suffered as much through the 

 dry season as other sections of the state, and I was able to see 

 the Cloud in what seemed its natural soil, and it was very fine. 

 I was told that pickers were anxious to be assigned to that va- 

 riety and Eureka, as the large yield and size made a difference 

 of a number of quarts in a day's picking. 



Agricultural Experiment Station, C. K. tlUtlTl, 



Geneva, N. Y. 



Correspondence. 



The Northern Forest. 

 To the Editor of Garden and Forest : 



Sir, — It is interesting to hear the surprised comments of friends 

 from lower New England, and even from the Champlain 

 valley, who walk with me through the woodlands of the 

 Memphremagog region, or notice the transplanted trees upon 

 my lawns. No Oaks, no Hickories, no Chestnuts, nor Black 

 Walnuts, nor Horse Chestnuts, — no nut, in short, but beech- 

 nuts, hazelnuts and butternuts. Also no Locusts, no Lom- 

 bardy Poplars, no Catalpas and no Wistarias ; nor climbing 

 roses, except at the cost of careful protection. Our hardy 

 climbers are limited to the native and some foreign kinds of 

 Clematis, Loniceraand Ampelopsis. But of hardy shrubs, native 

 and foreign, there is a great variety, including many Vibur- 

 nums, Lilacs, Barberries, Bush Honeysuckles, Elders, Alders, 

 Shepherdias, Wicopy, Japanese Rose, Amelanchier, Philadel- 

 phus, Hamamelis, Eleaginus ; to say nothing of Ribes and 

 many other things of recent importation, along with the 

 Russian fruits, though not yet much distributed. 



But it is of the forest-trees particularly that I wish to take 

 note. First among deciduous species stands the Sugar Maple, 

 with its congeners. The Maples are among our largest as 

 well as most numerous trees. They grow to a great size, 

 and are never seriously winter-killed, yet one cannot examine 

 them without being assured that they are nearing their 

 northern limits on our mountains. Really sound specimens 

 of large size are somewhat rare. Going north from our high- 

 lands (nearly all of north-eastern Vermont is from 1,000 to 

 3,000 feet above the sea-level), following the slope to the St. 

 Lawrence River, Maples rather improve than otherwise — the 

 lessening altitude more than compensating for change of 



