3 68 



Garden and Forest. 



[Number 18c*. 



future. The flowering season may be a little shortened, but a 

 good deal of trouble is saved, and the beds look better. 



The harvesting of the roots is a matter of supreme impor- 

 tance. They must not be taken up before they are ripe, or 

 they will shrink very much, and be feeble next year ; nor 

 must they be left too long, which is even more fatal to them, 

 as they then begin to start, and when this is the case the tubers 

 are good for nothing next year ; so that should showery 

 weather occur, as it very often does in the early part of July, 

 a good deal of watchfulness is needed to catch the right time 

 for lifting them. They should be placed, after the foliage has 

 been cut off, in a cool, shady place, where they can get all the 

 influence of the air without being exposed to direct sunlight. 

 A cool, open shed is a capital place. They can be laid out 

 thinly, and when they have been thoroughly cleared of all dirt 

 they may be placed in boxes and brought into the house and 

 placed anywhere free from frost. 



Some years ago I obtained from Messrs. Ant. Roozen & 

 Son, of Overveen, Holland, a few hundreds of Persian and 

 Scotch (so-called) varieties. They were all named, and have, 

 with some remains of Lightbody's collection, formed the 

 foundation of my present one. I put them into mixture, 

 knowing that I should probably have to weed out a good many, 

 and so the event proved. Neither in these nor in Tulips are 

 growers particular as to correctness of form, and admit among 

 their Ranunculuses many that are not sufficiently double, and 

 which show the black centre much too soon. These I have 

 gradually weeded out, and I can now look on my beds with 

 much satisfaction. 



Of late years there has been a race introduced which is 

 called the Giant French Ranunculus. The flowers are much 

 larger than the ordinary Persian varieties, but they are not so 

 double, and have the great defect of showing the eye very 

 soon. They are brilliant in color, but not so varied. They 

 make a good show in the garden, but will not please the crit- 

 ical taste of a connoisseur. — Correspondent of Journal of Hor- 

 ticulture, London. 



Notes from the Harvard Botanic Garden. 



Alstromeria aurantiaca. — Several of the Alstromerias 

 are highly decorative border-plants, and were at one time very 

 popular in gardens, but they have been much neglected of 

 late years. A. aurantiaca is one of the best. It is a hardy 

 herbaceous, tuberous-rooted perennial, introduced from Chili 

 in 1831. The erect stems, from three to four feet high, are 

 well clothed with linear-lanceolate, glaucous-green leaves 

 from three to four inches long, and curiously twisted at the 

 base, reversing the normal position of the upper and lower 

 surfaces. This peculiar twisting of the leaves is, however, a fea- 

 ture of all the Alstromerias, and also of the closely allied genus 

 Bomaria. The flowers of A. aurantiaca — the two upper di- 

 visions of which are deep yellow, with numerous longitudinal 

 lines of dark red, the others of a bright orange color — are 

 about two inches -across, and as many as twenty of them ap- 

 pear in the form of a terminal umbel. They last a long time 

 when cut, and the long, straight stems upon which the heads 

 of bloom are borne, render them doubly useful for that pur- 

 pose. If we except the Lilies, it would be hard to find a plant 

 whose flowers produce a more pleasing effect. But while less 

 striking than many members of this royal race, its floral 

 charms are longer continued, lasting throughout June, July 

 and August, three very severe months on most flowers. The 

 plant likes an open, sunny position and rich sandy soil. Ex- 

 cessive moisture about the roots in winter is dangerous, and 

 therefore it should be planted from six to nine inches deep, 

 but at a considerable elevation above the general level. 

 Mulching with dry litter also tends to ward off superfluous 

 water. Abundant moisture, however, is indispensable during 

 the drought of an American summer, and in dry weather a 

 thorough watering is a daily necessity. It is propagated by 

 dividing the crowns late in autumn, or by sowing the seeds 

 under cover when perfectly ripe. The latter method is much 

 the safest, old established roots being rather uncertain in their 

 behavior after they are transplanted. 



Anemone Robinsoniana. — This is perhaps the prettiest of 

 the several varieties of A. nemorosa, the Wood Anemone. It 

 was brought prominently before the gardening public some 

 years ago by Mr. William Robinson, editor of The Gardeti, 

 and named in compliment to him. It is a rare plant, grow- 

 ing wild in various parts of England. The blue form of A. 

 nemorosa, sometimes found in American woods, resembles it 

 very closely, but the English variety, under the same treat- 

 ment, bears larger flowers of a deeper color. A. Robinsoniana 

 is about six inches in height, the deep sky-blue flowers, an inch 



and a half in diameter, cresting the compact mass of elegant 

 pale green foliage. The blooms do not last a great length of 

 time when cut, but the plant is very desirable on account of 

 its early and free-flowering qualities. The flowering season 

 proper extends from the latter end of March until the middle 

 of May, and in cold, late seasons the charming blossoms may 

 be seen as late as June and July. There are no difficulties at- 

 tending the cultivation of this plant provided it is given a dry 

 position, well shaded by trees, and soil in which leaf-mold 

 predominates. These conditions are found on the margins of 

 natural woods, composed in greatest part of deciduous trees, 

 and the cultivator of the Wood Anemone, or any of its varie- 

 ties, who can reproduce these conditions most perfectly will 

 obtain the greatest amount of satisfaction from his plants. 



Epilobium angustifolium.— This is a common plant in 

 many parts of the world, including the United States, but is not 

 unworthy of a place in gardens. It has many common names, 

 among them Great Willow Herb, French Willow, Rose Bay 

 and Fire Weed. It occurs most plentifully in newly settled 

 districts, and soon forms a conspicuous feature of the land- 

 scape of those woody regions that have been swept by fire; 

 hence the name Fire Weed. The plant attains a height of five 

 feet and spreads rapidly under cultivation, bearing large 

 racemes of bright purple flowers in June and July. These are 

 followed by numerous long seed-pods, containing, with the 

 seeds, a large quantity of fine white silky down, which, when 

 the pods burst in July and August, is scattered about all over 

 the plant, giving it a fluffy appearance. A variety, E. angusti- 

 folium album, has pure white flowers. Both are eminently 

 floriferous and useful for cutting. They thrive well in any 

 ordinary soil, but should be given abundance of space, as, 

 otherwise, they are liable to smother plants of a less aggres- 

 sive character. The seeds are easy to raise, and those who 

 have attempted to remove the roots of E. angustifolium do 

 not need to be told of their vitality, as every piece an inch in 

 length is almost certain to grow and form a plant. 



Lythrum Salicaria. — Few of the European plants which 

 have become naturalized in this country are more desirable 

 than the Purple or Spiked Loosestrife now common in wet 

 meadows, from Nova Scotia to Delaware. In Europe it is 

 usually found on the banks of rivers and ponds, and it is use- 

 ful for the adornment of artificial pieces of water. It is also 

 a desirable border-plant, thriving luxuriantly in a deep, moist 

 loam. The plant is from three to four feet high, the stems 

 and numerous branches four-sided, well clothed with dark 

 green, oblong leaves, and each terminating with a long spike 

 of dark purple flowers. The flowering season extends through- 

 out June, July and August, and the tall inflorescences have a 

 charming effect when loosely arranged in suitable vases. 

 There are two well-known varieties of this plant ; one known 

 as Roseum, with paler flowers than the species, and the other 

 Superbum, in which the flowers are larger. Either one of the 

 varieties is preferable to the type, inasmuch as they flower 

 more freely. All are readily increased by cuttings and by 

 division. L. Salicaria has an interest from the fact that Dar- 

 win used it, with many other plants, for illustrating the theory 

 of evolution. 



Cambridge, Mass. M - barker. 



How to have Clean Flower Pots. 



HAVING been very much annoyed by the rapid growth of 

 Algae (Protococcus) on pots in greenhouses, a trouble 

 which necessitates the frequent shifting of plants from foul 

 pots to clean ones, besides attendant scrubbing with soap and 

 sand, I have been lead to try a large number of preparations 

 for the prevention of this fungal growth which, at the same 

 time, would not injure the health of plants. After many ex- 

 periments I have found that new pots, soaked in ammomacal 

 solution (United States Department formula), become impreg- 

 nated with the copper salts, rendering it impossible for the 

 germs of this fungus to obtain a foothold. Experiments with 

 this solution, extending back to February, prove its value, as 

 pots soaked then have resisted the attacks of this fungus and 

 are as clean as when first used, while new pots, used at the 

 same time, without being soaked, are completely covered, and 

 in every case the same results have been obtained, both in the 

 greenhouse at this station and in the houses of one of the 

 leading nurserymen of this place. I. am of the opinion that it 

 will be necessary to soak the pots at intervals of at least once 

 a year, which will not be a very serious matter, considering 

 the large saving, both in time and money, which is accom- 

 plished by this method. 



Almost all nurserymen and florists find that there is a con- 

 siderable expense connected with the washing of pots, even 



