September 2, 1891.J 



Garden and Forest. 



419 



keep in good condition for several weeks there need be but 

 little loss from waste of flowers. The original species, known 

 in catalogues as P. pidcherima, is perhaps the most satisfac- 

 tory for all purposes, though the double form of this is showy, 

 and keeps well if water is not allowed to lodge among the bracts. 

 The variety Major is also pretty, the color being crimson 

 rather than scarlet, like those of the type. Either of these, to 

 be useful for decorations, should be stocky, well-grown young 

 plants from summer cuttings of soft wood. They may be made 

 to produce one large head of bloom on a well-furnished plant in 

 a five or six-inch pot. Plumbago rosea coccinea is another 

 brilliantly colored winter-flowering plant, whose terminal 

 spikes are clothed with red flowers about an inch in diam- 

 eter. It is not new, by any means, but it deserves a more ex- 

 tended use. It is easy to propagate and it flowers with the 

 least encouragement. 



The flowers of Cinerarias have of late been wonderfully im- 

 proved in size and color as well as in methods of cultivating 

 them. A cool, moist atmosphere and generous supplies of 

 fertilizers seem to be all they need. To keep up a succes- 

 sion of bloom more than one sowing of seed should be 

 made. 



Usually, yellow flowers (except Chrysanthemums) are some- 

 what scarce, so that old-fashioned plants with yellow bloom, 

 VC&.tReinwardtia (Llnum) trigyna, ought not to be overlooked ; 

 these may be grown into bushy little plants in five or six-inch 

 pots with but little trouble. Erica hy emails, now quite fre- 

 quently seen in our larger cities, is the most useful of its genus in 

 winter ; it is of free growth, when given reasonable care, 

 while the long sprays of rosy tinted flowers give an addi- 

 tional charm to many tasteful decorations. Although the red 

 and yellow flowers of Libonla florlbunda are small, they are 

 produced in such profusion as to render the plant quite showy. 

 Another point in favor of this plant is its ability to endure 

 neglect without showing signs of injury. 



Chrysanthemums should, of course, be included in the 

 decorative list, but all that needs to be said of them here is, 

 to use only those with distinct colors, and to grow only enough 

 varieties to secure a succession of bloom for as long a period 

 as possible. Pot-plants of Carnations, Bouvardias, Roses and 

 the well-known subjects suggest themselves naturally. 



Primula Sinensis, in variety, are most useful for winter 

 work, one of the best being the double white sort. Among 

 the single-flowered forms a range of color, from white to dark 

 red, including lilac shades, from the palest to deep purple, is 

 wide enough to satisfy all tastes. 



At the head of the list of plants which can be forced into 

 flower the best varieties among the Indian Azaleas are Deutsch 

 Perle, Fielder's White and Borsig, for white, with Madame 

 Vandercruyssem, Eugene Mazel, Vervasniana and Bernhard 

 Andreas for colored flowers. Some of the hardy Rhododen- 

 drons are easily forced, while hybrids from the East Indian 

 species bloom at almost all seasons. Many of these are singu- 

 larly beautiful, and, if they could be reproduced in quantity 

 at a reasonable cost, would doubtless find a ready market. 



Prominent among hardy shrubs for forcing come the Lilacs, 

 which are the most popular, both because of their beauty and 

 the ease with which they may be flowered. The Japan Quince 

 has also proved easy to force into bloom, although the flowers 

 are much paler in tint than when naturally produced. Some of 

 the shrubby Spiraeas, like S. Thunbergii, will bloom in winter 

 as readily as Deutzla gracilis. S. Van Hoicttei is better still. 

 Some of the Hydrangeas produced within recent years are 

 admirable, but are, perhaps, more satisfactory toward spring. 

 The practice of growing on summer-rooted cuttings of Hy- 

 drangeas into nice small plants in four or five inch pots, and 

 bearing one head of bloom, gives good material for winter 

 and spring work. 



It would be worth while to try either white or pink 

 Crape Myrtle for winter, forcing, for, if successful, they 

 would prove admirable additions to the stock of decorative 

 plants. Acacia pubescens and other species are valuable for 

 their pale yellow flowers, and no plants excel them in graceful 

 habit. Cytisus Canariensis and C. raccmosus furnish a deep 

 shade of yellow, and are invaluable in other respects. 



Among bulbous plants for winter decorations Cyclamen Per- 

 slcum deserves first mention, especially since it has been so 

 much improved by careful crossing. The most approved 

 method of cultivation is to grow the plants on from the seed 

 to flowering size without any period of rest or drying off, the 

 whole operation being completed in fifteen to "eighteen 

 months. 



" T:ie best is the cheapest," is a proverb which applies with 

 full lorce to Cyclamen-seed. By starting with a good strain, 

 and then carefully selecting some of the best plants for seed- 



bearing, it is possible to still improve the stock to a wonderful 

 degree. 



There is no need to name the various useful Lilies and 

 Amaryllises ; and of the Dutch bulbs the only point worth em- 

 phasizing now is to grow only those with flowers of clear, dis- 

 tinct shades of color, as no others will prove satisfactory in 

 combinations. 



BEGONIAS. 



Mr. John Chambers, Superintendent of Parks of the City 

 of Toronto, read an essay on the value of these plants for 

 bedding and for in-door decoration, with notes on the cul- 

 tivation of the different classes. We quote, in part, his 

 remarks on the tuberous-rooted section : 



Both the double and single varieties include all known 

 colors except black and blue ; we have the purest white to 

 the darkest maroon ; all shades of yellow, from straw-color to 

 old gold ; reds, pinks, and salmons of every shade, and many 

 that take on two or even three distinct tints. Flowers of the 

 single sorts that will cover my hands are not uncommon, and 

 the double ones attain almost the same size. In cultivating 

 the tuberous Begonia you may start with seed or bulbs, or 

 both. The seeds should be new. If you have any shallow 

 pans clean them thoroughly, use plenty of crocks at the bot- 

 tom, mix a light compost of peat with a little well-decayed 

 leaf-mold and sharp sand, after covering crocks with dry moss 

 to keep the soil from running amongst them. Fill the pan to 

 within half-an-inch of the top, press lightly, sow your seed 

 very thin (this is an important point), and cover with a thin 

 layer of silver sand ; water well, cover with a piece of glass, 

 and shade from the direct rays of the sun. As soon as the 

 plants are large enough to handle, prick out immediately into 

 shallow pans, with as little delay as possible, as this is one of 

 the secrets of success. Keep shifting into larger pots until 

 the time for rest, then gradually dry off and place in a dry 

 shed or cellar. The seed should have been sown as early in 

 the spring as possible. 'Now that you have nice young tubers 

 knock them out of the pots carefully, throwing away those 

 that have been attacked with dry-rot. 



Procure a few shallow propagating-boxes and some leaf- 

 mold, and place the tubers in this about one inch apart, till 

 they commence to make a few roots, by which time you will 

 have had some clean five-inch pots ready for their reception. 

 A light potting soil will do for this shift, but when it comes to 

 seven, ten and twelve-inch pots, into which you can easily 

 shift them in one season, the following is a good mixture : 

 Say to fifty parts of fibrous turf add twenty-five of good peat, 

 ten of leaf-mold, ten of sharp sand, and five of rotted manure 

 or bone-dust. Mix thoroughly and pot lightly. Begonias of 

 this section are gross feeders, so when they have had their 

 last shift and the pots are full of roots, a good top-dressing and 

 a liberal supply of liquid cow-manure, applied three times a 

 week, will help them. Some varieties will require pinching, 

 but one must be guided by common sense in this respect. A 

 light, airy, span-roofed house is the best place to grow them, 

 with plenty of shading on sunny days. Syringing in the early 

 part of the day is also very beneficial. Tobacco-stems placed 

 around the pots will help to keep down green-fly. For bed- 

 ding, a partially shaded situation is most Suitable, and they 

 should be planted in from four to five-inch pots. Keep well 

 watered, and they will well repay any trouble in that direction. 



Mr. David Allan's paper on the Possibilities of Subtropical 

 Gardening was carefully prepared, and gave a list of the best 

 Palms, Cycads, Tree-ferns, Musas and Dracaenas which could 

 'be used with Castor Beans, Cannas, the ornamental grasses, 

 and other less costly plants. He considered as favorable 

 places for subtropical planting the open squares or court- 

 yards of large hotels and other buildings. There the Banana 

 would make a perfect leaf without being torn with the wind. 

 In such places Palms, Dracaenas, Cannas, Caladiums and 

 Musas would be appropriate. The same space could be filled 

 in autumn with Retinosporas in variety, and other conifers. 



Of new Fuchsias Mr. Hill mentioned the Countess of Aber- 

 deen as worthy of note on account of its near approach to a 

 pure white in color. When grown in a slight shade both the 

 sepals and the corolla are absolutely white, but in sunshine it 

 turns slightly pink. It is an interesting novelty, and will prob- 

 ably prove the forerunner of a race of Fuchsias of quite a 

 distinct color. 



The essay of Mr. Benjamin Grey, of Walden, Massachusetts, 

 contained a brief history of the use of aquatics as garden- 

 plants, with notes on the cultivation of some of the best varie- 

 ties for planting in natural ponds or artificial basins. 



