536 



Garden and Forest. 



[Number 194. 



Of the red Raspberries, Quinby's Favorite is one of the best, 

 resembling in a marked degree Cuthbert both in growth of 

 canes and the questionable habit of growinga large number of 

 suckers. The fruits, however, average larger than Cuthbert, 

 are deep red and very firm, but the firmness does not detract 

 from the juiciness, and in flavor it resembles the Cuthbert. 

 Two seedlings from William Parry, of New Jersey, Nos. 1 and 

 2, are both good, the No. 1 being early, vigorous in habit, 

 fairly productive and of fine flavor ; too soft to ship, but a 

 good home berry. The No. 2 begins to ripen fruits in mid- 

 season, and continues to bear for a long period. The ber- 

 ries are of large size, firm and of distinct winy flavor. I 

 think this will prove a valuable variety when known. Stay- 

 man's No. 5, originated by Dr. Stayman, of Kansas, is also a 

 very promising variety, throwing up large stools of canes ; it 

 is hardy and one of the most productive, varieties. The fruits 

 are dark red, large and quite firm. Of the older sorts Cuthbert 

 still leads in productiveness, and, in my opinion, will stand at 

 the head for some time to come. Thompson's Early Pride is 

 a little earlier, and Pomona is larger, but, taking all things into 

 consideration, the berry to supplant it will have to be a decided 

 improvement on any grown at present. Something with the 

 productiveness and hardiness of Schaffer, the size of Clark's or 

 Pomona, and the firmness of Quinby's Favorite would be the 

 ideal berry. Schaffer is the berry par excellence for canning, 

 as its enormous yield enables those growing it to sell at a price 

 below that at which other varieties can be sold, and its great 

 merit to the canners is that it holds its color and shape better 

 than any other. 



Either the Caroline or the Golden Queen should always be 

 found in an amateur's collection. Both of these are yellow and 

 about equal in productiveness. The Golden Queen bears the 

 larger and more showy fruits ; the habit of plant is identical with 

 Cuthbert, and it makes a dense growth of suckers ; it is often 

 killed back one-half in severe weather. The Caroline is ex- 

 tremely hardy, never showing any ill effects from cold weather 

 and withstanding drought. The fruits of both of these varie- 

 ties are very soft, and, owing to their color, soon look mussy, 

 so that they cannot be shipped ; but their superb flavor entitles 

 them to a place in every collection. 



Of the Blackberries, Agawam has given the best results thus 

 far ; it has proved perfectly hardy, able to resist drought and 

 to mature all its fruits ; it throws up a large number of stout 

 canes well supplied with laterals, and while the fruits are not 

 of the largest size, they are of good size and of fine flavor. 

 The Erie is a very fine variety, giving a large yield of enor- 

 mous berries that, when fully ripe, are as luscious as the old 

 Kittatinny. Its habit of growth is stocky, and heretofore it has 

 proved rust-proof. I think it a good substitute for the Kitta- 

 tinny in sections where the latter cannot be grown. Last year 

 it did not give very good results, and there were doubts about 

 its value, but since this year's trial I am satisfied it will prove 

 a good berry. The Snyder has not done as well here as else- 

 where ; while making a very vigorous growth, it has yielded 

 but few fruits in the three seasons it has been under test. 

 Early Harvest, Wilson's Early and Wilson's Junior are three 

 very early varieties, of merit on account of their earliness 

 where they can be grown profitably, but neither of them has 

 given anything more than a small yield here. 



Of black currants, Champion Black and Ogden's Black Grape 

 are two of the best, the former being of dwarf upright growth 

 and fairly productive. The fruits, which are of large size, are 

 borne in short clusters. The Ogden's Black Grape is of 

 spreading habit, and is very productive of large jet-black 

 fruits. Both varieties ripen all their fruits at once, and have 

 no' green tips to the clusters, as is common with other varieties. 

 The Crandall has proved utterly worthless here, the bushes 

 growing beyond all bounds, but bearing only an occasional 

 fruit, and those of only medium size and no special flavor. 



Among red currants, Fay's Cherry and Prince Albert are the 

 leading varieties ; the latter is especially valuable on account 

 of its late fruiting. It begins to ripen its fruit when the other 

 varieties are ready to pick, and can be left on the bushes for a 

 long time, as the foliage completely covers the bunches and 

 keeps them from being scalded by the sun. Care should be 

 taken in purchasing this variety, as there is a spurious strain 

 of it in the market ; this has the same dark green foliage and 

 habit of growth, but with small fruits in short bunches. 



Since we have been able to combat the Gooseberry-mildew 

 successfully, the growing of the large-fruited foreign goose- 

 berries has been revived, and now the only excuse for grow- 

 ing such varieties as the Houghton or Mountain seedling is 

 the ignorance of better kinds. All things considered, I should 

 place Triumph at the head of the list of large-fruiting varie-. 

 ties ; but Industry, Wellington's Glory and Whitesmith are also 



fine, giving a large yield of delicious berries as much superior 

 to our native varieties as a Seek-no-farther apple is to a 

 Baldwin. 



Geneva Experiment Station, N. Y. C. E. Huilll. 



The Hardy Flower Garden. 



"\X THATEVER work remains to be done in this department 

 * * should be pushed forward with all speed, as the soil is 

 rapidly losing warmth, and the planting of herbaceous plants 

 is dangerous if delayed too long. They do not take root in 

 the cold soil, and are often lifted by the action of frost and 

 killed before one is aware of it. Too much stress cannot be 

 laid on the fact that for a considerable period in fall the soil is 

 much warmer than the atmosphere, as may be easily ascer- 

 tained by testing the matter with a thermometer, and this con- 

 dition is very beneficial in establishing fall-planted bulbs and 

 herbaceous plants, and, although herbaceous subjects are 

 planted in larger quantities in spring, it is by no means the 

 best season, as in spring root-action commences as soon as 

 the frost leaves the ground, and it is more or less interrupted 

 by transplanting at that season, however early it may be done. 



When Lily-planting is contemplated the present time is the 

 best possible if native-grown bulbs are to be used, but if im- 

 ported bulbs are desired they cannot be had for several weeks, 

 as the new stock has not arrived, and, in fact, does not arrive 

 until too late for planting in the majority of cases, as, for in- 

 stance, the Japan varieties, which are more in request than 

 other kinds, and, taken as a class, imported ones are much 

 more satisfactory, with perhaps one or two exceptions, as, for 

 instance, Lilium auratum, which no one has taught us as yet 

 how to grow and keep. With the exception of L. auratum, 

 home-grown Lilies may be planted now, and better flowers 

 will follow than if later plantings are relied upon. The sooner 

 the bulbs are planted the stronger will be the root-action from 

 the base of the bulb ; this is always poor when planting is done 

 in spring, as the bulb has then to depend largely for subsist- 

 ence upon the roots formed along the stem, and these have 

 plenty to do to nourish properly the stalk anil flowers. The 

 depth to plant Lilies must depend largely upon several details 

 which it is well to consider here ; but, at the same time, it must 

 be admitted that there never wasa truer word spoken than that 

 horticulture is necessarily "empirical." Experience does 

 teach, and it is not all gained in a day, and seldom is Lily-cul- 

 ture fully mastered. I have noticed that some varieties with 

 small bulbs will succeed well with shallow planting, as for ex- 

 ample, L. Wallacei,L. callosum, L. elegans, and, emphatically, 

 L. Philadelphicum, which always grows near the surface when 

 found wild, while others with small bulbs, as, for example, L. 

 Columbianum and L. tenuifolium, need deep planting. 



A well-known Lily-grower once told me that people thought 

 that because L. tenuifolium came from Siberia it would stand 

 any degree of cold ; but they forgot about the deep covering 

 of snow by which the bulbs were protected on the approach 

 of winter. Hence the saying that this beautiful Lily is best 

 treated as an annual. L. tenuifolium, however, is not nearly 

 as good as L.pomponium, which is not so well known, but pro- 

 duces more flowers of the same color, and fragrant, too, and 

 it improves year after year under cultivation, so that we can 

 well spare the Siberian species. L. Colu?nbianum comes from 

 the Pacific Coast and succeeds but poorly here in the east. I 

 have only flowered it when planted ten to twelve inches deep, 

 and the same remarks apply to L. Washingtonianum and L. 

 Humboldtii. They are both beautiful but are seldom seen. 

 Even when once planted in the garden they have a provoking 

 way of lying dormant for eighteen months before trying to 

 flower, and they usually die in the attempt. L. excelsum is a 

 very distinct Lily, and is regarded as of hybrid origin as it has 

 never been found growing wild. It should always be tried as 

 it sometimes succeeds as well as L.candidum, while the color 

 is unique among Lilies — a light buff. L. Ssovitsianum is an- 

 other beautiful Lily seldom seen, though it sometimes suc- 

 ceeds well, but when it does it is not soon forgotten ; the 

 flowers are bright lemon-yellow. L. Martagon is another dif- 

 ficult Lily to grow, but I believe it needs stony soil, preferably 

 elevated, as on rock-work, ro make it comfortable. It is the 

 true Turk's-cap Lily. 



While the foregoing may be regarded as the shady side of 

 Lily culture, there is still a bright side and a very sunny 

 one it is. We must thank Japan for it to a great extent, for 

 most of the Japan Lilies are perfectly at home here, and in 

 some cases, as with the Tiger Lilies,, we may often see them 

 naturalized as escapes from gardens. L. speciosum and vari- 

 eties, L. tigrinum and its varieties, L. Batematmce, L. Thun- 

 bergianum (or elegans), L. Hansoni, L. Japonicum and its 



