596 



Garden and Forest. 



[Number 199. 



Winter Gardening in the South. 



T'HE longer I live in North Carolina the more I become con- 

 *■ vinced that our people hardly realize the great possibili- 

 ties of winter gardening here. Of course every one knows 

 that such hardy things as Lettuce, Kale and Spinach will 

 grow thriftily here all winter, and many plants which can only 

 be wintered with fire-heat at the north come through safely 

 in a glass-covered pit. But few realize the amount of enjoy- 

 ment that can be secured from a cold frame here on "a rich 

 bed of soil with no protection but the sashes. It is known 

 that Violets, Roman Hyacinths and plants of equal hardiness 

 can usually be had outside all winter, but now and then a cold 

 snap spoils the blooms, and this danger can be warded off by a 

 simple sash, and the flowers will be produced in great perfec- 

 tion. In a cold frame here, with no protection but the sashes, 

 we bloom not only Violets and Pansies but Mignonette of a 

 size never seen in a heated house. Phlox Drummondii of all 

 colors, Petunias like Countess of Ellsemere ; Candytuft, par- 

 ticularly the perennial, which often blooms outside as the 

 Phlox does ; and we can have Roman Hyacinths and Daffo- 

 dils untouched by the frost, which frequently spoils them 

 outside. With a little higher frame, to give head-room, Car- 

 nations bloom well, and Tea Roses like Safrano, pegged down, 

 will give an abundance of buds. Even such flowers as can be 

 expected in the open air are of much better quality under the 

 sashes, and this superiority alone would be worth the little 

 trouble and expense, especially as hot-bed sashes three feet 

 by six can be had in Raleigh, glazed and painted, for $1.50 each. 



It is not only in the flower-garden that this simple protec- 

 tion gives rich returns. Lettuce will grow outside in winter, 

 but it is often scorched by frost, while a few sashes would 

 give fine crisp heads. I have an experimental frame in which 

 seventeen varieties are now growing. To my surprise, the 

 sort known as All-the-Year-Round headed first, Yellow Seed 

 Butter next and larger, with Prize Head close behind and bet- 

 ter. The old Brown Dutch is also remarkably fine, and the 

 Paris Green Cos has made fair heads without tying. Our 

 old favorite, Boston Market, while heading well, does not 

 compare with the others. Of the loose types the Black 

 Seed Simpson is very fine. This Lettuce was sown October 

 1st and has had the sashes pulled over it only on two cold 

 snaps, November 17th and 29th. As fast as the Lettuce is 

 cut out, its place can be filled with later-sown plants from 

 the open border. The first of January we will sow in frames 

 Early Wakefield Cabbage, with Early Summer and Fottler's 

 Brunswick for a succession. These will alternate in the frame 

 with rows of Radishes. The Cabbage-plants will go into the 

 open ground in February, and Tomato-plants from the green- 

 house will take their place, and the Radishes will be used. At 

 the same time the Cabbage-seed and some Onion-seed will 

 be sown also in frames and transplanted outside in February, 

 and then part of the frames will be used for starting the early 

 plants of Sweet Potatoes. 



The multitude of uses to which a simple cold frame can be 

 adapted in a mild climate is a constant source of pleasure and 

 surprise even to.an old hand at the business. Our truckers 

 do not use one-tenth part of the glass which they might use 

 with profit. Most of them use none. The oiled cotton cloth 

 commonly used for spring protection is a poor substitute for 

 glass, and a gardener accustomed to glass soon votes the 

 plant cloth a nuisance except for greenhouse shading. By the 

 way, for a light greenhouse shading, giving a ground-glass 

 effect, the best I have ever tried is two gallons of boiled lin- 

 seed-oil, a half gallon of Japan varnish, and a half gallon spirits 

 of turpentine, mixed, and applied with brush. The first rain 

 turns the varnish to a milky color and breaks the glare with- 

 out shading materially. I use it all winter. 



Agricultural College, Raleigh, N. C. W. F. Massey. 



Cattleya labiata. — This new old Cattleya, the rediscovery of 

 which has caused such a sensation in Orchid circles, is now 

 being distributed by several firms — a decided advantage to the 

 purchaser, and, what is satisfactory to all, the supply does not 

 seem to diminish but to assist also in the introduction of other 

 new and desirable plants from the same district. In future, 

 there is no reason why Cattleya-flowers should not be as plen- 

 tiful in November as in the flowering seasons of C. Triance, 

 C. Mendelli and C. Mossice, from early spring onwards. It was 

 my privilege a few days ago to see some ten or twelve varie- 

 ties in flower in the gardens of H. H. Hunnewell, Esq., at 

 Wellesley. The plants in question were bought a year ago for 

 C. Warocqueana, and are obviously the true C. labiata, and of 

 the many plants in bloom no two were alike ; all are distinct, 

 resembling in this respect the favorite C. Triance. We are 



told that this Cattleya is easy to grow, and certain it is that 

 owing either to the inherent vigor of the plants or Mr. Harris' 

 skillful treatment, or perhaps both, all of them were per- 

 fectly happy and growing and flowering vigorously in their 

 new home. One could not help wishing a long life to C. labi- 

 ata, for the lives of some of the very best are all too short 

 under cultivation. 



Scabiosa Caucasica. — Now that the seed catalogues are in 

 process of construction it may not be out of place to protest 

 against the way that seeds of choice hardy perennials are per- 

 sistently omitted. True, some of the commoner kinds are 

 sometimes included, but for the really good and choice kinds 

 we must send to the seed-growers in Europe, and these, in 

 their turn, will sometimes refer you to their wholesale buyers 

 here, whose lists, you know, do not contain the desired seeds, 

 even if the dealers are aware of the merits of the plants in 

 question. It is quite time that some firm here took up this 

 branch of the seed business and made the fact known. There 

 is no doubt that they would be supported by the flower-loving 

 public now that perennial border-plants are better known 

 than ever before. It was with considerable difficulty that I 

 obtained seeds of Scabiosa Caucasica last spring, and they 

 grew and flowered well. During the last week of November 

 I was much surprised to see some of the bright blue flowers 

 in the open border that had many times been frozen, but which 

 were still unhurt. Many complain of this Scabious as being 

 difficult to cultivate, but it is not so here. In moist heavy soil 

 they thrive and bloom the first year, and are perfectly hardy, 

 though the plant is said to be indigenous to arid places in the 

 Caucasus and Armenia. Hardy, or even annual plants that 

 possess this pleasing shade of lavender-blue are rare, and 

 should be made the most of in gardens, especially where cut 

 flowers are desired in quantity. 



South Lancaster, Mass. __ -£■• t/. (J. 



Rust of Carnations. — This fungus, Uromyces caryophyllinus, 

 Schr., was noted in the last issue of the Botanical Gazette as 

 having recently been brought to the attention of Dr. Arthur, 

 of the Indiana Experiment Station, who, upon examination, 

 found it already pretty well distributed in his state, " some 

 large greenhouses not having a plant free from it." To-day a 

 package of Carnation-leaves was received from a firm in Phila- 

 delphia, with an urgent inquiry as to the nature of the trouble 

 that has come so suddenly upon their plants. That they we're 

 badly infested with a genuine rust was determined at a glance, 

 and, upon a microscopic examination, it proves to be the 

 same as reported so recently for Indiana. To florists who are 

 interested in this new pest, that is, new to this country, for, 

 like many other such fungi, it has long been known in Europe, 

 it may be said that the trouble can be distinguished from any of 

 the other fungous diseases of the Carnation by the medium- 

 sized plump gray blisters produced upon the leaves, and the 

 larger because longer ones, here and there upon the stems. 

 Like the various other species of rust upon grains, grasses, 

 etc., the mischief is largely done when these blisters appear. 

 The fine threads have previously ramified throughout the 

 plant and taken from it the nourishment that was afterward 

 used up in producing the large crop of brown spores that are 

 packed away under the skin of the blister. It therefore fol- 

 lows that when once a plant is badly rusted there is little hope 

 of curing it. All diseased parts should be removed and 

 burned, and with the worst cases the whole plant should be 

 destroyed. With perfectly healthy plants it is probably true 

 that the rust might be kept out by spraying frequently with 

 copper salts. However, the disease is new to us, and we 

 therefore cannot speak from experience. The chief point of 

 this note is to call the attention of Carnation-growers to the 

 widespread distribution of the new-comer that they may look 

 for it and report new localities as they are found. 



Rutgers College. Byron D. Halsted. 



Spiraea Filipendula, flore pleno. — The plants of an attractive 

 character which thrive in almost any position are.none too nu- 

 merous, and those we have should be known as widely as pos- 

 sible. The double Spiraea Filipendula is one of our most 

 useful, and, at the same time, one of the most beautiful hardy 

 perennials. It is equally at home in the rich soil of a border and 

 the almost barren patches of earth which the crevices of a dry 

 rockery afford, in partial shade and the full blaze of sunshine, 

 in the city lot and the country garden. It is also a cheap plant 

 — a plant that every one may have and grow. The species 

 is a common European plant, with Fern-like foliage, which 

 forms a dense mass of the richest green color. The charming 

 clusters of small creamy white flowers are borne at the top of 

 sparsely leaved, erect stems about' two feet high. They ap- 



