6o8 



Garden and Forest. 



[Number 200. 



flowers. A variety of this has flowers of a shade whose rich- 

 ness is not outshone by the Cardinal-flower. B. discolor, or 

 Evansiana, has a beauty distinct from all others. Though it 

 endures the sunvery well, it is most attractive in the shade, 

 where its large red-veined leaves assume a deep blue-green, 

 and its panicles of pink flowers retain their beauty a long time. 

 B. octopetala, on the contrary, does better in the sun. Its un- 

 derground portion is different from what we find in other spe- 

 cies, being a stout, creeping rhizome, which, in the course of 

 a summer, will advance several inches, sending up leaves and 

 flower-stalks throughout the season. This is a giant among 

 Begonias, for its light green, circular leaves are sometimes 

 a foot across — a yard around — and its flower-stalks, rising to 

 the height of thirty inches, bear numerous white, round flow- 

 ers, the first of which to open are three inches in diameter. 

 This is the only species which ought to be planted before it 

 shows signs of growth. M. Lemoine has hybridized this spe- 

 cies with some bright-colored variety, but I have not seen the 

 progeny. 



Different from any of these is B. viartiana gracilis. • Its ex- 

 ceedingly numerous flowers are bright rose out-of-doors, pink 

 under glass. If the tip be pinched out when the plant is six 

 inches high, the side branches will be numerous, all stiffly up- 

 right, like those of a Lombardy Poplar. B. Slither landii is a 

 very pretty species, especially if grown in a shady spot. It 

 branches freely, forming a dense round bush, abundantly fur- 

 nished with leaves of very elegant shape, and with buff or 

 salmon flowers. It appears identical with B. Natalensis. B. 

 Dregii (syn. Caffrd) is also a plant of thick bushy form, but 

 with fewer branches than the last mentioned, and with white 

 clustered flowers. These two are useful for cutting, an un- 

 usual virtue in the tuberous group. 



I have given a brief account of nine species, my design 

 being to show that there is no need of confining ourselves to 

 one form, and that a very ungraceful and awkward one, of 

 tuberous Begonia. There is no reason why each of these 

 types should not be developed (if development be desirable) 

 without losing its distinct character. Begonias might thus 

 be made worthy of a much wider admiration than they now 

 excite. irr _,"_,.. 



Canton, Mass. . W. E. EndlCOtt. 



Gall-worms Injuring the Roses. 



COMPLAINTS have come to the Experiment Station of a 

 shortness in the hot-house Rose-crop, and a recent visit 

 to Madison, New Jersey, where Roses are grown in quantities 

 for market, convinced me that the trouble was largely 

 due to microscopic worms, in the roots of the plants. The 

 affected Rose-plants have a stunted, sickly appearance ; they 

 fail to send up strong shoots, and only develop short stems 

 bearing pale leaves. The roots of such victims are much 

 swollen in places, and these knots contain multitudes of minute 

 worms akin to those sometimes found in vinegar, and called 

 eel-worms. Such plants fail, of course, to produce good flow- 

 ers, and are worse than worthless. 



Like all root-pests, these eel-worms are difficult to reach with 

 any remedy, and therefore preventive measures are the only 

 ones that are promising. The worms flourish in a rich soil, 

 and pass from the soil into the plant, and from one plant to 

 another through the soil. It is, therefore, of great importance 

 to have the soil used for potting plants or for the greenhouse- 

 bed free from the worms, and, of course, none but clean plants 

 should be used. The worms are easily killed by heat and cold, 

 and therefore it the soil could be raised to a high tempera- 

 ture, the trouble would vanish. In like manner, soil that is 

 frozen during the winter is less liable to contain the enemy 

 than that which has been protected from the frost. In select- 

 ing soil it should, if possible, be that in which no garden-plants 

 have been grown. The greatest trouble with the Rose-plant 

 soil is probably the manure that is used in great abundance 

 by the growers. It is likely that this manure is infested with 

 the worms. 



The experiment of raising Roses- in a soil where stable- 

 manure is replaced by a judicious mixture of commercial fer- 

 tilizers is well worth trying. It has been shown, for example, 

 during the present season, that Sweet-potatoes can be grown 

 to great profit^without the city manure, that has been the 

 standard source of plant-food among truck-farmers. Also it 

 has been demonstrated that Potatoes thus grown are less lia- 

 ble to the attacks of the various rots and decays so prevalent 

 in many Sweet-potato localities. If the right mechanical con- 

 sistency for the Roses can be obtained in connection with the 

 commercial fertilizers, it is quite evident that the soil would 

 be under better control and less liable to various infections. 



Lime has been found inimical to the eel-worms, and there- 

 fore this substance may assist in keeping the plants healthy. 

 The lime may be applied to the surface of the soil and carried 

 down to the roots by the water that is daily applied. With 

 Violets, which are much subject to the root-galls, it has been 

 found that broken mortar, mixed with the soil, has been ad- 

 vantageous. Many of the substances that would be fatal to 

 the worms also injure the tender roots of the Roses and can- 

 not be used. 



Those who have Rose-plants now dying from the worms 

 should remove them all at once and burn them. The soil, of 

 course, must be changed before another set of plants is grown^ 

 and the greatest care should be taken to reject every plant 

 with root-galls, however small, when the beds are set." With 

 these precautions and the use of lime, about all is done that 

 is practicable, except, possibly, the use of commercial fertil- 

 izers in place of manure, but this practice needs to be proved 

 profitable by actual trial among the Rose-growers. The fact 

 that we have had warmer winters than usual during the past 

 three years may have something to do with the overstock 

 of eel-worms in the soil. A good freezing season may help to 

 rid our outdoor soil of them. They are the plague of the gar- 

 den and orchard in warmer climates, but here are most pes- 

 tiferous indoors. 



Rutgers College. Byron D. Hals ted. 



Notes from the Harvard Botanic Garden. 



Aralia Sieboldii. — This fine old plant has long been a fa- 

 miliar object in greenhouses, and its bold aspect is not likely 

 to be forgotten by those who have seen large masses of the 

 plant in the gardens of the milder portions of England and Ire- 

 land. As an outdoor plant it is much too tender for this cli- 

 mate, though it would probably thrive in favored locations 

 from Washington southward. It is seen at its best when'grown 

 outside, where it develops into a bush from five to six feet 

 high, and as many through, amply supplied with palmate, 

 leathery, deep green, glossy leaves twelve inches across, on 

 stout petioles of a similar length. It bears in summer nu- 

 merous large clusters of small creamy white blossoms. In 

 this part of the country, however, A. Sieboldii is essentially a 

 greenhouse-plant, and with abundant space and liberal treat- 

 ment it develops into a highly decorative specimen under 

 glass. Where greenhouse space is limited small young speci- 

 mens are the most useful. These are usually raised from 

 seeds sown in heat, or the young plants obtained by cuttings 

 from the half-ripened stems. Seedlings, however, make the 

 most attractive specimens ; but the seeds are not always 

 easy to obtain. When grown to a single stem from one 

 to three feet in height and furnished to the ground, few pot- 

 plants of such simple requirements are more elegant. Repot- 

 ting is not a frequent necessity, unless it is desirable to increase 

 the size of a specimen. Pot-bound plants are easily kept healthy 

 by the occasional use of weak liquid-manure, but the soil 

 should never become soddened nor thoroughly dry. A. 

 Sieboldii is an admirable plant for the dwelling-house, the 

 thick texture and close surface of the leaves enabling them to 

 withstand the dry air of such situations. Such plants derive 

 fresh strength from out-of-door exposure during the summer. 

 A. Sieboldii is a native of Japan, and was first introduced 

 to Europe in 1858. It is most generally known under the 

 name given here or A. Japonica, but the botanists now call it 

 Fdtsia Japonica, Fatsi being the Japanese name of the plant. 

 There are two distinct varieties of the species : Variegata, with 

 leaves bearing conspicuous blotches of white, and Aurea, 

 which has a yellow variegation. 



Clethra arborea. — The Madeiran Clethra, or Lily-of-the- 

 Valley-tree, ranks high among shrubs for the decoration of 

 large conservatories. In lofty buildings dwarf plants can only 

 be used as a fringe to the main groups of large specimens. 

 Big, handsome plants, which need little garniture, are there- 

 fore a necessity in many gardens, and C. arborea is one that 

 may be depended on for a good appearance. C. arborea was 

 introduced to Kew in 1784 by Mr. Frederick Masson, and was 

 formerly very popular in Europe. A half-dozen degrees of 

 frost will not seriously inconvenience it, but the rigorous win- 

 ters in this part of the country are much too severe for it. 

 However, a well-lighted and airy house which excludes frost 

 affords all necessary winter protection, and in summer a fully 

 exposed position on the lawn will tend to ripen the new growth 

 and produce abundant bloom. The pale green, oblong leaves 

 of the plant are freely disposed around numerous branches, 

 which terminate with large, slightly drooping, paniculate ra- 

 cemes of pure white fragrant blossoms. The inflorescence 

 bears a striking resemblance to a spreading cluster of Lily-of- 



