BUDS, BLOSSOMS, FRUITS. 



43 



A Beautiful Scene in Michigan.— Oakland county 

 contains over 350 lakes, ranging from very small to 

 several miles long and a mile or so wide, surrounded 

 by high, usually wooded hills, and often by tamarack 

 swamps, where frequently grow in profusion cypripe- 

 diums and other rare orchids, sarracenias and many 

 choice wild-flowers — the wooded slope is frequently a 

 garden of asters, goldenrods, liatris, etc. Alas, these 

 beautiful places are often inhabited by the deadly Mich- 

 igan rattler ! But what I wish to call especial attention 

 to is the view from a boat upon the lake. The shore is 

 greatly varied — hill and valley, gentle slopes, steep 

 bluffs, peninsulas and capes, gulfs and bays, wooded 

 hills, grassy plains, tamarack or arbor-vitse swamps, 

 pines, white spruces, willows, oaks, etc. — these, with 

 the beautiful water, making a scene of wonderful 

 charm. All about us are aquatics in rare profusion — 

 Nymphcea tuberosa (that grand white water-lily !), N. 

 odorata, Nuphar advdiia, Brassenia peltata, potamogetons 

 of many kinds, myriophyllums, Anacharis Canadensis, 

 Valisneria spiralis, etc. Along the shore we often see 

 masses of that beautiful plant, Pontederia cordata, with 

 its large, handsome, calla-like leaves, and long spikes 

 of handsome blue flowers ; Liatris spicata; lobelias, and, 

 adding wonderfully to the beauty of the scene, great 

 beds of the Scirpus validus, lake bullrush (often eight 

 feet high), Scirpus pungens, S. lineatus, great burr- 

 seed [Sparganum eurycarpmn), cattail, etc., each spe- 

 cies growing by itself in great masses. Nothing can 

 equal the airy grace and beauty of these lake rushes, 

 when viewed from a distance. Could not the landscape 

 gardener derive a valuable hint from this beautiful 

 scenery ? — W. A. B. 



The Long-leaved Creeping Willow. — The long- 

 leaved creeping willow [Sa/ix longifolia) is a beautiful 

 shrub, usually growing in the form of a circular mound 

 (like a mass of foliage) five to ten feet in diameter and 

 one to three feet high in the center. The foliage is very 

 dense, the leaves being long and narrow, and firm in 

 texture ; low branches, one to three feet high. The 

 numerous whitish, densely woolly aments expand with 

 the leaves. The stems are prostrate, creeping, rooting 

 their whole length, radiating from a common root. This 

 creeping and rooting property renders this shrub of 

 great value in binding together loose sands, and prevent- 

 ing the washing away of the banks of rivers and lakes- 

 In the wild state it flourishes on sandy, gravelly, stony or 

 clay lands, where water is not stagnant, and drainage is 

 good. A favorite place for its growth is on a steep bank 

 of a stream or lake, or on a steep hillside (often grow- 

 ing luxuriantly on a steep clay hillside) — in these situa" 

 tions trailing down the slope instead of growing in the 

 mound-like form it assumes on level land. This hand- 

 some prostrate shrub well deserves the attention of 

 landscape-gardeners. Its peculiar habit of growth es- 

 pecially adapts it to planting in parks or large grounds, 

 in masses well away from other and taller shrubbery, 

 where it will form a bed of beautiful green foliage 

 or on steep banks, in large rockeries. Persons that 



grow this willow should remember that it is shrubby' 

 and lives many years, increasing in beauty with age, and 

 should not expect too much of it until thoroughly es- 

 tablished, say the third or fourth year. It is a native of 

 the northeastern states and Canada. It does not grow 

 in swamps or beside stagnant pools, like other willows. 

 There are two other creeping species, viz., mountain 

 willow {Salix phylicifolia, L.) and creeping willow 

 [Salix repens, Z.), both found in the White Mountains. 

 Of these three species the long-leaved is most available 

 for cultivation. All are handsome. — W. A. Brother- 

 ton, Mich. 



Pruning Raspberries and Blackberries. — There is 

 too much hit-or-miss trimming going on. Avoid it by 

 waiting until the buds have advanced far enough for 

 you to recognize the fruit-buds. The first few buds on 

 the laterals are unproductive; the number of these 

 varying greatly in different years and different sorts. 

 After the leaves have unfolded a little, the difference is 

 plainly discernible. In my first experience in trimming 

 blackberries, I followed the advice of some horticul- 

 tural journal, "Trim the laterals back to 12 or 15 inches. " 

 That year my blackberry crop was a total failure. The 

 Erie has perhaps more unproductive buds than any other 

 variety. This season I did not trim them at all, the 

 fruit all being out on the ends of the canes. — W. B. 

 Fulton, Shdhy Co., Ohio. 



Horticultural Society of Chicago. — Like most of 

 the fall floral exhibitions, this one is one of chrysanthe- 

 mums, over and above all and everything else — chrys- 

 anthemums big and small, grown to single blossoms 

 and to masses of bloom ; standards, with a height of six 

 feet or more, and 12-inch pots holding great, spreading 

 plants which a 6-bushel basket would scarcely cover — 

 chrysanthemums pretty and homely, regular and pre- 

 cise in outline, and ragged and torn to the verge of ab- 

 surdity — of all colors, shades and mixtures, save only 

 blue ; but still oceans of chrysanthemums, here, there 

 and everywhere, on the floor and on tables, in every 

 part of the great Battery Hall. Of course there were 

 other things — roses in fine variety, carnations also, and 

 even lilies-of-the-vallej and Liliiou Harrisii, looking 

 strangely out of season. There were great masses of 

 ferns and palms, and beautiful displays of orchids and 

 begonias, table decorations and cut-flowers — all com- 

 bining to make a dazzling and almost bewildering dis- 

 play, with its warmth of color and soft odors, in strange 

 contrast to the cold, gray November weather out- 

 side of the big building. A few of the most popular chrys- 

 anthemums I will name below. They may not be the 

 choicest to the eye of the professional, but to the inexpert 

 and the lover of the beautiful -they are the choicest of 

 the choice. A plant of Waban, grown in standard 

 form, had a top two feet in diameter and with nearly a 

 hundred fine blooms of soft magenta-pink. A Mrs. 

 Wm. Bowen was very showy and had immense blooms. 

 Of the whites, Minnie Wanamaker, Ivory and Diana 

 were especially noticeable — the last-named being the 

 purest and most dazzling of whites. Harry E. Widener, 



