BUDS, BLOSSOMS, FRUITS. 



683 



Dibber with Padded Handle 

 (See page 682.) 



the park. It is about a quarter of a mile long, forty 

 feet wide, and five feet deep, and is divided transversely 

 in the center by steps and a walk, on one side of which 



is a tank containing a 

 Vic/orin ri'gia ; on the 

 other side one containing 

 water hyacinths and lil- 

 ies. On the slopes are 

 continuous festoon beds, 

 in which plants of sub- 

 dued colors are used, the 

 lower level beds contain- 

 ing the most brilliant. — 

 W. C. Butler, Philadd- 

 phia. 



Two Handsome Ver- 

 nonias. — (i.) Novc- 

 boraceiisis : A very hand- 

 some native perennial, 

 growing to the height of 

 four to eight feet, bear- 

 ing at top a large corymb 

 (over one foot in diame- 

 ter) of rather large purple 

 heads. This is a wild flower of especial merit, greatly 

 improving under cultivation, as the writer can testify, he 

 having an especially fine plant, which has borne its hand- 

 some purple heads in great profusion, and sends upfrom 

 five to ten stalks from each root. Fine for the park, the 

 flower garden, the lawn or the bouquet; everywhere 

 attractive. (2.) Clustered vernonia (r'._/<^fii'/^''/<;/'(7).' Two 

 to four feet high, having smaller corymbs of smaller but 

 much darker purple heads. Color much richer, but as 

 the heads, as well as the entire plant, are much smaller 

 than in the first named species, it is a less showy plant. 

 Still, it is worthy of culture. — Wilfred A. Brotherton, 

 Oakland Co., Mich. 



The Kodiali Flower. — It is not named after the 

 popular photographic box, but from Kodiak Island, in 

 the extreme north Pacific near Alaska. Miss Mary 

 Ransom, according to E. E. Smith before the California 

 Floral Society, brought the first plant to California. 

 But for the statement to the effect that the seed is 

 "about the size of tobacco seed" one might, from the 

 description, infer that it is the beautiful double bindweed 

 or calystegia (also called rose-vine) illustrated in the April 

 Popular Gardening. " The flowers are borne in prof u- 

 sion from May to September ; very double, about i "4 

 inches in diameter, and shaded from the most delicate 

 satiny pink to bright rose," says Mr. Smith. Dr. Behr 

 of California considers it allied to Clarkia rkoinlioii/ea, of 

 his state. Altogether, we would like to know more of the 

 kodiak flower ; if our California friends will send us 

 a few seeds for trial, "we'll do the rest." 



Reproductive Powers of Vegetation. — The repro- 

 ductive powers of vegetables and the lower order of ani- 

 mals are immense. One single plant of elecampane 

 frequently produces in one season 3,000 seeds; the 



poppy 3,300 ; the sunflower 4,000. The tobacco plant 

 has been known to bring to maturity fully 40,340 seeds. 

 This astonishing power to multiply is more especially 

 manifested in the elm. It is said that one tree will pro- 

 duce the enormous sum of 1,500,000 of seeds, and each 

 of these seeds has the power of producing the same 

 number if given a chance. The production from one 

 single seed in the fourth generation would be sufficient 

 to plant the whole solar system to elms. All this lavish- 

 ness in seed production is merely a wise precaution 

 against the extinction of the kind by unfavorable condi- 

 tions or attacks of enemies. Itis for no other purpose 

 than that although thousands of seeds must perish, one 

 may live and produce its kind. — William Street, Mont- 

 gomery Co., Pa. 



A hearty invitation is extended to every friend of 

 this journal to visit the editor's experiment garden, at 

 La Salle - on - Niagara. These grounds, known as 

 "Woodbanks," are but five miles up river from the 

 matchless Niagara cataract. A score of trains daily 

 connect the two places. An area of 13 acres has here 

 been planted with one of the largest collections of 

 hardy trees, vines, shrubs and plants, both useful and 

 ornamental, in .\merica. As a simple illustration, the 

 vineyard comprises more than one hundred varieties, 

 bearing their first crop the present year, while the two 

 acres of lawn show nineteen distinct kinds or mixtures 

 of lawn grass. The kinds and varieties of lawn trees 

 and plants nearly exhaust the catalogues. In the midst 

 of such a garden the editorial staff, including our artist, 

 perform their work on this journal. Visitors are wel- 

 come to come and study the place to their heart's con- 

 tent, so long as they will forego personal attention from 

 the editors, who are very busy men. 



Helenium Autumnale. — This showy plant is attract- 

 ing considerable attention now-a-days. It grows in 

 clumps, several stems arising from the same root, three 

 to five feet high, bearing at their summits large, loose 

 corymbs of blooms. The flowers are two inches and 

 under in diameter, and very showy ; both the ray and 

 disk parts being a brilliant yellow. The rays, which 

 become drooping, end in three blunt teeth. The stem is 

 decurrent (winged) ; that is, leaf-like wings (ridges) pass 

 down it from the leaves, giving it a peculiar appearance. 

 It is one of the most showy of our native autumnal 

 flowers. It grows usually along lakes or rivers and 

 smaller streams close to the water's edge, or if far from 

 it, where the ground is moist. Have found it growing 

 in mucky, sandy and red clay soils, generally flourishing 

 best where there was a good deal of gravel, lime or clay 

 in the soil. This will give satisfaction wherever a hardy 

 perennial with very showy yellow flowers is wanted, 

 whether in the park or flower garden. It is really an 

 autumn glory, blooming from August to October.— W. 

 A. B., Mull. 



The Fuchsia in Winter and Spring. — The fuch- 

 sia is not generally a winter-bloomer. Some varieties 

 give a few flowers in winter, but we should look to other 

 plants for winter blooming. Such as have bloomed 



