•June 25, 1891. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
C07 
will carry from twelve to twenty flowers. They are grown in p ts 
throughout, finished usually in D-inch pots, and treated thus give 
■flowers almost, and save only for size, quite good enough for exhibition. 
■One of our leading Leicestershire nurserymen and florists (Mr. Hickling 
-of Loughborough), who grows Chrysanthemums extensively and well 
for exhibition as well as for market, told me last season that his 
■Glennys and Bundles grown as above for cut flowers paid him 
iietter than any other Chrysanthemum he grew. 
(To be continued.) 
FRUITS IN CALIFORNIA. 
About the time I was reading Mr. Laing’s paper on “ Horticul- 
"ture in the United States,” as read before the Birmingham Gardeners’ 
Association, I had before me statistics showing the extent of 
California’s fruit and wine crop for last year (1890), and also an 
account of the first experiments in orcharding in 1851, conducted 
Mr. William Neely Thompson, a member of the Society of 
California Pioneers. The record of Mr. Laing’s observations must 
have been of great interest to English gardeners and florists. 
For my own part I much regret that he did not come to California, 
for while floriculture here is not yet so advanced an art as in the 
eastern States, yet Nature has done more than enough to make up 
for it. But when we come to fruit growing, had Mr. Laing 
■visited us, he would have seen more to have interested him in that 
line than in all the other States of the Union. 
In 1851 Mr. Thompson, before alluded to, commenced the 
planting of an orchard of some 9000 trees in the Lower Napa 
Walley, near the Napa Creek, and just above tide water, as 
practically no rain falls here between May and October. This site 
was selected as being moist and rich, but the Spanish settlers told 
him it was “no good,” the trees would not live. However, it 
proved a success, and this orchard was for years the “show” 
•orchard of the State. It cost the owner between 80,000 and 90,000 
dols. to get the trees from the East, mostly from Ellwanger and 
Barry of Rochester, New York, the expense of transportation by 
Panama being so great. 
Subsequently it was discovered that fruit trees would do even 
"better on the uplands and hill sides, all that was needed to 
promote vigorous growth being a thorough stirring of the 
«oil by horse cultivation throughout the spring and summer. 
There are many individual orchards now of from 1000 to 2000 
acres in extent. Planting commenced forty years ago, slowly 
increasing until about 1879, when orchard planting was carried on 
with great zeal, and in many parts of the State. The first orchard 
alluded to was about forty-five miles north of San Francisco ; the 
planting extended in the vicinity of San Francisco Bog, and along 
the coast, but has now reached the extreme southern portion, San 
Diego, 600 or 700 miles from the Suscol orchard of Mr. Wm. N. 
Thompson. The last few years has seen great planting in the 
warmer interior valleys and plains, where the soil is even richer than 
near the coast. Oranges, Lemons, and other semi-tropical fruits are 
grown in Southern California, where it is necessary to irrigate, 
•owing to lighter rainfall, but with equal success in the upper 
Sacramento Valley and parts of the San Joaquin. 
The following figures may seem somewhat startling, but they 
are facts, and culled from the report of Mr. U. P. Chipman to the 
State Board of Trade, who had access to the railroad companies’ 
books to ascertain the amount of goods shipped. 
In 1890 there were shipped by rail from (California to points in 
the Eastern States 323,915,181 lbs. of fruits, or, in other words, 
3.6,194 carloads, the whole making a train of cars 123 miles long. 
In 1880 were shipped 546 carloads, making an increase in ten years 
of 15,648 carloads. 
While for many years “ Wheat has been king ” in California, 
the last year’s exports show an increase in value of fruits over the 
Wheat crop of 530,660 dollars. The total value of the above fruit 
•crop is estimated at 19,857,826 dollars—that is, the value at the 
•orchard or vineyard. Itemised, the list would be as follows :— 
Green deciduous fruits, 68,084,124 lbs. at 2^ cents, $1,702,103 
Dried „ „ 64,.595,181 lbs. at 12^ cents, 8,074 397 
Raisins . 41,120,330 lbs. at 6^ cents, 2,570,020 
Nuts . 1,574,230 lbs. at 10 cents, 157,423 
Canned fruits. 80,121,050 lbs. at 3 cents, 2,403,658 
Oranges . 1,028,700 bxs. at $1 75 cents, 1,800,225 
Grapes in wine . 18,000,000 glls. at 15 cents, 1,700,000 
Grapes in brandy . 1,000,000 glls. at 45 cents, 450,000 
$19,857,826 
The present year promises a much larger yield, and the orchard 
•planting goes on as largely as ever. 
I cannot imagine any more instructive or interesting trip for an 
English farmer or fruit grower than to visit California during the 
fruit season. It always seems deplorable when such men as 
Mr. Laing will cross the ocean and not continue their trip west¬ 
ward to the Pacific coast. All such would be welcomed by— 
Leonaed Coates, Napa, California. 
HARDY PLANTS. 
[A paper read by Mr. Albert F. Upstoxe at a recent meeting of the East Anglian 
Horticultural Club, Norwich.] 
My intention in this paper is to take a survey, as it were, of those 
hardy plants that are best known, and to give a short description of 
their relative merits. I propose first of all to deal with the yellow 
flowered plants, and wall head my list with one wLich, although wddcly 
known, is not the less appreciated, and that is the Rudbeckia Newmani. 
This superb plant with its golden yellow flowers and black disc is, in 
my opinion, second to none in noble appearance or floriferousness, and 
should find a place in every garden. R. californica and maxima should 
not be overlooked, although not partaking of the neat and elegant 
appearance of Newmani. Helenium pumilum, another neat and beautiful 
plant, is well liked on account of the great demands one may make on 
its abundance of bloom continuously through the summer, of a beautiful 
buttercup yellow. Helenium Colandesi, another species w’hich came 
under my notice when living in the South of London, and which, I 
believe, came from that grand collection once held by Mr. Parker 
of Tooting, should not be passed without comment. It reveals a 
somewhat darker disc than pumilum, and grows fully 3 or 4 inches 
higher, but not so free flowering perhaps. 
Harpalium rigidum is very showy, although by no means adapted 
for carpet bedding—that is to say, it is more suitable for the shrubbery 
border or amongst plants of a like height, and will add a great charm 
amongst evergreen shrubs, as it attains a height, when fairly established, 
of some 4 feet. Brigeron aurantiacus is exactly the reverse of the fore¬ 
going when neatness is taken into consideration, and may be regarded as 
a perfect gem in hardy plants, and not by any means common, attaining 
a height of some 9 inches only. Coreopsis lanceolata and grandiflora 
may be bracketed together, not but that they are unlike, and the latter 
is the better, but because, so far as I have observed, their demands are 
very much the same, and in colour and in height they are similar, 
although grandiflora is more uncommon than lanceolata. These are 
very similar in growth to the annual Coreopsis tinctoria and others, and 
are certainly much lighter in appearance and more admirably adapted 
for decorating epergnes, &;o., for the dinner table than the foregoing vars. 
of Rudbeckia, &c, which are more or less stiff. The Perennial Sun¬ 
flowers, Helianthus multiflorus major, m. plenus, m. grandiplenus, 
rigidus, prrecox, &c., should be included wherever a quantity of cut 
flow^ers is in demand. 
Amongst all the yellow’ varieties, however, the superb Inula glandu- 
losa perhaps can claim the most originality, in the sense that it is 
most distinct from all others, and not too lavish, although by no means 
a shy bloomer in its revelations ; it attains a height of some 4 or 5 feet. 
The various species of Trollius, europEeus, asiaticus, and others, should 
have some passing comment amongst the yellow’s, they being of dw’arf 
habit, and masses of bloom. Linum arboreum, in formation of flow’er 
very like the familiar annual grandiflorum, is a valuable addition to the 
yellow’s, and does not exceed more than a foot in height. 
The Prophet Flower (Arnebia echioides) I do not think is too w’ell 
know’n, is very dwarf and free flowering, and has the peculiarity of 
being dotted with blackish spots, which disappear gradually as the 
blooms are in course of development. Ranunculus acris plenus, the old 
double yellow Bachelor’s Button, bero rises in my mind, but is too w’ell 
known to be dealt w’ith fully. Adonis vernaPs is conspicuous for its 
peculiar Anemone-like appearance, golden yellow. Alyssum saxatile 
compactum, or Gold Dust, as it is commonly called, is well known and 
deservedly popular for early spring flowering. The Doronicums must be 
deemed absolutely indispensable, coming into flow’er when a profusion of 
bloom is so desirable. Young’s (Enothera must not be forgotten when 
forming an herbaceous border, as it is quite worthy a front rank, dwarf 
and show’y. 
I w’ill now refer to the shades of blue and kindred colours, and these 
are extremely sparse in herbaceous plants, or indeed in any other class 
of plants at present. Stenactis (Brigeron) speciosa shall head my list in 
this section, being of a distinct mauve colour, and unlike in shade any 
flow’er which I know’. Aster amellus bessarabicus and others of this 
family are valuable, yielding a profusion of cut bloom. Litliospermum 
prostratum is a beautiful dwarf shrubby plant, of a most intense blue, 
and very free flow’ering. Tradescantia virginica may be well known, and 
possess no distinctive merits beyond the fact that it will thrive in wet, 
boggy places where others fail. Catananche cmrulea is a pretty lilac 
blue, but is of a straggling nature, and requires an amount of attention 
to keep it wdthin bounds. 
Polemonium Richardsoni and himalaicum are again tw’o compara¬ 
tively dwarf and desimble plants, and should be in every herbaceous 
collection, of a beautiful pale blue colour and extremely pretty foliage. 
Anchusa italica, a robust plant, in height about 4 feet, producing small 
flowers of an intense blue, is pretty, and very effective with suitable 
surroundings. Centaurea montana (the perennial Cornflower) very 
dw’arf, and useful for cutting purposes. Geranium ibericuni, another 
perhaps valueless plant for cutting purposes, but a useful addition to the 
blue section, blooms in masses and makes an imposing bed. Aconitum 
pyramidale and japonicum, tw’o very pretty species of the poisonous 
Monkshood, both attain a height of some 4 feet, and produce a profusion 
