V\QtAt. 
VOli. XXXV. No. 12. > 
WHOLE Mo. 1117. l' 
ll'UIC 
i »2.a 
RICE asxzac tents* 
$2.50 I*ICR YEAR. 
[Entered according to Aot of ('oiigreBH, in the year 1877, by tlm Rural VuMishlmr Company, in the olllco of the Librarian of Coiiktchh at Washington.] 
Ijottinttaral, 
XANTHOCERAS SORBIFOLIA. 
Dttrini i December of 1875 ft colored illustration 
of thin Hhrnb appeared hi the London Garden. 
“ Originally,” says that journal, “ it came from 
Mongolia (Central China), where it wan found 
by the Abho Davit>. and brought to the Paris 
Museum about 1808 by a young Frenchman, M. 
Pioiiotr." 
Impressed wilb the beauty of tho llowor and 
the probability of its proving hardy in our cli- 
mate, we reproduced tho Garden illustration in 
tho Ritual Nt'.w-Yoniutit a few weeks aftor with 
the following remarks ■. ** This plant is still rare 
and not yet offered by our nurserymen. Never¬ 
theless wo think it well to familiarize onr read¬ 
ers with the names and characteristics of novel¬ 
ties that promise at no distant day to become 
valuable to us." 
We have sineo published ail additional infor¬ 
mation that wo could gal her respecting this 
shrub and frequently urged our nurserymen to 
import it, though, until within a few weeks, 
unaware that onr advieo had been regarded. 
Almost simultaneously with importing it our¬ 
selves, wo wore pleased to boo it offered for salo 
in a catalogue just received from Mr. John 
Saul, Washington, U- C. 
Not to belittle the effect of these remark! by 
investing them with the appearance of an adver¬ 
tisement, let us assure our readers that Mr. 
Saul has neither solicited us to make tho above 
mention, nor will ho bo aware of tlto fact until 
he sees it in these columns. 
The promise, therefore, which wo made for 
this shruh more than a year 
ago seems In the act of fill- V 
lillmont, and as its beauty is w 
already well-known in Kn- « 
gland and elsewhere abroad, 
it only lcm .ina to bn seen if 
it will prove hardy hero. 
Tho cut Is of life size, the 
raceme being about eight 
inches long — tho individual ^ 
flowers consisting of live 
petals, white, sometimes 
slightly rose-tinted, with a 
reddish center, and an inch V 
or more in diameter. ulp 
The shrub attains a bight 
of about ton feet, blooming n>wg||R 
in April. It is propagated 
with difficulty by cuttings, 
hut readily by small pieces L?/ 
of the roots. Perhaps it 
would ho a good idea to 
graft it upon Kmlreuteria 
paniculata, near which, in 
tho order Setpindar.cir, it is --*= 
placed. 
-*4* 
OANNAS. 
Altuouou ('annas are 
pretty well known as orna¬ 
mental plants, comparatively 
few are aware, 1 think, of 
the remarkable beauty of 
some of the newer varieties. 
A few years ago Gannas 
wore regarded as valunblo 
almost entirely on account 
of their masses of fine foli¬ 
age ; the flowers, although 
lor tho most part brilliant in 
color, were small, and pro¬ 
duced so late in tho season 
as to bo but little in advance 
of tho early frosts of au¬ 
tumn. The more lately-in¬ 
troduced varieties aro great improvements, 
nearly all of them, both in tho size of tho 
flowers and in the time of flowering. Tho 
masses of superb foliage send up spikes of largo 
and richly-colored blooms, which, instead of be¬ 
ing sparingly produced towards the end of tho 
season, are generally in groat beauty early in tho 
summer, and so continue till cut down by frost. 
Time and apace do not admit of a very much 
extended list of t ho dosirablo Gannas, hut 1 may 
mention a few of tho most distinct, referring 
your readers to the florists’ catalogues for a 
better knowledge of the others. 
For dark foliage, so far as I know, no other 
©finals the Ganna A. liobine. The loaves them¬ 
selves are of good size and well-shaped, and 
their color is a deep, ruddy, copper color a sort 
of dark, metallic maroon—that is wonderfully 
line anil exceedingly distinct. Largo and rich 
orange-red flowom surmount this grand foliage. 
Oloire <ie Provence and (liiHtave IHppe are 
both comparatively dwarf, growing to tho bight 
of only four feet, and the light-green foliage is 
not. very large, hut the flowers aro exceedingly 
large and line in the one being pure yellow, and 
in tho other light yellow, spotted with carmine. 
XANTHOCERAS WORBIFOLIA. 
or Livingstone has very lino dark foliago and 
in- brilliant, rosy, orange-colored flowers, abou¬ 
nd dantly produced. 
irt Madame f'ombet hears a profusion of ruby-red 
lly flowers, combined with fine green leaves, which 
eh are slightly shaded with maroon. 
Ctmipactam, Coquet, (lloire do Lyon, PM. 
ire Morrcn and Madame Oeller aro all superb. 
Ganna Imperator requires a distinct mention, 
,s as it is a wonder. Of this Ganna, small plants, 
*'y not a foot high, set out in my garden about tho 
n,i middle of May, have produced towards tho oud 
of tho season an enormous mass of foliage fully 
twelve foot high and of great breadth, while 
many of the individual leaves wore almost, as 
large as those of tho IJanann.. llut truth com¬ 
pels me to stale that tho flowers aro late in 
showing themselves, seldom appearing before 
September. 
Prince imperial is remarkable as being very 
dwarf. Tho leaves aro a nice green and the 
flowers brilliant red, and they come forth in pro¬ 
fusion quite early in tho season. 
Aitele lAonlloits is still more dwarf than tho 
above, and has foliage which is, l think, distinct 
from that of any other Ganna, both in shape aud 
in toxturo. The flowers arc magnificent, being 
largo and dazzling crimson. 
Auguste Fi erier has grand foliago, nearly as 
massive as that of Ganna imperator, mentioned 
| above, hut the leaves are much darker than 
those of that variety, ft I, looms very late at 
any rate not. till tho end of the season, and 
sometimes not then. 
Mareehal ValUant combines most handsome 
dark, bronze - green leaves with rich, orange- 
colored flowers, and it is an early bloomer. It 
may safely bo commended as one of tho best 
I Gannas over sent out. 
Jean Vandael , with its as' 
tonishingly - largo crimson- 
rod blossoms; Prem iers dr 
Mire, with line sea-green 
leaves and largo, clear, cana¬ 
ry-yellow flowers those and 
a host of others aro all wor¬ 
thy of tho highest praise; 
but tho list is already too 
long and 1 must stop. 
y Perhaps, however, it would 
ho well to mention that, two 
or three Gannas have foliago 
variegated with croamy-yel- 
Bgia. low stripes, Ganna Indira va- 
riegnla and lirenningsi being 
examples of this not very 
^ dosirablo class. Dut Ganna 
Tricolor is really good, tho 
foliago being striped with 
yellow, green, and rose-color, 
producing a very pleasing 
effect. 
It is to be hoped that Ru¬ 
ral readers who aro foml 
of plants and have plenty of 
r -' room to grow thorn, will sot 
out a few Gannas aud give 
them a little care. They 
should not ho planted out 
till tho weather is warm 
enough for tho Tomato, and 
UjJMlJte|jte »p- they thrive best in light, 
BMnghh deep, and rich soil. Tho 
root should ho put six or 
^ eight Inches under ground, 
thus enabling it to got a 
better start than if planted 
just under tho surface. Tho 
Ganna needs boat, moisture, 
and full sunshine, Acouvo- 
^ niont moans of giving water 
is to make a basin or circle 
of stable manure — say, two 
feet acroBS just about the 
plant. Every few days, 
