154 
THE FLORIST AND POMOLOGIST. 
[ October, 
DYING OFF OF APEICOTS. 
UCH of tills lias been experienced this 
year ; the chief causes I believe to be the 
free growth of the roots into cold, damp 
soil, or into that which is very rich, preventmg 
the wood from ripening early in the autumn. 
The growth then starts early in spring, and is 
attacked by frost; the stems become paralysed, 
and though they do not show it much at first, 
they in due time die off, and this often happens 
just as the fruit reaches maturity. 
After many careful experiments with lifting 
and planting, I find that much of this scourge 
of dying-off in Apricot-trecs may be avoided 
if the trees are kept well above the subsoil and 
are thoroughly drained, with abundance of 
brick and lime-rubbish rammed tightly in the 
soil below the roots. When growth seems in¬ 
clined to be extra-luxuriant, a portion of the 
roots might be lifted, very rank ones shortened, 
and the whole placed firmly again into healthy 
soil. This may be done any time between June 
and October. When much cutting is done to 
the wood, we look out for dying branches. 
—M. T. _ 
POPULUS CANADENSIS NOVA. 
Cf'pT is perhaps not too high praise to say 
6 m that the new Canadian Poplar is one of 
CJD the best and most useful hardy deciduous 
trees we have in cultivation. In the first place, 
it is the most rapid-growing of all our hardy' 
trees, for we have ourselves seen plants which 
have made ten feet of growth in a season well 
furnished with branches. This will give some 
idea of its rapid development. It is, moreover, 
a tree well adapted to London, and may be 
seen in luxuriant health in the plantations on 
the Thames Embankment at Chelsea. By in¬ 
ference, therefore, it may be judged as suitable 
for other towns. From the treatment to which 
it has been subjected at Chelsea, it is evident 
that it will bear any amount of pruning, so 
that there is no difficulty in keeping it to any 
size or form required. It is probably also the 
best free-growing tree we have for planting in 
the smoky towns of the manufacturing dis¬ 
tricts in the North of England. 
Its nearest affinity is with the Black Italian 
Poplar, and, in fact, it may be described, from 
its general appearance, as a very much im¬ 
proved Black Italian Poplar, possessing greater 
vigour of growth, as wmll as larger leaves,which 
are retained fresh and green till a later period 
of the season. It is, in fact, in every way an 
improvement on that well-known and useful 
tree, and as a screen plant has no rival on 
record.—T. Moore. 
SELAGINELLA PERELEGANS.* 
very ornamental species of Selar/inella 
closely related to S. inccqualifolia^ 
; the latter differs in its paler- 
* S. PEBELEGANS, T. Moore, GarA. Cliron., N.s., xi., 533. 
S. bellula, T. Moore, Gave!. Chron., n.s., xl., 173, fig. 25, non 
Cesati. Stem continuous, erect, 12 inches high, of a reddish 
hue, roundish, -with two shallow furrows, branched to the 
base; branches alternate, the lower ones more distant, 
smaller, and less divided, the upper ones rather crowded, 
spreading, ovate in outline, with a stalk-like portion at the 
base, closely bipinuate, the secondary branches mostly forked 
near the end; leaves entire and glossy beneath, those of 
the main stem distant, of the branches more approximate, 
oblong, Bubfaleate, acute, broader on the anterior side of the 
prominent nerve, but more produced at the base and rounded 
on the posterior side, erectly spreading and deflected from the 
plane, the smaller leaves ovate, shortly acuminate, obliquely 
affixed, subparallel; leaves of the branohlets close set, oblong, 
with a straight upper and curved lower margin, the nerve 
faloately curving to the acute point; leaves of the forks 
obovate muoronate; spikes slender, quadrangular, |-1 inch 
long. 
