April 7, ia94. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
505 
CLIVIAS AT FOREST HILL. 
Every year in the month of March a fine display of 
Clivias may be seen in the nursery of Messrs. J. 
Laing & Sons, Forest Hill, where the raising of new 
varieties from seed is still carried on with untiring 
energy. It may not be possible to obtain a blue or 
purple Clivia, but surely there is still a possibility of 
raising yellow and white sorts. Some years may 
elapse before this can be done, but patience and 
industry effect wonderful changes if continually 
persisted in Nevertheless the huge trusses of bloom 
make a glorious display as they are, and their place 
cannot be taken by anything else. The original type 
introduced from South Africa can no longer be 
grown alongside of the improvements that have been 
made upon it, except by way of curiosity to show 
the contrast. Most of the undermentioned varieties 
are new, that is they floweredfor the first time within 
the last year or two. 
The flowers of Duke of York, borne in huge trusses, 
are funnel-shaped, widely expanded, and of a soft 
orange at the tips with a long, creamy white throat. 
Similar in size and form is Princess May, if indeed 
the flowers are not actually longer, and of a soft 
orange, fading into yellow and white in the throat. 
By contrast with those, the flower of Harry Laing is 
short, with broad segments of an intense orange 
scarlet, and a short white and yellow base. The 
flowers of Mrs. Joseph Broome are of a medium size, 
widely expanded, and soft orange with a nearly 
white throat. On the contrary, Mrs. John Laing 
has long funnel-shaped flowers of an orange-scarlet 
and yellow in the throat, shading into white at the 
sides. The unusually long flowers of Her Majesty 
are of a rich orange, and nearly white in the tube. 
The short, bell-shaped flowers of Joseph Chamber- 
lain are of an intense orange scarlet. Patrick David¬ 
son is a plant of remarkable size and vigour, bearing 
huge trusses of deep orange flowers. Scarlet Per¬ 
fection has flowers, the segments of which are of a 
uniform orange-scarlet for three parts of their length. 
Those of Lord Rosebery are short and campanu- 
late, and of a deep orange. 
There are several very pale varieties, and in that 
respect very distinct, but they hardly yet approach 
what would be considered a true yellow, which 
seems as difficult to procure in this race as amongst 
the zonal Pelargoniums. For the real variation, 
however, all cultivators may rest satisfied. The 
first real break obtained was Sulphurea, which has 
flowers of the softest orange fading to sulphur at 
the base. A much better built flower is Lemonia, 
which has broader, imbricate segments, almost of a 
pink shade when they first expand, slightly flushed 
with orange and sulphur in the tube. When the 
flowers first open they are both handsome and 
distinct! Empress Eugenia forms a suitable com¬ 
panion to either of the above, but is several shades 
darker than either. The upper portion of each 
segment is of a pale or soft orange. Here also we 
should place Stanstead Beauty, which has long, soft 
orange flowers and a creamy white base. Curiously 
enough the whole flower becomes darker with age, 
as we noted in a plant that had been in bloom for 
five weeks. Duchess of York is a seedling from 
Stanstead Beauty, and is characterised by long 
flowers with a third of the apex of the segments 
more or less distinctly striped with white. Some 
years ago considerable interest was created by the 
appearance of Lady Wolverton, whose flowers had a 
very short tube and broadly imbricated, remarkably 
revolute or spreading segments. The plant is an 
immense grower with the stem-like portion of the 
leaves of enormous girth. The flowers are of a rich 
orange, but those of Lord Wolverton are of an 
intense orange-scarlet for three fourths the length of 
the segments. The latter are widely expanded, but 
not so broad as those of the previously-mentioned 
variety. The flowers of John Laing are widely 
expanded and of an intense orange-scarlet for two- 
thirds the length of the segments. Those of Mrs. 
Laing are short, wide, and of a soft uniform orange, 
except at the base. Elegantissima on the contrary 
has long flowers of an intense orange-scarlet for 
half the length of the segments. Salmonea bears 
large trusses of rich orange tinted with salmon or 
some similar shade towards the sides. Altogether 
they made a gorgeous display at the time of our 
visit. Besides the plants old and young that were 
then in bloom, a large number of seedlings in various 
stages were advancing towards a flowering size. 
THE YOSEMITE VALLEY, 
AND ITS VEGETATION. 
The following is the substance of a paper read by 
Mr. Chas. E. Shea, at the meeting of the Horticul¬ 
tural Club on the 20th ult. It opened by a brief 
statement of the three main divisions (N. to S.) into 
which the N. American continent might be separated. 
The eastern section, that including the Appalachian 
range; the middle, drained by the Mississippi and 
its tributaries, consisting of the great central valley, 
with its eastern “prairies” and western “ plains” ; 
and the third, and most westerly section, that com¬ 
mencing with the Rocky Mountains, and terminating 
with the Pacific Ocean—a vast plateau and “ tangle” 
of mountains a thousand miles across. Part of the 
westernmost edge of this great mountain system was 
known as the Sierra Nevada, the Snowy Range, and, 
northwards, the Cascade Range. In California, 
there was also the Coast Range, separated by some 
fifty miles from Sierra Nevada proper, and of much 
more recent geological origin. At Tejon Pass, in 
the south, the two ranges separated, and might be 
considered to reunite either at Lassen's Peak or 
Mount Shasta, in the north. 
In the true Sierra Nevada, 220 miles by rail and 
“ trail ” from San Francisco, the wonderful Yosemite 
Valley is situated. The route to- the valley, together 
with the forest vegetation met with in ascending 
the Sierra from the valley, was then described ;— 
Vegetation of Sierras and Coast Range. 
Four velts on W. and one more on E. slope. 
1. Foot hills up to 3.000 feet.—Digger Pine, P. 
Sabiniana pale blue ; Black Oak, Quercus sono- 
mens, dark green, a good contrast. In the side 
canons, or gulches, are found flowering shrubs, 
mostly the Californian “Buck-eye,” .iEsculus 
californicus, giving place, as we ascend, to the 
fragrant Ceanothus, C. lilac. Manzanita, 
Chiamso, Arctostaphylus glauca, Adenostema 
fasiculata, are abundant everywhere. 
2. 3,000 feet to 7,000 feet.—The Pitch Pine, P. 
ponderosa, supplants the Digger Pine, and above 
4,000 feet there is more Sugar Pine, P. Lara- 
bertiana ; the cones are wonderful, very large, 
two at the end of a long branch, looking like 
ornamental tassels. This is the best Californian 
timber,and often measures 350 feet in height, and 
7 feet to 12 feet in diameter. 
In this belt the “ big trees ” occur. 
3. 7,000 feet to 9,000 feet (taking central part of the 
State).—Superb Firs, Picea amabilis, geometri¬ 
cal, of giant size, P. Jeffreyi, of the variety of 
P. ponderosa, occurs ; above this comes Pinus 
monticola, ousting the Piceas as we ascend. 
4. Above 9,000 feet.—Pinus albicaulis, or flexilis, 
limit of the tree; on Mount Shasta it is a shrub ! 
and Pinus aristata, sparsely, except in the south. 
“Chaparral,” so-called in California; under¬ 
growth of prickly character, is made up of 
Manzanita, Buck-eye, Indian Arrow, Wild Rose, 
and all sorts of other unnamed shrubs, forming 
a most impenetrable growth. 
Reaching the valley itself, the description given by 
Professor Whitney, the State geologist, was quoted, 
the valley being by that authority described as “ a 
nearly level area, about six miles in length, and from 
half a mile to a mile in width, sunk almost a mile in 
perpendicular depth below the general level of the 
adjacent region ” The valley was dealt with in 
detail both in its marvellous scenic and geological 
aspects, the conclusion being offered that it owed its 
creation not to erosion by water, transverse fracture 
as “ folding ” of the strata, but to subsidence of the 
floor of the valley. The comparative absence of 
talus or debris, and the dissimilarity of the opposite 
sides of the valley, were specially pointed out in 
support of this view. 
The vegetation of the valley was dealt with in 
some detail 
Vegetation of the Yosemite Valley Proper. 
Ridges.—Pines, P. ponderosa and other varieties. 
Where streams come over the precipices, the 
Oregon Maple, Acer macrophj Hum, with large 
and deeply cut leaves. 
High up talus.—Acer glabrum, 10 to 15 feet, with 
delicate branches, long, peduncled leaves, and 
clusters of reddish seeds—very beautiful. 
Rest of talus.—Mountain live Oak, Q. chrysolepsis, 
and common shrubby evergreen Oak, of Q. 
vaccinifolia. 
Base of debris where streams emerge.—Californian 
Laurel, Tetranthera californica (aromatic). 
Amongst the smaller plants are many beautiful 
Pentstemons, including P. Menziesii, brilliant 
scarlet: Bahia confertiflora, low shrub, yellow 
flowers — abundant. 
In crevices of rocks and upper parts of side canons. 
—Cheilanthes gracillima, and many others. 
■ Cryptogamic vegetation, mosses and sphagnum. 
Near vernal fall.—Ferns. Adiantum pedatum, 
Pellaea densa, P. Bridgesii, P. mucronata, 
Chellanthus gracillima. Polypodium californica, 
Aspidium argutum, Cystopteris fragilis. 
Below talus and above swamps or pasture. — Pinus 
ponderosa, 125 to 150, i.e., Yellow or Pitch Pine ; 
' Bastard Cedar, Libocedrus decurrens, 125 to 150 
feet. 
Below Bridal Veil Fall.—The noble Picea grandis 
and Black Oak, Q. Sonomensis. 
Undergrowth most interesting.—Cornus Nuttallii, 
white flowers, three; Rubus nutkanus, most 
beautiful of Raspberries; the Manzanita, wild 
Rose, Pentstemon laetus, blue; Hosackia 
grandiflora, Pteris aquilina, Spragnea um- 
bellata, abundant ; Comandra achillaefolia, 
Silene compacta, Chaenatis achillaefolia cover 
the ground. 
Along the banks of the Merced 70 feet wide 
vegetation varies. 
Near falls.—Dense growths of Alder (Alnusviridus), 
with small trees of Rhamnus Menziesii, large 
and sombre leaves; a few Willows, Douglas 
Spruce (Abies Douglasii), Pinus Lambertiana 
(Sugar Pine), a few. 
Where the valley widens out (deep peaty soil and 
swamps).—Balm of Gilead Poplar (Populus 
balsamifera), a common tree, often mistaken for 
the Cottonwood; large Willows, Abies Douglasii, 
many; Azalea occidentalis, superb white fra¬ 
grant flowers; Helenium grandiflora, yellow. 
In a pond near Hutchings’ yellow pond Lily, 
Nuphar advena. 
Vegetation of Mariposa Trail Down to 
Valley. 
Oaks, Pines, and Firs make up the forest, with a 
profusion of flowering shrubs, including 
Ceanothus integerrimus, white or pale blue, 
fragrant, called “the Beauty of the Sierra”; 
C' divaricatus, blue, fragrant; Philadelphus 
cali.''ornicus, large, white ; Poison Oak (Rhus 
diversiloba) ; “Snow-plant,” or “Ice-plant” 
(Sarcodes sanguinea), brilliant red tongue of 
flame issuing from the earth ; Great White Lily 
of the Sierra (Lilium umquaensis), the most 
superb and deliciously fragrant flower of 
California. 
The “big trees ” (Sequoia gigantea) although not 
actually in the Yosemite Valley, were described, the 
various dimensions of height, diameter, and circum¬ 
ference being given; the age of one tree specially 
examined was stated to be over 1220 years. A 
tribute to the great hospitality and intelligence of 
the American people brought the “ talkee ” to a 
close. 
-- 
NEMOPHILAS. 
Few will dispute that next to Mignonette these are 
the most popular annuals, unless it be Asters, Ten 
Week Stocks, and Zinnias. Years ago they were 
more extensively grown that at present, and at one 
time it was a general practice to sow patches in a 
warm aspect to afford a supply of cut flowers, and 
pots of them were often grown for greenhouse and 
conservatory decoration. N. insignis was for some 
time almost the only variety grown, but now there 
is a somewhat extended list in catalogues to select 
from. For early spring flowering sow at the begin- 
ing of August, and for summer flowering sow in 
April, but the autumn sown ones always flower 
the best. Sow on light soil, as in this the seed 
germinates freely, and avoid having them over¬ 
crowded. If they can be allowed to flower where 
sown the results will be better than if transplanted, 
but if this has to be done do it early in winter with 
a trowel, so as to secure a ball of earth to each 
plant. Thin sowing and thinning out are indispen¬ 
sable to secure success. I have found cats to be 
very troublesome on Nemophila beds, and have been 
obliged to protect them with small branches stuck 
in thickly among the plants. For window boxes the 
Nemophila has few equals, while in full beauty this 
and Mignonette combined will please all lovers of 
hardy annuals, among which there are many 
beautiful things too much neglected.— W. B. G, 
