January  23,  1902. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER, 
81 
Nuts  for  Human  Foo/d- 
The  sc.entist-traveller,  Alexander  von  Humboldt,  on©  of  the 
wisest  men  of  the  nineteenth  century,  a  wonderfully  practical 
man  and  a  close  observer,  estimated  that  a  Banana  orchard  will 
feed  twenty-five  human  beings  where  a  Potato  field  of  the  same 
size  would  support  but  two,  and  a  Wheat  farm  only  one.  He  also 
ascertained  that  Chestnut  groves,  with  full  grown  trees,  produce 
six  times  as  much  food  per  acre  as  any  cereal  crop.  In  view  of 
these  facts  it  has  been  suggested  that  a  time  may  come  when  the 
staples  of  human  food  will  be  mainly  derived  fi'om  trees,  greatly 
to  the  advantage  of  the  race.  When  our  deserts  are  reclaimed 
by  irrigation  and  Date  Palms,  Mesquite,  Bananas,  and  other 
fruit  trees  cover  them,  there  will  be  a  vast  increase  in  palatable 
and  nour'shing  food. — (“  American  Agriculturist.”) 
Pyrus  Japonica  var.  cardinalis. 
Conspicuous  among  the  numerous  varieties  of  Pyrus  japonica 
by  reason  of  its  large,  richly-coloured  flowers,  is  the  subject  of 
this  note.  It  is  also  distinct  from  the  other  species  by  reason 
of  its  earliniess,  flowers  usually  being  open  several  weeks  in 
advance  of  any  other.  In  general  appearance  of  growth  and 
leaf  little  difference  can  be  detected  from  the  type ;  the  flowers 
are,  however,  of  a  lovely  deep  red,  and  often  exceed  2in  in 
diameter.  Like  the  type,  it  may  be  expected  to  blossom  more 
freely  when  grown  on  a  wall  than  when  grown  as  a  bush,  though 
it  is  amenable  to  cultivation  under  either  method.  When  grown 
on  a  wall  it  should  be  pinched  in  summer  when  the  shoots  are 
soft,  so  as  to  throw  all  the  strength  into  the  production  of 
flowering  spurs.  At  the  present  time  (January  11)  a  plant  on  a 
wall  at  Kew  is  just  commencing  to  blossom,  and  should  the 
weather  keep  mild  will  be  a  fine  sight  by  the  end  of  the 
month. — W.  D. 
h  Hum  longiflorum  eximium. 
It  is  estimated  that  Bermuda  exports  from  £15,000  to  £20,000 
worth  of  bulbs  annually  of  these  Lilies  to  New  York  and 
London ;  Japan  exports  about  the  same  amount  of  money,  and 
as  these  Lilies  are  thrown  away  by  nurserymen  after  they  have 
sold  the  flowers,  instead  of  a  decrease  in  the  demand,  it  has  been 
annually  increasing,  since  its  value  as  a  cut  flower  and  for  forcing 
was  discovered  in  1882.  The  flats  around  Cape  Town  (says  Mr. 
Barr,  in  the  “  Cape  Times  ”)  could  be  profitably  used  for  the 
production  of  this  Lily,  and  an  industry  started  which  would  add 
a  nice  little  item  to  the  profitable  exports  of  the  Colony. 
Saxifraga  crasslfolia. 
The  evergreen  character  of  Saxifraga  ci’assifolia  makes  it  very 
attractive  at  all  times  of  the  year,  the  broad,  bright  green  leaves 
being  conspicuous  in  summer,  and  also  in  the  bronze  shades  in 
winter.  It  is  almost  the  first  flower  to  bloom  in  spring.  So 
anxious  are  they  to  bask  in  the  warm  spring  sun,  the  flowers 
peep  out  from  amongst  the  low  leaves  before  winter  is  fairly 
gone,  and  in  such  haste  they  are  not  borne  on  stems  as  they  are 
later  in  spring,  and  as  illustrated  in  “  Meehans’  Monthly,” 
Vol.  X.,  No.  6.  This  early  spring-blooming  character  naturally 
lends  the  plant  to  good  forcing  privileges,  an  attention  it  has 
not  yet  received. 
Outdoor  Vines. 
The  pruning  of  these  ought  now'  to  be  finished.  If  furnished 
with  strong  rods  the  side  shoots  may  be  shortened  to  one  or 
two  buds.  One  bud  is  enough  to  leave  if  it  is  of  a  plump 
character  and  certain  of  showing  fruit,  othenvLse  leave,  two. 
Should  any  space  require  to  be  filled  with  young  canes,  leave 
several  as  near  the  base  as  possible,  shortening  them  to  3ft  or 
4ft.  After  pruning,  w'ash  all  the  rods  and  spurs  with  an  insecti- 
side  consisting  either  of  4oz  of  softsoap  or  8oz  of  Gishurst 
compound  to  the  gallon  of  hot  water.  Then  retrain,  but  the 
young  canes  should  be  depressed  to  an  horizontal  position  until 
they  break  into  growth.  If  the  soil  is  somewhat  poor  it  will  be 
desirable  to  remove  the  top  crust  down  to  the  roots,  replacing 
it  with  fresh  material  consisting  of  loam,  decayed  manure,  burnt 
earth,  and  a  sprinkling  of  Thomson’s  Vine  manure. — D.  S. 
Iris  pumila. 
Few  plants  have  delighted  the  vrriter  more  than  the  dwarf 
Iris,  I.  pumila.  Not  that  it  is  a  remarkably  showy  plant  for 
general  garden  purposes,  although  it  is  fairly  good  in  that 
respect,  but  more  because  of  its  many  unique  characters.  It  is 
just  as  dwarf  as  can  be,  the  little  tufts  of  foliage  being  little 
more  than  6in  in  height,  and  the  bright  flowers  usually  nestle 
amongst  them.  There  are  several  varieties  of  pumila,  but  one 
of  the  best  is  a  rich  shade  of  purple.  It  is  the  earliest  of  all  Iris 
to  flower  in  spring — so  early  that  its  inclinations  advance  the 
blooming  period  to  the  previous  year,  and  one  may  see  numerous 
flowers  in  late  fall— in  fact,  among  a  number  of  plants  there  are 
nearly  alw'ays  a  few  flowers  in  sight.  This  Iris  will  be  recognised 
as  being  very  valuable  for  bordering  beds  or  clumps  of  other 
Iris,  or  for  bordering  any  beds  of  herbaceous  plants.  The  species 
of  Iris  are  so  numerous  in  cultivation,  it  is  an  easy  matter,  by 
careful  selection,  to  have  a  bed  of  continuous  bloom  for  many 
months. 
Amaryllis  Belladonna. 
The  following  is  a  notice  of  the  systeni  of  culture  practised 
by  a  grower  at  Newport,  R.I.,  L.,S.A.,  and  .given  in  the 
“American  Florist.”  It  may  be  mentioned  that  a  phofogi-aphic 
illustration  of  his  Amaryllis  in  flower  appears,  and  shows  so 
many  as  fifteen  splendid  spikes  of  strong  flowers  in  one  9in  or 
lOin  pot.  “The  bulbs  are  grown  in  a  small  brick  pit  ,3ft  deep. 
There  is  1ft  of  stone  in  the  bottom  for  drainage,  and  about  18in  of 
rich  loam,  the  bulbs  being  planted  4in  to  5in  below  the  surface. 
Early  autumn  is  the  best  time  to  plant,  or  else  the  first  of 
summer,  after  the  fohage  is  off  the  bulbs.  After  the  flowering 
season  is  over,  when'the  foliage  begins  to  show,  scrape  off  some 
of  the  surface  and  top-dress;  keep  well  watered,  and  attend  to 
getting  a  good,  healthy  growth  of  foliage  during  the  winter. 
Protect  from  frost  by  banking  the  frame  and,  covering  the  saish 
with  mats,  &c.,  and  air  on  all  occasions  as  the  weather  will 
permit.  Dry  off.  in  the  summer,  allowing  no  water  until  the 
spikes  or  foliage  begin  to  appear.  The  flower  spikes  measure 
2ft  to  3ft  in  height,  so  they  want  plenty  of  head  room.” 
Acacia  Balleyana. 
The  great  genus  Acacia  numbers  among  its  many  species  many 
which  are  of  exceptional  value  horticulturally,  but  are  little 
known.  The  one  under  notice  is  not  often  seen,  but  is  a  useful 
plant.  It  grows  naturally  into  a  good-sized  tree,  and  is  quite 
distinct  in  general  appearance  from  any  other  species.  The 
whole  plant,  leaves  and  stems,  are  covered  with  a  glaucous  hue, 
the  bark  being  quite  wliite.  The  flowers  are  in  racemes  2in 
long,  the  racemes  being  borne  from  every  leaf  axil  on  last  year’s 
wood.  As  in  most  other  Acacias,  the  flowers  are  yellow,  but  in 
this  case  the  shade  is  deeper  than  is  usually  the  case.  It  flowers 
with  the  earhest  set  in  Januarj',  and  the  flowers  last  in  good 
condition  several  weeks.  After  the  flowers  are  over,  it  should 
receive  a  good  hard  praning  to  keep  it  within  bounds,  and  to 
encourage  good  wood  for  next  year’s  flowering.  In  the 
Temperate  House  at  Kew  a  plant  may  now  be  seen  in 
flower. — W.  D. 
Daphne  Indica  rubra. 
This  precious  little  gem  seems  to  be  uncommonly  scarce  in 
the  United  States.  “  I  send  you  some  cut  sprays  of  Daphne 
indica  rubra  (writes  a  correspondent  in  an  exchange),  a  plant 
now  seldom  met  with ;  indeed,  I  'question  if  a  dozen  plants  can 
bo  found  in  the  United  States.  .  After  a  deal  of  trouble,  I 
succeeded  in  procuring  a  few  plants  from  England  last  spring. 
As  far  back  as  I  can  remember,  the  plant  was  always  as  scarce 
as  ‘  hen’s  teeth,’  and  for  the  reason  that  no  one  cared  to  take  it 
in  hand,  or  understood  its  propagation.  It  is  a  shy  rooter  at 
.all  times,  and,  moreover,  a  slow  grower..  It  comes  under  th|0 
jhead  of  greenhouse  evergreens.'  Plants  in  4in  or  oin  pots  are 
:  easily  worth  75  cents  to  doUar.  The  best  method  of  pro¬ 
pagating  this  variety  is  to  work  it  on  stocks  either  of  Daphne 
Cneorum  or  D.  laureola.  In  this  way  comparatively  vigorous 
plants  can  be  obtained,  fit  for  sale  in  one  year.  Take  a  sniff 
of  the  blooms  sent  you,  and  imagine,  if  you  will,  the  effect  of  a 
few  thou'  nd  plants  being  on  the  market  just  at  Christmas. 
One  spra,,  will  perfume  a  whole  house.  Another  case  of 
neglected  beauty.” 
