The  Giant  Sequoias. 
Soiiio  of  tlie  ^iant  Sofiuoias  of  Southern  California  are  esti¬ 
mated  to  he  from  live  tlio-usaml  to  eight  thousand  years  old. 
having,  perliaps,  spanned  the  entire  period  of  written  history. 
A  section  in  the  American  Museum  of  Natural  History  was  cut 
from  one-  of  thes.e  trees  at  a  height  of  20ft,  is  a  little  more  than 
18ft  in  diameter,  and  its  concentric  rings  show  that  it  began  its 
growth  in  u.lO  A.D..  tiu'  tree  reaching  a  diameter  of  13ft  at 
Columbus  landing. 
The  Philadelphus. 
One  of  the  best-known  shrubs,  and  always  popular,  is  the 
Philadelphus,  yet  there  is  mucli  confusion  as  tO'  the  name  and 
variety.  It  is  often  called  Syringa.  which  is  the  proper  name  for 
ohr  Lilac,  but  it  is  so'metimes  called  Mock  Orange  and  Jasmine. 
Ahno-st  eve^s'one  is  more  or  less  familiar  with  the  plant.  If 
grown  in  more  space  they  make  a  wonderfid  disi^lay.  Of  cour.se 
they  are  too  large  for  many  places,  where  the  varieties  four  to 
live  or  even  six  feet  are  better  adapted;  but  where  the  large 
variety  is  adapted  nothing  will  answer  for  its  substitute.  The 
larger  varieties  arc  P.  Gordonianus  and  P.  pube'soens,  both  of 
which  grow  very  lai’ge.  The  branches  are  beautiful  cut  for 
decorations,  but  the  odour,  alrhough  sweet,  is  too  strong  for  some 
people  to  endure  indoors. 
The  Yalue  of  Parks. 
Few  persons  outside  of  those  having  given  these  subjects 
special  attention,  appreciate  to  what  extent  the  development  of 
a  park  system  accentuates  the  ae.sthetic  and  material  growth  of 
an  urban  community.  The  experience  of  almost  every  growing 
city  vindicatc,s  the  correctness  of  this  statement.  While  the  work 
of  creating  a  park  system  is  going  on,  and  the  costly  improvements 
are  under  way,  there  is  invariably  criticism  and  honest  difference 
in  conviction  as  to  the  plans  and  the  advisability  of  the  expendi¬ 
tures.  But  when  the  work  is  once  accomplished,  and  the  people 
have  before  them  the  object  lesson  of  a  continuou-s  park  and 
parkway  development,  unitiitg  thh  varied  atti'actions  and  benefit-s 
into  a  harmonious  whole,  doubts  and  misgivings  give  way  to  civic 
pride,  comidaints  to  conipliments,  and  the  fear  of  unreasonable 
cost  changes  to  gratification  at  the  result. 
A  Good  Crop  from  Poor  Land. 
The  following — a  cutting  from  a  local  paper  Prescot  Re¬ 
porter”) — has  just  been  handed  to  me: — “  The  prop ipt  effect  of 
chemical  n’lanures  in  raising  the  fertility  of  naturally  poor  and 
long-neglectcd  land  is  again  illustrated  by  the  results  of  the 
experiments  of  Mr.  Erne.st" Parke  on  his  farm  at  Kineton,  War- 
jtjuicksliire.  The  yield  of  Mangolds  recently  pulled  on  the  un- 
'nianured  portion  of  one  of  Mr.  Parke’s  fields  was,  in  round 
figures,  only  9.)  tons  per  acre.  dre.ssing  of'  4c\^'t  of  super¬ 
phosphate  and  Icwt.of  nitrate  of  .soda  per  acre,  without  any  dung, 
raised  the  crop  to  nearly  14  tons  per  acre,  while  the  addition  of 
2cwt  per  acre  of  nitrate  gave  a  crop  of  15  tons  per  acre.  The 
results  are  in  accord  with  those  already  obtained  with  the  Oat 
and  grass  crops.  A  portion  of  the  Oat  crop,  unmanured,  gave 
only  thirty  bushels  of  Oats,  with  one  ton  of  straw,  per  acre; 
while  the  .same  field,  dre.sscd  with  superphosphate  aird  nitrate 
of  soda,  gave  forty-six  bushels  of  Oats  and  l^-  tons  of  .sti'aw  per 
acre.  The  hay  crop,  in  two  separate  fields,  by  the  use  of  nitrate 
of  soda  and  phosphates  (basic  slag  in  one  case  and  superphosphate 
in  the  other)  was  raised  to  1  ton  15cwt  and  1  ton  12cwt 
per  acre,  being  respectively  four  times  and  six  times  the 
weight  of  the  crops  obtained  without  manure,  which 
gave  only  OcAvt  and  oewt  per  acre.  The  land  is  of  a 
pcior  clayey  nature,  the  ordnance  map  showing  an  adjoin¬ 
ing  holding  which  bears  the  name  of  ‘  Starveall  Farm.’ 
acquired  during  the  days  when  the  fertility  of  a  farm  depended 
upon  its  own  internal  resources,  ma3'  evidently  show  it.self  none 
the  less  gratefully  responsive  to  the  modern  methods  of  hus¬ 
bandry.  Mr.  Parke,  in  his  experiments,  has  the  co-operation  of 
Dr.  Bernard  Dyer.” — R.  P.  R. 
AX  D  COTTAGE  CARD  EX  ER.-  February  19,  1903. 
Trees  for  London. 
It  i'  sinc.rely  to  be  hoped  that  Sir  J.  Wolfe  Barry’.s  scheine  cf 
tree  planting  in  Whitejiall  and  elsewhere  in  Westminster  will 
bring  forth  fruit.  Nothing  strike.s,  the  visitor  to  London  ,so 
much  in  some  parts  as  the  trees;  nothing  iinpre.sses  him.  in  other 
directions  so  much  as  the  ah.sence  of  them.  Whitehall,  of  qourse, 
is  a  conspicuous  example  of  a  thoroughfare  adapted  to  tree¬ 
planting.  But  there  are  miles  of  roadway  in  other  parts  which 
are  quite  as  well  deserving  of  the  attention  of  the  arboriculturist. 
To  mention  onl^'  a  few  thoroughfares  which  occur  to  mind — the 
Ca)nden  Road,  the  Brixton  Road,  the  Clapham  Road,  the  Edgware 
Road,  and  the  Commercial  Road  would  all  profit  bj>’  the  intro- 
ducti-cn  of  trees.  The  old  notion  that  trees  will  not  grow  in 
the  London  streets  is  an  exploded  fallacy.  In  the  magnificent 
Plane  trees  cn  the  Thames  Embankment  we  have  living  witnesses, 
to  the  .suitability’  of  London  conditions  to  the  right  cla'-s  of  tree. 
Roses  in  Canada. 
The  man  who  associates  Roses  with  warm  climes  will  ba 
astonished  to  learn  that  there  is  nO'  country  moi’e  famous  for  its 
Roses  than  Canada,  thei  land  of  snow  and  ice.  We  have  seen 
photographs  of  the  Sunrise  and  Bride  Rose,  taken  at  Montreal 
last  month,  and  thej’  show  a  wonderful  bloom.  It  is  from  Canada 
chiefly  that  the  Roses  which  grace  the  tables  of  Now  York  .society 
come  at  this  time  of  y’car,  and  so  appreciative  are  the  Americans 
that  the  Canadian  growers  have  all  their  work  cut  out  to  supply 
the  demand.  The  real  secret  of  their  success  is  that  their  blooms 
la-st  longer.  The  Rose'  takes  longer  to-  grow  in  the  Canadian 
climate  than  in  the  States,  and  the  buds  have  necessarily'  more 
substance  and  take  longer  to  develop.  They  are  picked  “  close  ” 
there — that  is,' just  on  the  verge  of  opening — and  sent  by  exin-ess 
to  New  York  in  long,  flat,  wooden  tray’S.  The  buds  lie  on  their 
pillow  of  leaves  and  the  long  stems  are  covered  with  crushed  ice. 
The  water  dissolving  from  the  ice  moi.stens  the  stems  sufficiently 
to  bring  the  flower  to  New  York  in  just  its  perfect  stage  of 
opened  beauty. 
Trade  Florists’  Designs. 
A  wreath,  with  white  Stocks  round  the  frame,  smoothly  laid 
dov  n.  At  the  top  was  a,  loose  bouquet  of  double  purplish  Yiolct.s 
and  a  few  chocolate-brown  Ivy  sprays  woven  about.  An  Ivy 
shoot  was  also  twined  down  one  of  the  sides  over  the  Stocks. 
Another  imposing  wreath,  all  in  white,  was  again  formed  of  white 
Stocks,  and  had  a,  hugei  bouquet  of  Arum  Lilies  (Richardia) 
dexterously  arranged  at  the  top  with  a  few  Croton  leaves  to  give 
effectiveness  ;  white  silk  ribbons  hung  down  behind.  A  large 
lady’s  spray  of  Cattleya  blooms,  Mrs.  Pollock  (tricolor),  Pelar¬ 
gonium  leaves.  Erica  gracilis,  and  Arundinaria  Fortunei  .shoots, 
was  at  once  imposing,  rich,  and  beautiful.  It  was  1ft  long. 
An  oblong  Avicker-work  receptacle,  Avith  dark  YAolets  in  front, 
Lily  of  the  Valley  behind,  and  mauA’e  boAvs  beneath  the-  Violet.«, 
Avas  A’ery'  pretty.  xV  cross,  furnished  Avith  dark  Violets,  had  neat 
Avhite  Camellias  on  Avired  stalks  standing  out  aboA'c  these  at 
intervals  of  an  inch  or  two,  forming,  as  it  Avere,  a  double  cre^s, 
and  very  effective  it  Avas. 
Forcing  Campanula  Medium  calycanthema. 
This  Campanula  is  described  as  a  valuable  and  beautiful  pot 
plant  suitable  for  forcing.  A  Avriter  in  “  Moller’s  Deutsche  Gart- 
ner-Zeitung  ”  recommends  that  the  seed  be  soAvn  in  x\pril  or  May' 
in  order  to  produce  strong  plairts  susceptible  of  forcing.  TIua 
seedlings  are  pricked  once  and  then  planted  in  a  rich,  melloAV  soil 
in  the  open.  They  are  then  potted  about  the  middle  of  Septem¬ 
ber,  and  placed  in  a  closed  cold  frame  in  order  to  induce  a  vigorou.s 
root  growth.  As  soon  as  that  is  accomplished  much  air  should  be 
giA'en,  or  perhaps  the  ,sash  can  be  entirely  remoA'ed  until  freezing 
Aveather  comes.  The  forcing  of  these  Campanulas  commences  in 
January,  and  the  pots  are  for  that  purpose  first  placed  in 
moderate  heat.  Avhich  should  be  increased  from  Godeg  to  TOdeg. 
The  floAvers  Avill  then  bloom  in  from  ten  to  tAvelve  Aveeks.  Cam¬ 
panula  Medium  caly'C.anthema  groAVs  to  a  height  of  about  3ft,  and 
produces  from  fiA’e  to  eight  shoots,  or  sometimes  more,  A\  hich  are 
densely  set  Avith  large  double  floAvers.  This  Campanula  is  equally 
A'aluable  for  forcing  and  for  out  of  doors.  The  most  pleasijig  of 
its  colours  is  the  pink,  but  the  Avhite  and  light  blue  are  very 
handsome.  For  indoor  use  they  Avill  keep  six  Aveeks  if  properly 
cared  for. 
