January 1946

The NATIONAL HORTICULTURAL ' . MAGAZINE

JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY

JANUARY, 1946 The American Horticultural Society

PRESENT ROLL OF OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS Ap.ril, 1945

OFFICERS President, Major David V. Lumsden, U. S. Army First Vice-President, Mr. Wilbur H. Youngman, Washington, D. C. Second Vice-President, Mrs. Robert Woods Bliss, Washington, D. C. Secretary, Dr. V. T. Stoutemyer, Washington, D. C. Treasurer, Mr. J. Marion Shull, Washington, D. C. DIRECTORS Terms Expiring 1946 Terms Expiring 1947 Mrs. Walter Douglas, Chauncey, N. Y. Mrs. Robert Fife, New York, N. Y. Mrs. J. Norman Henry, Gladwyne, Pa. Mrs. Mortimer J . Fox, Peekskill, N. Y. Mrs. Clement S. Houghton, Chestnut Hill, Mr. B. Y. Morrison, Washington, D. C. Mass. Mr. Kenyon Reynolds, Pasadena, Calif. Dr. E. J. Kraus, Chicago, Ill. Dr. Donald Wyman, Jamaica Plain, Mass. Mrs. Arthur Hoyt Scott, Media, Pa. HONORARY VICE-PRESIDENTS Mr; Arthur E. Nelson, Pres., Mr. Arthur Hunt Osmum, Pres., American Begonia Society, American Rock Garden Society, 506 Leroy Ave., 57 Sandford Ave., Arcadia, Calif. Plainfield, N. J. Mr. Harry L. Erdman, Pres., Mr. Thomas J. Newbill, Pres., American Rose Society, American Delphinium Society, Hershey, Pennsylvania 234 S. Brainard Ave., Mr. Wm. T. Marshall, Pres. Emeritus, La Grange, Illinois Cactus & Succulent Society of America, 327 North Ave., 61 Dr. Frederick L. Fagley, Pres. , Los Angeles, Calif. American Fern Society, Dr. H. Harold Hume, 287 Fourth Ave., American Camellia Society, New York 10, N. Y. University of Florida, Gainesville, Fla. Mr. Jesse E. Wills, Pres., Mrs. John H. Cunningham, Pres., American Iris Society, Hel"b Society of America, National Bldg., 53 Seaver St. Nashville, Tenn. Brookline, Mass. Mr. Frank K. Balthis, Pres., Mr. George W . Peyton, Pres., Midwest Horticultural Society, American Peony Society, 3260 Maypole Ave., Rapidan, Va. Chicago, Ill.

SOCIETIES AFFILIATED WITH THE AMERICAN HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY 1944 Akron Garden Center, California Garden Clubs, Inc., 226 South Main St., Mrs. J. A. Simmington, Akron, Ohio 870 Chida Vista Ave., American Amaryllis Society, . Pasadena, Calif. Mr. E. F. Smith, California Horticultural Society, 526 Central Ave., Miss Cora R. Brandt, Secretary, Palo Alto, Calif. 300 ' Montgomery St., American Fuchsia Society, SaB Francisco, Calif. Headquarters : Calif. Acad. of Sciences, Chestnut Hill Garden Club, Golden Gate Park, Mrs. Bryan S. Perman, Treas., 41 Crafts Rd., San Francisco, Calif. Chestnut Hill, Mass. Arlington County Garden Club, Canadian Lily Society, Miss Eleanor Swain, Secy., % Mr. Arthur Pfeiffer, 4712 N. 32nd St., 520 Duke St., Country Club Hills, Preston, Ontario Arlington, Va. Chevy Chase (D. C.) Garden Club, Bristow Garden Club, Mrs. Perley G. Nutting, Pres., Mrs. R. L. Jones, Pres., 3216 Oliver St., Box 660, Bristow, Okla. Chevy . Chase, D. C.

Publication Office, 32nd St. and Elm AVll., Baltimore. Md. Entered as 'second-elass ml\tter Janna!,}, 27. 1932, at the Post Office at Baltimore, Md,. nnder the Act of August 24. 1912. Chevy Chase (Md.) Garden Club, Kendall Garden Club, Mrs. Frederick W. Connolly, Pres., Miss Edith M. Edgerton, 4437 Reservoir Rd., Rt. 3, Box 568, Washington, D. C. P ortland 6, Ore. Chicago Horticultural Society, Longmont Garden Club, 135 So. La Salle St., Callahan House, Terry St., Ohicago 3, Ill. Longmont, Colo. Community Garden Club of Bethesda, Men's Garden Club of Phoenix, Mrs. Arnold BUff, Mr. Maurice J. Bradford, Pres., Bell's Mill Road, Rt. 1, Box 826, Rockville, Md. Phoenix, Ariz. Dallas Garden Club (Founders' Group) , Michigan Horticultural Society, Mrs. Sam B. Dickinson, Mr. Earl Bailey, Exec. Sec'y, 1218 N. Clinton, 2631 Woodward Ave., Dallas 8, Texas Detroit, Mich. Elmira Garden Club, Midwest Horticultural Society, Miss Mida D. Smith, Secy., 100 North Central Park Blvd., 743 W . Clinton St., Elmira, N. Y. Chicago 24, Illinois Fauquier & Loudon Garden Club, Northern Nut Growers Assn., Mrs. Warren Snider, Pres., Mr. Carl Weschcke, Pres., Leesburg, Va. 96 S. Wabash St., Federated G.c. of Cincinnati and Vicinity, St. Paul, Minn. Mrs. Charles Bosworth, Pres., N.R Garden Club, 2425 Ingleside Place, Miss Essie K. Hurff, Hort. Com., Cincinnati, Ohio Suffolk, Va. Forest Hills Garden Club, Ohio Association of Garden Clubs, Mrs. Richard V. Mattingly, Pres., Mr. Victor Ries, . 3701 Cumberland St., N. W ., Ohio State University, Washington, D. C. Columbus, Ohio. Fort Belvoir Garden Club, Rock Garden Society of OhiG>, Mrs. James N. O'Neil, Pres., Mrs. Frank Garry, Librarian, Fort Belvoir, Va. Montg.omery Station Post Office, Garden Center of Greater Cincinnati, Montgomery, Ohio Walnut and Central Parkway, Takoma Horticultural Club, Cincinnati 10, Ohio Mr. J . Mark Albertson, Pres., Garden Center of Greater Cleveland, 606 Aspen St., N. W ., East Boulevard at Euclid Ave., Washington, D. C. Cleveland 6, Ohio The Pittsburgh Garden Center, Garden Center Institute of Buffalo, Schenley Park, 1500 Elmwood Ave., Pittsburgh, Pa. Buffalo 7, N. Y. The San Francisco Garden Club, Garden Center, Room 133, Fairmont Hotel, Youngstown Public Library. San Francisco 6, Calif. Youngstown 3, Ohio The Valley Garden Center, Garden Club of Alexandria, 16 East Culver, Mrs. Richard P . Williams, Phoenix, Ariz. Episcopal High School The Trowel Club, Alexandria, Va. Mrs. Robert M. Hinckley, Garden Club of Fairfax, 4655 Garfield St., N. W ., Mrs. Craig Hunter, Treas., Washington, D. C. Vienna, Va. Tulsa Garden Club, Garden Club of Virginia, Mrs. Louis N . Dibrell, Pres., Mrs. Allen Henry, Pres., 124 Broad St., 1301 South Yale, Danville, Va. Tulsa 4, Okla. Garden Club of Morristown, Twin Falls Garden Club, Mrs. Warren Kinney, Mrs.- R. C. Scott, Treas., Chairman of Ha rt., Twin Falls, Idaho Lee's Hill Farm Wayside Garden Club, Morristown, N. J . Mrs. S. M. Sisley, Pres., Georgetown Garden Club, 2224 S. Indianapolis, Mrs. Carroll Greenough, Pres., Tulsa, Okla. 1408 31st St. , N. W., Washington Garden Club, Washington, D. C. Mrs. Fred E. Evans, Pres., Greeley Garden Club, 3811 T St., N. W., Mrs. Asa T . Jones, Jr., Washington, D. C. 1703-11th Ave., Woodlawn Garden Club, Greeley, Colo. Mrs. A. F. Schwichtenberg, Sec'y, Home Garden Club of Denver, 4845 N. 16th St.. Mrs. William P. Mellen, Pres., Arlington , Va. 4864 Tennyson St., Woodridge Garden Club, Denver, Colo. Mr. George Targett, Pres., Indian Head Garden Club, 2948 Carlton Ave., N. E., Mrs. Frank A. Bolton, Pres., Washington. D. C. Pomonkey, Md. \;\f orcester Co unty H orticultural Society, I. B. M. Country Club, 30 Elm Street, RR No.2, Johnson City, N . Y. W nr(,l'ster. Mass. [i] Tihe National Horticultural Magazine

Vol. 25 Copyright, 1946, by THE A~!ERJCAN HOR,T1 Cl: LT1:R"L SOC}IETY No.1

JANUARY, 1946

CONTENTS

PAGE The J oj" of Growing P lants. L. H . BAILEY .______1 Some Annuals in California. LESTER ROWNTREE______3 The Royal Horticultural Society. COL. R. F. DURHAlIL ______15 Breeding Potatoes Resistant to Disease, F. J. STEVENSON ______18 New Palms in Florida. H. f. LOOMIS .. ______29 Bamboos in American Horticulture III. ROBERT A. YOUNG ______40 Rock Garden Notes: Some Dependable P lants for the Rock Garden. lONE IV ATERS .. ______65 Lily Notes: Raising Lilies from Seed. GlOORGE L. SLATE ______70 Rhododendron Notes: Dexter's Hybrid Rhododendrons. CLEMENT GRAY BOWERS ______74 Narcissus Notes: N a rci ss us, F 0 rfa r ______.. ______79 Cactus and Succulents: ,Christmas Cactus. VhLLIAl\1 G. MARSHALL ______81 Cacti. CARL V LASA K ____ .... ______..______.. ______..______83 Some Decorative Small Agaves. J. R. BROv\' K ______.______.. __ _ .. ______83 S ncc u len ts in Canada ______.. ______.. ______.. ______.. ___ 83 E chi /1 oc ere'/.( s D ela etii. ROBERT FLORES ______.. ______85

A Book 0 r Two ______~______88 The Gardeners Pocketbook: Pi11-guic~da v'Ulga'ris. SARAH V. COOMBS ______-92 From the Midwest Horticultural Society. ELDRED GREENE.. ______92 F lo wering Peach ______.. ______92

Fl oweril~g Qui nce ______: ______.______92 So 111 e Thou gh ts 0 n Cem eter i es .. ______94 N ig ella d amas cena ______96 11npatie I ~s B alsaYJnina ______.. ______98 Th e Ed i to r' S Page ______.. ______102

Published qual·terly by The American Horticultural Societ.y. Publicatioll office. 32nd St, ancl E lm Ave., Baltimore, Md. Editorial office, Room 821, Washington l,oau and Trust Building. Washington, D . C. Contributions from all members al'e cordiall y invited and should be sent to t,he Editorial office. A subscription to the nlagazine is included in the annual dues to nll membe rs; to non-members, the price is seventy- fh~ e cents a copy, three dnna.l's a year. fiil The National Horticultllral Society Volume Twen~y ... Five

Washington, D. C. 1946 Copyright American Horticultural Society. 1946 Lester Rowiltree, [Sec page 3]

" It taJ?es a rugged COl1Stitutioll The Joy of Growing Plants

L. H . BAILEY

The shadows of life grow long. petual change and i ~ never orderly and They stretch back over eventful and showy. In this way I have grown all confusing years. Great wars have been the tri bes of pinks, of campanulas, of fought, the difficult discussions of peace aquilegias, armerias, aconites, and oth­ spread their alarms, old friends have ers. This year I have had several out­ died. new names have come on the side ·fields devoted to pUlllpkins and stage of li fe, accustomed ideas have squasl1es and gourds, some of -t hem in vanished, and new subj ects engage the F lorida, Loui siana and southern Cali­ people. Yet my plants remain, fuIl of fornia. For many years I have thought vig;or, bright in their c010rs, bringing myself informed on the species of these memori es and mementoes of other plants; but now as I grow them from lands; and they are silent. 1\I[exi,co and Bolivia and Argentina and These plants are desired fo r the joy otherwheres I am convinced that we and the surprise of growing them. The are far short of understanding them as wonder of it grows with the years­ to their species. how an inert item called a seed can AJ.l this work, with herbarium speci­ spring into li fe and from it come an mens, photographs, seeds, notes is bo­ aspiring organi sm true exactly to its tanical, and lllay be uninteresting to the own kind and relationship even though horticulturi·st, and of course it -cannot planted half way around the wo rld be popular in nature; yet the plants I from the place of its origin and ii1 soils wo rk with are in great part horticul­ and climates whoIly strange to it. This tural, and I consider myself still a hor­ is a perpetual mirade, none the less ticulturist as well as botanist. I do not amazing b-ecause we are now so inquisi­ now grow plants for display or for ex­ tive about it with microscope and hibition or for co mpetition or for pub­ retort. lication in the gardening journals; my There are other incentives. It ap­ fascination lies in other lines, and I pears to be 111y part to try to under­ publish my conclusions as technical stand the original species from which contributions. these plants come, so that we may One of my satisfactions is what I call know relationships and keep the rec­ a box-garden. It is a crude affair on a ords straight. I try to grow the nov­ slope to the sout,J" of four runs or rows elties for this purpose; and to this end between boards on edge and cross­ good herbarium specim ens of all of pieces, making sixty compartments or them are made and permanently pre­ boxes about 12 by 15 inches. A roof served, for reference and study. or screen of wire mesh is put over it 1\1[ y garden is small in the midst of in summer, to protect from dashing a city. yet I have grown as many as rains and scorching suns and early au­ eight hundred different things in it in tumn frosts. These boxes are always a single year. I like to grow all kinds full of something or other; this year of a group or genus, and then devote half the boxes have grown things of the area to another group fo r a year or which seeds were sent from South two or three:'. the former items having Africa; I do not yet know what all of been discarded. The garden is in per- them are. It is now early October. and [ 1] 2 THE NATIONAL HORTICULTURAL MAGAZINE Jan., 1946 already seeds from here and there are haps future breeding may have a some­ dropping into containers to be planted what accurate basis. Of cour.se some in the box-garden or elsewhere next of bhe horticulturists and botanists will spring, and no questions asked. not a·ccept the new species I have de­ As exampl~ of the scant knowledge scribed, but that will make no differ­ of the natural species involved in origin ence with the facts in nature. Some of horticultural varieties I cite the case w.riters undoubtedly will reduce the of :bhe brambles. Here are all the cul­ number, making some of them syn­ tivated raspberries, dewberries, black­ onyms or duplicates of others, which berries. I have grown many of them. may be easier than trying to under­ Most of the blackberries are known to stand them; but the practices in cross­ be from stocks native in this cot111try. ing and breeding must in any case take For many years I have been making a new turn. colleotions !of herbarium material in One of the outstanding satisfactions this genus Rubus, and at present have in the growing of plants is to know more than 27,000 mounted sheets of what you have. Everyone of the main them; effort has .been persistent to groups of cultivated plants undoubt­ make specimens that really and truth­ edly abounds in errors. Somebody fully represent a blackberry bush or a must attempt to straighten out the dewberry vine. For the past five years nomenclature and relationships; this I ,have given special attention to a mon­ requires slow and patient study. It ogr.aphy of N o,rth American Rubus, defines the bases of horticultural work. and the last fascicle of the publication The joy of growing a plant lies in the is now on the press. Heretofore we have recegnized about 80 species of mind. Therefore we understand why Rubus in North America, but now I every person finds satisfaction for him­ have described about 400 species, new self or herself, in any neighborhood or and old. Much breeding has been un­ climate. It should be part of public dertaken heretofore in Rubus, but the education to stimulate the desire to published results as to specific parent­ grow plants. Satisfactions are in the ages will now be of little avail. Per- nature of the case. Some Annuals in California

LESTER ROWNTREE

The method of gardening (if such it My most weed-like annuals are not can be called) which I must fit into my alway,s the best loved. There is Bidens manner of life, as well as the soil and g randi flo ra (B. serrulata) , seed of exposure, limit the class of plants that which I brought from Mexico and scat­ grow for me. These plants must be tered along with those of other less per­ sturdy self reliant creatures of the soil, sistent plants, f.rom points far south. capable of standing on their own feet Sometimes I'm sorry I ever included for they can rely on me for few of the this eighteen-inch king of selfsows but attentions which most fl,owers have when, toward the end of sunU11er (a been led to expect from their growers. time when plant life in California drag" In the spring they receive chance weed­ along doing its best to tide over until ings, during the summer's drought the coming of rains), old bidens, almost some, but never enough, water is a year-round bloomer, continues to vouchsafed them, and transplanting and cheer with its flat five-pointed yellow juggling of individuals goes on as I stars, 111y drastic yanking out of seed­ can snatch the time. It takes a rugged lings reaches neap tide. constitution to weather the gravelly \iVith a linu111 which came to me un­ soil, the winter "Storms, the summer der the name of L. cOI111,panulatu,111, I am drought and fog; and because of the much more tender hearted quelling it demands on their resourcefulness, few only when its tall straight stems get of the many plants which have been into paths or rise abruptly from flat called, have remained to see it through. mats of groundcovers. I love the soft Without this trial and error course it yellow of its feathery bloom especially would have been impossi.ble to find out when it floats ove.r a -tiny maquis-chap­ which perennials oould stand up under arral sort of effect bdow the house 'Such taxing conditions and which an­ where tbe dull pinks and deep creams nuals could carryon as stop gaps. of low b-rooms are conspicuous, or its But the number of faithfuls outlast­ mistiness waves above blue or white ing thirteen years of neglect is surpris­ Gera11iu1n p1'atense or gives grace to ingly large and the list ' would ·be still clunky lavender Erige1"On glaucus. greater if I had had time to ease a little A hybrid marked, Lina1"ia alpina the lives of the members of this endur­ from an English source is an ardent ing group of growing things. I rely a free flopper whose prettiness must be good deal on flowering shrubs and discouraged for it is a stronger and perennial,s but mostly upon bulbs and more insistent adventive than the -type "hardy" annuals. I never know just which is perennial and much smaller. what term " hardy annual" means in a This linaria looks to me like L. tristis, state where frozen ground is known an annual. It has a wider range of only to a relatively small group of gar­ color and many pleasant combinations; deners, -but what I mean here is that there are -browns and pale yellows, tans my annuals are the boys taking serious and strong yellows, shades of pwrple­ neglect .and in spit.e of it staying with lilac and lavender in with its deep me by means of self perpetuation. cream or yellow tones. This volunteer [3] 4 THE NATIONAL HORTICULTURAL MAGAZI NE J an., 1946

Bidens grandiflora

keeps cropping up in the vegetable gar­ to l-o ok down on Chr ),salltllellllllll JIIawii den. a good place for the rogueing of half the size of those I have just left, the unwanted in order to segregate col­ But there is something very delightful ors I prefer. about these low silvery-gray little I let many Chr'ysanthemu7IL lIIawii plants smothered in clark-centered flow­ seedlings remain in the vegetable gar­ ers of soft orchid though I would fed den, for this annual, whid1 here be­ better about it if I hadn't just seen how haves, when permitted as a perennial, these North Africans enjoy the fl esh­ has been a pet of mine ever since pots provided for the vegetables. twenty years ago when it was quite un­ Another chance reside nt in my beds known to the trade, it came to me from of food is the native wind poppy. Not Africa. My only grievance against this a C0111mo n wild fl ower but one that is so feathery leaved free-Ianc,e is that here, much loved that it may have its way in the richness and moisture the palll­ among the lettuce and strawberry pered kitchen garden occupants de­ plants. There the slender eighteen-, mand, Chr'ysanthe11'1b(1I/. 11W'wii seJfsows inch stems of Papav('J' het('J'op hy ll1l11l are less gray and look so much like with thei r poppy foliage of delica te seedlings and the young of the ever green hold nodding buds a nd deep appearing indigenous Arte1'llisia ca lif 01'- apricot (almost buff) fl owers each cen­ 11iw that I sometimes pull 'them out by tered with maroon blotches ringed with mistake, Now, just as in Biblical times, bright orange-scarlet. seed falls on fallow as well as on fer­ The Diamond fl ower. IOllopsidi'/{'/I1, ' tile soil and it is sad, upon going from rr.cau le from Portugal makes a splendid the vegetable garden at the back of the gap filler between ve ry low plants and house, to the fl owers outside my study, is il1\'aluabl e as a groun cl cover fo r small J an., 1946 THE NATIONAL HORTICULTURAL MAGAZINE 5

Papave1' heretophyllu11l THE NATIONAL HORTICULTURAL MAGAZINE Jan., 1946

bulbs. It should not be crowded but turn to these , encha~lting places for a it should he allowed to brighten the new supply of seed. gr·ound freely with its s111all four­ But to get back to the true street petaled flowers of light violet-blue. gamins of the flower garden! Six of Many Africans take to 111y unpromis­ them are local natives and while their ing hillside. Arcotis, Dimorphotheca numbers round the house are kept and Felicia species perpetuate their down by stronger plants, they are with­ kind giving me interestingly colored in 'waving distance of brothers masseu hybrids and thriving so well on neglect higher up on the hill. The tallest that I am quite content not to dwell on and most conspicuous of these is the the voluptuousness that might be theirs cobweb thistle, Cirsi'~~111 occidentale with proper garden attention. Dillwr­ var. coulteri, never, I hasten to add, a photheca am~u, a is low and starch white pest. It i,s one of the most admired and ,p el'icia aethiopica i,s one of my plants of this region for its cyc1amen­ prize standbys because of the deep pure purple blooms are nested in threads of bright blue of its bloom. Several Felicia silver. There is a crystalline quality species g,rown together may produce to the picture when ' this luminous attractive hybrids with quite unique rises a!bove a mass of G'ilia de'/7}fjlora variations in foliage shapes, width of rhe heavy heads of which are caaTied rays and in colors. on stiff, wiry, slender one-foot stems. While I must bring myself to remove The flowers are often pure white but a Felicia, I have never been troubIed may be soft shades of pink or lavender. by Nie1'em.bel'gia caen~lea throwing it­ IIi lare July this couple is joined by self about too freely. Many years ago myriads of the orchid-colmed blossoms this now popular annual wild flower of Godet-ia bottae which sweep across of Argentina was sent to me from Eng­ the hills in broad patches of color. If land under the name of N. hipp011/W/7.ica. given the space one plant, il foot tall, Mine ils the type whose frail low will £.11 a square yard with arching mounDS become covered with flower­ stems carrying drooping buds and large cups having gray and a little purple in bowl-shaped blossoms. Godetia cylill­ their blue, but hybridists have now giv­ drica from southern California gives en us many different shades. Nor have the same garden effect though its lilac­ I ·ever had to thrust out m¥-iI.1y seedlings lavender flowers have centers of yellow of one of the nicest of wallflowers, and purple. Erysi11i~b111 ins'ulare from the ' Santa The ·other triplet indigenous to these Barbara Channel Island,s. .In sandv hilLs and encouraged to mix with my soil this perennial, which may also tur;l exotics, needs a little shade if gro'wn out to be biennial or even annual, is an where the ,spring and summer sun is eager sdfstarter and on the shores of str·ong. Chinese Houses, Colli11sia San Miguel Rosa Is1ands as well as in bicolo1', Cream Cups, Platystemon one or two places on the mainland, californin~s and Baby Blue Eyes, the leaf tufts of this low wide plant are N emophila insig1'/,is are often found awake with round clus:ters of fragrant growing together and make a happy yellow flowers. A gopher got my last garden combination. The lilac-purple, seedling and when the government al­ yellow and white of erect Chinese lows visitors to the islands I must re- Houses rises above the two lower, Jan., 1946 THE NATIONAL HORTICULTURAL MAGAZINE 7

Di'l1w·rplwtheca annua 8 THE NATIONAL HORn CULTURAL MAGAZINE .T an., 1946

Ci'rsium occidentale val'. cou.lteri C olhnsia bicolor (upper) Cilia densiflom (lo7ver ) 10 ",~~ THE NATIONAL HORTICULTURAL MAGAZINE J an., 1946

Platyste11W17 califor111CUm Ne1nophila, inS1:gllis (upper) Baile'ya 111ultiradiata (lower) 12 THE NATIONAL HORTICULTURAL MAGAZINE Jan., 1946 spreading .compani'ons; the engaging as bedcling plants though many species little cream poppies are ·stamen-·filled may be used by both schools of gar­ and have soft stems and l(laves; nemo­ dening. If the plant is to be expected phila adds the needed blue. Though to be on its own it should never be N e11wphila insignis is gr.!;)wn in almost transplanted fron~ the flat but the seed eve.y state, I get constant inquiries as s hould be sown in the place where it is to its culture and it might be a good to operate. There it will come up thing to say heJ-e that in the East I when it feels the urge which is not had success and all summer bloom by always t he time we expect. If any hoe­ sowing the seed outdoors in May and ing is done it should be when the seecl­ thinning when two inches tall. As a lings are very small fO L- even at that wild flower it is influenced greatly by stage the roots are long, having already the conditions in which it grows. In started out on their journey for mois­ rich soil and shade it may climb over ture and food. twlO feet into neighboring bushes and . Cultivation has no place in the life in exposure it may be a petite two inch­ of the audacious annual for this would er. It 'comes in many shades of blue disturb the plants o·r bulbs next doo r. and one sometimes finds an albino. Mother Earth and the elements have I had meant, in these notes, to lay more to .do with shaping the course of off 'Ca1if.ornia annuals for the a;ttributes these unconstrained ones than the gar­ of this state a;re flaunted blatantly and dener has and it is interesting to notice without cessation. But some annual r esults. A planting of bedding annuals wild flowers keep getting in my way can usually be depended upon to per­ and I must add a few others that help form at a ' certain time. Not so the un­ to keep the ball w Iling through the tamed. Surprises are always happen­ year. C o1'eopsis 11w;ritima is indispen­ ing. Some years the time and amount sible to my garden. All winter and of rain pleases one set of plants and well into ,summer it provides huge disgruntles others just as it does the glistening yellow daisies f-or cutting. wild fl owers of this climatically crazy The white fornJ of CIGJr l?ia p·ulch.ella is state. There are banner years for the a charmer and so are the many color Africans and others when white forms of dwarf Linanthus G1~d 'rosaceus Omphalodes lil1ifolia. and anagallis in especially when their pinks, oranges vari ous co lors. Europeans both, are and pastel shades bloom beneath the knockouts and I remember one year blue Chinese delphiniums. L~tp 'inus when all the species campanulas bour­ densifio·rus in different oolors is a grand geoned forth in unrestrained glee. stand,by and, for hot places where the Gardening with this hi gh handed soil is light, eighteen-inch golden group has its d ra W backs. It does;1' ~ B aileya 1mtltiradiata and tiny deep make for tidiness for there is little crim son M i11'lb.h.s bigelovii are tops. huffing and puffing over dropped And I could never get along without leaves and seed pods must of necessity. my fla t pads of seasid e eschscholtzia, stand until they have spilled their loads. E. ma'l'itimo, with its sil ve ry foliage and There is no evidence of mani.curing Lemon-yellow fl owers, orange-blotched and there are few straight lines; one in the center. just picks one's way across closely cov­ Thi·s haphazard way of usif1g an­ ered ground as thr,ough a mountain nuals is a far cry fWJI1 growing them meadow or a flowery coastal sward. Jan., 1946 THE NATIONAL HORTICULTURAL MAGAZI NE 13

.u i7llull!s bigelovii 14 THE NATIONAL HORTICULTURAL MAGAZINE Jan., 1946

But p l easant l.Vl ~xpect ed pictures ap­ ance through exigencies no bedding pear ; a bltle 'ai1~giclli s nestles close to a plant could put up with. Even t hough dwarf lavender in the crev ice of a step; many annuals are plants of only several a lilac I beris gibraita1'ica sprawls at the months t here are enough interloping edge of a colony of shell-pink selfsown species to provide year-r·ound bloom. candytufL . "'I' They leave no rool11 fo r weeds fo r they Self SO\~T l llg annhals have taught me themselves are the weeds. I'm all fo r a lot. T hey have demonstrated power 'em. of which I never dreamed them capable and proved thei r strength and endur- Carmel, Califo rnia. The Royal Horticul tural Society COLONEL R. F. DURHAM, Secretary

The early years of the nineteenth first undertakings was the establish­ century saw a great horticultural re­ ment in 1818 of a garden in Kensing­ naissance stimulated to a large extent ton, London, for t he purpose of rais­ by the introduction of new plants, ing seeds and plants received fr0111 plants such as the Chrysanthemums, abroad fr::J111 correspondents and col­ the Camellia and Wistaria. Thus it lectors, who were sent out or were was that on 7th March, 1804, the Hor­ subsidized by the Society to X orth ti cultural Society of London was A merica, 01ina and Japan. J ames fbunded by an enthusiastic small body Douglas introduced many fir s and pines of men, under the leade.rs" hip of J ohn fr0111 North America, whilst Parks and 'Nedgewoo d. Reeves sent over the first Chrysanthe­ Its first meeting took place at Messrs. mums, Camellias, Peonies, etc. , from H atchard's bookshop in Piccadilly, China, and this list can be extended London. The purpose of the Society iEcluding many other famous names. was then defined (and this definition Coming to more recent days, the So­ hClis not been altered) in the fc llowing ciety has . obtained valuable new plants words: "To collect every information fr om such 'explorers as George Forrest respecting the culture and treatment and Kingdon Ward from upper Burma of all plants and trees as well culinary and the Himalayas and the border as ornamental-to foster and encour­ lands of Tibet. age every branch of horticulture and Special mention, however, should be all the arts connected with it." A Royal made on this occasion of Indian col­ Charter was granted on April 7, 1809, lectors who have been honored by the and since then the Society has been Society with the gold Lindley meclal­ known as the Royal H orticultural So­ Major Lal Dhwoj, of Nepal, for his ciety. Supplementary Charters have plant collecting, and he arranged for been granted-the last one being on the di spatch of plan.ts of Primula SOI11- July 9, 1928. It may with pride be chifolia, which were wccessfully fl ow­ claimed that it is the largest, and per­ ered after arrival; Professor Radamand haps the most influential of all horticul­ Sharma, of Katamandu of Nepal, and tural societi es . Lala Anil1l Chand, Deputy Conser­ Its first President was the Earl of vator of the forest of Bara Mula in Dartmouth, and up to date in its long K ashmir. I t is from such men and life of now over 140 years there have from such sources that the gardens of been but twelve Presidents, the pres­ Great Britain have been en riched with ent holder of the post being Lord Aber­ masses of beautiful fl owers, Rhododen­ conway, whose garden at Bodnant. drons, Lilies, P rimulas and Gentians­ North \iVales, is world-famed. From all too numerous to menti'on singly. the small beginning of seven enthu­ T o return again to the activities of siasts, the Society now numbers over the Society in other aspects. O n the 25 ,000 Fellows, although prior to the occasion of the Society's centenary, in war this figure was much larger. 1904, the Society acquired a n Exhibi­ In order to carry out the principles tion Hall. a L ibrary and offi ces, built laid down at its foundation, one of its partly with moneys upplied by gen- [1 5] 16 THE NATIONAL HORTICULTURAL i\lIAGAZL'\E Jan., 1946 emus donors and partly out of its own to carry out research work .on special funds. On this occasion, too, the So­ p:'oblems ,concerning horticuLture gen­ ciety acquired a new garden through erally, more especially, however, on the generosity of Mr. HanbUTY, who garden plants. It is , however, from donated the present gardens at Wisley, the head .offi,ce in London, in Vincent Ripley, in the County of Surrey. Squa re, ,that the main administration Here at this garden there are many of the Society is directed, and here at activities, bes ides its being the home the offi'ces are found the LibraTY and of collections of good garden plants the Exhibiti'on Hans (a seoond Hall (f.or plants that withstand the climate of larger dimensions than the Hall of of Wisley may be considered hardy in 1904 having been built in 1927, as the most parts of Great Britain, the voIder accommodation had proved insufficient distrids excepted.) It is here that trials for the growth .of the Society, the siz~ of new plants, garden pl,ants, florists' of its exhibits and ;the number of its flowers (such as Dahlias, Delphiniums. exhibitors. ) Carnati.ons, etc.) are carried out, and The Library is called the Lindley adjudicated on. These new plants have Library, the nucleus of which belonged already been selected by special com­ to Lindley, the botanist. It was ac­ mittees from exhibits submitted to the quired by the Society, and is certainly Society at its Shows. Fruit and vege­ the most comprehensive horticultural tables are treated in the same' manner. library in Europe, and is constantly be­ In pre-war days, however, every year ing enriched by bequests and gifts, be­ a program of invited trials was carried sides purchases in rt:he .o rdinary way. out and this praotice will undoub.tedly It is open for consultation by the Fel­ be revived in due course, but during l.ows, who have the privilege of bor­ the war the chief trials have be·en of rowing books under certai'n conditions, vegetable seeds sent to this country and it contains about 20,000 volumes from America and other parts of the and pamphlets. world under the Lease-Lend Act. The The Exhibi.tion Halls, or at least one seeds are tested for quality and purity of them, are used for t he purpose of its of strain in ord~r to guide the Govern­ Shows, which under normal conditions ment in its future purchases. are held fortnightly thf'OU!ghout the The gardens themselves are divided year. It is a so urce of great satisfac­ more or less into di stinct groups. The tion t o be able to say that, with a few Alpines are accommodated in a large gaps, they have during the war period rock garden, Alpine meadow and Al­ been held more or less monthly. Per­ pine house, the aquatics in ponds and haps the most important Show, and it the borders thereof, there i,s a garden is hoped that this will be revived next for roses, borders for herbaceous and year, is the Society's great world-famed annual plants, a wild section full of Spring Show; held usually in the last Rhododendrons and azaleas, where week of May at the Royal Hospital, lilies grow well in the undergrowth, as Chelsea. At -t hese Shows the Society's well as the trial grounds for the va­ Committees, fo rmed to deal wi,th all rious flowers, fruit and vegetables. In kinds of plants, sit and adjudicate on the gardens there is an administrative the exhibits placed before them and building and a labo'rarory, where a staff awards such as "Fir,st"class Certif­ of scientists are empl.oyed in the first i'catte," "Award .of Merit," "H ,ighly place to give advice on cultural matters Commended," "Certificate of Prelim­ to the Fellows of the Society, and then inary Commendation" and "Selecti on Jan., 1946 THE NATIONAL HORTICULTURAL MAGAZINE 17

for Trial" at the gardens at Wisley are To the Society are affiliated the spe­ made. For the exhi,brits themselves cialist societies, such as the National medals in various grades, gold, silver­ Rose, the British Carnation, the Na­ gilt, silver and bronze, are given, for tional Crysanthemum societies, etc., plants, fruit and vegetables. A special and in addition over 600 local horticul­ medal, the gold Lindley Medal is also tural societies throughout the country awarded for the introduction of new at home, and abroad. As representa­ species or for plants of high botanical tive of Indja there is the large Agricul­ interest. tural and Horticultural Society of In­ dia, Calcutta, of which Mr. Percy Lan­ It will be of interest to mention that caster is the Secretary, and with whom on the occasion of King George V's the Society is in constant correspond­ Jubilee, at the Chelsea Show in 1935, ence. a tent was specially se.t apart for ex­ Further, the Society publishes im­ hibits of plants ' representative of the portant works on horticulture. It owns Indian Em'pire, the Dominions and the the Curtis's Bota11ical Magazine, which Colonies, and on this occasion not less was founded in 1787 and is the oldest than over one hundred species. of plants illustrated colored magazine in the from India and Burma were specially world. It issues a journal regularly staged, drawn partly from India, and every month, and from ti'me to time partly from coHections in this country. prepares monographs and studies on Another of the Society's actiyjties various genuses of pLants. It was re­ which must not be overlooked is its sponsible for the large and important educational side, and its conduct of Index Londinensis, which is an index examinations in the home country. . of the illustrations of plant life which Junior, Senior, Teachers' and the Na­ has appeared throughout the more im­ tional Diploma in Hor,ticuiture exam­ portant botanical and horticultural lit­ inations are held. It is to be regretted erature. During the war. it has pub­ that, owing to the necessity of holding lished numerous useful pamphle.ts with praotical examinations only residents regard to the production of food. in Great Britain can take advantage (By special arrangement with the of these diplomas. British Broadcasting Corporation.) Breeding Potatoes Resistant to Disease

" F. J. STEVENSO'N PTincipal Geneticist, Division of F1'u.it and Vegetable C1'OPS a.nd piseases, Bu.reau. of Plant Indt~stry. Soils, and Agricu.ltuml Engtneenng, AgTicu.lttf.ral Resea.rch Ad7%i'nistration, United States Depart71'/,ent of Agricultu1'e

When the Spaniards invaded South have been found 111 prehistoric America they found a large number of Peruvian graves. species and varieties of potaJtoes under Just as the origin of the cultivated cultivation, the tubers -Df which were potato is not well known, so its in­ used

the many expediti'ons that have gone The first one states ,that!: U Solanum gone into South America in search of tu.berosu7n, the com1110n potato .of our pDtato varieties no wild 'potato has fields and g~rdens, was first int,roduced been found similar in every respect to by Sir Walter Raleigh who brought the cultivated varieties. This might the roots fwm Quito and caused them indicate that the natives had practiced to be planted i.n his .own garden at potato breeding and culture perhaps Youghal, Ireland." According t.o the centuries before .the Spanish invasion. Drake legend, "The famO'us English As a matter of fact, stores of dried a-drniral Francis Drake deserves the potatoes (chuno) have been discovered credit for the introduction of the in ancient tombs and ruined cities of potatO' into Europe. On his return Peru, showing that potatoes were from Virginia in 1586, he brought probably a staple article of diet several thence the potato with him. \iVishing centuries before the comi'ng of the t.o dO'mesticate it in England. he not Spainards. Furthermore, funeral urns only gave some orf the tubers to John closely modeled after pota-tO' tubers and Gerard but also handed a part o·f them resembling those produced by breedi:ng to his own gardener telling him to and cuLture and not the wild forms plant the precious fruit in his garden". [l8] Jan., 1946 THE NATIONAL HORTICULTURAL MAGAZINE 19

From this point on .the two stories are Three of the more recent of these were parallel. The plants were grown in sponsored by the governmei1ts of the the respective gardens and bore fruit. U nited Stcutes, Russia; ' and Great The gardeners, t hinking t he fruits, or Britain. None of t hese succeeded in potato apples, were the edible portions bringing back van etles that will of the plants, tasted them and fo und compete with the established ones, but them quite unpalatable. Each garden­ the new impor,tations a,dd to the wealth er conf.ronted his master with the of material available fo,r plant breeding wOj,thlessness of the new plants, and work. each was advised to dig them up at EARLY I MPROVEMENT OF THE POTATO ()!lce, when to their surprise they fo und There is little informati'on available that the valuable parts had developed · regarding the source of the potato underground. Both legends are false. stock g rown during the first 100 years Little is known of .the in.troduction after its introduction into ,the United of the potato to North America. It is States. It is believed t hat not many generally believed that the English new vari eties of importance were col-oni'sts of Virginia and Carolina produced during that period. . During obtained it from Spaniards or from the second ctntury of potato culture in other travelers. H owever true that this coun.try, however, there was great may be, potato growing in this country activity in the production of new seems to have got its best start in 171 9 vanetles. Data reported on 228 of from stock brought from Irela nd and these varieties show that they originat­ grown at L ondonderry, N. H. Most of ed in 21 states. New York, and Ver­ the stories of the introduction into mont produced about 50 per cent of the Europe and North America may be tctal number. Of the 160 varieties legends, but the spectacula'r increase of whose date of origin is known 80 per the po.tato as a food crop is not cent were produced during the 40-year legendary; it is one of the miracles of period, 1861 to 1900, and 48 per cent agriculture. It i.s 'probably less than during the two decades, 1871 to 1890 400 years since ,the potato was first (1) . introduced into Europe and about 225 lV10st of the men engaged in the years since it was brought from Ireland early work were practical potato to be grown by the colonists in New growers ; exceptions were Rev. C. E. Hampshire, and yet it is now one of Goodrich, a cIerygyman of Utica, the leading food crops .of the world. N. Y., and E. S. Carmen, editor of the The crop for the United States and Rw'al New Yorlur. The work of Canada approaches a half-billion Goodri::h during the last half of the bushels, and the 5-year average (1935- nineteenth century is worthy of special 1939) br the world crop was over 8 1':1 'ntion. H e believed with others that billion bushels. the disastrous epidemics of late blight Despite these results growers are not during the years 1843 to 1847, which satisfied with the varieties they are caused serious loss to potato producers trying to produce. They are too in this coun.try and a fa mine in Ireland, susceptible to ,the various potato were the result of a reduction in the diseases that ar·e prevalent' in potato­ vigor of the plants caused by long­ growing regions. Consequently, the continued propagation by vegetative search fo.r new and better varieties has means. He believed also that this continued. Expeditions have gone vigor could be restored by growing into South America from tim~ to time. plan.ts from true seed. \ iV hile he did 20 THE NATIONAL HORTICULTURAL MAGAZINE Jan., 1946 not suoceed in the control of late been observed by growers for many blight by this means, he may be con­ years, but for a long time it was sidered to have laid the foundation of thought that they were due t.o "run­ pot~to breeding in this country by ning out" or "degeneracy" brought furnishing material to be used by other about by growing potatoes year after breeder·s. year from the same tuber stock. It The ancestry .of 217 varieties of is relatively Oonly a short time since it Amerj.can origin can be traced back to was ·discovered that these .troubles are Goodrich's Gan/,et Clvili, a seedling of due to virus infecti,on. It was early the Rough Purple Chili . They include observed that some varieti~s did not several of the well-known varieties of run out so quickly as others or, as we commerce, such as, Green Mountain, now say, some varieties are more Early Ro.se, Early Ohio, Beauty of resistant to the attacks of certain Hebron, Prolific, and Triumph (3) . viruses .than others. Knowing that Some of these varieties, such as such differences must have a genetic Gi-een Mountain and Burbank, reach a basis, breeders in recent years have high standard of excellence in yielding been working to obtain resi~tance to ability and culinary qual~ty when these diseases in combinati.on with grown under conditi,ons to which they other characters of economic im­ are adapted. These same varieties, portance. In a number of cases they however, are poor in other characters. have achieved notable success as will Some are not adapted to a wide range be shown later in this paper. of conditions; others have deep-ey~'d Late blight, caused by Ph.'Ytophthora tubers, which cause waste in preparing infestans (Mont.) D By., adds more to the potatoes .for cooking. All are the cost of producing the potato crop susceptible ,to all or nearly all of the than perhaps any .of the other diseases. common diseases of pOitatoes, including In spite of the great cost of spraying virus diseases, late blight, early blight, and dusting to protect the crop large oommon scab, fusarium wilt, rhizoc­ losses are sustained by the growers. tonia, blackleg, southern bacterial wilt, In some seasons and in certain locali­ and ring rot. Control of these diseases ties the disease causes very little requires a continual fight on the part of damage, but all too frequently ,the the growers and adds not only to the losses run into mi llions of bushels. drudgery but to the cost of potato Epiphytotics occurred in 1927, 1928. growing. 1932, 1936, 1938, and 1943. Accord­ As a group, diseases caused by ing to the reports of the Division of viruses are perhaps the most wide­ Mycology and Disease Survey, Bureau spread and the most baffling. In this of Plant Industry, Soi,ls. and Agricul­ group are found mild mosaic, latent tural Engineering, United States mosaic, rugose mosaic, spindle tuber, Department of Agriculture, the yellow dwarf, and leaf roll, wi.th its ac­ heaviest loss from late blight (31 mil­ companying net necrosis 01 the tubers lion bushels) occurred in 1928. That of some varieties, notably the Green year blight was reported in 15 States, Mountain. The virus diseases occur in with the loss in New York estimated at every potato-growing region 'Of the approximately 13 million bushels. In United States, and it is probable that 1932 the reduction of the crop was not a single field could be found en­ estimated at 9.230,000 bushels the tirely free from one or more of them. greater part of which (9.058.000 They are not new. Their effects have bushels) was reported from Maine. Jan., 1946 THE NATIONAL HORTICULTURAL MAGAZINE 21

Again in 1936, 1938, and 1943, large to keep this disease under control. losses occurred in Maine. However, outbreaks are frequent in It is true that late blight can be con­ spite of all precautions, and heavy trolled to a large extent by careful losses occur. spraying with Bordeaux mixture, but Millions of dollars are spent each despite the facts that control measures year in providing ways and means of are being practiced more generally protecting the crop from the attacks of than ever, that spray equipment has these and other diseases, but until been improved, and that spray pro­ recently comparatively little attention grams have been more faithfully car­ had been given to obtaining varieties ried out large losses continue to occur, that are resistant to their attacks. not only from reductions in yield but Results obtained indica:te that by using also from tuber rots initiated by the genehc principles as a working tool it late blight fungus. These rots may is possible to solve many of these develop on infected tubers in storage problems by producing new varieties in and in transit. Because of the un­ which resi.stance to various diseases is certainty involved in blight years buy­ combined with other characters of ers are reluctant to purchase potatoes economi·c importance, such as shal­ for storage purposes. Considerable lowness of eye,desirable shape, gooo expense is involved every time a car­ cooking quality, and high yield. load .of potatoes has to be regraded at To understand the production of a terminal market, and this happens all new varieties of potatoes it is necessary too frequently in bad blight years. to know s·omething about their re­ These losses all affect the growers ad­ production. Potato plants are prop- ' versely. agated in two ways: asexuall y and Com 111 0 n scab, caused by sexuall y. In commercial practice the Actino111yces scabies (Thaxter) Gus­ new crop is grown from seed tubers, sow, is another disease that causes a method of vegetative or asexual losses in every section where potatoes repwduction. In most of the potato­ are grown, and its attacks have become breeding work plants are grown from so s'evere in places that potatoes can the true seed produced in the fruits of no longer be produced pmfitably. The the potato plant in about the same way organisms causing this disease live that tomato plants are grown. Some over iIi. the soil and are also carried varieties of potatoes, such as Katahdin, on the tubers. Soil treatments have when grown in the North and cooler been tried, bU!t they are costly and are climates of the country frequently pro­ not reliable. Treatments 'have been duce fruits or potato balls. recommended that will kill Hle The same vaTiety can be propagated organisms on the seed potatoes, but vegetatively fm years without change, no method has yet been devised that so that selection within it is usually will protect fully .the growing tubers fertile. Occasionally bud mutations do from the soil-borne organisms. occur, and a few new potato varietie~ A bacterial disease, ring rot, has have been obtained by that method, but recently come into prominence as a such changes are too few and far be­ widespread menace to potato pro­ tween to be relied upon as the only ducbon. Sanitary measures and the source of variation in a breeding pro­ insistence by state authorities that gram. In a high percentage of the no seed be certified that has even a cases, too, the changes are of minor im­ trace of ring rot in it have done much portance. Most of those observed J an., 1946 22 THE NATIONAL HORTICULTURAL MAGAZINE

Figure 1. Potato plants showing clusters of fn(its 01' seed balls. S01ne varieties in northern cool, l01~g-day cli11'lntes prodHce seed balls abulLdantl~>,.

have been in the color of the skin. trade 93.3 per cent were of ~ eedling There are a number of instances where origin and only 22, or 6.7 per cent the red tuber loses part of its color and were reported as so-called sports or becomes "splashed", or all of its red mutants. o.f the 22 varieties reported color and becomes white. Purple as sports, 4 are white-tubered from tubers may become red, purple splash, varieties with colored tubers and 4 are or white. Other examples are a red­ late-maturing variations found in early tubered sport from a white-tubered van-etles. The meager information variety, or a fully colored variety from regarding the other 14 furnishes no a partially colored one. Mutati·ons in­ basi s for determi ning whether they volving more than on.e character in the were actual mutations, or admixtures same individual are extremely rare. carried in the seed stock, or volunteers That the occurrence of such mutations that had persisted in the soil {rom has not been an important factor in the some preceding crop. Even though development of potato varieties was only a few varieties have arisen as the shown by Clark (1) , who reported tInt result of somati·c mutation, this is still of 380 varieties that 'Originated in the a source of variation that cannot be United States and have at one time or ignored entirely by the plant breeder. another been introduced in commercial o.n the other hand, since it is quite Jan., 1946 THE NATIONAL HORTICULTURAL MAGAZINE 23

Figu?'e 2. One corne?' of the g?'eenhouse of the Plant Industry Station, at Beltsville, Md., showing potatoes in full bloo11~ and a technician pollinating the flowers

impractical to make much improve­ mercial standpoint, but occasionally one ment by selecting tubers of a variety is produced that is an improvement with the hope of - getting something over the old vari eties. new, the plant breeder rllust resort to The potato is classified as a self­ the use of seed and seedlings to get a f.ertile plant, but there is much variation very wide range of variation. amOLlg seedlings and varieties in this Many people Wh'O live in the S'Outh respect. Under conditions of relative­ or where the climate is hot and dry ly low temj:-erature and high light in­ have never seen a seed ball on a potato tensity. such as are usually found in plant, and n'Ot a few are quite surprised summer in. northeastern Maine, in the when they first discover one. On the Great Lakes districts of Michigan, other hand, in northern cool, long-day \ ;\T isconsin , and Minnesota, and at climates some varieties of potatoes high al·ti-tudes, as at Estes Park, C010., produce seed balls 111 abundance some varieties will produce seed quite (Figure 1). freely fr'Om self-pollinati'On ; others will The seeds are the product of sexual bl oom pr'Ofusely, and although they do reproduction and are found in the not produce viable pollen they can be fruit whi'ch is quite -s imilar to a small hand-pollina ted and made to produce tomato. Each fruit may c'Ontain 200 fruit. Other varieties are more seeds or m'Ore, and these seeds will perverse. Their fl owers will open, produce plants that are quite different persist for a few days. and drop. On from each other. Most 'Of these seed­ still others the fl ower buds drop before lings are undesirable from the C0111- they open. 24 THE NATIONAL HORTICULTURAL MAGAZINE .Tan., 1946

F'igure 3. Growing potato seedlings i 'l~ 3-inch pots in the greenhouse.

Until recently sterility was one of are increased and tested to determine the g-reatest handicaps of the potato their value as potental varIetIes breeder, but by selecting for fertility (Figure 4). Since problems and this stumbling block has been largely objectives in potato breeding often cut overoome. The environment problem across State lines and involve large has also been partially solved. We regions of the .couritry, the work has have learned to simulate in the green­ been -organized as a national project house the summer resort conditi'ons of with about 35 State experiment the Northern States. At Beltsville, stations and the United States Depart­ Md., thi's jos done during the winter ment of Agriculture cooperating. when the temperatures can be ,control­ The pradice under this program is led. The Long day is compensated for to send seedlings produced by the by the use of arti,ficial lights to give the United States Department ot Agricul­ plants the equivalent of 17 to 18 hours ture or ,by any of the cooperating State of light. Under such conditions many experiment stations to others States varieties bloom freely (Figure 2). for trial. If, after suffi,cient tests, any W'ith a relatively large number of pol­ seedling variety shows superiority to linators and a suitable environment we the standard varieties in at least one have been able to produce large quanti­ important ,character, such as yield, ties of seed. market quality, or resistance to a The seedlings are grown to maturity disease that is difficult or in some in­ in 3-inch pots in the greenhouse (Fig­ stances impossible to control, it is ure 3) during the winter and fall and named and released to growers in the the small tubers pr·oduced are distrib­ region to which it is adapted. As a uted the following s'pring to various result of this work, about 20 new State experiment stati'ons where they varieties have been distributed during Jan., 1946 THE NATIONAL HORTICULTURAL MAGAZINE 25

. Figu1'e 4. A view of potato seedlings grown for increase and varwus tests at Aroostook Farm, Presq'ue Isle, .Ll1aine.

the 12-year period just past. A num­ latter part of the growing season it ber '01 these have increased very would outyidd Rurals. The Chip­ rapidly in yearly production; o.thers pewa, because it was somewhat earlier have increased rather slowly; and a than the Katahdin,became a com­ few have already fallen by the wayside. petitor in Mi·chi-gan and spread to Last year about 30 per cent of all the Wisconsin and Minnesota. Maine was certified seed potatoes produced con­ interested at first in these two varieties sisted of these new varieties. .only from the stand-point of seed tuber No variety has been distri,butecl that production for other States; but as a will meet the needs of the growers in result of severe epidemics of net all the 'cooperating States, and it is necrosi·s in the Greej1 Mountain variety doulbtful if such an ideal variety will in 1938 to 1942, in-c,lusive, and again in be produced in the near future. There 1944, the acreage ' of these two new was, however, a sectional demand for varieties for :table stock production has each one 'o·f the new varieties, and they increased very rapidly because neither have been inc:reased against hard com­ of them -develops net necrosis in its petition and very critical evaluation, tubers. Ex,tensive efforts are now because of special ,characters that give heing nude to keep the Green Moun­ them a definite advantage over the old tain from going out of production, but vanetles. The Katahdin, the first to even if it does regain its former posi­ be put out, got its start in Michigan tion as the most extensively -grown when it was found that under un­ late variety in Maine, it should be favorable growing conditions in the remembered that for at least 7 years the 26 THE NATIONAL HORTICULTURAL MAGAZI NE Jan., 1946

Figure 5. A fi eld of Sebago showing the ttpright vigorolls vines. new varieties saved the industry in rel­ tubers are resistant to rots initiated by atively large portions of the potato the late blight fungus, one of the most producing sections of that State. important characters, and it is more Sebago, another new variety, has resistant to common scab than Irish made a phenomenal record. From less Cobbler or Green Mountain. Sebago than 10 acres harvested in 1938 it is immune to mild mosaic in the field, multiplied until in 1944 approximately and trials in New York and Wisconsin 1,800,000 bushels -of seed of this have shown it to be resistant to yellow variety were certified. It has, how­ dwaFf. It is grown alm ost exclusively ever, 'spread to certain sections where in the Hastings district of Florida be­ it is not well adapted, and it would not cause of its high yields o·f marketable be surprising to see it decrease some­ potatoes, its late bli ght resis.tance, and what in production. Sebago was re­ its resistance to bpown rot, a bacterial leased not because it was perfect but disease also referred to as Southern ·because it had the best combi'nation of bacterial wilt. The Sebago shows characters available at t he time. Its resistance to more diseases than any vines are upright (Figure 5) and more other variety in production in the resistant to late blight than those of the United States and furnishes a good commonly grown commercial varieties, example of what the potato breeders although not nearly so resistant as are striving fo r. I t will take some some of the seedling varieti es under time to get just the varieties of potato test at present. It produces, when we are stri ving ·fo r, but as new properly grown, high yields of smooth, varieties a re produced Ithat are shallow-eyed tube c') (Figure 6). The supenor to present co mmercial van- J

.Jan., 1946 THE NATIONAL HORTICULTURAL MAGAZINE 27

Figu>re 6. Tubers of Sebago showing thei1' smooth, shallow-eyed character. eties in at least one important charac­ with the leaf roll Virus, yellow dwarf, ter they are distributed to growers. late blight of the vines, tuber rot ini­ A li st of characters that are now tiated by the fungus that causes late available to plant breeders in this blight, common scab, potato wart, country would include: Wide rot, ring rot, hopper burn, flea-beetle in­ adaptation; vanatIOn in time 01 jury, and aphid injury. From the stand­ maturity from very early to very late; point of the plant breeder this is a for­ desirable shapt of tabers with the midable list, and the list continues to tendency to hold that shape under a grow as new varieties and species are wide range of environmental condi­ being introduced from many foreign tions; shallow eyes, making it easier for countries. It is possible that if enough the grower to brush or wash the tubers work is done some degree of resistance before marl~eting them and resulting in to everyone of the diseases and insects less waste in preparing them for cook­ that attack potatoes can be found. ing; high yielding ability; and corre­ The characters that are now available lated with dryness of flesh , a quality are nlOt to be found in anyone variety preferred by many consumers in the but are distributed among a relatively United States. In addition, we have large number of varieties and seed­ varieties that are highly resistant to one lings. Most of them are not found or several of the fo llowing diseases and in the old commercial varieties, but the insects: Mild mosaic, latent mosaic, majority of them should be 111- rugose mosaic, net necrosis in the tu­ corporated in the varieties of the berscaused by current-season infection varieties o,f the future. Some 01 the 28 THE NATIONAL HORTICULTURAL MAGAZINE Jan., 1946 new varieties now under test show Literature Cited new combinations of characters, which 1. Clark, C. F.--The Develop­ a few years ago were thought to be ·meat of Potato Varieties in the improbahle, if not impossible, to obtain. United States. Potato As­ Some of these combine earliness and sociation of America Proceedings, good cooking quality with a high Volume 12. 1925. p'ages 5-8. deg-ree of resistance to late blight in both vines and tubers; others have 2. Safford, Wilham E.-The Potato earliness and high market quality of Romance and of Reality. The combined with scab resistance. One Jour. Hered., Vol. 16 :113-126, has high yield and good market and 175-184,217-230 (1925). cooking quality combined with ring 3. Stuart, Wm.-An Historical rot resistance. Still others that are in Resume of the Development of the preliminary stages of testing show the Potato Since its Discovery. combinations that should make them Potato Association of America more valuable to growers and con­ Proceedings, Volume 16. 1930. sumers than any heretofore distributed. Pages 7-55. New Palms in florida

H. F. LOOMIS U. S. Plant Int1'od~~ction Ga1'den, Coco'nut G1'ove, Fla.

Palms Iong have 'been the subj ect of Within the last year or two several active introducti on in Florida and al­ palms never before success·fully grown though many species, of economic value in Florida have fl owered in the U. S. in their native country, have been Plant Introduction Garden, Coconut brought in, this aspect usually has been Grove, Fla., and one of them has pro­ of secondary importance, and it was duced seed. Four are of economic im­ for their beauty that the attempt was portance in their native land while the made to establish .them here. The suc­ others appear to ·have had few if any cess of such attempts is everywhere special uses. Here, with high land evident and the number of exotic spe­ values and high labor ·costs it seems ·cies that are being grown in one part of quite unlikely that any of them can be the state or another today runs into grown for their commercial products, the hundreds. They are of very diverse but each has its attractive features that size and .form and t heir adaptability is justify wide planting for the orna­ so great that at least one or two species mental value alone. may be found . in even the most un­ Tritlvrinax brasiliensis Martius is a usual situations, and where growth relatively sma ll, .single-trunked, fan­ conditions are more .favorable, scores palm of slow growth that eventually of kinds thrive. reaches a height of about 12 feet so that The successful establishment of it is an ideal plant for patios or for ·palms new to this ·eduntry is of inter­ small oooryards where more rapid­ est to private and qommercial gar­ growing palms would soon become too deners alike as increasing the possibil­ large. The dark green, flat leaves are ities for sele-ctive planting to get de­ borne on short petioles and are divided sired effects. Just what constitutes suc­ into 20 to 30 widely radiating segments cess may be .a matter of some differ­ that show little inclination to droop ence of opinion, but the bringing of a until quite ,old. The clasping leaf new palm from a tiny seedling, through sheaths appear to be 'composed of the various perils it must undergo, to coarsely interwoven fibres that are pro­ the stage where it fl owers and possibly longed at the top of the sheath and produces fruit is not without its thrill form an outwardly projecting circlet of of accomplishment. Palm seeds gen­ spines, giving the trunk a shaggy and erally are quite perishable and do not somewhat f.or·biddit~g aspect, that nev­ survive long unplanted, so that the ertheless, is curious and ornamental. intro'duction, hom remote corners of Flowering may ,begin when the trunk ·the world, ·of seeds that will grow may is but few feet hi gh, with several com­ be difficult, and repeated introductions pound infl orescences produced simul­ often are required before viable seeds taneously hom the upper part of the are obtained. Thus the production of crown of leaves. (Figure 1. ) fruits by a rare palm in this country When the fl owers first appear they makes introduction of its seeds un­ are creamy white and the entire inflor­ necessary and insures its wider and escence is thick and very compact with more rapid di stribution here. each branch of fl owers protected by its [29] 30 THE NATIONAL HORTICULTURAL MAGAZINE Jan., 1946

Fig'bwe 1. Flowe1'S of Trithril1ax brasil'i(']7S7S 011 th e first 1110l'lIing of their openillg. own creamy white sheath or pathe. At plant, which flowered in September, this stage and for several days there­ 1944, was received from Washington after, while the inflorescences remain without the above P. 1. number, but white and are elongatin g, they have is believed to be from the same lot an unusual and striking beauty. (Fig­ of seeds. It produced fruits which did ure 2.) not mature, .possibly because of the This palm is native in the southern­ severe drought that occurred as they most state of Brazil and adjacent coun­ were developing. This plant and others tries to the west and thus is at home hearing the P. 1. number have made outside of the tropics. Seeds were re­ good growth and the species should ceived here from the vVashington Office be able to grow as far north as Orlando in July, 1934, under P. 1. )So . 105865. and possibly beyond. having been donated by Mr. David In Afghanistan and western India Barry, Jr., of Los Angeles, Cali.£. This at elevations of from 2,000 to 5,000 appears to be the first record of the feet is found a fan-leaved clust~r palm palm in Florida although this and one that may reach a height of 20 feet. It or two other species of the genus have is one of the few palms of the world long been planted in California. Our that have branching trunks, the large Jan., 1946 THE NATIONAL HORTICULTURAL MAGAZINE 31

Fig~we 2. The Sa1'''l-e T1'ith1'ina;.: 24 hMM'S later, showi17,g the mpid g1'owth that the infioresceq~ces have mG.de and the general cha1'acter of the pal1n. 32 THE NATIONAL HORTICULTURAL MAGAZINE Jan., 1946 stems, 6 to 10 inches in diameter, often the upper folds of the pinnae and re­ dividing to form two branches, but main hanging ill a snarled mass for a from reclining stems, near or Ipartly short while. The leaves themselves submer,g.ed in the gr-ound, suckers or are about five feet across, composed of offshoots also are pro·duced. This palm 20 to 30 pinnae joined to.gether along has the scientific name of Nannonhops considerably less than their basal half 1'itchieana. (Grifi1th) Wend!., and with their outer portions continuing grows in dense colonies in very arid in the same plane and seldom drooping, country where winter temperatures so that since the leaves project rigidly may go well below freezing. Through­ outward the whole plant has a stiff, out its native land the palm has many bristly appearance not unlike a mag­ uses and several names, the most com­ nified sea urchin. The large inflores­ mon of the latter being "Mazri" or cence bears a general resemblance to "Mazari." All vegetative parts of the that of our common palmetto being plant supply fuel; the very young composed of many branches produced leaves, young inflorescences and the along a central stem. The spadix is flesh of the fruits are eaten; mattin.g, not axillary (intrafoliar) as reported baskets, hats, etc., are plaited from the by Blatter in "Palms of British India leaves from which fiber also is obtained and Ceylon" (p. 83) but arises from for the making of nets, fine matting the tip of trunk. The large inflores­ and the like ; and the pierced seeds cence projects well beyond the tips of have some commercial value when used . . the leaves and bears small white or 111 rosanes. cream colored flowers. On a trunk Apparently the first successful intro­ that is about to flower the last few duction of this species into the United leaves produced are rapidly reduced in States -occurred when seed .was received size and length, the final leaf being from Rawalpindi, India, in January very small. It is not known whether 1935 and sent to this Garden from the stems will die after flowering is where seedlings were distributed in finished. as does the Talipot palm 1936 and 1937 bearing P. 1. No. 107- (Corpha. umbraculifera. L.) to which 747. Our field spe.<:imens have grown the Mazari palm is related. remarkably well and one of them fl,ow­ This curious and attractive palm un­ ered for the first time in November. doubtedly is quite hardy and should be 1944, ·but no seeds were produced. ' ' tried throughout much of the range These palms are now about 10 feet where our native palmetto grows. in height but, with their single and Against a background of dark green its divided trunks and numer-o us basal color makes a startling and effective suckers, are nearly twice as broad and contrast. form com-pad dumps. Their light One of the most useful and striking silvery-green c-olor, resulting from a paims of the world is the Palmvra thin wax-like deposit on the petioles palm (B ora.ssus flabellifer Linn.) a ;la­ and both leaf-surfaces, instantly com­ tive of Ceyion and India, with related mands attention. Closer inspection species of the same genus growing in shows all the newer leaves emerging Africa, Madagascar, Malaya, and sev­ from a 'peculiar, light, fluffy mass -of eral ·of the East Indian Islands. The salmon-buff colored wool that darkens native uses of the type species are al­ somewhat and is shredded by the wind most without number and of a variety as the leaves grow ,old. On the young­ that proba:bly exceeds the cocoanut, al­ est leaves long fibers are loosened from though ranking second to it in actual Jan., 1946 THE NATIONAL HORTICULTURAL MAGAZINE 33

economic value. In writing of the di­ Upon introduction this palm was verse products of the Palmyra palm a called B. fiabellife?' but more probably Tamil poem usually is cited wherein it is B . ethiop~£11~ Martelli, commonly 801 uses are enumerated amollg which known as the "Black Rhun" or "Ro­ are many foods, including a kind of nier" palm, as its appearance and na­ sugar highly thought ·of in the Orient, tive home differ from those of the unfermented and alcoholic drinks, Palmyra palm. clothing, buil ding materials, household Apparently the two species do not utensils, fuel, mattings, nets, etc., and differ notably in size ·but ethiopU1n is numberless other uses. As early as said to be less graceful and to have 2350 B.C., Palmyra palm leaves were swellings of the trunk not &'ound in the used by scribes on which to write and Palmyra palm. Our largest palm is from this use the modern reference to now about thirty feet high with a trunk pages of a book as "leaves" is thought diameter at base of 44 inches. The to have arisen. great palmate leaves, light si lvery The palms arrest attention from the green, are from eight to ten feet across time their trunks are only a few feet with surface undulated, though not to hig'h, but as many thick at the base, the extent found in the leaves of fiabel­ to half-grown individuals 30 .to 50 feet life?', which also are smaller. The high with a great rounded crown of petioles are heavy, six to seven feet stiffly rapiating fan leavts. Finally long and with the upper margin on when the palms reach maximum size each side armed from base to apex and have their crown o·f leaves reduced with black, elongate, jagged processes and flattened, groves of them might be whose outer edge is knife-sharp. Two mistaken for our own old stands of na­ of our palms flowered for the first time tive palmetto except for their much in April of this year, and both proved greater height and thicker trunks which to ·be males, sending out several inflor­ are awe-inspiri ng to the visitor. escences from which curious thickened Bar,old Mowry, in his "Native and branches appeared, bearing on their Exohc Palms of Florida," Florida surface the small male fl owers. Since Agricultural Experiment Station Bul­ the sexes are in different palms the letin No. 228, May, 1931, reports the flowering of other specimens is awaited Palmyra palm as having been intro­ in the hope that females will be present duced in Florida but no specimens ante­ and thus allow seed production. dating 1931 are known to exist. The Both of the foregoing species should only specimens known to the writer grow well in South Florida as they are bear P. 1. No. 98487 and are growi ng suited to limestone soils, but one of here from seed gathered by the writer the drawbacks to the wi·de planting of at Georgetown, British Guiana in Feb. these magnificent palms is the require­ 1932. They are not expected to flower ment of growing them in place, from for several years. seed, as it has been found impossible From the Gambia of West A

Figun 3. Te·n.-year old Bis11'1arckia 170bilis with its fint crop of fruits w hich are nearly h'idden by the inte1'vening leaf petioles. Jan., 19415 THE NATIONAL HORTICULTURAL MAGAZI IE 35

I'iyure 4. The f1'u,iting infi01'escpnces, in foregrou,11d, 1"ise f"01l'l, separate leaf a,'!:i/s of Bis111.arckia nob-ilis, w hile on th e petiole g~ta1'ding the upper inji01'escel'lce cluste1'S of woolly fibers are evident at base and beyond middle. 36 THE NATIONAL HORTICULTURAL MAGAZINE Jan., 1946

Figu.re 5. The "Curua pa,l11'/.," AttaZea spectabilis, 20 feet high at the tim.e of its sec ond fru.iting . Jan., 1946 THE NATIONAL HORTICULTURAL MAGAZINE 37

Figure 6. Basal portion of "Cu'rua pa,l11~}) showing its al11'tOst tru'nkless condition, the thick-walled spathes and a large fru,it cluster as well as a si111;ilar, older one. 38 THE NATIONAL HORTICULTURAL MAGAZINE .J an., 1946 ground and from near the base of this of Latania leaves, but are a little larger hypocotyl the first leaf is produced and more open in appearance because and eventually pushes upward and they are less folded. They are held above ground. These 'hypocotyls are with little drooping on long unarmed considered a food del~c acy by Indian petioles. Small, twisted patches of natives and great numbers of seeds coarse fi·bers five or more millimeters are planted in beds fo r their production. in length are found on the under side Under greenhouse conditions, where of the mi,dribs of the pinnae, on the plants are desired, single seeds should ·basal leaf sheathes and beneath the be placed in individual containers of outer half of the petioles. The inflor­ considerable diameter and depth where escences project from the axils of the the seed can send down its 'hypocotyl leaves in the lower part of the crown and the young seedling make un­ and branch simply. The fruits that restricted gmwth for a few months. were formed without fertilization in Even with these precautions it has been 1944 were mahogany brown and about found difficult to set such plants in the an inch in diameter, probably consid­ field and have them survive . \iVide erably ~ma ll er than fertile ones would planting of these palms must await Inve been. but they were decidedly im portation and placement of viable ornamental as Plate 4 will show. Many seed or production ·of a home supply of these fruits from the first fl owering which it is hoped our palm s may pro­ persist on the branches below the clus­ vid e. ters that formed in the spring of this A rare palm that bears rather close );·::ar and now have reached the size of resemblance to the common species of the earlier fruits. Latamio. is B is1'l1a rC/?'ia . nob-ilis Hildebr. The two palms have made more rap­ et H. Wenell .. a native of Mada/;-as·::3.r id growth than do the Latanias and where it grows to a considerable height. have wi thstood cold weather as well. Seeds of this palm were collected there They appear well adapted to limestone at Majunga in the summer of 1934 by conditions and, when additional plants Dr. Thomas Barbour of the Agassiz become avail able. it should be fo und '[useum. Cambri dge, Mass., and possible to establish them throug~out turned over to our headquarters offic:e the southern half of the state. '. in \iVashingion where they received The American tropi.cs. especially P . I. No. 106556 and were forwarded Brazil, contain a large number of spe­ here. From the 11 seeds that arrived. cies of feather-leaved palms belonging two seedlin !5s sprouted and these have to the genus AttaJea and to closely re­ grown until one of the palm s, a female, lated 01·bignya. Some of these palms has fl owered for two season<; and the attain great size and have leaves 40 other is o,f a size where Howering may feet or more in length, thus surpassing be expected. It is hoped that this lat­ all other leaves of the plant world. ter nalm wi ll prove to be a male S0 that Other species, however, are very much fertile seeds may be produced and allow smaller and are trunkless or nearly so di stribution of this handsome specios. but still with the characteristic leaves T hi s palm. as shown in Figure 3, has of the large fo rms, although smaller. a stout, naked trunk gradual1y dimin­ One of the latter group described by ishin g in diameter instead of being rap- . Martius as Atta/eo. spectabihs, but idly narrowed above the broad base as later transferred to the genus Orbignyo. are the Latanias. The leaves have by the German palm specialist. BUlTet, much the .' ame silvery gray-green color was introduced as seed through the Jan., 1946 THE NATIONAL HORTICULTURAL MAGAZINE 39

Washington Office in 1926 and 1927 fl ower spike to escape. These opened and given P. 1. No. 79560. Although spathes are somewhat boat-shaped, very a native of Brazil this seed ha d been thick walled, deeply channelled longi­ grown in the Buitenzorg Botanic Gar­ tudinall y on the outer surface and end­ den of Java. Another introduction of ing in a soli d attenuated tip 8 to 10 this species from Trinidad in 1932 un­ in::'hes long, frequently ending in a der P. 1. No. 97543 failed but one plant curve or hook. Similar spathes of oth­ of the former number was received .er palms are being extensively used for from \ Vashington in 1929 and has been decorative purposes and those of the established in the field. Mowry, cited " Curua" palm unquestionably will be previously, indi,eates planting of an much sought after whe11 they become Attalea in Florida but is doubtful of generally available. The fl ower spike, its ·being spectabilis. In Brazil this when it first appears, is held rigidly palm has several native names, prin­ upright but as the fruits begin to de­ cipal of which is "Curua." As with re­ velop their weight usually causes the lated palms its leaves are used fo r stem to ben d gracefully 'O utward. thatching and some oil may be ex­ (Figure 6.) Many fruits, about the size traded from the seed kernels fo r local of a hen's egg but 111 0re coni::al, are use and possible export. densely crowded around the outer half The "Curua" palm here now has its of the flower stem, each fruit being di­ second crop of fruit. The entire stem rectly atatc.hed to the stem by a short of the palm is not over six feet in pedicel. Firm fl esh surrounds the elon­ height but the central leaves project gate oval and very heavily-walled seeds another 14 or 15 feet upward with most which contain from one to five slender, of the outer leaves sharply ascending elongate and well separated kernels. with slightly arched tips. Figure 5. Only Fpom the present crop of fruits, near the ground might the plant be said which appear to contain f.ertile nuts, to have a trunk and t.his is encased in it is hoped that a sufficient number of the old leaf-bases. The. leaves have seedlings n{ay be obtained to allow pinnae closely crowded along the dark wide placement in the subtropical test purple rachis from t ip almost to the portions of the state. Trunkless exotic base, the longest of them slightly ex­ palms are novelties that few gardens ceeding four feet. The inflorescences can boast and the "Curua" palm, with appear from the axils of the leaves, be­ its arched, dark g reen fronds rising ing enclosed in long slender spathes fr0111 near the ground, will be found that split lengthwise and allow the one of the most beautiful additions. Bamboos ln American Horticulture (lII)

ROBERT A. YOUNG*

THE HARDY RUNNING BAMBOOS

(Conti,n'U.,l trom l"shoots fo r food . T he mature culms of the Magazine, these bambo{)s en­ are said to have little or no industrial dure minimum winter temperatures of value. around 5° Fahr. with little injury, T his species was collected at T ang­ though there is some variablity in their si, in Chekiang Province, China, in cold resistance. At lower temperatures 1908, by the late F rank N. Meyer, cold injury rapidly increases and, as agricultural explorer of the U . S. De­ has been previously stated, killin.(; of partment of Agriculture. It was re­ the leaves, branches, and fi nall y of the ported to be the most popular of the culms usually resul ts at a few degr·ees edible bamboos in that region of China. below zero; injury to the rhizomes al­ Its local name at T angsi is said to be so may occur unless there is a good Pah koh poo chi. T he plant has an mulch of litter or snow. interesting history in this country. R e­ Ph)lllosta,d~)ls du,lcis McClu re, a Chi­ ceived fro m China without scientific nese bamboo shown in the ph otograph name, it was sent, among other species, on pa·ge 4 1, is a valuable edible spe­ by the Department to Mr. E. A. Mc­ cies, unique in important respects. Of Ilhenny, Avery Island, La., where the especial interest is the enti re a,bsence plants burst into fl owering after 2 or 3 of the more or less bi tter taste of the years. As is usual with bamboos, the uncooked shoots, that is C0111111 0n to foliage was almost completely sup­ those of practi cally all other bamboos. pressed and also, as rather rarely hap­ It was in allusion to thi s character that pens among the species of P hyllo­ the speci:!ic name du.lcis was given, and stachys, the plants persisted in fl ower­ this quality also suggests the common ing until nearly all had perished. By name "sweetshoot" bamb oo as being taking a single remaini ng plant in to appropriate. The culms are of larger the greenhouse and coddling it, Mr. diameter for their height than are those ~\lk Ilh e n ny succeeded in bringing it of any other kn own species of Phyll o­ 'out of its fl owering mood, and it be­ stachys, whi ch results in the produc­ came the source of all the materi al of tion of shoots of worth-while size fo r the sweetshoot bamboo now in the eating considerably earlier in the life U ni ted States. All the plants grown of a plantation than wi th any of the elsewhere had previously been lost. other species. T he further bct that P . d~£lcis as grown at the Barbour under equal con ditions, shoots (ami Lathrop P lant I ntroduction Garden has culms) of maximum size fo r the spe- in recent years attained a height of 32

. *Division of Pla nt Exp'oration and Introdu c­ feet, with a culm di ameter of 3 inches tIOn, B ur ?a u. of P lant Indastry. Soils, and Agr i­ near the base. The culm sheath is al­ cU,lt1!r a.1 .Eng 1l~ ee' ln q. Agl'lc'ultul'a l R esearch Ad­ m l nlstTatlO l1 , U. S . D epa rtm ent of Agriculture. most rerfectly smooth, is pale green [40J J an., 1946 THE NATIONAL HORTICULTURAL MAGAZINE 41

D. A. Bisset Phyllostach'ys d'lllcl:s, the Sweetshoot bam,boo, the common ha?'dy edible bamboo of central China, at U. S. Barbour Lathrop Plant Introductiol7 Ga,rden, 11ear Savawnah, Ga. Cul11'1S of very la.rge relative dia7'/leter-3 inches ill 32-foot culms shown here. 42 THE NATIONAL HORTICULTURAL MAGAZINE Jan., 1946 to yellowish with small brow ni sh spots are quite smooth and without marginal and streaks when fresh, and dries to a bristles. The sheath proper is green, straw color, the spots remaining. The often with noticeable whitish stripes "reduced blade" of the culm sheath is converging . upward toward the apex, rather narrow, as in most other species The Department of Agriculture has a of Phy11ostachys, and is usually some­ number of introductions of the species, what curled or crinkly. The leaves, apparently of at least 2 or 3 different usua11y 3 or 4 on a twig, are 2 - 6 inches o;.eed ling origi ns, - from Kwangtung long by ;4 - :1 inch wide; they are and Anhwei Provinces, China. Some medium green and sm.o0th above a~d differences in apparent maximum glaucous beneath, as III most speCIes height and in leaf characters am?ng of the genus. these vari ous introductions are notICe­ The sweetshoot bamboo was identi­ able, and it is likely that s-o me differ­ hed as P. hem'yi at the time of its fl ow­ ences in the qualities of the young ering and was sent out under that name shoots for fo od and the quality of the by the Department of Agriculture for wood of the mature culms may later a period in later years, but som~ two , be found. According to the notes -of years .ago the identity was questionec\ ' the coll ector, Dr. F , A. ;,/IcClure, made by Dr. F. A. McClure, the specialist at several points of co11ection in China, on Chinese bamboos. He found "no such differences in marked degree ap­ dis·cernible basis" in the vegetative pear to have been observed by the Chi­ characters fo r the identification and no nese. The spli t culms of P. nidularia flow ers were availa:ble. He has there­ are reported to be sometimes used DY fore recently described thi s bamboo them for weaving. The internodes of (Journ, Wash, Acad. Sci. 35: 285-286. the culms are longer than in many oth­ Sept 15, 1945) as a new species under er species, those near the middle of a the name P. dulcis used here. 25-foot culm 'being up to 18 inches, P. n·idHlaria Munro, shown on pa~e Their valu e for fishing poles and other 43, is a Chinese bamboo of medium­ industrial uses in the U nited States large size, attaini ng heights up to 33 has not been studied but it is safe to feet. The new leaves in the sprin s- are say that they will serve as fishing poles, at first 3 or 4 on a twig but the lower plant stakes and fo r other ordinary 2 or 3 commonly fall after 2 months or uses. A number of local names for this so, leaving only 1 or occasionally 2 species in different localities of the leaves on a twig until the foll owing provinces mentioned were recorded by spring; the blades are 2 - 5 inches long Dr. :McClure. At various points in by Ys - % inch wide, TL1e leaf form and Kwangtung Pr-ovince the names Tai size among the several introductions Ngaan chuk, Fa hok chuk (a variety that have 'been made vary considerably, with superior shoots), Kan chuk So perhaps even more than in the other pa chuk, Kam sz chuk, Pat sun chuk, species of Phy 110stachys bei ng consi d­ and Lak cha chuk were in use. ( The ered here. An outstanding character last two names are from Honam Island, of P. 17'idulaTia, and one by which the near Canton,) As may 'be surmised, species may readily be idenhfied with "chuk" stands for bamboo. From a considerable confidence in the spring, locality in the Lung T'au Mountains when one has once become acquainted co mes the name Nai chuk, and from with it, is the pair of very conspicuous Anhwei Province, SI1Ui chuk No Eng­ clasping auricles at the juncture of the li sh name for P. nidu,laria has yet been culm sheath and blade ; these amicles coined, and except for the prominent .T an., 1946 THE NATIONAL HORTICULTURAL MAGAZI NE 43

Ph),zlostachys nidlilaria) a 1l'IPdiu11'1-tall and mther slendel' Chinese ba11'/'boo with edible shoots. A t U. S. Barbon1' Lathl'op Plant Introduction Gm'den) near Savan11a h ) Ga. 44 THE NATIONAL HORT1CULTURAL :MAGAZINE Jan., 1946

auricles mentioned, at the apex of the twiO' and are rather na'rrow, 2 - 5 inches culm sheath, there seems not to be any long" by 5/16-% inch wide. P. 1neyeri, very distinctive character to suggest an having only recently ,been described appropriate common name. and named (J ourn. \Vash. Acad. Sci. P. 1neye1'i McClure, another medium­ 35: 286-288. Sept. 15, 1945), has been large bamboo from China, is shown on sent out by the Department of Agricul­ pa:ge 45. It was collected by Frank ture as Phyllostachys sp., for many N. Meyer in .chekiang Province in years, ·first under the incorrect P. I. 1908, f.or the Department of Agricul­ number 23234 (for reasons previously ture, but the record as to exact locality indicated) and later under P. I. No. is lacking, for the same reasons men­ 116768, which it 1l0W bears. It is a tioned in the discussion of P. aureosul­ valuable bamboo for ,fishing poles, har­ cata in the October number. The com­ vesting of nuts and for the very numer­ mon name "Meyer bamboo" has been ous other purposes for which its size adopted for this species. For a brief would adapt it. period the name " dwarf hardy bam­ P. 1"ubr01l1argillata McClure is also boo" was used for it but as the name a Chinese bamboo of medium-large ·Iater seemed not to be either distinctive size. .culms up to at least 37 feet in or particularly appropriate. it was . height are 011 record, though more often dropped. No other collection of the they are considerably smaller. A view plant in China has yet been made as of an area \,,·ith culms up to 30 feet far as known. The height of 35 feet high, at the U. S. Barbour Lathrop for P. 11'beyeri at the U. S. Barbour Plant Introduction Garden, is shown Lathrop Plant Introduction Garden, on page 47. This plot was grown indicated in the legend f.or the photo­ from plants collected on the banks of graph, has ·been attained only in very the Yl1est River. near \iVuchow, Kwang­ recent years, and there is a possibility si Province. by Dr. F. A . McClure, for that culms of somewhat larger size may the U. S. Department of Agriculture. yet be produced. The diameter of the A plot at the same garden, grown from larger culms is about 1 YB inches near plants collected ill Kwangtung Prov­ the .base. ince, has produced culms of the great­ It is scarcely possible to describe the er height (37 feet) mentioned, while in Meyer bamboo in non-technical terms one trom another locality the maximum that will eHable one to separate it easily height thus far is only 25 feet. It seems and with certainty from several others. Lkely that these plots represent differ­ In some respects it closely resembles ent cl ones. of different seedling origins. P. (lJurea, but it differs sharply in hav­ The culm sheaths of P . 'rt1,bro'/'l/Grg'il1ata ing none of the occasional crowding of are plain green, with a reddish margin, the lower nodes of the culms that is when fresh, and the spe<;ific name was rather frequent among the culms of the suggested by the reddish color of the latter species. Also, the ligule (up­ margin. The sheath dries to a fairly ward extremity of the sheath proper, uniform straw color; it tapers to a inside the base of blade) of the culm rather narrow, truncate apex and is sheath of P. 1'neyeri is more brownish surmounted by a ribbonlike blade. The and a little more conspicuous than in leaves are at fi 1'st 3 - 4 on a twig but the P. a~wea. The sheath itself is more or lowest one falls early, leaving 2 - 3 ; less' smoky-spotted or blotched, espe­ they are somewhat broad for their cially on the upper part. In mature length, ranging from 2 - 6 inches long plants the leaves usually are 2-3011 a and from 7/ ]0 -15/ 16 inch wide. Jan., 1946 THE >JATIONA:{..- HORTICULTURAL MAGAZINE 45·

D. A. Bisset

Phyl.lostach:ys meyeri, fro 11'1 central China, nMl'!ed for the f0r1ne1' a. grl:cult~£ral ex­ plore1', Pranll N . J.1tleye1'. A bamboo growing to 35 feet high, valuable for many PU1'poses. Pole at left is 12 fe et high. At U. S. Barbour Lath1'op Plant II/troduc- tiol/ Carden, 11 ea?' Saval/I/ah, Ga. 46 THE NATIONAL HORTICULTURAL MAGAZINE .T an., 1946

P. nlbr0111a1'ginata has not been growth. Foliage specimens of this bam­ much tested as yet for industrial pur­ boo collected from culms of different poses but it appears to be fairly suit­ ages seem to show exceptional diversity able for li ght fishing poles and proba­ in size, shape, and shade of green of bly for use in harvesting nuts. A the leaves, though considerable varia­ slight di sadvantage is a tendency for bility in certain respects is of course the internodes to he a little curved, but found in all the species. The leaves, for many purposes the almost imper­ which are rather thin, are at first 3 - 6 ceptible curve is likely to be unimpor­ on a twig but the lower 1 or 2 always tant. The internodes of culms 25 - 27 fall before autumn; they are 10 - 4% feet high range up to 15 inches in inches long by 5/ 16 - % inch wide. The length. No common English llame has culm of the fi shscale 'bamboo is rather been suggested for this species. In the short j 0 i n t e d, comparatively thin locali tv near Viuchow, China, the usual walled, and not very strong, so that its verna~ular name was r ~p o rted as Koon industrial value apparently will be low. )'a111 chuk. Phyllostach)!s sp., P. 1. N{). 146420, P. cO l1 gesta R enc11 e, shown on page shown on page 51. as it is growing at 48, at somewhat less than half its re­ the U . S. Barbour Lathrop Plant In­ corded maximum height, is one of the troduction Garden, is one ·of the small­ smaller of the giant species of Phyllo­ er giant species in respect to height, stachys when it reaches its full size. but the culms are exceptionally slender. A height of 43 feet attained several A 45-foot culm-one or the tallest­ years ago was reported by Mr. E. A. has a diameter of only 20 inches near McIlhenny at Avery Island, La., and the base. The exact origin of this Chi­ this may have been exceeded since. nese bamboo is not known. I t was This species is another of the early among the numerous other species col­ ( 1908) bamboo co ll ecti ons made in lected by Dr. F. A. iVkClure for the Chekiang Province by F rank N . Meyer, Department of Agriculture, 'but when of which plants placed with Mr. Mc­ first closely observed at the above gar­ Ilhenny were the only ones that· sur­ den it bore the. designation of another, vived. This is also one of the species quite different pecies, so that it had to for which the exact locality of collection be considered as a "stray." In cull11- is not now known. It should perhaps sheath characters it so strongly resem­ be stated here that the id enti:fi. cation of bles P. bambllsoides that for a time it this plant may possibly later be subject was thought to be sim ply a form of to correction, since there a re several that species. Later, however, 1\1r. D. very closely related bamboos, similar A. Bisset, in charge of the garden men­ in appearance, that may be in volved tioned, recognized several points of and there is still so me uncertainty as marked difference, including slender­ to whether our present one actually ne!:s of culm and the exceptionally represents the type of P . co l1 gesta. dark-green color of the upper surface The plain green sheaths of the young of the leaves. The dark green COI1- culm shoots are so smooth and fit so tJ-asts sharply vv ith the brilliantly glau­ closely over one another that they sug­ cous under surface, especially when the gest fi sh scales. This has given rise to lower surfaces fl ash into view in a the name "nshscale bamboo." The breeze. The tall culms wi th their small character mentioned is of course in diameters and the apparent toughness evidence only in the early spring, when of the wood give this unnamed bamboo the new shoots are in an early stage of considerable promise fo r use in the har- Jan:, 1946 THE NATIONAL HORTICULTURAL MAGAZINE 47

D . A. Bisset Phyllostachys 1'ubro111,arginata, a slender-culn1,ed Chinese balmboo , at U. S. Bar­ bour Lath1'op Plant l111troduction GGlYden, nemr Sa.vannah, Ga. Tallest culrns in this group are 30 feet but heights up to 37 feet are on reco1'd. 48 THE NATIONAL HORTICULTURAL MAGAZINE .T an., 1946

Phyllostachys congesta (left)) an.d P. viva,'!: (right bacl~grou ll d)) t'Wo of the giant hG1-dy bamboos of centml China., in early stages of development on McIlhenny Estate at Avery Island, La..

vesting of pecans, and the straighter is ShO\\"11 011 page 49. Heights up to culms may also meet some of the spe­ 16 meters (52 feet ) for this bamboo, cial needs of fishermen for long slender under the invalid name "P. m.itis)" poles. Many of the culms develop a were reported fr0111 France many years conspicuous curve in their growth. ago but there is some reason to believe P . sulph$l1'ea var. viridis R . A. that a larger and entirely different spe­ Young, the green sulfur bamboo, is a cies (P. edulis) was confused with it. giant Chinese bamboo, said by J. HollZ­ Two different clones of P. su.lpll1trea eau die Lehaie to have been introduced var. vi1-idis, from French sources, were into E urope in 1856 and distri'buted to introduced by the Department of Agri­ various points, including the Botanic culture some years ago, one of which, Garden at Hamma, Ii ear , Algiers. He shown in the photograph, is much larg­ also stated that a weak plant flowered er and more vigorous than the other. at Hamma the following year, though At the Savannah Garden the smaller no description of the Howers was made clone has not produced culms taller or any specimen preserved. The fl ow­ than about 15 feet; though it had been ers are still unknow n. A grove.at the reported i1'l Franc.e. sometimes to reach Barbour Lathrop Plant Introduction 35 - 38 feet. Garden, with culms up to 43 feet high, The culm sheaths of P. stdphurea Jan., 1946 THE NATIONAL HORTICULTURAL MAGAZINE 49

D. A . Bisset Phyllostach,)ls sulphul'ea var. viridis, a hardy giant Chinese bamboo with l'obust CUl111,s, fint introduced into F1'ance and Algeria. Culm,s · he1'e are u,p to 43 feet . At U. S. Bm'bour Lath1'op Plant Introduction Gm'den, neal' Savannah, Ga.

T h e illustr a t ion s (but not legends' on pages 49 & 51 are intercha.nged. 50 THE NATIONAL HORTICULTURAL MAGAZINE Jall., 1946 var. viridis are ·perfectly smooth both P. sulphurea var. viridis is believed to on the surface and the margins. The be grown in Japan, though some of the lowest sheaths when fresh are brown­ Japanese botanists apparently have in ish yellow, -those higher on the culm the past confused the name P. sul­ gradually merging in to yellowish ph1wea with ·one of the yellow-culmed green; all are more or less . blotched, varieties or forms of P. ba11~busoides. spotted, or speckled with dark to light P. nigra var. lienoJ1is Stapf ex Ren­ brown. The leaves 'are borne in 2's or dIe, which we may call the Henon bam­ 3's on the twigs and are 2 - 5 inches boo - a name already adopted by long by %-% inch wide. There are Standardized Plant Names - is an­ no published data on the physical prop­ other giant Chinese bamboo, also cul­ erties of the culms, nor is there wide tivated widely in Japan. The Japanese practical experience as yet in this coun­ name is Hachiku. A photograph of a try in using them industrially, but it small grove with culms up to 45 feet seems likely that the culms of the more high, at the Barbour Lathrop Plant In­ robust-growing clone will prove to have troduction Garden, appears on page at least moderate value, including such 53. Heights up to 54 feet elsewhere uses as fishing poles and rug poles. in. this country are on record. The The gr·een sulfur bamboo, as the culms are a little smaller in diameter name indicates, is treated as a variety for their height than in most of the of the sulfur ·bamboo, Ph'yllostachys related giant species and are thinner s",ilphurea. The plant was first de­ walled, so that their industrial value is scribed (at the same time as P. sul­ not very high. The medium-sized phuTea) by A. & C Riviere, from Al­ culms, howeyer, have been used to a giers, in 1879, under the name ((P. wnsiderable extent in some localities mit,is." That name was mistak~nly for the harvesting of pecans, and they based on Ba111,busa 1'l'titis Poir., a bam­ should be useful as rug poles and for boo now unidenti,fiable but, from the other purposes for which culms of description, known not to be any spe­ greater strength are not required. cies of Phyllostachys. These ci rcum­ Smaller culllls will serve for light fish­ stances made necessary the renaming ing poles. The edible young shoots are of the so-called P. 111,itis. P. sbllphurea, excellent for eating and are reported as stated in the preceding paper, is to be es.teellled in the Orient especially considered qiologically to be a garden for the slight fragrance that is given variety of the much larger, green­ off when they are cooked. culmed plant we are here considering, The leaves of the Henon bamboo are but since it had -been named in 1879, L-ather small-rarely 4 inches long or it was necessary to retain its speci,fic much more than a half inch wide; they name and, under the rules of botanical are usually borne 2 on a twig, rarely 1 nomenclature, the entirely green plant, or 3. The new shoots in the spring, believed to represent the true wild spe­ with what I have called their clear cies, had to be made a nomenclatural mauve-colored sheaths, surmounted by variety of the small, yellow-culmed the vivid green, crinkled blades and plant. This was done in 1937 (Journ. deep-purple auricles and bristles, are Wash. Acad. Sci. 27: 343-346. Aug. very beautiful if one will take time to 15, 1937). For a considerable time the look at them a little closely. As to the name P. 111,itis was also misapplied to color of the sheath} it can also be de­ the bamboo we know as P. edu,lis (P. scribed in other terms. Dr. T. Nakai, pubesce11S). Neither P. s'/,tlphuTea nor for instance, describes it as light green- _ J an., 1946 THE NATIONAL HORTICULTURAL MAGAZINE 51

Phyllostachys sp., P. I. No. 146420, an undescn:bed species of hal'dy bam,boo fl'om southeastern China, of pr0111,ise fOl' long, slende1' fishing poles and for har­ vesting nu,ts. Cul1%s up to 45 feet high. At U. S. Ba1'boLw Lathro'jJ Plant Intro- duction Gm'den, near Savannah, Ga.

Tbe Illustrations (but not logends) on pages 49 & 51 are int",rc l:.!", '15<)d. S2 THE NATIONAL HORTICULTURAL MAGAZINE Jan., 1946 ish brown or light reddish brown, ture with Mr. E. A. McIlhenny, at his either of which seems to me not in­ Avery Island estate in southern Louisi­ appropriate. Altogether, this is a hand­ ana, among other experimenters, in some bamboo. The late A. B. Free­ 1910, and that, again, his plants were man-Mitford (later Lord Redesdale) the only ones of that introduction that of England, in his highly informative lived to become fully established. There and delightfully written little book is another grove of this bamboo, at "The Bamboo Garden" (1896) is lav­ Caspiana, La., not far from Shreve­ ish in .praise of the grace, health, and port, also started many years ago, by generally excellent behavior of this a Mr. Hutchinson. In 1929, when I bamboo in his garden. It is reputed first learned of the existence of this to be, if anything, a little more cold grove, it was stated by his son, Mr. resistant than most of its relatives, C. C. Hutchinson, that the original though in a favorable environment sev­ "root" had been put out by his father eral others may outstrip it in speed of about 35 years before. This would development .to., their maximum sizes. have been about 1894. Mr. C. C. Although P. nig1'a var. henonis was Hutchinson, Jr., of Shreveport, La., introduced into Europe in. the late writes that present members of the eighties of .the last century by a French family have no knowledge of the source physician, Dr. Henon, for whom it was of the original root but that from his named, there is no known record of its early recollection of the grove he be­ having been successfully introduced in­ lieves that the approximation of the to the United States and established year of planting given earlier by his until 1908, when Dr. David Fairchild, father was about correct. Plants of the whe was largely instrumental in organ­ 1904 importation mentioned above were izing the work of foreign plant intro­ sent to Mr. J. F. Shoemaker, Crowley, duction irlJ\1e Department of Agricul­ La., in 1905 and there is a report that ture, arrang~d for the importation of a grove developed from these and plants of thi~ and two larger giant spe­ thrived for a number of years. No rela­ cies from J ap~n. A first importation in tion between these plants and the one 1904 appare11tly had failed at all points that Mr. Hutchinson planted at Cas­ to which plarits were sent. Dr. Fair­ piana is yet known but unless a con­ child had given especial attention to the nection can be established the origin of more important bamboos cultivated in the Hutchinson plant is likely to re­ Japanjn 1902, during a stay of several main a mystery. months studying the useful plants of If we did not have other basis for a that country, with his friend Mr. Bar­ common name for P. nigra var. heno­ bour Lathrop. Both men became con­ nis, I suppose we should have en­ vinced of the potential value of the deavored more seriously to adopt the bamboos for growth and utilization in name Hachiku into general use in the the United States, and Dr. Fairchild Western World, but the form and pro­ wrote an excellent and informative pa­ nunciation of this name are so strange per on the subject, which was published to the eye and ear of persons not fa­ . in 1903 as Bureau of Plant Industry miliar with Japanese names that it has Bulletin No. 43 (now out of print). seemed better to use the name of the Quite briefly, I must mention that man who earlier had introduced it into plants of the 1908 introduction of P. Europe, - even though pers·ons un­ nigra var. he110nis (P. henonis) were familiar with French pronunciation placed by the Department of Agricul- may also stumble over it! It might be Jan., 1946 THE NATIONAL HORTICULTURAL MAGAZINE S3

l ~ I ~ ~. " ~ ~~. ~, ~~, " •

Phyllostachys nigra var. he'l1onis, a giant hardy Chinese and Japanese ba1nboo with slightly fragrant edible shoots. Tallest lul11fLS he1'e are 45 feet high, but else­ where they have exceeded 50 feet. At U. S. Barbo~w Lath1'op PlaNt Introduction Garde1'!" near Savannah, Ga. S4 THE NATIONAL HORTICULTURAL MAGAZINE Jan. , 1946

Phyllostachys edulis, the M oso ba11ttboo, 11WSt i"/1l.p01'tant of the edible bQ1nboos of Chino, amd ]Q,pQ,n. TQ,llest cul11'ls hel'e a·l'e about 40 feet b'ut heights e,-cceeding 70 feet f01' this spec1'es a1'e klWW17. At electric po'We1- house, AJldel-son, S. Car.

justifiable in ordinary horticultural nyl11S besides P. heJloJlis are Balllbilsa usage to shorten the present scientif1c puberu,lQ" Phjl!lostQ,chys faurieri, P. name to P. henonis, the name by which puberulQ" and P. nigra. var. pubenda. the plant was known in Europe before P .. edulis (Carr.) R ouzeau de Le­ its relationship with P. wigm (Lodd.) haie, the Moso bamboo, is shown in Munro was recognized. There would two photographs, on pages 54 and be no ambiguity in the shortened name, 55. the fonner giving a general view and there would be the precedents es­ of a grove in the city of Anderson, S. tablished by nurserymen with numer­ Car.. and the latter a close view in ous other plants of often omitting the another grove of the lower sections of specific name and using a varietal some new and older culms of this hand­ name in its place. A brief account of some giant species. The whitish sur­ the circumstances under which P. nigra face of the internodes of many of the var. hen011is came to be called a variety culms in the foreground-culms of the of P. nigm instead .of the reverse of current year-is due to a very short­ this, was given in the discussion of P. velvety silvery pubescence that is char­ nigm (in the October issue). Syno- acteristic of the new culms of P . edulis Jan., 1946 THE NATIONAL HORTICULTURAL MAGAZINE 55

View in gl'ove of Phyllostachys edulis in Cit')l Cemetery, Anderson, South Ca,l'o­ lina, with seveml new cull11s (whitish s~wface) in foreground. (Fmncis R. Front, of Anderson, in ce'ntel'.) for a period after the sheaths fall. As Francisco dealer by the late Rufus this gradually disappears the surface Fant of Anderson about 1893, although appearance of the internodes becomes the grove shown in the general view green, except for the conspicuous whit­ is understood not to have been started ish waxy ring just below each node. until around 1916. This species is na­ The original plant, from the propaga­ tive to China, though now and for tion of which the grove in the first pic­ many years extensively cultivated in ture grew, was obtained from a San Japan and also to some extent near 56 THE NATIONAL HORTICULTURAL MAGAZINE Jan., 194t,

Batum, Transcaucasia, U.S.S.R. The though it is descriptive it is too cum­ culm sheaths, which are blackish brown bersome. Moso is short and easy to and densely pubescent, are highly dis­ pronounce and, as already indicated, is tinctive and are serviceable for identifI­ well established in a country-J apan­ cation. Although cu1ms of the Moso in which the species has become eco­ bamboo are not known to have attained nomically important. An entire book heights greater than about 70 feet in in Japanese, detailing different meth­ this country, they have been reported ods of propagation and culture, was to reach 80 and 90 feet or more in published about 15 years ago. I hope China. The diameters are larger for that a translation, condensed, may the height than in any of the other sometime be published, as it should be giant species. But the leaves are the helpful to the very few present grow­ smallest - seldom longer than 2% ers in . the United States and stimulate inches or much wider than 34 inch on interest among other farmers and large­ mature culms. The foliage presents an scale gardeners. At present the prob­ exceptionally beautiful feathery effect. lem of the commercial propagation of The new shoots of P. edulis appear this bamboo remains largely unsolved. earlier in the spring than do those of I know of only about eight groves of other species, with few exceptions. it in the country and four of these are Partly for this reason, no doubt, but in and near Anderson, S. Carolina. The probably more because of the excel­ other four are at Avery Island and lent quality of the -shoots and the large Ahbeville, La., and the U. S. Barbour diameters to which they often grow, Lathrop Plant Introduction Garden, this bamboo is very highly esteemed in near Savannah, Ga. parts of China in which it will thrive. The 'Moso bamboo grove at Abbe­ It is understood to be commonly ville, La., was started in 1905 by the known as Mall chuk in Kwangtung late Dr. C. J. Edwards, with plants Province, and in Chekiang (at Tang­ introduced the preceding year by the si), by the variant name Mao tsoh. In Department of Agriculture under ar­ Japan, where it is reported by Dr. T. rangements made by Dr. David Fair­ Nakai to have been introduced about child, agricultural explorer. Plants of 1736, it is very generally called Moso­ this importation placed with several chiku; "chiku" is one of two Japanese other experimenters all failed. The words meaning bamboo, the other be­ Avery Island plantings were started by ing "dake,"or its equivalent, "take." Mr. E. A. McIlhenny in 1910 from Moso, the distinctive part of the plants of another importation (1909) Japanese common name for P. edulis, by the Department. These plants were is said to be the name of a highly hon­ the only ones of this introduction that orable legendary character and to have survived. The Department's grove been appJi.ed to this bamboo to indicate near Savannah was started from rhi­ the great esteem in which it is held. zomes o'btained in 1926 by Mr. D. A. "Moso bamboo" has already been Bisset, in charge of the Savannah Gar­ adopted by Standardized Plant Names den, through the courtesy of Mr. Rufus as the English common name for this Fant, from a grove in the city ceme­ species and I believe it is more suit­ tery of Anderson. This latter grove, able, alI things considered, than any incidentally, was started about 1911. other that might be chosen. Some No detailed reports on the condi'tion years ago the name "giant hairy-sheath of the several groves at Anderson have edible bamboo" was proposed, but al- been obtained for a number of years. Jan. , 1946 THE NATIONAL HORTICULTURAL MAGAZINE 57

D. A . Bisset Phyllostach'j)s vivax, an exceptionally vigorous giant hardy bamboo from Chekiang Province, Chin.a, at U. S. Barbou,r Lathrop Plant Introduction Garden, near Savannah, Ga. In this grove the tallest culms are 45 feet high but elsewhere heights up to 70 feet have been reco1'ded. 58 THE NATIONAL HORTICULTURAL MAGAZINE .I a n. , 1946 but at least until a great freeze killed was for a time applied to P. edulis all the culms to t he ground some years through mi sid·e ntification. ago, the grove in the ·city cemetery was P. vivax McClure, shown on page the most advanced in size of culms. I 57, is a very vigorous giant bambr)o estimated some to be 48 f.eet high, with from C hina that has recently produ'ced diameters of about 4% inches, in 1929. culms up to 70 feet high at Mr. E. A. In 1942 a short basal section of an old McIlhenny's place at Avery I sland, La. culm at Anderson that had been frozen, The specific name, vivax, was given in measuring nearly 7 inches across at allusion to the rapidity of development about 3 inches above the ground level, of n~w plantings under favo rable con­ was brought to me. The diameter at a ditions. In the lighter soils at the foot higher probably would be 6V2 U.S. Barbour Lathrop Plant Intro­ inches. The height of such a culm duction Garden, 45 feet is the greatest probably would be at least 65 or 70 height reached as yet, though taller feet. culms there are to be expected in the The large mature culms of the Moso coming years. This species, only re­ bamboo, although not of nearly as high cently des·cribed and named (\Vash. value fo r most industrial purposes as Acad. Sci. 35: 292-293. Sept; 15. 1945 ) are those .of certain other species, are is another one of the Frank :l;9'. :Meyer produced and variously utilized in im­ introductions from Chekiangr Province mense numbers in J apan. They are fo r the Department of Agriculture. ill used as floats for giant fi sh nets, one 1908, for which the d etail ~ record is of which nets may require a thousand not qui te clear. It now appears likely culms. In China, paper pulp is made that it is one of the two very si milar from the culms of this species. It seems giant species collected near TanO's i '" ' to 'be generally conceded in J apan that both of which were called Tae tsoh. commercial culture in order to be really The other almost certainly was P. ba11l­ successful must take into account both bL£soides (to be treated next). One of the young shoots ·for food and the ma­ these ,the larger of the two- said to be ture culms for industrial uses. The the "second in size of the timber bam­ commercial production in the late 1920's boos"-was reported by Mr. Meyer to was reported to be around 110,000 grow in the valleys and at the foot of pounds annually. In recent years ex­ mountain, while the other, apparently tensive dying of the very young shoots only a little smaj].er as observed, grew of this bamboo in one or two situa­ on l evel land and in a more open stand. tions in the United States has occurred ThiS latter apparent characteristic co uld and the questions of cause and remed; be the result of thinning, I believe. are now under study by specialists. P. This second species was said to be edulis ('Carr.) Houzeau de Lehaie is called also Kang tsoh. It is not possible known also as P. pubescens Mazel ex at present to say which of these two Houzeau de Lehaie, and there are some bamboos, if either. P. vivax may rep­ reasons to support the use of this lat­ res:nt: but the evidence seems strongly ter name. The question hinges on to l11dlcate that it was one, and that P. whether the plant described by E. A. ba1%busoides - coll ected at the same Carriere in 1866 was in fact the same time but which did not survive-was as the one under consideration here the other. and I have believed that it was (se~ Plants of this bamboo were placed Jnurn. Wash. Acad. Sci. 27 : 347-349 . . with Mr. McIlhenny several years after 1937). The invalid name "P. 1%itis" the introduction was made and these .Jan., 194G THE NATlO AL HORTICULTURAL MAGAZINE 59

P. H . Dorsett Ph,),llostachys ba11~b 'Hsoides, the well-lwown hardy giaJ/t timber bamboo of which the1'e a1'e several mat~we g1'oves in the 112ild.-wi11tered pa1r ts of the United States. This is a view of the 11'I,ai'/1 grove at the U. S. Ba:rbowr Lathrop Plant Introduc­ t.ion Garden, about 12 111,iles so~~thwest of Sapannah, Ga., on the coastal highway, talun in 1921. Cu.lms wp to 72 feet h.ave beeJ/ p1'oduced he1re. 60 THE NATIONAL HORTI CULTURAL MAGAZINE Jan ., 1946

were the only ones of this species that P. b0111,busoides Sieb. & Zucc .. a view survived. Happening to be planted in of a grove of which is ?hown on page an unfavorable situation, it was many 59, is the most widely known and years before the species gave noticeable cultivated of the hardy giant bamboos indication of its possibilities. It is in our southern and Pacific Coast closely allied to P. bG111busoides and states. It is a Chinese species but has some of us held the view for some time been grown widely also in Japan for a that it proba:bly was just a distinct va­ very long time, and the early introduc­ riety of that species. Mr. McIlhenny's tions of it into the United States, as careful observations over a long period, well as into Europe, apparently all were however, convinced him that it was a from Japanese sources. The common­ quite different bamboo, and when a est Japanese name is Madake. In the critical study of adequate vegetative United States the species has been specimen material was made by Dr. F. called' the "hardy giant timber bam­ A. McClure, Mr. McIlhenny's judg­ boo," "giant timber bamboo," or sim­ ment was fully confirmed. ply "timber bamboo" for -brevity. It The leaves of P. vivax are at first in has also been called "Japanese timber 3's and 4's but the lower one drops bamboo." \ iV ith the recent observa­ late in the season, leaving 2 or 3. They tions concerning the somewhat similar, are fairly broad for their length-20 - newly described, P. viva)." and, in ad­ 60 inches long by 0 - Y8 inch wide­ dition, our knowledge of the large and are flat as contrasted with the fo rm of P. sulplnwea var. viv·id-is, it slightly wavy leaves of P. ba11'l,busoides. begins -to seem questionable whether it The culm sheaths greatly resemble is advisable to continue the use of such those of P. ba11'l,busoides, being darkish a general name a "giant timber bam­ and fairly well covered with large boo" to designate anyone of the three spots, often ill defined, or diffuse but giant species that so closely resemble they differ in the conspicuously ~rin­ one another in a number of characters. kled condition of the sheath blade. All three of the species in question are Among less noticeable characters, the hardy giant timber bamboos. I incline sheathi differ in the entire absence of to the opinion that the short Japanese any ·pubescence or marginal cilia. This name, Madake, already widely known completely glabrous character suggests for P . bam~busoides, will hereafter be the English common name "smooth­ fo und the most suitable common name sheath bamboo," which I here propose. for this species, wherever it may be The smoothsheath bamboo, because of grown outside of the Orient. The its large size and of i-ts even greater young shoots of Madake are of good vigor as compared with P . b{]jJ1'bbus­ quality for eating. oides, seems destined probably to be­ P. ba11'~busoides thus fa r seems to come of first importance among the hold the record for height among the hardy giant timber bamboos. It is pos­ hardy bamboos by a narrow margin, sible, however, that the tests of the in this country, according to the pres­ physical properties of the wood that ent available informati·on. It remains are in ·progress may compel some re­ to be seen whether it will continue to vision of -this opinion. The youn D" hold it against P. viva,'!:. A 1945 culm shoots are edible. P viva.'!: has bee~ at the Barbour Lathrop Plant Intro­ sent out by the Department of Agri­ duction Garden grew 72 feet high. The culture in recent years as Phyllostachys diameter of such a culm is nearly 50 sp., P. 1. No. 82047. inches at a foot from the ground. Data J an., 1946 TH E NATIONAL HORTICULTURAL MAGAZINE 61

P. H. D01'sett Basal sections of large cu111JLS of Ph)lllostachys ba11'LbHsoides, showing 11wsses of the true roots. A section of rhizome from, a bud of which the culm at the left orig­ inated and to which it is still attached is clea1'ly seen. As is also evident, the .culm, section a,t the right is split to show the inter11al st1'~~cture, including the diaplwagms at the nodes. 62 THE NATIONAL HORTICULTURAL MAGAZINE .T an., 1946 for comparison of the physical proper­ There are several vernacular names ties of the wood with those of the oth­ besides Madake, as for example, Niga­ er two species alluded to ~bove are not take, reported from Japan for P. ba1'/l­ available as yet and it cannot be stated busoides) but it seems scarcely worth with any certainty, therefore, whether while to give others here. Two other there are significant and important dif­ scientific names that have been curreut ferences. It seems prCJbable, however, for it in the past are P. quilioi and P. in the light of past experience with P . 1'etic-ula-i"a. The former is a straight ba,mbusoides that its wood will not synonym, but Dr. McClure has told prove inf.erior in qualities thClit deter­ me that he has such serious doubts that mine industrial value. The surmace of Ba111,btrsa 1'eticulata) on which P. 1'eti­ the internodes is of a beautiful glossy culata- was based, was the plant we now green, which becomes gradually duller know as P. ba1nbusoides that on the and ,finally, after several years, grayish basis of present evidence he is not will­ or yeUowish green. ing to concede the identity of the two. The leaves of P . ba-11'lbusoides are (He has examined the type specimen usually 4 - Son a twig, one leaf falling of B. reticula-ta.) late in the season, and are somewhat Before leaving the genus Phyllo­ wavy. They differ in this respect from stachys, I think it is worth while to try those of P. viva.%, as well as from those to give the reader a little better idea, of most other related species. In size by means of a photograph, of the rhi­ of leaf there is li ttle difference between zome and root systems of the bamboos these two species, though in some situ­ of this group, and an informative pho­ ations the leaves of P. bG1nbusoides tograph taken many years ago by the have seemed to average slightly broad­ late P. Howard Dorsett, with whom I er for their length than those of P. had the pleasure of working for many v'iva,%. The range in length of the ma­ years, is shown on another page. Also, ture leaves is from 20 to about 60 as it is difficult to envision fr0111 words inches and in width from 0 to Ys inch the magnirficence of one of the larger or rarely 1 inch. The culm sheaths, bamboo culms as it stands in nature, like those ·of many other species, are a photograph taken a few years ago by variable in their markings, as well as Mr. John E . Cornwell, Allerton Farm, in the shade of the ground color in Vvest Chester, Pa., looking directly up­ the fresh state. In general the ground ward from the base of one of these 0Olor on the lower sheaths is a dingy great culms of P. balllbuso1'des) is re­ straw color, the higher sheaths gradual­ produced, on page 63. ly becoming a normal straw color, and And .finally, in 'order to give a visual the l~narkings consist mostly of ill-de­ impression of the edible bamboo shoot, fined and odd-shaped brownish spots there is included a photograph show­ and . blo~ches, the blotches often pre­ ing an entire shoot of P. ba'mbusoides dommatl11g. There are usually no auri­ as it appears when dug from the cles and no bristles present on the low­ gr'ound, together with another shoot est 6 or 7 sheaths on the culm but with sheaths and woody base removed, they develop conspicuously on the and parts of other shoots variously cut sheaths from about the 8th node up­ and in different stages of preparation ward. There are only a few scattered for cooking. The texture of a proper fine hairs on the surface of the sheath shoot for eating is firm and crisp ex­ but the outer margin is distinctly cept that toward the base of the shoot ciliate. the fibers which ultimately form wood J an., 1946 THE NATIONAL HORTI CULTURAL MAGAZI NE 63

John E. Cornwell

"Looking 1tpwa1'd" fro 111, base of a giant Ct£i1 1't of Phyllostachys ba/1lbL~soides, at U. S. Plant Introduction Garden, 1'lea.r Savamwh, Ga. 64 THE NATIONAL HORTICULTURAL MAGAZINE Jan., 1946.

R . L. Taylor An entire edible shoot, with en.closing sheaths, of Ph':yllostach'ys ba11'/.b/fsoides, with other shoots" peeled" and in va.rious stages of be-ing cut tiP for cookillg- -in differently shaped pieces.

are gradually further developed in that shoots to asparagus, for which there is direction and the lowest part of the not the slightest basis exctpt that both . shoot is too woody to use. By cutting products are cut when very young. The the moderately fibrous portion cross­ cooked shoots are satisfactorily served wise and not too thickly, so that the hot with butter and in meat stews, cold ,fibers are all cut into short lengths, and as a salad or in mixed salads, and in then cutting ·the slices further into oth­ numerous other American, as well as er desired sizes and shapes, more of oriental, dishes. the ,fibrous portion ·of the shoots can be used with satisfaction in eating than if the pieces are cut lengthwise of the C onection shoot. The shoots retain the crisp tex­ ture, even in the tenderest portions, Attention is called to a correction when cooked. The shoots of most spe­ made in the reprint of the first article cies of Phyl10stachys other than P. dul­ in this series. On page 185, in the cis have a more or less bitter taste when July, 1945, issue of the magazine, the fresh, and it probably is ·best as a rule name Sasa palmata (Mit£.) E. G. Ca­ to parboil them for 6 to 8 minutes and mus was used tentatively. Too late for then change the water. One change of correction in the magazine, the conclu­ water usually is sufficient, with a total sion was reached that the name would cooking time.of about 25 minutes. The be written more correctly S. palm-ata taste or flavor can perhaps best be de­ [Burb.] E. G. Camus. , The name pal­ scribed by saying that it slightly resem­ mata was first used for the plant by bles very young field corn; as one writ­ F. vv. Burbidge, not by A. B. Free­ er has suggested. .Some earlier writ­ man-Mitford as indicated by Camus in ers have compared edible bamboo his publication of the new combination. Rock Garden Notes

ROBERT C. MONCURE, EditOI'

Saine D ependable Plants for the with a sense of fitness of material to the Rock Garden, place in which it is to grow. A well planned and planted rock Too many rock gardens have a spotty garden or wall planting is a real appearance, due to the fact that the achievement. It may be a thing of owner chooses too many varieties, often beauty, or if not given due thought it only one of a kind; thus we ·find no will develop into a mass of rocks, scan­ unity in design, just a heterogeneous tily covered with a few plants none of collection. It is the nice balance of which will be growing 'Well. foliage and flower_plants of special interest and charm that repay divi­ One may, however, with a little study dends of satisfaction and the picture of proper placement of the rocks with made is a real achievement. soil well rammed in between and Everyone ought to develop an inter­ around them, with interest in good est in the native habitat of alpine plants. plant material, with some perseverance If one learns how and where they grow in upkeep, possess the most worth and gains some understanding of their while and valuable part of the ground simple likes and dislikes, he may more surrounding a home, for a choice rock intelligently provide for them suitable garden is a never .failing source of places and conditions for healthy pleasure. growth. A ·basic rule is to select plants for Undoubtedly two main points of al­ their foliage effect as well as charm of pine culture are drainage and top­ bloom, for there are times when all dressing, and success depends on our plants have a rest period. When they attention to these. are out of bloom, however, if right Let us begin with the lovely Aethio­ choices are made the rock garden will nema, not because they begin with the present a good appearance thwu.ghout first letter in the alphabet, but because the entire season because ·the rocks are this genus of delightful plants present adorned with the foLiage of interesting charming subjects for the rock garden. patterns and attractive green. Their native home is on sun-baked soil If one plans with this in mind, one therefore give them a sunny spot and soon learns that not all alpines are de­ since they are deep woting, gritty lime­ sirable. One needs to exer.cise a calm stone s·oil is to their liking. Aethionema judgment as to what is most beautiful, g1'andijloTu11'1 grows about a foot high. most dependable for the places in which is dependable, the pink blossoms are they are destined to find their new effective, and it can be used on the home. higher pl3!ces to advantage. Lovelier We do not want the rock garden to still are the dwarfer ones-ar111enum present the garish color display the and \Varley Hybri.ds. These are more herbaceous border renders, rather we compact in their habit of growth, their should str·ive for fine and delicate de­ neat small bush lets never more than tail, remembering always that these are four inches in height and each stem precIous gems and ShOll ld he planted will carry a rounded head of pinky- [651 66 THE NATIONAL HORTICULTURAL MAGAZINE .Tan., 1946

mauve fl owers. \i\Tarley Hybri~l is ve:'y with fa;i lure it is worth trying again, for like annenU1n. They are loverier when they are easily raised from seed. Ero­ grown in .groups of three, and may be dium 11'lacmdemt1n has delicate green depended upon to bloom wonderfully fern-like fo liage with pink flowers with well. a spot of black a.t the base of the petals; Epimediums are invaluable for shady it is unusual and intriguing. E1'odiu111, c6rners of the rock garden, but will do corsicu11l. is just as lovely but stince it fairly well in part . sun. The fl owers comes from Corsica it needs some pro­ are" daintily channing-myriads of tiny tection in winter. E. guttatu.1n has blo, s~oms white and cream - sulphu-r ""hite fl owers and is a good little plant. yellow and some with various tones of E. c1wysanthu1n is yellow fl owerecl ; lavender. But Epimediums are es­ thus thi s genus gives us a variation in pecially valuable because of the beauty color of fl ower. Give them a choice of their foliage. The heart-s:h Epimedium plant­ are exquisite in blool11 and quite amen­ ing draws appreciation from every able to easy cultu re. visitor. It is difficul t to say which is best Erodium or H eron's Bill is cl oselv among the three choice varieties­ related to the Geranium family, and is Gj'ge llteu'lll, cillerelllll, Lallcastriellse. a valuaJble .plant both fo r fo liage and A?'qelltell'lll is called the silver-leaved charm of bloom. They are grouped in Crane's Bill and since any glaucous several c1asses---':'s0111e with silky foliage green fo liage always lends distinction -s·ome with leaves never silky-those to any plant, it giv-es this special charm wrapped with hoary green down-then and with its three inch high, saucer those so-called hybrids. shaped pink blossoms with darker veins Observing many plantin.gs in Eng­ it is indescribably beautiful. Cillereu?,// land, the writer became an enthusiast is much like nrgeJ7teu'I?/, not quite as brought home seeds and from these ~ hoary and with fl owers a little lighter goodly batch grew and bloomed won­ in color. derfully. Many were lost, due to lack Lan.cast1'l·e?lse is very choice, It is of perfect drainage; a lesson we all of prostrate growth; its branching must learn if suocess is our aim. The stems cl ose to the ground, carry many Erodiums are so fairy-like in their char­ large saucer shaped fl owers of a clear ader, that one is dou·bly repaid in any salmon pink delicately veined_ To see effort to grow them well, if one meets it growing out of the rocks is a sight Jan., 1946 THE NA TIONAL HOr~TICULTURAL M.AGAZIN~. 67

C ia1td e Hope [See page 70 I Aut~(1 'l'/.n Bloo'/1'I,ing Cycla1/l en 68 THE NATIONAL HORTICULTURAL MAGAZINE .Tan., 1946 not soon forgotten. It presents a charm growth and just six inches in height. unbelievable. These present a real pic­ It is a lovely thing and anyone having ture when planted in groups OT three. even one plant ought to feel a thrill. Few plants of whatever genus can sur­ Mine bloomed wonderfully, and visit­ pass these dwarf Geraniums in beauty ors came to see it, but it passed out and desirability. probably due to too rich soil. These The genus Campanula is known and denizens of the mountains cannot thrive gr·own by almost every owner of a on rich food. Having learned that it rock garden, and ri'ghtly so since this hkes stony places in which to run its family contains so many desirable and roots, my next try ought to result in satisfying ty'pes of plant material. They success. might well be used as the main part of C al'npa1'IJula poschaTskyana is a like­ the pi.cture, using other plants as ac­ able plant, has the reputation of being cents. They are very amenable to good somewhat invasive or rampant, but it soil and reasonable care; there is en­ is so easily lifted by sections and plant­ chantment a·bout their bloom and foli­ ed in another spot which needs its age that make them really indispensable showy lavender blue star like blossoms, in any good rock garden. myriads of them like a blue fountain. First choice mi.ght be ,given to C. Garga11'ica is another easy doer. It m~walis or pOI'tenschlageana, consid­ is charming a~ it fills every crevice and ered by many to be the finest of all rock will follow the contour of the rocks in gar,den campanulas. Easily grown, its a most interesting pattern, always neat g10ssy green foliage a joy always, and and compact. Surely its color has been in bloom its violet cups grow in such taken from the fair Italian skies. It profusion as to almost hide the foliage, is a sun lover and is easily increased by and after blooming time is over its neat division. cushions of leaves is pl easin.g all Ca.1'patica is always a wekome friend through the summer indeed, into win­ when Spring calls fo rth its sleeping ter. One could be quite content with beauties. Isabel is one of the newer this enchanting charmer if no other forms and Blue Carpet is but recently alpine campanula existed, but there are come out. Harvest Moon carries large many others to satisfy the desire for fl owers very fl at, almost wheel-shaped variety. and of fine color. Ca.rpatica pa.llida CQ,11'I,panu,la Totul'ldifolia is the good gives us blooms of large size and light and dependable Bluebell of Scotch blue. ancestry, which should be in every rock Slugs cause many casualties among ,garden for its dependability of bloom Campanulas, indeed in one night a fa­ and growth. There is considerable vorite plant may be destroyed. From variati on therefore 'one should be an English gardener comes this advice: watchful for good forms. "Make a solution of Potassium Per­ Purple Gem is one of the new hy­ manganate using one teaspoonful of brids of deep rich ·color and exceec\inp·­ crystals to one and one-half gallons of Iy prodi'gal o,f bloom, much more ;0 water. \iVater the surface around the than the ordinary form, plant with this solution letting it soak .Ca111,pa11:b~la ste ~1Ocodon is quite rare, into the soil, this kills the slugs in the ~alc\ to be a hybnd of ,'ot~wdifo lia, but ground." Coll ars of wire ·or any rough It bears no resemblance to the latter. materials help greatly in warding off for stenocodon has tube shaped narrow these pests, ,but the Permanganate solu­ bells of violet. frail in its manner of tion wo ul c1 si mpl ify matters becau se Jan .. 1946 THE NATIONAL HORTICULTURAL MAGAZINE 69

Matby Campanula muralis of its outright kill and the report states Veronica teucrium. tl'ehani is also de­ that the young shoots looked partic­ siratble-having small yellow green ularly healthy after the Cl!pplication, leaves and fascinating amethyst blue thus it is worthy of a trial. splres. Those who study and observe good Thymus Se1'p,)lllu11L has many hy­ plant material, soon develop a great brids of great value. COCCil'beU111, has appreciation for those creeping and minute leaves of very ·dark green form­ trailing things which prove invaluable ing a mat-like effect with the tiniest in clothing the rocks with their verdant petals ·of intense crimson blossoms. carpets, among these we find Veroni­ This is certainly a choice and desirable cas, Thymes, Dryas. creeper, it will not grow, however, as Of the Veropi,cas, we might well fast or cover as much surfa'ce as does choose V. n£pest1'is as the best. It is S e1'pylhmt or of c£t1'idorus. The a very prostrate trailer, will cover a latter, however, has value with its close huge rock and creep down its side with mat of foliage and just to brush it in the neatest and loveliest of dark gr·een passing one enjoys the delightful lemon foliage, and in bloom is covered with odor. tiny spires of rich blue blossoms, pre­ Lam£gil1osu,s is a dense fragrant car­ senting a fas'cinating picture in May peter, with its tiny glaucous green and June. Its foliasse is as freshly leaves that seem to be cut out of velvet. green in summer and autumn as it is This should be planted close to the when it first awakens in spring. Noth­ edge of a rock so that as it grows it ing can be lovelier than thi s, and a may have the dry and cool surface rock or wall curtained with this blue whereon it may be assured against charmer is a thrilling sight. dampness, for like all hairy or velvet 70 THE NATIONAL HORTICULTURAL MAGAZINE Jan., 1946

textured foliage they a:b hor dampness. large-the named varieties being quite All the Thymes delight in a sunny spot. similar in growth and bloom. They are The Dryas (mountain avens) is not so fairy-like they seem unreal. Cycla­ a large family. VYe have, however, men e '~wo Pce££11~ is wonderfully charm­ two worthwhile varieties, namely ing, flowering in lat.e summer and the octopetala and SUl'l. der11~a1'/.i£. 0 cto ­ bright pink fl owers have a delightful petala is neat and lovely, the leaves are scent. small and dark green somewhat like Cyclamen l'Ieapolitanwm comes to tiny oak leaves. The flowers are wide bloom in early September before the open saucers of white with golden cen­ leaves appear. The flowers on three­ ters, carried singly on stems about four inch stems are an exact counterpart of inches high. If happy it will spread the large greenhouse type, except these over a foot or more across. The blos­ are miniatur·e. The deJi.cate blossoms soms are fo ll owed by fluffy heads of of orchid tint has a spot of crimson at seeds like Ane11wn.e alpinG-. the base of each segment. The leaves SUl'lder11~anii is a hybrid of octo petala are ivy shaped are somew.hat variable with the same dens·e and dwarf foliage . in size. are pointed and the fine green It ~s easier to g-row tlnn the former beautifully marbled. They may be de­ and more charming since its bl ossoms pended upon to bloom freely when well are larger and creamy white. It is a established. The seed capsules are al­ plant of compelling charm. This family most as in triguing as is the bloom, for requires gritty soil and a well drained these t url up like a fight cork-screw site. Large plants do not transplant and when fully matured suddenly burst easily, so thrifty young plants are best. scattering seeci. It is a slow process I t ,is possible to have a bit of fairy­ to grow Cyclamen from seed. so one land in the rock garden if the A lpine is wise to start with good corms which Cyclamen is given a choice place in are a\'aibble from firms speciali zing in semi-shade and well drained. \ Al e mi

Lily Notes

GEORGE L. SLATE. Editor

Raising Lilies Fro1/'/, Seeds the freedom of the eedling pbnts from The raising of lilies from seeds is an the vi rus troubles to which these interesting Cl;nd fascinating experience beautiful plants are suI ject. The rais­ and as gardeners generally buy thei r er of seedling lilies can ha\'e many lily bulbs insteacd of raising them from lilies for a comparatively small sum ii seeds, the production of a batch of he is willing to devote some time and seed lin ~ lili·es may be regarded as effort to the project. \iVhen seedlings SOi11ew.hat of a horticultural achieve­ are raised there is an opportuni ty to ment. Several advantages may be select only the best for the border, the li sted. of which the most important is poorer plants be'ing discarded. The Jan., 1946 THE NATIONAL HORTICULTURAL MAGAZINE 71 variation in a colony of seedlings is of pollen from one plant to another always an interesting feature when lily within the clone will not produce a growers are viewing the display. As seed ctop. The Madonna li.]y rarely successive generations of seedlings are seeds in gardens since all plants are pr-oduced in the environment of one's of the same done. However, if one garden, it is reasonable to expect that can get pollen from other clumps ·of there may be a gradual ada,ptation of this lily, especially from plants that the species to garden conditons, and appear different, or that were set many possibly an elimination of plants in­ years earlier, or later, than those on heriting suscepti'bility to some of the which it is desired to produce seeds, ailments of lilies. these plants ~11ay well be of another The raising of lilies is not difficult, done and tbei r pollen should function but does require considerable patience effectively in producing a seed crop. as the seedlings grow slowly and none Pollen of the Salonika variety of L. bloom earlier than the second season eandidum is very effective in producing when grown in the cold frame, while 2. seed crop on the ordinary type of L. some of the slower species may not eal? d'idU111L . bloom until the fourth or fifth season The seed capsules of most lily after the seed is sown. When they are species 'co.ntain several hundred seeds grown in cold frames under lath so that not many capsules are needed shades, the amount of care required to pr·oduce enough seeds for the each day is very little. average garden. Heavy seed crops To. raise lilies from seeds one must may exhaust the plants and not more first o.btain the seeds. Exce'pt for than two or three 'capsules should be Lili-U111, regale, . L. !yu1nihmu, and L. allowed to develop on each plant. formosanw/!/IL lily seeds are not gen­ The ca:psules are harv,ested when ' erally offered by seedhouses. A few they begin to. crack open and the seeds lily specialists can supply additional are shelled out. The later blooming species, but considerable searching and species may no.t ripen their seeds correspondence may be necessary before hard frosts, but the siems may before seeds of the rarer lilies can be be cut and placed in water in a warm o.btained. In so.me cases it may be place where the seeds will ripen up necessary to. purchase bulbs and raise within a few weeks. When a green­ one's own seeds. house is available, the later lilies which If the seed crop is to be produced at fail to ripen seeds outdoors may be home the necessary ,pollination must grown in pots inside tt insure the not be left to chance. but sho.uld be ripening of the seeds. done by hand. Lilies frequently fail to Lilies may be raised from seeds by set seeds when self-pollinated. If various methods and the choice of a these self-unfruitful ,plants are to method depends largely on personal produce seeds they must be ,pollinated preference and available equipment. with pollen from another done of the Aco.ld frame, lath shades and seed same species. With lilies that are gen­ flats are essential ,but a greenhouse erally grown from seeds, every plant in will provide a longer growing season a populatio.n is different and its pollen for the seedlings. However. its lack should cause seeds ' to set on other should not deter any from raising plants of the same species. Vegetative­ seedling lilies. ly propagated lilies, however, may all Lilies may be divided into two be of the same clone and the transfer groups according to the method of ger- 72 T H E NATIONAL HORTICULTURAL MAGAZINE Jan., 1946 mination of the seeds. Th~ seeds of winter and the flats left 111 the cold the one year lilies germinate promptly frame. the first year, send up a cotyledon, fol­ The critical period with these lilies lowed by a true leaf and continue is from the time the cotyledons appear growth throughout the season. Lilies until the first true leaf is nicely started. gernlinating in this manner include During this period damping off may amabile, callosum, ca1'l,didum, can­ take place in rainy or cloudy weather calO1', daw'icu1n, Davidi, f01'11wsanu1·11., or if the flats are watered too freely. H enryi, Leichtlinii var. Maxi111,owiczii, The flats should be kept on the dry longifionmL, regale, S(]!rgentiae and a side and in wet weather the shades few others. should ·be removed to promote aeration The two year lilies also germinate and drying of the soil surface. The the first year and make a tiny .bulb LIse of fi nely pulverize_d sphagnum in­ which sends up no leaves the first year, stead of soil for covering the seeds will but remains dormant until a year later tend to el imi nate much of the damping when leaves appear. The ti ny bulb off. requires a period of relatively low tem­ \ \Tatering should be done as needed perature to break the dormancy of the and in the morning so that the foliage shoot' and permit leaf growth. and surface of the soil will be dry be­ Normally thi s is brought about by fore night. \ \Teeds should be removed leaving the seed fl ats outdoors over when small to prevent disturbing the winter. Thus seeds planted in the lily seedings. spring of one year are left in the cold The two year lilies are handled £J ame over winter and begin leaf sotnewhat differently. Since they growth the second spring. Where the make no leaf growth the first year the winters are short and mild . lily seeds seed fl ats are stacked up. The seeds planted in the fall may germi nate while germinate and form bulblets and these the weather is still warm and later be remain dormant throughout the first sabjected to enough 'cold. to break the summer. The weed seeds germinate dormancy of the shoot, in which event but in die the darkness. About every they will make leaf growth the spring three or four weeks the fl ats are taken after fall planting. The winters in down, watered and stacked again. In New York state are too long and cold the late fall the flats are moved out to for thi s to happen, so that fall planting the cold frame. The following of the two year lili es is not an spring leaf growth appears and the advantage. care thereafter is the same as for the The two year lilies indude the fol­ one year lili es. 'W ith this method the lowi ng : auratu,1n, cal1adense, cha1cedol'l ­ flats are carried through the first sea­ icu1n, H u-111,boldti1:, y'ap01'l1:cU1/11., jl!1 a.rta­ son with a minimum amount of care gon, pyrel1a'ic'U111. , specios'U1'JfL, superbum and they occupy no space in the cold and others, frame. The seeds of the ,first year lilies are R'egular and thorough spraying with planted in seed fl ats in the cold frallle Bordea~Jx 'mixture 4-2-50 is advisable in early spring. Early planting is to control botrytis blight which in wet advisable as the seeds of some lilv ·cloudy weather may often defoliate the species. especiall y L. c(]!ndidu In and L. young plants and severely check their H en1'yi, germinate better at low tem­ growth, On the average the spray peratures. If conveni ent the seeds may should be appli ed every two weeks, but

be planted in late fa ll or durino'b the in a dry s·eason the intervals between Jan., 1946 THE NATIONAL HORTICULTURAL MAGAZINE 73 sprays may be lengthened. In wet the first win ter. Straw, marsh hay, or clo~ldy weather weekly sprays may be a similar material may be used where necessary especially early in the season, snow cover is uncertain. Evergreen and the dudes should also be removed branches may be used too for to permit aeration and more rapid dry­ protection. ing of the foliage. The seedlings will mostly bloom the Another worthwhile pr.J.ctice IS second year in the nursery at which ferti lizing the seed flats at intervals of time the best may be selected for the a week or ten days during the growin~ . garden. Vigor of plant and placement season with chemical fertilizer dis­ of flowers are important gar den solved in water. Plants receiving this characteristics to consider in making sti:l1Ulation grow much faster than selections. The two best plants may unfertilized seedlings and may even be crossed with each other to provide bloom the second season if left in the seeds for another lot of seedlings. seed flat. The fertilizer solution is Seedling lilies may be raiseCl by prepared by dissolving a handful of ~ many other methods. The use of a 5-10-5 fertilizer and a handful ot greenhouse provides a longer growing sulphate of ammonia in three gallons season and cons.equently a larger bulb of water. Each flat received about a in a shorter time. The seedlings too pint or less of the solytion and is then may be pricked out into two inch pots s·prinkled with water to wash the where they may make better growth solution from the foliage. than when crowded in the flat. Seedlings ·of the one year lilies re­ The seeds may be planted directly in main in the flat for two years while the the soil of the cold frame instead of in two year lilies stay three or even four flats. If the soil is sterilized with some years with some of the slower grow­ material such as Larvacide which kills ing species. Each winter the fl ats weed seeds as well as fungi, the labor shoul d be mulched to prevent frost of caring for the sef'dlings will be action from heaving the little seedlings reduced to a mini:'lum. out of the soil. Covering the flats with fine mesh hardware cloth will Open field culture is possible, but the keep them out. . watering will need close attention when "\Then the seedlings are ready tor droughts occur. removal to the nursery beds the soil If basal rot is discovered on the little is tipped out of the flats the ,bulbs pic~­ bulbs when they are tipped out of the ed out of the soil and planted out 111 flats they should be washed, the rotten rows. A plantinO' depth of two to tissue scraped out and the bulbs dusted four inches and the bulbs six inches or with Arasan or Spergon. The Marta­ less apart in rows eight to ten inches gOI1S, calididu11'1 and chalcedon11i:Cft7rn;­ apart wi ll give them enough room for are most likely to show basal rot. the time they are to spend 111 the GEORGE L. SLATE nur.sery. Mulching is advisable for Geneva, N. Y. Rhododendron Notes

CLEMENT GRAY BOWERS, Editor

D exte1" s H ybn:d Rhodode'ndrons se, but this is conjectural. Although Mr. Dexter worked outside this group, It is important that something be it is with the race resembling R. F or­ placed on record regarding -a hybrid tunei and its dose allies that his name race of rhododendrons belonging to will be associated and with which we the Fortunei Series, raised and dis­ shall concern ourselves here. seminated during the last twenty years by the late Mr. Charles O. Dexter of O n the whole, these plants may be Sandwich, Mass. While the history descri.bed as large and vigorous, fully and description here presented are not equali ng the Catawba and Maximum con1Jplete a. nd further information, will rhododendrons in height, although be required to ·fill all the ga'ps, the dan­ none are old enough to really give us ger is ever present that certain vital these data. When growing vigorously facts will be lost or forgotten if such they are tolerably ha·rdy in protected are not assembled while available. spots as far north as Boston, but are Since thi s group of plants and their strongly suspected of fo llowing the be­ progeny will be likely to occupy a per­ havior of their progenitors of the For­ manent position in Ame-rican horticul­ tunei Series in disliking zero tempera­ ture, the subj ect is significant. At the tures, and, if grGw th is slowed through present time, considerable numbers of unfavorable conditions or by maturity, Mr. Dexter's own production are in they might quickly succumb to winter­ existence, but it is questi'onable how killing. It may be too soon to speak many of them will ultimately pass from with authority Oll this subject, but one sight, to be replaced, in the Northeast would hesitate to recommend them for at least, by hardier forms de-r ived from any sub-zero climate. But, despite further crossing. this, they constitute the most il11Jportant At present we can say only that these "break" of recent years among ever­ beautiful rhodendrons belong largely to green rhododendrons on the Atlantic the Fortunei Series. It is probable thaI seaboard. several species belonging to that Series, The Dexter hybrids bloon} about olle plus others from outside, have had a week earlier than RhododeJ1.droJ/ caro­ part in their development. These may linianu.1%, which ordinarily blooms be Rhododendron F01'tunei, R. Gr'iif'itl1r about May 20th at New York City. 1:ammz" R. decorum" R. discolor, R. Their fl owers are very large, some mea­ Fm'gesii, R. calophytU,1% and possibly suring nearly five inches across, and others. All of these come from China, . are .borne in loose trusses of about ten or regions near.by. As time goes on, flowers, which is considerably less per the admixture of other species will truss than our Catawbas, but the grow greater as 'plant breeders use trusses are large, due to flower size. more species to bring in color, hardi­ Their shape is rather flaring, some dis­ ness and other characters. The Dexter tinctly lily-like, and their edges may plants themselves appear to represent be plain, wavy or frilled. Their colbrs mainly large-flowered species of F or­ range through li ght pink shades down tu,nei character probably crossed inter to cream and white, the yellowish [74] Jan., 1946 THE NATIONAL HORTICULTURAL MAGAZINE 75

creamy character of some being merged The fl ower trusses are apt to be flat­ . with pink and light rose 'to produce topped, although several have well­ salmon and apricot shades which are formed spherical trusses, but with less very handsome. Although a few may than half the number of flowers per produce 'bluish or purplish hues, or be truss that are found in typical Catawba tinged with pink or lilac in the bud or Maximum rhododendrons. which later ·fades to white, they are Seedling plants, produced by Mr. ordinarily quite free from any purplish Dexter, are now growing at several or magenta cast. In other words, their places along the Atlantic coast and in colors appear quite dean. Many of the Pacific Northwest. One coll ection them are delightfully fragrant, al­ is at the New York Botanical Garden, though this is a variable character and others at the- Arnold Arboretum and Mr. Dexter once told me that those around Boston, while Mr. Samuel A . having the more fragrance proved to Everitt of Huntington, Long Island, be more tender. The quality of their has several hundred of Mr. Dexter's fragrance varies somewhat, too. In a -original seedlings under conditions al­ more delicate way, several have a fra­ most approximateing those on Cape grance resembling a gardenia, while Cod where the Dexter collection re­ . others have the scent of nutmeg. They sides. I understand that a considerable are reasonably fl oriferous, but are not cLuan tity of Dexter seedlings are also s'o showy as some other sorts because in the University of Washington Arbo­ of their delicate colors, and the blooms retum at Seattle, Wash., while others are very beautiful as individual speci­ exist elsewhere. Since they s-eem to mens. A few seedlings have a'ppeared be fairly typical. the data for th is paper in fairly bright rose color, but brilliancy are taken from the plans in M r. E ver­ is lacking and further development to­ itt's collection. ward richer color is needed. At one The main origin of the Dexter hy­ time Mr. Dexter was enthusiastically brids starts certainly with a few plants concerned with crosses of "Brittania," acquired early in the 1920s, or there­ a brilliant English hybrid, on his plants abouts, from the one-time Cape Cod No.8 and No.9, and it is possible that nursery of the R. & J. Farquhar Com­ the stronger of his colors came from pany, located at Osterville, Mass., a this source. The fl owers are generally short distance from M-r. Dexter's home. without conspicuous dots or color pat­ When this nursery was discontinued. terns on the upper lobe, but are. other­ Mr. Dexter bought these rhododendron wise marked, frequently having blotch­ plants which came to him without name es -of dark rose in the throat and along or record of origin. All appeared. how­ the ribs of the corolla lobes, sometimes ever, to belong to , the Fortunei Series. intermixed with definite yellowish , It is said that the late E. H. \i\! il son tinges. gave it as hi s opinion that one of them The charm of the Dexter hy,brids lies resembled R. Gr'iffithia.mt11'L. VlThether in the color, size and fragrance of th-e any were named English hybrids, un­ individual fl owers, of which too much known in America, or merely chance in praise can not be said, but the plants seedlings remains to he determined and as a whole are lo oser, less formal and I am not competent to pass upon it. more untidy in appearance than those \ iV hatever the or i ~in of these -first of Rhodbdend1'on catawbiense. The plants, their number was soon aug­ leaves may be a bi t larger and a shade mented by seedlings which Mr. Dexter lighter in color than those of the latter. raised from them and to which he gave 76 THE: NATIONAL HORTICULTURAL MAGAZINE Jan., 1946

pedigree numbers. It is thought that 1922, from a dozen diffe'rent sources, these first were from 'crosses made so we cannot be sure that the Farquhar . inter se among the originals. Now, plants were the only ones used as an it so happened that Mr. Dexter ac­ original basis for his work. This, how­ quired unusual skill as a ,propagator of ever, seems most likely, in the opinion seedlings and was soon raising them by of the writer who first visited Dexter's hundreds and thousands. Assisted by in 1927 and observed in the plants an unusually favorable climate, site which Mr. Dexter said were of the and soil, plus an ingenious mind in de­ Farquhar source most of the charac­ vising new techniques, plus the ability t.eristics of the race as it now exists. to nurse young plants with complete In 1926 Mr. Dexter erected a small sympathy and diligence, Mr. Dexter, greenhouse and began hybridizing and by 1926, was growing rhododendrons propagating seedlings in quantity. Mr. with about twice the speed of any other Frost wri tes : grower along the Atlantic seaboard. "By 1928 and 1929, because he very This encouraged him to get seeds of much accelerated the process of pro­ exotic species hom China and England, duction, Mr. Dexter was setting out raise many' of these to blooming size annually in his Vvoodland nursery rows and use them in further crosses. As ten thousand rhododendrons and aza -. might he expected from seeds gathered leas. \Vilson shared with him seeds among mixed collections, where bees from the Arboretum, to which more transfer pollens promiscuously, the and more of his own hybrid crosses seeds Mr. Dexter acquired and raised were added .... After my visit in 1930 were probably, in some cases at least, to Millais, J. C. Williams and Edin­ untrue to type. So it is further not burgh, came the great period of experi­ certain just what went into the new mentation with scores of Hjmalayans strain, but we know that he got a great in New England." many interesting things. Mr. Frost says that "certainly a score Mr. Paul Frost, landscape architect, or more" of the Farquhar plants of Cambridge, Mass., had much to do formed the basis of his later hybrid­ with the e6caceous plants originall/ lzmg. used ·on the Dexter estate, gathering In his crossing, iVIr. Dexter chose rare sorts from many sources, includ­ parent plants with certain ideals .in ing some of the Fortunei series which mind, his more important objective be­ John Farquhar, prior to his death, had ing to produce improvements and ex­ bro,ught from England, presumably out tensions of the Fortunei Series. It of Robert Veitch's nursery at Exeter. should be noted that species which sur­ It seems that these were the plants vived at iVIr. Dexter's had previously growing at Farquhar's Ostenille nur­ been tried unsuccessfully at botanical sery, among which Dr. E. H. Wilson gar,dens and arboreta throughout the distinguished R. discolo!' and R. deco­ Northeast. In my opinion the success TU11'L , which Mr. Dexter acquired and of Mr. Dexter in growing them was number·ed. Mr. Fr-ost recounts that due in part to his favorable Cape Cod Mr. Dexter wrote, as late as June 19, site plus the vigorous state of growth 1925, that he had ordered from Oster­ in which they were kept. They were ville "14-15 Fortunei" as well as many well fertilized in early spring and no azaleas, to be delivered the followinO' b dryness was allowed to check their Autumn. But Mr. Dexter had been summer growth. In such vigor they collecting with Mr. Frost's aid since were able to withstand the cold climate Jan., 1946 THE NATIONAL HORTICULTURAL MAGAZINE 77 of Boston, although I understand that Being an amateur .. plantsman of more all are not successful there now. It is than professional skill, Mr. Everitt has to be expected that as such plants grow made the most of this valley. Needless older and their vigorous , vegetative to say, rhododendrons and azaleas com­ growth diminishes they may not remain prise the main interest. The ·brilliant so resistant to cold winter temp.era­ Rhododendron Ka.empferi, covered tures. I choose to be very conserva­ with unbelievable masses of azalea flow­ and assert that the hardiness of any of ers in May, is seen to wonderful advan­ these Dexter seedling's has not yet tage against the wooded background been fl111y proven fo r sub-zero climates and appears in many variations. The or exposed locati ons. garden is spotted, too, with specimens I shall describe the Dexter hybrids in of Ghent and Malli s hybrid azaleas, as di s-cussing the rhododendrons growing well as many of the native A merican in the gard-en of ::\1r. S. A. Everitt on sorts. Along with these are quantities Long Island, si nce the plants which he ,of evergreen rhododendrons, ranging acquired from Mr. Dexter appear to from the hardy ' A merican species, be fairly typical. through the Fortunei hybrids of Dex­ ter and a number of half-hardy Eng­ The Even:tt Rhododcndron Dell lish hyhrids to a collection of Chinese Webster's definition of " dell" is "a species, 111ainly of the larger and hardi­ small retired valley." This seems to er sorts. aptly describe the shelterbelt valley or It is with the rhododendrons of the ravine owned by 1\11. San'luel A. Everitt Fortunei Series that Mr. Everitt's most on L ong Island. This semi-wooded in teresting work has been done. Some vale leads down to Huntington Bay years ago he acquired a few plants 'of and lies within a few hundred yards of the variety "Mrs. Charles Butler," a salt water. The surrounding slopes, form of R. F ortunei. These had not with their cover of t)'ee-growth, mostly proved thrifty in a nearby nursery un­ oak, protect the plants in the valley der exposed conditions, but they devel­ from all sweeping winds and furnish oped beautifully in this sheltered gar­ conditions of light semi-£hade and con­ den. Thus encouraged, Mr. Everitt sidera

hybrid in the collection, however, that tern on the upper lobe. While not so probably merits wider usage in this hardy as 1nQ.Xi1n~£11'~, it may be all right. country, and it is 'called "Mum." It It was produced by J . Waterer in Eng­ blooms late and has large trusses of land and bears evidence of partial R. fine white flowers, twice the normal ponticum ancestry. size of R. 1nax 'i11~U1'/Il" surmounted by a CLEMENT G. BOWERS conspicuous bright yellow color pat- July 20, 1945

Narcissus Notes

B. Y. MORRISON, Editor

The section for Daffodil Notes is de­ lings, tell us about it. If you are a col­ liberately short this time, because it is lector, tell us the basis of your collect­ the intent of the Editor to use it chief­ ing. If' you live far to the North or ly in an appeal to all members who are South, that will give interest also. This concerned with this flower to send in is for you personally. their own notes for the coming issues. The time to make daffodil notes is in Narcissus, Forfar (See page 80) i ' flowering time and that will soon be This very beautiful flower w4's [ i;1- upon us, even those of us who live in troduced many years ago, but is not the 1 most temperate sections of the much in trade in t!1is country perhaps country. ollly because no one has boomed"it. It It is hoped that we can gather enough is late-midseason in opening its 'b'looms material this Spring season to warrant and none-the-less suffers not at all in the printing of another Daffodil Year­ comparison with the many coloreu book, and that will depend very largely flowers of that time. upon what each one of us does this The very symmetrical perianth seg­ Spring. Even if last year's planting ments are nearly white with no -$tain at was limited, there are always notes to the base near the cup. This is small, be taken on the old and familiar varie­ fluted, and a deep orange yellow over­ ties. laid from the margin with deep red Vie have daffodil fanciers and ama­ orange. If the flowers are picked in teurs in every part of the country. bud, there is more of this color. Those There should be no dearth of interest in the photograph were gathered out of or of material. If you have a show, a doors and were not given any treatment report of the show will be welcome. If "for showing." They had only the usu­ you are a beginner, let us hear what al overnight drink of water in a deep has done well and what has not. If you pail set in a ·cool place. have violent prejudices, air them. If The variety multiplies well and has you are firm in your admirations do not as much vigor as the "standbys" so that fail to report. If you are raising seed- it should be popular everywhere. 80 THE NATIONAL HORTICULTURAL MAGAZINE J an., 1946

Robed L. Taylo1' [See page 791 N arciss~ts) F oj-jar Cactus and Succulents

\ VILLIAM G. MARSHALL, Editor

Christ11wS Cactus goes into a rest period which lasts Very few of the 1,600 or more spe­ f10m 4 to 6 weeks during which time cies of cadi are known by a C01111110n the stems droop and the terminal name. The Christmas Cactus is an joints become flaccid, and some of exception of almost universal use the111. may fall off. At this time water­ though botanists disagree as to its prop­ ing should be reduced to the minimum er scientific name, some calling it Zygo­ to prevent the soil from becoming too cactus tnmwtus whi le others, especially hard. One light watering each second in Europe, call it Ep1:phyllu11t truA1ca­ week should suffice. tum. Vv'hen the plant shows signs of The name Christmas Cactus is ap­ renewed activity more water can be propriate because this species bears its applied and the entire plant should be numerous, colorful flowers from Octo­ syringed daily. Liquid fertilizer or ber to January, wi th the heaviest crop any co·mplete plant food should be used just around Christmas time. several times during this period which Zygocactus truncatus is native to the lasts from about early March to mid­ mountains in the State of Rio de J anei­ September and the plant should be ro, Brazil, where it is epiphytic on for­ moved outdoors into a light hut shady est trees or li ves on shaded shelves place as abundant fresh air is needed of cliffs, in eith.er case li ving on humus for free fl owering. deposited in tree crotches or rock in­ From mid-September reduce the terstices and on the tropical rains of al­ water supply to a light application most ,daily occurrence. weekly and bring plants indoors where The terminal branches are thin, leaf­ they 'can be free from drafts and sud­ like, glossy-green joints about 2 inches den temperature changes. "VIThen buds long .by 1 inch or more in width and appear again increase the water s,up­ with 2 or 4 acute teeth on each side of plied to each second day but omit the truncate terminal end, a shape syringing and do not move or jar the which strongly suggests a cra:b and has plant. These directions should produce caused the .plant to be called the Crab a heavy crop of flowers. Cactus by some. The 20 to 3 inch, Each commercial grower has his zygol110rphic flowers arise .from the own soil mixture for Christmas Cactus terminal joints, are of various colors but a mixture of equal parts of top soil, and last about 15 days. sharp sand and well aged leaf-mold As the branches age they thicken with one teacup ·of well rotted cow into elliptical, jointed branches covered manure to each gallon of the mixture with brownish bark but never become has proved very satisfactory. If liquid firm enough to hold the terminal fertilizer or complete plant foods are branches erect, fo r which reason the added each summer as suggested, plant lends itself to hanging basket repotting will be unecessary for four culture. to five years. As soon as the fl owering season is Zygoccatus trW}1·cat'btS has a pink to over, llsually in late January, the plant deep red ' or claret colored flower. [81] 82 THE NATIONAL HORTICULTURAL MAGAZINE .Tan., 1946 r -.-~-~~~-. -~~.-~ acute as in the species, and a smaller, ,.. bluish-violet flower. In addition to these vanetIes about 60 hybrids are offered of which the fonowing list is recommended by Britton and Rose in Cactaceae IV:178 IT who quote from Nicholson Dict. Gard. I 1 :517.:- "Bicolor, white, edged with rose; coccineu11'b, rich deep scarlet; elegans, bright orange-red, center rich purple; 11'belal1;ijic'/;/111" flowers large, white, tips brig-ht rose colored; Ruckerianu1n, deep reddish purple, with a rich violet center; sal11'Wne'lM'n, reddish-salmon; spectabde, white, with delicate purple margin; violaceu11'l, superbu1'l1" purt white, rich deep purple edges." Cacti For more than four years I have found great pleasure in observing dif­ ferent species of cacti thrive under what little skill I may possess in caring for thein. It gave me a great thrill to know that these spiny, fleshy little plants were dependent upon me. After experimenting with different varieties I became more acquainted with their characteristics and requirements, name­ ly how often they should be watered, what the proper amount of sunshine is, and the similarity between different types of a specific variety, Soon I dis­ covered that i'he "Cotton Cactus" like the "Old lVlan" needs veJ;y little mois­ ture while the "Christmas Cactus" and the "Orchid Cacti" grew vigorously when frequently watered. This proved · very helpful when making cactus gar­ Z. tnmcatus var. delicatus has a more dens for in order to be successful yOll slightly larger flower,carmine scarlet must have knowledge of the plants' or ,brick-red or carmine in color. characteristics so that you can select u. t1'uncatus var. delicatus has a more varieties with similar requirements, erect growth habit, with narrower, Otherwise one portion of your cactus longer joints and bears flowers or a garden should thrive while the rest delicate flesh color. Z. t1'uncat~£s var. would either rot or dry up. crenatus, also listed as var. vio.lace~m~ My favorite cactus plant is one of has 2 to 4 teeth that are rounded ' not the smallest that I have, and after ob- Jan., 1946 THE NATIONAL HORTICULTURAL MAGAZINE 83 serving it for more than two years, I Torr. is the smallest of the Agaves have')et 'to discover what variety it is. found, growing within this count~'Y, Having';. -\li~met.er of abount an inch seldom exceeding 6 inches in diameter, ancJ..' ,ti~lhgio\11y ,. oi1e-eigth of an inch tall a ,pretty little plant. - It is s·omewhat wi~'{i. " ' loni'''I'silky'~gfay hair offset by surprising to be able to look down at miniature black 'spiYl,es, I really enjoy the flowers of an Agave, but the in­ caring for it. '. ';"." florescence of v4,gave parvifio·ra These are but a f~w of the many 2..verages about 4 feet in height in examples of pleasul:e in indoor garden­ cultivation. Often confused with the ing. Unless you 'have actually had foregoing is Agave TO~£11I1eyana , Trel. experience in this ~field ', you can't know a 'plant which may exceed 12 inches in what enjoyment ' fh'ere is in it. I sug­ diameter. Another well known Agave gest that y,oli' 'try it and see. is Agave filifem, Salm Dyck and its ,'. fi CARL VLASAK several forms, the most common of which is the variety filGll'/1,entosa, the Cleveland, Ohio i names in this case referring to the filiferous or thready margins. So'me Small Decorative Agaves Of easy culture and noted for their Ag~~T es or Century Plants are quite Longevity many Agaves are well worth well known and familiar to most as while, either as pot plants or planted quite ' 1~rge plants with towering in­ outdoors w11ere climate will permit floreScences, as in the ease 0 the most this. Agave a111eri­ popui'a'r Century Plant, California ' J. R. BROWN cana, L. However, there are a large number S ucc~~le1'/,ts in Canada of species which might be classed as The Abitibi country of northern small plants, attaining a size at Quebec, particularly around Amos, is maturity of from 6 to 24 inohes in a tr~eless plain, coldly barren, where diameter and more suita;ble for the winter temperatures hover below zero smaller garden ·or collection. Includ­ and July nights may frequently be as ed among them are some of the most cold as thirty above. It is not. there­ decorative forms, those which have fore, a location in which one would white markings on the leaves and in expect to find species of tropical cacti a·ddition may have thready leaves due ·or even the species ·of succulents from to the shredding of the leaf margins. the sunny mountains of Mexico or It might be mentioned here that the Peru. white markings are due to the Seven years ago M. Laval Goulet an adherence of ·cuticle when the leaves attorney of Amos became interested separate or split apart from the tightly in succulent plants through a magazine compressed central bud and varies in article which described them and, degree on different Agaves. despite the natural disadvantages of Agave Victoriae R egi/1.ae, Moore climate, he determined to own a col­ probably tops them all as most .prized lection of the unique plants and to see and decorative, almost perfect in its for himself the large and beautiful symmetry and also handsomely fl.owersof which he read. marked. Aga,ve Fe-rdinandi Reqis, A small glass house was built and a Berger somewhat resembles the fi rst heating system installed with a ther­ named, but is a stouter and loose r ap­ mostati-c arrangement which rings pearing plant. Aga.ve pa-rviflora, a bell in his bed room when tempera- 84 THE NATIONAL HORTICULTURAL MAGAZINE Jan., 1946

Upper left, Agave fiHfem; upper r'ight, A. Tou111 eyanQ" and below it A. pal'vi­ flora. Lower right, A , Victoriae-Reginae; lowel' right, A. F erdinalldi-Regis.

tures drop to a dangerous low, Plants solicited information to meet his of many species of cacti and the other peculiar conditions. succulents were imported and books Results at first were not too dealing wi th their culture purchased pwmisingbut he profited by the loss of and studied. Through the medium of a few of his first plants, analyzing the a magazine M. Goulet was put in touch cause of their demise and inventing with other collecto),s in Canada and methods to counteract further losses. the United States and from them he Special so,ils and watering periods were Jan., 1946 THE NATIONAL HORTICULTURAL MAGAZ I NE 8S

The Go'ulet Collection worked out to suit his unusual grow­ and the potted species in the middle ing conditions and today M. Goul et has ground are Mammillarias, Echinopsis, a fine collection of well grown, fast Gymnocalyci ums, Parodias a nd growing plants whi ch produce numer­ NotDcacti . ous flow ers fo r his enjoyment. Need­ In the right foreground a species of less to say visitors to his glass house Stapelia unfo lds its star-like six inch are numerous and enthusiastic. fl ower, deep brownish red in color, In the photograph M. and Madam this fl ower is ·best enjDyed from a Goulet are shown with a pDrtion of distance as its fragrance is not inviti ng. the collection with the glass house and It is a very interesting fl Dwer of furnace rODm in the background. 1111 - complex structure and leathery texture mediatly in front of them are a few of covered by sensiti ve whitish hairs. the tropical, epiphytic types of cacti Echinoce1'eus D elaetii and M. Go ulet points tOo a plant of H ylocereus which has made exception­ W hen a very attractive plant proves al growth fDr hin;!; .• difficult of culture it becomes necessary T he three hairy', :Columnar plants in to fin d out the conditions under which the left fo reground ai'e, from left to it survives in its natural habitat. 'F rom rrght : Cle1:stocac tus Stmussii, the the fo lowing excerpt from a letter from silver torch cactus, C eplwloceTt'LIS Mexico conclusioqs can be drawn as to senilis, the old man and OTeoceTeus the cultural requi rements of the beauti­ C els'ianus, the old man of the Andes. ful, but diffic ult EchinoceTus Delaetii: Species of Echinopsis, the E aster lily "Last Sunday, July 9th I made an­ ('actus can be noted in two of the flats other trip in search of Echinocereus 86 THE NATIONAL HORTICULTURAL MAGAZINE Jan., 1946

Delaetii, and I'm happy to say it was a success. -I have felt all along that my stay in Mexico would not be a success unless I saw this species in its native l;abitat. I took the highway to Torreon, Coahuila, and a:bo ut 37 miles from Saltillo left the highway at what is called El Pilar. From there I travel­ led forty miles over just passible desert road and came . upon a guayule camp. I inquired of the natives if they knew of a plant such as I described. They did, so I hired one, Jesus Mata, to guide me. It's a good thing I did be­ cause it would have been an. unsuccess­ ful trip other wife. Vve then travelled 8 miles to where t.he road ended. ' From there it was a one and three quarter mile hike straight up. Photo number 1 was taken near the summit, showing the trail and the val­ ley below, which is known as Valle Seco or Dry Valley. It was necessary to cross over the summit to get to the plants. They were growing on the

Photog1'aphs 1 (uppe1'), 2 (lower) see page 87 Echinocereus Delaetii country Jan., 1946 THE NATIONAL HORTICULTURAL MAGAZINE 87

No.3, Ech1:noce1'e1ds Delaet'ii; No.4, the party. slopes on the I)ther side, the exposure numerous grasses and shrubs were being southeast. The soil here was growing in profusion. One of the dark colored sandy loan, quite dif­ commonest plants was a species of wild fei'ent from the slope we climbed to onion which the natives eat. It can get there. be seen in photo. number 3 growing up Photo number 2 is a view of the through the plant of Echinocereus mountain where the plants grew. It Delaetii. There were a number of was quite heavily covered with ·other genera of cacti growing here vegetation for this part of the country. also, Mal11millarias, N eolloydias, Cory­ Such plants as Yuccas, Agaves, sotol, phanthas, Escobarias and several 88 THE NATIONAL HORTICULTURAL MAGAZINE Jan., 1946

Opuntias. The combined other cacti bundle they ..are carrying contains two were much more numerous than the plants of Echinocereus Delaetii. Echinocereus. All in all I was well satisfied with the outcome of the trip. It wasn't Photo ml1nber 4 is of my com­ what I consider a wugh trip; however pa1110ns, I never learned the name of it may be as I am used to such by now. the hoy to the left. The other two I've fairly well covered 10 states, and from left to right are Jesus Mata and mostly no highways, in the past 15 Joaquin A viete. Don Jesus was de­ months I have been down here. One lighted to pose, after I said I would of my -big regrets has been not to send him a copy. He resembles have ar.other cactophile to travel with, Pancho Villa in the picture. He and but probably in that case I might have the boy have bunches of an herb, which forgotten my work. they use as a su.bstitute for coffee. The ROBERT FORES.

A Book or Two

Asparagus Production. Homer C. one will find advice as to how he might Thompson. Orange Judd Publish­ enter it and produce seed. It is a dis­ ing Co., Inc., New York. 124 pages, cussion of the industry and is limited illustrated. $1.25. to the more common grass and legume A small pradical handbook type of seeds that go into the common prac­ publication, written with the express tices of pasturage, hay production, soil purpose of bringing together the re­ improvement and of course the inevi­ sults of all recent research as published table soil conservation. in state and federal bulletins as well as technical papers. There are fifty refer­ Pra.ctiwl Camellia C'ulture. Robt. J. ence ·citations given in full, at the end Halliday. Lithographic reprint, by of the book. permission of the original edition (1880) ; arranged by Robt. O . Rubel, The Field Seed Indust1'Y in the United Jr., Crichton, Ala., 1945. 142 pages, States. Frank Victor Buck. Uni­ illustrated; paper $2.00; cloth $3.00. versity .of Wisconsin Press, Madison. Many factors have contributed to the 1944. 230 pages, illustrated. $3.00. present insistent interest in the camel­ Most of the members of this Society lia, which is no new-comer in the coun­ may not have a vital first hand interest try, which need not be discussed here, in the Field Seed Industry, but none but there is no question that camellia could fail to find an interest in this growers, amateur and professional, suc­ very lucid presentation which touches cessful or less so, do not always see eye upon the early history of the produc­ to eye, either on cultural practices or tion of this type of seed in the States~ in matters of taste, that perilous human and the later development and growth arbiter of fashions in the perception of of the industry during the period be­ .beauty. fore and through the Second World This small old-fashioned volume, War. . long out of print, is a usual manual, It is not a book which deals with written from the point of view of the the business of seed production and no person who lived beyond the area Jan., 1946 THE NATIONAL HORTICULTURAL MAGAZINE 89

where the camellia is hardy and who day reader, may even be persuaded ,first operated in that period when that his garden, his own small plot, greenhouse construdtion was leaving may be the scene of horticultural en­ the old stages to come toward the mod­ deavor of significance rather than just ern house. the scene of his personal satisfactions. If in the near future, more amateurs want glass houses of their own, some Monog1'aphy of the Genus Ca11'~ellia . of them may find less interest in the The Abbe Lorenzo Berlese. Reprint highly heated type of house that has of the 1938 Translation by Henry A. been evolved for the winter produc­ S. Dearborn. P ublished by J oseph tion of summer growing things and Brech & Co., Boston, 1938. 110 more in the relatively cool house in pages. which so many plants "nearly hardy" can be kept safely and happily. New I conogmJphy of the Caw/,ellia. This volume may concern not only Alexander Verschaffelt. 1848-1860. the camellia grower but others. Just New translation by E. A. McIlhenny how much it or any other reprint will of the texts. 318 pages. Privately do for the amateur will depend on the p rinted : E. A. McIlhenny, Avery amateur; but certainly in this he will Island, La. find, boldly set forth, a wealth of prac­ tical detail for the conditions described. These two European works, almost co mpletely unavailable, now have been H 01,ticultU1'e and H 01,ticultun:sts in prepared and published by Mr. Mc­ Ilhenny, who has fo r many years been Early T e,"Cas . Samuel Wood Geiser. U niversity Press in Dallas, South­ a student and collector of the camellia. ern Methodist U niversity, Dallas, The present day amateur, and most 1945. 100 pages. particularly those amateurs who may have to Ia:bo r in the always hazar,dous The author, who males many gen­ field of the study of varieties remain­ erous acknowledgments in his Intro­ ing in cultivation in our South and duction. states definitely what he hopes Pacific Coast, owe Mr. McIlhenn y a his book may be and to what it may particular debt. Their task is and lead. One can only admire the meth­ probably always will be a thankless ods and procedures. and difficult one, with a "percentage of As can be expected, the volume will error" for which there may be no statis­ be of more interest to Texans than to tical salvation ! others; and to the historically minded rather than the amateur gardener. The The Berlese text has a considerable portions that could 'be and are p re­ part on cultural practices; the Ver­ sented in running prose are good read­ schaffelt text a brief treatment by ing: the portions that are statistical re­ Auguste van Geert, another notable main just that. horticulturist of that time. For the ordinary gardener, a read­ To the pers·on who knows nothing ing of the text, and particularly the of camellias and who can't even have section devoted to the biographical them, all this will be very dull going; . notes, should be an inspiration, since to the amateur who is not vitally con­ it gives a stupendous amount of evi­ cerned, it will be interesting only in so dence that the amateur has given a far as he is hi storicall y minded; to the great wealth of useful material from serious worker, however opinionated his own gardening. He, the present he may be, the two volumes are musts ! 90 THE NATIONAL HORTICULTURAL MAGAZINE Jan., 1946

The Rhododendron Yem'book for 1945. The skills that were developed in Published by The American Rhodo­ Java, and which fathered the practices dendron Society, Portland, Ore. that have proven so lucrative, are Edited for the Society by Dean Col­ sound. Fortunately they are not ex­ lilis. 144 pages, illustrated: for clusive, but they may remain exclu­ sive and unique if the amazing indus­ mem bers. try of the Dutch producer and the skill The A merican Rhododendron So­ of the Dutch merchant princes are not ciety in its first v~ lu111 e reflects chiefly paralleled. the activities of a small group of peo­ The book is written for the lay read­ ple in Washington and Oregon, who, er, not fo r the technical man, though quite aside from -being exceUent gar­ the latter will recognize the salient mat­ deners, have a climate or climates that ter. It cannot be used as a "how-to­ are to the liking of the species of rho­ do-it" book except by those who almost dodendrons that the British gardeners know anyway. The style is easy and have known and grown for years, and pleasant and if one were to quibble at for the hyb rids that have been evolved all , it would merely be that there are from certain groups of these species. too many flat assertions ! All the papers are of great interest but by and large are texts to sadden Plant life of the Pacific W 01'ld. Elmer those of us who li ve beyond that D. IVlerrill. The Macmillan Com­ "misty-moisty" and not too arduous pany, New York. 1945. 295 pages, realm. . Mr. Seevers alone speaks fo r illustrated. $3.50. the "less favored" areas. Among the things that ha.ve come to The book is ambitiously set up, but us as a people from our participation in the illustrations leave much to be de­ VlorId War II hfls been the projection sired. As we move away from the war of many individuals into geographic re­ years this undoubtedly will improve. gions which had been as far distant If you are a collector of rhododen­ from their former private lives as any dron 'books, yo u should have this, no star. To those who went, much hap­ matter where you li ve; if you are not pened besides the physical and emo­ a Pacific-N orthwester and want only tional stresses of each period; to those what concerns you, you needn't bother ; who remained, there has been always but if yo u support horticulture, you an undercurrent of anxiety more or should give it your support. less active, more or less personal, about that new life into which "our" man or Cinchona in Ja va. Norman Taylor. woman Was projected. Greenberg, Publisher, New York, To the gardener, here and now, Dr. 1945. 87 pages, illustrated. $2.50. Merrill 's work, written from the rich­ This is a rather slender book, scarce- ness of his long and careful experience ly more than a novelette, and can be and study in the Pacific world, in the read as quickly. In it there is much present volume, will evoke a safer and that has nothing whatever to do with sounder image of the plant world in "Cinchona in Java" save to give the which our fo rces moved and li ved. It setting, and the "motif" for the setting opens to the reader enough to remove might well be stated as Dutch astute­ that primitive fear that we all have of ness. Thanks to them, the cultivation the unknown. of cinchona ahd the resulting commer­ Of the plant life itself and its possi­ cial prodilction vvere saved. ble impact upon our gardens here, not Jan., 1946 THE NATIONAL HORTICULTURAL MAGAZINE 91 much can be said. The knowing gar­ It is pocket size and well organized. dener will recognize s'ome names The Introduction tells exactly what the throughout; the gardeners from fa­ author intends doing and how he set vored areas, frost free though drought about it. It also states the manner in or hurricane ridden, may recognize spe­ which the book is to be used. cies now introduced, not only here but The major portion 'of the book is elsewhere, for they, like many other given over to brief descriptions of plant tropical plants, have their part in the material, beginning with Abelia and circle of distribution, usually man­ closing with Zenobia. There are rela­ directed, about the globe. tively few illustrations but they are ex­ \Vhether you care or not from the cellent. The text which must have cost basis of your own private or garden the 'author many an hour of travail in life, you will .find the book good read­ deciding what to say and what to leave ing, and if you like good reading, as all out, is very concise without ever becom­ intelligent gardeners do, you will find ing dull. It has the further grace of citations to other works which may not being dogmatic, even when the provoke your future visits to the libra­ opinion is most firmly set forth. It is ry in search ·of new titles and new singularly free of "gush." vistas into worlds new for you. The balance of the work is given over to lists with brief texts, and a few use­ ful chapters, on care and maint'enance. Trees, Sh1'ubs a1~d Vines, fO?' th e There is no definition of what the N m'theastern United States. George author means by Northeastern United Graves. The Oxford University States, and there are included a few Press, New York, 1945. 267 pages, plants that would hardly seem to war­ illustrated. rant inclusion in the area which the This is published under the auspices reviewer would call that area. The of the Massarchusetts Horticultural So­ comments on hardiness under various ciety and is a most valuable manual. plants are much to be ·commended. The Gardeners Pocketbook

PiJ~guicula vulgaris (Butterwort)­ were used by the Lapland tribes for An InsectivorGlus P lant curdling milk. The same -c ustom is said to prevail among the peasants of The little fl owers of the Butterwort the Italian Alps. Ada White Sharp­ Family are known over a wide range. less says, in "Alaska Wild Flowers," They are fo und among moist rocks or that "leaves disappear in winter and the edges -of gravelly streams in Eu­ beneath the snow a fat nodule .of green­ rope, Asia, North America and ~ I ong ish sales remains underground like a the Andes to Patagonia. The one Illus­ pseudo-bulb." trated was fl owering in Alaska but the SARAH V. COOMBS. fl ower is known sometimes as the Lab­ Scarsdale, N. Y. rador Violet, showilig that it is of wide distribution. It is fo und among the mountains at the lower altitudes. An­ Fr011'L the Midwest other common name is the Bog Violet. H ortic%ltuml Society The Butterworts are among the in­ Flowering Peach sectivorous plants, -comi ng between the Perhaps the most brilliant colors of type whi'ch hold insects by sticky hairs, all fl owering trees are on the flowering such as the Droseras or Sundews and peach. While some nurseries offer by the Dionaeas or Venus F ly traps, which named variety, most list by color. dos-e their hinged leaves upon their Usually three colors are listed: white, vlctlms. The Butterworts attract in­ rose pink, and bright red. sects by the sti-cky surface of their The flowers are double and resemble leaves but the leaves then roll up, en­ those of a flowering cherry. The fo li­ closing the unwary visitor. age and growth hcrbits are identic~1 Ping'b£icula vulgaris is a small stem­ with the ordinary peach. The plant IS less perennial with basal entire leaves, a rapid barowin b and prefers a well. the upper surface covered with a sticky drained soil. The flowers appear 111 secretion on which insects are caught. early spring before the leaves. . The leaves are pale yellowish-green, Like the other peaches the fl owering 3-7 in a rosette, greasy to the touch, forms barow into fair sized trees and 1-2 inches long, ~ inch wide. The are not especially long lived. They flowers grow on scapes 1-5 inches high may also suffer occasional winter dam­ and are bright 'olue, rarely -pur.ple, with age. In spite of these ob j ections there a darker throat, lined with silky hairs. is a 'fine landscape value in them, and They are 2-lipped, the upper lip 2- the initial -cost is usuall y low. Their lobed, the lower 3-lobed, larger, the use would be restricted to larger gar­ tube gradually contracted into an ob­ dens and ~o untr y homes. tuse or acute, nearly straight spur, 1/3 During the latter part of April there inch long. would be a magnificent show particu­ Occasionally grown among moist Ia:rly as the colors are sharp and clear. rocks or in bogs in gardens, where they are propagated by seeds or offsets. Flowering Q%ince The leaves of Pinguicula contain The flowering quince is one of the vegetable rennet and Linnaeus says old fashioned plants that has not re­ that the leaves of Pinguicula vulgaris tained as much of its popularity as de- [92] J an., 1946 THE NATIONAL HORTICULTURAL MAGAZI NE 93

[See page 92] M a,'l: cine Williams Pinguicula vulga1'is Y4 THE NATIONAL HORTICULTURAL MAGAZINE Jan., 1946

served. Perhaps this is due to the Evergreens had not reached the slow growth of the plant and to the popularity in the early days of this attacks of rabbits who seem to prefer cem@tery that they now enjoy and con­ the stems of young plants. However sequently there is not the abundance there is some indication that the plant of them in the' landscape plantings as will make a comeback as newer varie­ found elsewhere. Rather offsetting the ties have 'been produced with different lack of variety in mature evergreens is colors, and some with dW

Robe1't L. Taylor [See page 96] Nigella da111,ascena Natural size 96 THE NATIONAL HORTICULTURAL MAGAZINE .T an., 1946-

Thy are mostly Colorado green but As compared with zinnias, marigolds interspersed are fine blue specimens. and petunias, this poor Old World an­ In many spots the blue form has been nual would never have a chance to com­ used as an accent with several of the pete, but in the not too tidy garden, the green forming a ·background. A few sort of place that is taken over by self red-leaved plum have been introduced sown seedlings, it has a very definit.e into the landscape. Tulip tree has been place. It is of the easiest culture, if one used in some areas. There is a good or two things are remembered. planting of Oregon hollygrape and The seeds are large and black and some of the species lilacs. germinate ,well in early Spring. ,It is Here again elms, Norway maple, quite safe to sow them as early as one Chinese elm s and many rather common would sow annual poppies. Light freez­ species of shrubs have been used. On ing will delay the germination. but as the lots where they have been planted soon as the temperatures sui t them, the by the own·ers are many kinds of ever­ seedlings appear with rather large seed greens, similar to those in iVIo unt leaves of a tender green color. The Greenwood. young seedlings do not like transplant­ While cemeteri es may be depressing ing, so if you have not sown the seeds to some because of associations yet the thinly, pull up the excess and don't cemeteries as a group provide an ex­ bother to transplant. Only stunted cellent opportunity to observe the use plants wi ll repay you. Growth is steady of ·plant material in the laildscape and and fai rly rapid, with fl owering on the to see their behavior when left with a principal stalk within a month, and the minimum of care for a reasonable time, branches coming along rapidly. By the as most cemete'ries do not have the end of June, the life cycle will be fin­ time or labor to do more than 'prune ished here, \iVashington, D. c., and the and spray the landscape material at plants can be pulled up . . intervals. Frequently the material in Buy good seed and cull out all plants cemeteries may be different from that that show a poor colDr. The best hues commonly grown as the planning is start with aquamarine and deepen usually done by well-known landscape to almost purplish blue. All the paler architects. tones are insipid. Be as harsh about Certainly the larger and vlder ceme­ this as you should be with all the sill y teries are 'becoming more and more like new "art shades" in cornfl owers, and arboreta and bird sanctuaries whi ch the self-sown seedlings that come up se:ve as an inspiration to the plant the fDllowing Spring will be decent col­ m1l1ded as well as an unconscious ors and not all pale hues. solace to everyone. There was a time when a strain ELDRED GREENE. named for Miss J ekyll could be had and perhaps it will appear again, al­ though the present generations may not Nigella da11'l,ascena (See page 95) even recall the famous British gardener Lov~-in-a-mist is the homely name fo r whom that stands ! And there are by which this old-fashioned and much other species of Nigella, but they rarely neglected annual was called, when in come into C0111n1erce and pPObably fl ower; but devil-in-a-bush is its name woul d not be too intriguing. when the plant has given over fl ower­ The flowers last quite well when cut ing and devoted itself to the ripeninO' or rather the secondary buds develop off of its inflated seedpods. b . well enough so that a cut spray pre- Jan., 1946 THE NA TIO AL HORTICU LTURAL MAGAZINE 97

Robert L. Taylo'r [See page 98] Impat'iens Balsam,ina Natura! size 98 THE NATIONAL HORTICULTURAL MAGAZINE Jan., 1946 sents a good appearance for some time to be despised. If you don't like the when kept ill water. colors you get, save seed from those The photograph shows the details of you do like until you get your own the plant and flower habit and those of strain. If you prefer singles, chose only the seed pod as well. It also records a those. !Strain of merely ·ordinary value, as The colors that came 111 the seeds flowers in good strains should have from the ordinary package were white, many more colored bracts. If the size several tonalities of pink all on the coral were not so different, one might think to peach side, and red. There were of a fine clematis flower-in-miniature, none of the remembered magentas, nor set down . upon a fine green ruff. any of the spotted forms. There were In adversity, whether of poor soil or no full doubles. Cutting off a whole drought, this is one of the annuals that plant or a main stalk in flower, one may will make one flower on a tiny stem, have them in the house for at least a mature its seed and die. In some plants week. The old flowers fall quite de­ this is intriguing, in thjs one starvation cently and neatly and new ones take is too obvious. their place. Or one may cut the single flowers and float them, if one likes that I1npatiens Balsamil1a (See page 97) form of decoration. Or again, one may This is another old-fashioned annual arrange them, in moist sand, so I am that has fallen on neglectful days. It told, until the whole dish is filled look­ was once cOl11l11on enough in dooryards ing like an old fashioned nosegay with­ and had the attention of many a faith­ out the paper frill. ful gardener who bought good seed, fed Children, and not a few adults like his plants well and expected a certain to touch the ripened half translucent level of performance. pods and watch the seeds scatter! It is a good plant for a beginner, a But the chief interest in the little very beginner. The seeds are large planting last year was in the fact that enough to be easily handled, can be our first early frosts did not hurt the planted late in the season. They ger­ plants but seemed if anything to in­ minate quickly in .warm weather (they tensify the colors. stand no frost in this stage) and the seedlings are large enough to transplant Reprints. as soon as they have germinated. On pages 99 and 100 are reprinted The plant illustrated in the' ,figure is photographs engraved for use in earlier from ordinary seed. In ,fine strains bred issues, one is Sh01'tia sa,licifol1:a. and the and maintained "before the war" the other is a fruiting branch of Cotone­ individual flowers would have been aster salicifolia, which was shown. in more symmetrical and more

E. T. When')1 S h O1,tia galicifolia 100 THE NATIONAL HORTICULTURAL MAGAZINE Jan., 1946

L. A. GHe1'l~sey Fr7I£its of C otomaste1' salicifolia, Jan., 1946 THE NATIONAL HORTICULTURAL MAGAZINE ' 101

Wanted! Indian Azaleas Seed of the old fas hioned Banana The editor himself would like to. Muskmelon. The modern streamlined improved, etc., are not wanted. hear from members who are growing A. E. KUNDERD, or who are familiar with named varie­ R. 2, Box 48, Goshen, I nd. ties of these useful Southern shrubs, that may not be availa;ble through regu­ lar nursery channels or only from ~ma l1 Decorative Grasses. Seeds 'or plants together with anything printed in con­ local nurseries that do not issue cata­ nection with this subject. lo ogues. If you have such varieties in L. C. VIRGIEL, your own garden or if they grow in 906 Iliff Street, yo ur neighbor's garden, a letter will be Pacific Palisades, Calif. appreciated, telling particularly, whel'e plants can ,be bought if such are avail­ Wanted, rare varie6es of cacti, suc­ able. cu1.ents, and other house plants. I have The edito r would also like info rma­ quite a large ,collection and am always ti on as to the use of the common old looking for new varieties. Azalea, whi,ch is known as indica alba CARL VLASAK, 4150 E . 116th St., in 111any gardens, but which does not Cleveland 5, Ohio. really beJ.ong in the "indica" group, save from an hi storical point of view.

Seecls, cuttings or young stock as It seems desirable to begin a collec­ may be most desirable. tion of all such infornJation, in order Quercus cornea, that a complete check list may be Alocasia macrorhiza, true type worked out and some record be made A. macrorhiza variegata before it is entirely too late. It is re­ A. cuprea peatedly said that varieties survive In A. Sanderiana Calli'carpus sp. (Tree scarlet fr .) our South that have long been lost 1t1 Cyperus alternifohus variegatus Europe; this is probably true but 111 Crytostac~y s lakka some cases the varieties have been sur­ Citrus i,changensis passed by later forms more amenable Citropsis spp. to the flori sts' uses and less useful out Atalantia spp., esp. A. Guillauminii Glaucena lansiurn or wampi of doors. Aegle marmelos, the Bael of India The editor would also be interested Aegelopsis chevalieri in hearing from any melnber about this Balsamocitrus Dawei type of plant, particularly the hardiness Hesperathusa crenulata of the varieties that the member may be Fer.onia limonia, the wood apple Feroniella lucida. growing, hardiness being understood in All material will be purchased at thi s case as resistance to frost in spring pnces mutually agreeable. fo r the developing fl ower and in win­ M. MORAN, Star Route, ter for the plant itself, particularly the Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. one-year wood . In coming to the publication of Volume 25 of the NATIONA L HORTICULTURAL MAGAZINE, it seems well to take one page to record the appreciation by the Society and the Editor, of the unfailing support of the Mem,bers who have made the Magazine what it is. T o each person, who has contributed to the work, our sincere thanks. The problems that have confronted us in the work have not been few. Probably the chief difficulty has been that of winning more and more people to the belief that in spite of the great size of our Country, it is possible to interest gardeners in all parts of t.he Country in the work that is being done over the whole. Not all are convinced as yet and there are many gardeners who still do not see beyond the immediate horizons of their own neighborhood, unless it is to see something that they must bring into their own gardening from elsewhere. It is true that gardening as a whole ha.s had an enormous development dur­ ing these years in whi·ch war and serious depression have marred the ordinary expressions of individual life. If it were not an apparent paradQx, it might even be argued that these have aided in the growth of horticultural pursuits. Some horticultural activities have had to be held in abeyance, but others have been stimulated and more persons have turned to gardening than ever before. For those to whom this was a truly first experience, it has been a revelation of a world new and splendid in ways they may not have expected. It is · true also that science has turned an attentive ey.e to the garden world and that the skill of the s·cientist has been added to those other skills that hayc already been in action for centuries. What lies before us, is not for present prediction. Of one thing we may be certain, however, and that is that in the gardener's hands. is the saf.ekeeping of much beauty, something that cannot be underestimated in the life of any people. In ·one friendly letter of criticism, it was urged that the Society had no slogan! It seems to some of us that it needs no slogan, but if it must have one, why not urge merely a quickening of the sense of beauty that can be found in this garden world. In the twenty years that the Magazine has been in the hands of the present editor, it has grown but it 'has not achieved the full stature that it will attain. It has grown, however, as we have said before through what the membership has done, in whid1 we have been only the agent. It is pleasant to know that in the years to come, others will join the groups that have already made so much progress toward a national goal and that the present group need have no fear, since the goal does not change. B. Y. MORRISON, Editor.

[102] The American Horticultural Society

I NVITES to membership all persons who are interested in the devel­ opment of a great national society that shall serve as an ever growing center for the dissemination of the common knowledge of the members. There is no requirement for membership other than this and no reward beyond a share in the development of the organization. For its members the society publishes THE NATIONAL HORTICUL­ TURAL MAGAZINE, at the present time a quarterly of increasing impor­ tance among the horticultural publications of the day and destined to fill an even larger role as the society grows. It is published during the months of January, April, July and October and is written by and for members. Under the present organization of the society with special committees appointed for the furthering of special plant projects the members will receive advance material on narcissus, tulips, lilies, rock garden plants, conifers, nuts, and rhododendt'ons. Membership in the society, therefore, brings one the advantages of membership in many societies. In addition to these special projects, the usual garden subjects are covered and particular attention is paid to new or little known plants that are not commonly described elsewhere. The American Horticultural Society invites not only personal mem­ berships but affiliations with horticultural societies and clubs. To such it offers some special inducements in memberships. Memberships are by the calendar year. The Annual Meeting of the Society is held in Washington, D. c., and members are invited to attend the special lectures that are given at that time. These are announced to the membership at the time 0.£ balloting. The annual dues are three dollars the year, payable in advance; life membership is one hundred dollars; inquiry as to affiliation should be addressed to the Secretary, 821 Washington Loan and Trust Building, Washington, D. C.