SOME PRUNINGS.

Press, Volume XLVIL, Issue 7691, 24 October 1890, Page 2

SOME PRUNINGS.

r . J '.t ».V,-?r -y ♦„* ■ t-v> .* 7 ; Tub Culture.—Probably there is no finer plant far tub culture than the blue African Idli*. .A few tubs or this m corners, of%Wal walks arid filled with strong! plants carrying from fifteen terthfrty spikes of flowevr give an effect quite unsurpassed in its ■•■wrvj thro:ugho;at aammer and autumn. Canafts, 4 too, may I>e grown In tubs with excellent effect, and in this way; they would adorn many a corner and look than, as we often i ccc, ;them; in great unrelieved masses. The yellow) Hedychium, may be well a tub. I have tseea . it growing and? floweriflg freely 'in the open air in summer,- and the ; eweet { perfume of! its flowers filled 4 he air around. The; " tub garden "may oxisfc even whera there; is no glass, and in such places It becomes; important that it ah4>uld exist, because it; permits of the- enJMiro of some of oar| noblest types of hardy plant-life, where in the ordinary way of o\6»ia« things or owing to want of space th\e setf-sama olant* Would be excluded. We value highly, but at the same time \lo not make half enough of the bold, jgracefnl* produced by the Pampas Gra9B and other giant Heeds aed Orassesv Their effect upon the garden landscape is so beautiful, that, if want of space a*ud other catesea prevented, thopermantnfc planting, of groups or isolated specimen s of these things, we might overcome the difficulty by having recourse co the tubs. Thie Yuccas, too, would revel In tubs, and a yen when nob in flower charm us with tlieir fine form. I might continue suggestina> and enumerating fin©< things, but It would served no further purpose. Tubs, moreover, are cheap, and one can be obtaisved for fewer pence than a pot of the same capacity would cost in shillings, witb ti'ie additional security of freedom from danger or loss by breakage.—Correspondent GaAden. The Day LUy.of. the Pesert (laeeperocal-i lis is bhe otf the mostj beautiful and characteristic pliints of the desert region of California. Ito flowerstems rise from one foot to two abet above j the aand, ami bear from a or I more fragrant flowers, in colour. .1 should judge, of a pearly or greenish with greenish stripes. I Save seen daijv one in blossom, and that was too far K oao t( * show the genuine tint. This inteirestlng species is one of the most promising novel' ties of the preaeute Season, ai&dnly for its promise ot furaishinj? us with another lovely garden flo wee. but also for Its .probable economic value ia the arid regions of the west It produces a large edible (bulb,? varyin'gfrom 1 inch to-4*inefaesla aiamteter, nearly round, with firm flesh. The \bulb has a pleasant taste, eaten either raM or cooked likS Onions. Our party of seven have had them -cooked at nearly every meal siace we Jirafc. tested their Qualitjws, and in the lack of other vegetables find them acceptable. The bulb is found from 6 inches to 18 Inches below the surface of the sand or flue gravelly soil, in whiejh -the—plaat-thrives best,—aad l@-us_a_s* found resting on moist grarel or a clay sabsolLs It ia common on Colorado and Mo-aveßfeserts, anduecUtHy blossoms on the Mohave lv tbe moata of Mavv Near the boundary line it bloomed in 18891 as early as February, and was' fas seed ia April. This year only a few plants ar® found showing! as yet anysigns of a flowerstem, but a lew weeks of warm Weather will doubtless bring them forward. Theln-di-n**are said to obtain both food a-d drink from this plant when crossing she plains. For efatbty or a hundred mil&s along our southern border on© may travel ascertain eeksons without fiadlog water. The traveller ia safe, however, if He knows how to search successfully for this important vegetable, and once found he need not fear either hunger or thirst. Should it prove susceptible of easy cultivation in the arid regions of the west, it will form a valuable addition to our ; list of vegetables. It will certainly be a welcome addition to the garden, if not an acoaiai* ii oa to the B. Quotm, San Dkgo, Cal.,in Garden and Forest. Shortia Salaclfolla,—This rare and interesting plant was found 101 years ago by Mich&ax, to, a valley at the. foot of the AUeghanies, but It was then without flowers. It was afterward* aamei Shortla by Br. Gray, and was. then Jusßieiggbt of, though searched for by botanists till 1877. when a few plants were acddea&auy found on. the banks of the Catawba river by a, herb collector. Within the last few-years, however, it has been fsund in abandonee - along the. Allegheny ranges and dasbtlsse j \ In haMe of growth Is much resembles tha Pyrolaa, and Stis,laiact* nearly allied to

them. The plant) It vary dwarf, forming* dense, spreading mass of long-stalked, large, roundish, ox heart-shaped leaves. I The flower stem grows up well above, jfchfj I ioliage, and bears ft alague white, $ye- ! netaOed flower, which ia half drooflqjt, and might be aptly lifeeaeii to that of a very large Andromeda. It fea ia way interesting for the rockery. The American Laurels.—many Species and varieties of tho protty evergreen Kalmla are, when.plansea in good sou and situation, remarkably atSssctivo whea in bloom. The genus comprises some wellmarked species from North America, where they are found growing in rocky places in many of the woodlands and mountain bogs. They thrive best ou peat soil, rather damn, but not wet, and when onco well established the plants form a ctoselmsliyhablfj, seldom sseeediug some four or five feet in height. The glaucousleaved. Kaltnia (K. glauca) Is a beautiful sad well keown species from Canada and ■■ the United Stares. It seldom grows more than from one to two feet high. K.saperba Is a variety of the former species, with flowers and foliage of a. larger size than those of the parent plant. It also has a more robust habit of growth than that of the species, K. striata is more of an upright habit of growth. The mountain laurel (EL latifbna) Is a native of Canada, perfectly herof, and in well drained hois? soli will ofiaen grow from 6ft. to Bft. The flowers arogenerally of a larger else than those of any .of the other species, of a beautiful pink colour when freshly expanded, and produced in rather large trasses at tho terminal points of the branches. It is one of the ehowlast plants of the genus to which it belongs. EL major is a strong robust variety of tho former species, and is principally distinguished by the larger sise of its flowers. EL myrtifolia is a pretty dwarf variety of the former, whose flowers and foliage are smaller than those of the species. 16 Is a charming little plant. The narrow-leaved | Kalmia (K. angustifolia) is a distinct species from different parts of North ! America, where it is found iv damp boggy ' ground, sometimes at a considerable elevation among the mouo tains. It forms a neat dense habited bush, clothed with light green leaves, which make a flue contrast with its pretty pink flowers. K. rubra Is a variety of tho former, the chief difference being that its flowers are of a darker colour than than those of the species.