No. 6 DEPARTMENT OF AUR1CUL.TI I It!'; 471 



the frost is not too severe, on a north hillside where the sun would 

 not be likely to shine upon them in the winter time, early in the 

 day, when the trees were frozen, would be the most likely place I 

 would think to make the experiment, and the north side of a hill it 

 is natural to suppose would be more moist than would be the case on 

 the south side, less evaporation going on in that situation. But about 

 the richness of the soil I don't know. Hillsides, as a rule, are not 

 considered very rich in plant foods, on account of the wash naturally 

 taking place during heavy rains. 



This Holly is sub-dioecious, so that it would be necessary to have 

 some of the staminate varieties in every plantation. It would be best 

 to secure seedlings from a reliable nurseryman in Europe, and it is 

 reasonably sure that plants with both characters would be among 

 them. There have been described over one hundred aud fifty dis- 

 tinct varieties in English horticultural publications, some varieties 

 having flowers with both pistils and stamens. Varieties with beauti- 

 ful variegated foliage are among them and are very ornamental in 

 the climate of the older country, retaining the variegation all through 

 the seasons. During the past holiday season I saw two hundred 

 beautiful specimens that had been imported. They were uniformly 

 pyramidal in shape and very full of berries, and sold at four dollars 

 each. The native species, Ilex opaca, though not so valuable for 

 decorative purposes, is very useful on account of its evergreen 

 character and its bright red berries. It also has the advantage of 

 growing satisfactorily in very poor soil. It is also much hardier, 

 enduring colder weather with less injury than its foreign relative. 



Among flowers, there is very little new to report. The American 

 Beauty Rose still holds its own against all comers, but the red Rose 

 Liberty has a very formidable rival in the new Richmond. The latter 

 may be a trifle lighter in color than the older variety, but the casual 

 observer cannot tell the difference, and it has the great advantage 

 to the producer of flowers of being a variety that is far easier to 

 grow, and consequently to bloom more freely. This, of course, is 

 what has to be looked out for, for no matter how beautiful and 

 desirable a flower may be, if it cannot be grown to produce flowers in 

 sufficient quantity to be profitable, it of necessity must be dropped. 



New carnations continue to be produced, proving to be both desir- 

 able and valuable. According to the daily newspapers, a now variety 

 has recently changed hands for an amount said to be $40,000. This is 

 said to be an improvement on the celebrated "Mrs. Thomas W. Law- 

 son." It is known by the high sounding name "Aristocrat." 



Among scarlet carnations, — and this is a very desirable color, 

 more especially at Christmas, — there are two new varieties of that 

 color, the respective owners of which are striving for supremacy. 

 These are the "Robert Craig" and "Victory," both of which are meri- 

 torious varieties. Unbiased judges are inclined to the belief that the 

 former is the better flower, but the latter is the freer bloomer. May 

 the good work go on. 



MR. KAHLER: Mr. Chairman, the Committee on Legislation is 

 now ready to report. 



The CHAIRMAN: If there are no objections, we will hear the 

 report of the Chairman of the Committee on Legislation. 



