February 17, 1 



HORTICULTURE 



191 



One word about this Toronto meet- 

 ing. It ought to be a rousing meet- 

 ing anil a good exhibition. Toronto is 

 easily reached from both the east and 

 the west and our President-elect is the 

 sort, of a man who will leave nothing 

 undone that will add to the pleasure 

 and profit of the members attending 

 this meeting. He has already secured 

 the transportation of all cut flowers 

 for the exhibition through the customs 

 free of duty and without the delay 

 usual in such cases. If there is no 

 other reason for coming the mere fact 

 that you will meet President-elect 

 John H. Dunlop of Toronto, Ont., is 

 an all sufficient one. 



MIGNONETTE. 



Abstract from a paper read before the 

 Tarrytown Horticultural Society by Jo- 

 seph Bradley. 



The kind of house to grow mignon- 

 ette in is in my opinion a house such 

 as is commonly used to grow violets 

 in, with the benches somewhat fur- 

 ther from the glass. They should be 

 from two to three feet according to 

 the variety you intend to grow. The 

 nearer to the glass the better, provid- 

 ing there is head room to keep it 

 straight. The house should be so 

 constructed that both side and top 

 air can be given as it likes abundance 

 of air. 



Solid benches should be used where 

 it is possible, as there is not so much 

 danger of the bottom roots becoming 

 dry, which is very injurious to mig- 

 nonette. If solid benches are used 

 the soil should be removed about ten 

 inches deep and filled with three-quar- 

 ter loam to one-quarter manure, with 

 good sprinkling of air slaked lime. 

 If shallow benches are used they 

 should be six inches deep at the least 

 and if boards are used at the bottom 

 they should be far enough apart to 

 allow good drainage. 



Mignonette should be sown where 

 it is expected to bloom without trans- 

 planting it. After lines have been 

 drawn, say twelve inches apart cross- 

 ways and ten inches lengthway, then 

 place three of four seeds at each 

 place where the lines cross each 

 other. When the plants are one inch 

 high they should be taken out leaving 

 one in each place. After the plants 

 have attained a height of four inches 

 they should have the top pinched out 

 to cause them to make side shoots. 

 If you wish very large spikes then 

 only four or five, but very nice spikes 

 can be had if eight or nine shoots are 

 left to grow. 



It is very necessary to keep them 

 tied in straight, and there are several 

 ways of doing this. One is just to 

 place a stake in the middle of the 

 plant and run a string around. Some 

 use carnation stakes, some also run 

 wires lengthways of the bed and 

 strings crossways the same as some 

 carnation growers do, and I think this 

 way the best; it keeps them upright 

 without crowding. 



If you wish to cut mignonette for 

 the holidays the seed should be sown 

 by the middle of August. All the air 

 should be left on the house night and 

 day until near frost. But after it is 

 closed I like to have it from 47 to 

 50 degrees with as much air as it is 

 possible to give at all times. I know 

 that some growers advocate from 40 

 to 45 degrees but in my opinion this 

 is too dead, especially so after the 



month of January when we get more 

 sun. 



After the spikes have begun to 

 form they should have liquid manure 

 about once every ten days. I find 

 horse manure suits it first-class. Also 

 nitrate of soda about three barrels 

 to fifty gallons of water. After the 

 first crop has been cut, if proper at- 

 tention is given to pinching and feed- 

 ing, good cutting can be kept up until 

 June. I think it a mistake to throw 

 it out after the first crop has been 

 cut; the spikes are not quite so large 

 but you get a great deal more of 

 them and they come much quicker. 

 The best variety that I know of is 

 Her Majesty. It is rather tall but 

 it gives good satisfaction. 



The greatest pest on mignonette is 

 the common cabbage worm or the 

 larva? of the yellow butterfly and if 

 this pest is not kept in check he will 

 soon eat up all the plants. I find 

 paris green very good in exterminat- 

 ing it, but it must be used not too 

 strong or it will burn the plants. It 

 ought to oe mixed in water and put 

 on with a fine spray, just enough 

 paris green in the water to color it. 

 Salt can also be used dissolved in 

 water; while hellebore, slug shot, py- 

 rethrum power, tobacco dust can also 

 be used dusted on the plants. But the 

 the best way is to keep the butterfly 

 out of the house by placing mosquito 

 netting over the ventilators or by 

 building a light frame work over the 

 bed and covering it with netting. The 

 earthworms also become troublesome 

 in the solid benches if lime water is 

 not used from time to time. 



After the first crop has been cut 

 and the plants are making new 

 growth they will require abundance 

 of water and a good top dressing of 

 well rotted cow manure will help 

 them a great deal, but the liquid 

 manure should be used as before. 

 The spikes will be greatly improved 

 if cut twenty-four hours and placed 

 in a cool house before using them. 



CALIFORNIA NOTES. 



French and Belgian growers should 

 mi,, more care in the packing of flow- 

 ering stock imported by California 

 nurserymen. If such stock as 

 azaleas and rhododendrons were more 

 generally of some value when opened 

 here the importations by California 

 nurserymen from European nursery- 

 men would be considerably increased. 



The president of the National Gard- 

 eners' Association, John M. Hunter of 

 New York, is touring California with 

 the object of finding a location for a 

 national gardeners' home, which it is 

 intended to establish in this state. On 

 the 4th inst. he was shown the beau- 

 ties of Golden Gate Park by Superin- 

 tendent McLaren, and he pronounced 

 it from an expert's point of view one 

 of the most beautiful parks in the 

 world and the most beautiful in 

 America. 



Warm, growing weather has fol- 

 lowed all this passing week the inces- 

 sant rainfall of the cold, preceding- 

 week, and crops and vegetation of all 

 descriptions are materially improved. 

 Almond buds have commenced to swell 

 ami willow and elderberry leaves are 

 coming out. Orchards and vineyards 

 are in good condition, and cultivation 

 and pruning are progressing. The 

 damage by frosts this season has been 

 comparatively light and the outlook is 

 good tor large crops of deciduous 



fruits and grapes. Citrus fruit trees 

 have been greatly benefited by the re- 

 i em warm weather. 



Relatives and friends of Luther 

 Burbank issued a circular this week 

 calling attention to the annoyance to 

 which he is subjected almost daily, 

 and requesting the discontinuance of 

 visits by the public; they also placed 

 on each gate at his residence a notice 

 declaring that anyone entering or 

 trespassing on the grounds will be 

 prosecuted. John M. Rutland of Mel- 

 bourne, who is here visiting the trade, 

 has secured this week the exclusive 

 right to handle and distribute in Aus- 

 tralia, and the eastern portion of the 

 world, including Africa, Luther Bur- 

 hank's thornless cactus, new grape, 

 and several species of new plums. 



Fruit growers of California are feel- 

 ing much better than they have. Rates 

 on fruit, shipments are to be lowered 

 and rebates positively abolished. A 

 prominent grower said: "Speed and 

 direct carriage to the Eastern market 

 are vital to the fruit industry of Cali- 

 fornia." And W. E. Gerber, president 

 of the Earl Fruit Company, said: 

 "This decision of the transportation 

 lines will be a great thing for the 

 fruit industry of the state. It means 

 a reduction of 15 per cent, in the cost 

 of the refrigeration of fruits shipped 

 to Eastern points, and to that extent 

 will the fruit growers of the state re- 

 ceive the benefit. Judging by last 

 year's shipments, which amounted to 

 7000 cars, the net gain to the fruit 

 growers of the state by the reduction 

 agreed upon will be fully $100,000." 



Warm and clear weather prevailed 

 throughout the state most of the week, 

 with considerable cloudiness at the 

 close and light rain in the central and 

 southern sections on the 4th and 5th 

 inst. This warm weather is being very 

 beneficial to grain, which is now in 

 excellent condition and making rapid 

 growth, with indications of a large 

 crop in all sections. Plowing and 

 seeding are in progress in many 

 places and completed in others. The 

 grain acreage in some districts will be 

 larger than last season's, but in others, 

 owing to absence of rains early in the 

 season, it will be less. Grass and 

 range feed made rapid growth during 

 the week and pasturage is abundant 

 in all sections. Stocks are in fair con- 

 dition and steadily improving. Sugar 

 beet planting is in progress in the San 

 Joaquin valley and early potatoes are 

 being planted in South California. 

 Good progress has been made in prun- 

 ing and cultivating orchards and vine- 

 , which are thrifty and advanc- 

 ing rapidly. Peach, almond and 

 loquat trees are in bloom, citrus fruit 

 are in good condition and rapid- 

 ly putting out new growth, and orange 

 picl nig and shipping continues. 



GREENHOUSES BUILDING AND 

 PROJECTED. 



Holliston, Mass. — M. E. Cutler, one 



hi ii ise. 



Barnstable, Mass. — G. B. Lewis, one 



S. Milford, Mass.— W. D. Howard, 

 additions. 



ielson, Conn. — W. J. Sehoon- 

 man, one house. 



Bedford, Mass. — William G. 

 i . one house, 17x86. 

 .port, R. I.— Stewart Ritchie, 

 lion house; Oscar Schultz, ad- 

 : William Jurgens, additions. 



