158 



THE GARDENER'S MONTHLY 



[May, 



Roht. Miinninjj, Secretary. — These transactions 

 are full of interesting facts. Mr. Wilder find.« 

 that seedling Camellias, by grafting on mature 

 plants, can be made to flower two years and 

 eight months from the germination of the seed. 

 The Society lost a valuable member in October 

 last, in the death of John Fisk Allen, whose 

 name is well-known in connection with the 

 growth of the Victoria regia, after its first intro- 

 duction by Mr. Caleb Cope. A large number of 

 new orchids have been exhibited from time to 

 time by Mr. E. S. Rand, Jr. Hovey ife Co. have 

 succeeded in raising a dwarf Hybrid Azalea 

 between A. amoena and A. Indica. 



Polyanthus, Amaryllis, and many of the good 

 old-time flowers seem to have zealous cultiva- 

 tors about Boston. Rhododendrons are exhibited 

 freely at the meetings, and a useful guide to the 

 cultivator is the indication by marks of those 

 which are hardy there, and those which are too 

 tender for general open air growth. Indeed the 

 lists of the best things exhibited and their adap- 

 tation to general wants, are full in all the de- 

 partments, and very valuable. The premiums 

 given to exhibitors are heavy. The six heaviest 

 recipients in the flower departments have been 

 as follows : — Hovey & Co., $513; James Comley, 

 $302; E. S. Rand, Jr., $300; N. Gray, Jr., $200 

 C. M. Atkinson and J. B. Moore, $179 each. The 

 names of the gardeners to these gentlemen, and 

 with whom the credit is generally and properly 

 divided, are not given. The fruit premiums are 

 more distributed; the highest amount, $151, 

 being taken by J. H. Fenno. The library de- 

 partment shows a strong vitality — a large num- 

 ber of valuable additions being made during the 

 year. 



Kinsey's Catalogue, Dayton, 0. — The pub- 

 lisher desires to return thanks to Mr. Kinsey for 

 a kind reference to the magazine in his cata- 

 logue. These courtesies work to mutual advan- 

 tage. The mere horticulture is assisted, the 

 better for nurserymen, and every effort to help 

 along a horticultural magazine, helps horticul- 

 ture. 



Messrs. T, T. Southwick & Co., formerly of 

 Dansville, N. Y., are now permanently located at 

 Rochester, making another excellent addition to 

 the already long list of intelligent nurserymen 

 for which that city is famous. 



Music— From F. W. Helmick, Publisher, Cin- 

 cinnati, Ohio. " He holds the Fort of Heaven," 

 a "tribute to the memory of P. P. Bliss." The 



bust of Mr. Bliss is the central figure in the title 

 page, and as the writer of this once traveled sev- 

 eral days in his company, he can testify to the 

 accuracy of the likeness. Before the burning at 

 A.shtabula, Mr. Bliss had just set to music some 

 beautiful verses, the words adopted with but few 

 alterations, from a piece entitled " Not Know- 

 ing," written by Mrs. Christian K. Ross, some 

 eight or nine years ago ; and it is among the most 

 remarkable of coincidences that the authors of 

 lines so full of perfect trust in Providence and 

 resignation to the Divine will, should both bo 

 called on so soon afterward to put the bitter 

 chalice to their lips. 



QUERIES. 



The Thirtieth Verse. — Mr. Harding writes 

 to correct 30th verse for "39th" at p. 123, in last 

 Monthly; but we suppose most readers of the New 

 Testament will have readily detected the error 

 of Mr. H.'s copy, which a too confiding composi- 

 tor accepted without reference to the Book for 

 confirmation. 



The Jerusalem Artichoke. — In our last, page 

 126, we happened to say that the roots of the 

 Jerusalem Artichoke do not taste at all like 

 Artichoke. A correspondent sends us a brief 

 note, referring to this and says, " does it not? it 

 is at least certain that the old French settlers 

 thought so," — referring of course to the settlers 

 in Canada. But as we read, it was the Indians 

 who expressed the opinion that they " tasted like 

 Artichokes," and this would require them to be 

 acquainted with the taste of the Artichoke, or 

 they could not know that there was any corres- 

 pondence between the two tastes. The French- 

 men could not have communicated orally to 

 the Indians an idea of what the Artichoke tasted 

 like, nor could the Indians in the same way let 

 the Frenchmen know what their "species of 

 Sunflower roots " tasted like. Tliis sort of 

 knowledge cannot be taught in this way,— it can 

 only come from personal experience. As for the 

 Artichoke itself, it is not as hardy as the Jerusa- 

 lem Artichoke. We doubt whether the French 

 ever raised it in Canada. Their knowledge of 

 the taste must therefore be confined to their 

 recollection of it as eaten in their native land. 

 The paragraph, to make any sense at all, must 

 mean that when the Indians told the Frenchmen 

 men had Sunflowers with edible roots,the French- 

 they replied that they must taste like the Arti- 



