1880.] 



THE GARDENER'S MONTHLY 



287 



swindler tries his tricks on the general public. 

 The shivrp man of the city falla aa qticikly into 

 the trap of the horticultural swindler as the 

 veriest rustic, because his city experience of the 

 impostures in other matters helps him nothing 

 in this. He may not be much troubled \vl>en he 

 sees a bootblack fall ofl the dock into the river — 

 particularly if his companion plays off the heroic 

 rol^, and plunges after him, to the rescue— he 

 understands it all, for both can swim like ducks, 

 and there was no more danger for the first than 

 for the second, and none for either. A well- 

 stuffed pocketbook snatched from under his feet 

 is an incident that does not in the least arouse 

 his cupidity, for he has long been conversant 

 with the trick of the pocketbook dropper. The 

 mock auctioneer may scream himself hoarse, 

 offering gold watches at $5.00 a piece, and it 

 hardly elicits a smile of derision. The tears of 

 the benighted orphan in search of his uncle does 

 not bring a dime from his pocket, for he under- 

 stands it all, together with a score more of the 

 tricks of the great city. But. in the springtime, 

 when his garden instincts begin to bud, and he 

 sees in some window in Broadway flaming repre- 

 sentations of fruits and flowers, he falls into 

 the trap and is readv for the spoiler. 



Some years ago I had occasion to act as an 

 amateur detective in one of these Horticultural 

 Swindling Shops, the owners of which are now 

 known in New York as the " Blue Rose Men.'' 

 When I arrived, there were at least a dozen 

 ladies and gentlemen engaged in buying Seeds, 

 Bulbs, and Plants, the flowers and fruits of which 

 were represented by the pictures on the walls: 

 for example. Asparagus was shown as having 

 shoots as thick as a broom handle, the seeds of 

 which were selling rapidly at one cent a piece, 

 warranted to produce a crop in three months 

 from time of sowing; an old lady had just be- 

 come the possessor of $5.00 worth, and seemed 

 delighted with her bargain. One of the most 

 attractive pictures on the wall was an immense 

 colored engraving, showing a tree on which 

 Strawberries were growing, and as big as Oranges. 

 My gaze was attracted to a handsome plate of 

 Blue Moss Roses, of which I modestly asked the 

 price of the plants. The polite Frenchman 

 (who was doing the principal selling for the con- 

 cern) whisked out from beneath the table three 

 plants representing to be Moss Roses (which, by 

 the way, were all alike and were all our common 

 Prairie Rose), and said, "This one he bloom 

 only once ; I tell you the truth, so I sell him for 

 two dollar. This one, he be the Remontant, he 

 bloom twice-just twice — I sell him for three 

 dollar; but this one. he be the everblooming, 

 perpetual Blue Moss Rose, he bloom all the 

 time, he cheap at $5.00." I quietly remarked, 

 if it bloomed all the time why was it not bloom- 

 ing now ? (To be continued.) 



EDITORIAL NOTES. 



PoRTAGB County, Ohio, Horticultural So- 

 ciety.— Other counties of Ohio seem likely to 



contest with the famous Montgomery ones claims 

 to celebrity. Here before us is a report of a 

 creditable beginning. The meeting was held at 

 Ravenna. Strawberries and flowers were the 

 chief attractions. An essay on the Strawberry 

 was read by Mr. Matthew Crawford. What will 

 the advocates of the newer Strawberries say to 

 the following about a very old kind, and which 

 was very famous in its day : 



"Burr's New Pine. — I have grown this berry in 

 my own garden without intermission since 1856, 

 and when it has had decent treatment it has al- 

 ways given me a large crop ot its delicious fruit. 

 I have had it beside the Wilson nearly the wtiole 

 time and it has uniformly given me the largest 

 crop of the two— usually twice as much or more 

 as it has this year, and m size it has averaged as 

 large. There is no Strawberry with which I am 

 acquainted that will constantly give as much 

 fruit, with the possible exception of Capt. Jack 

 and Crescent Seedling. It has never been eaten 

 by white grubs that I know of, although Duncan 

 and Prouiy by the side of it suffered badly this 

 year as did other varieties near by. It has 

 never been thrown out by frost, and I have 

 never until the past year covered it in winter. 

 In its cultivation there are two requirements that 

 are absolutely necessary to success. It must 

 have a fertilizer (that is a vine with perfect flow- 

 ers) near it, and a heavy mulch in fruiting time. 

 Beyond this it needs no petting. It is not large, 

 but we do not want to cut, or make two bites of a 

 Strawberry. Dr. Warder says that it is large 

 enough for any lady's mouth, and I hope that 

 no gentleman will feel called upon to open his 

 mouth wider." 



Mary'land Horticultural Society. — This 

 flourishing Society had a good exhibition at its 

 June meeting. We have a list of those to whom 

 premiums were awarded, but unfortunately no 

 details of the quality of the articles exhibited that 

 would render the report of interest to distant 

 readers. 



French Vineyards. — We have been bonored 

 by an invitation from Senator Guizot, Lavaline, 

 to have the editor present at a Congress of 

 French Vineyardists, to be held at Clermont Fer- 

 rand, in France, on August 31st and September 

 1st. The object of the convention is to consider 

 the many propositions that have been made in 

 regard to the great " author of their ruin," the 

 phylloxera. Clermont-Ferrand is said to be a 

 chfef wine center of France, and the re-union, it 

 is thought, will be as interesting to those who 

 come, as their knowledge will be valuable to 

 vineyard culture. The invitation did not reach 

 us till the 13th of August. We are sorry it did 

 not come earlier, for though the editor would 

 not have been able to be present, personally, he 

 would have been glad to have had some of his 

 horticultural friends visiting France, represent 

 him on the occasion. 



Horticulture in Texas. — The Sixth Annual 

 Meeting of the Kansas Horticultural Society 

 took place at Houston, on July 21st and 22d, under 



