352 



THE GARDENER'S MONTHLY. 



[November, 



■on adulterations worse than useless, is hard in- 

 deed. The ignorance of those dealing in such 

 wares does much to spread the evil. A fellow 

 came into my office last summer with samples 

 of a fertilizer, nicely put up in cans, which he 

 claimed could be sold in immense quantities by 

 the seedsmen, as it had not only the wonderful 

 properties of invigorating and stimulating all 

 planted crops, but that it at the same time would 

 Icill all noxious weeds. 



I need not say that he had waked up the 

 wrong passenger, and that he made a rapid 

 movement towards the door. Yet, notwith- 

 standing the impudence and absurdity of such a 

 claim, the scamp was enabled to prowl around 

 the vicinity of New York for weeks, and, un- 

 doubtedly, sold to hundreds. 



If he had said he had a cannon from which, 

 when grape shot was fired into a crowd, it killed 

 only enemies — never friends — the one claim 

 ■would have been as reasonable as the other. 



Another species of humbugging which, though 

 it can hardly be called swindling, is somewhat 

 akin to it. I refer to the men who claim to have 

 secrets by which they can accomplish extra- 

 ordinary results in propagation and culture of 

 plants. I can well remember, in my early days, 

 that the nursery propagator was looked upon as 

 a sort of demi-god. possessing secrets known 

 only to himself and a favored few, whose in- 

 terest it was to continue to throw dust in the 

 «yes of every young aspirant after knowledge. 

 The door of the propagating house was locked 

 and bolted, as if it were a Bastile, and even the 

 proprietor (if he were unfortunate enough not 

 to nave practical knowledge) was allowed en- 

 trance only as a special favor ; for his propagator 

 was an autocrat, of whom he stood in awe and 

 reverence. But, since the advent of horticultural 

 publications in America, particularly during the 

 past fifteen or twenty years, the "secrets" of these 

 pretentious fellows have bad such ventilation, 

 that now nearly every operation of the green- 

 house is as well understood by the tens of thou- i 

 sands engaged in the business, as the operation \ 

 of the farm is by the farmer. j 



The most of these pretenders to this secret 

 knowledge of horticulture are foreigners, though 

 occasionally a native tries it on. Some fifteen 

 years ago, when the grape vine mania was at its 

 height, an old Connecticut Yankee pretended he 

 had discovered a new method of propagating the 

 grape, that he would impart for a consideration 

 to the highest bidder ; he issued a profusion of 

 handbills to the trade, asking for bids, modestly 

 requesting the receiver of the handbill to hang 

 it up in a conspicuous place. 



I sent my copy to my friend Meehan, of the 

 GardExVer's Monthly, saying that the pages of 

 that magazine were the most conspicuous place 

 I knew of to comply with the wish of the old 

 gentleman. Mr. Meehan not only inserted the 

 advertisement gratis and in the most conspicu- 

 ous manner, but he did more, for he appended 

 below the advertisement a few remarks I had 

 ventured to make on the subject. This opened 

 the ball, and for six months the pages of the 



Gardener's Monthly became the battle ground 

 for the opinions of the discoverer and myself. 

 But the gratuitous advertisement did not avail 

 him much, for he and his secret soon passed into 

 oblivion, and was heard from no more. There 

 are no secrets in horticulture; the same laws 

 that govern the germination of a seed, the root- 

 ing of a cutting, or the taking of a bud or graft, 

 are the same as they were a thousand years ago, 

 and any one pretending to have any secret 

 knowledge in the matter is either an ignoramus 

 or an impostor. 



EDITORIAL NOTES. 



Floral Designs.— The florists of Philadelphia 

 had a gala time at the late exhibition of the 

 Pennsylvania State Agricultural Society. The 

 highest premium for the most original floral de- 

 sign, $80, was taken by Hoopes, Bro. & Thomas, 

 of West Chester. Queens on thrones, suns, 

 moons and stars, old-fashioned fire-places, 

 chimney-corners, star spangled banners, steam- 

 boats, and such like, were made out of flowers, 

 and drew immense crowds. 



Flowers as emblems are beautiful things. 

 Worked into crosses, crowns, anchors and such 

 like, they still have an expression ; and in con- 

 nection with human affairs are very pleasant 

 associations. The hidden meaning rarely fails 

 to please. It is wise to encourage these sympa- 

 thetic sentiments. There is no doubt many a 

 pretty idea yet to be brought out that will 

 give pleasure to thousands. But it is not easy 

 to find what sentiment is at the back of some of 

 these things, or what earthly use they serve. 

 Indirectly they have a use. They draw a crowd 

 which pays its money and gets its price, — and 

 the said money may then be devoted to useful 

 purposes. 



Fine Geraniums — The proceedings of the New 

 York Horticultural Society says that Messrs. Hal- 

 lock & Thorpe, of Queens, Long Island, N. Y., ex- 

 hibited " Double and single Pelargoniums, (by 

 which we understand bedding geraniums), show- 

 ing superior culture and the touch of a masterly 

 hand, which have never been equaled in New 

 York." 



This description approaches what we have 

 long contended Horticultural Societies should 

 furnish for their exhibitors. There can be little 

 doubt if this justice were regularly done, exhib- 

 itors would be numerous. It would be an im- 

 provement if a little fuller description of the 

 "superior culture" were given. People in dis- 

 tant parts would be interested in knowing how 

 near their own specimens of culture came near 

 to those of a " masterly hand." 



BouvARDiA, Bride of Brooklyn. — At a recent 

 meeting of the New York Horticultural Society 

 a certificate of merit was awarded to Mr. Geo. 

 Krick for this Bouvardia. Its merits are that it 

 always remains white, and never has the pink 

 tinge of the Davidsoni or Vreelandii. 



