July 13, 1907 



HOKTl CULTURE. 



39 



on the highest parts of the hog-back 

 we have planted three hundred of the 

 new perennial pea, Lathyrus latifolius, 

 "Mary Lovett" of a beautiful carmine 

 and shell-pink color, a very desirable 

 florists' ^ower. In places where the 

 soil is deeper and the rocks do not ob- 

 struct, pockets have been dug. the yel- 

 low clay removed and filled with sand 

 and scrapings from the street gutters 

 and about a quart of Quaker City poud- 

 rette thoroughly mixed with the sand 

 and scrapings. One hundred standard 

 Hydrangea paniculata grandiflora and 

 two hundred of the new Hydrangea 

 arborescens grandiflora alba have been 

 planted in these larger excavations, 

 which have then been filled with good 

 surface soil, a black loam, brought 

 from another part of the premises and 

 mulched with stable manure kept 

 several inches away from the stems of 

 the shrubs. 



To Apply the "Dollar Test." 



As it would be impracticable to give 

 this hog-back horse cultivation on ac- 

 count of its peculiar contour, the in- 

 accessibility to many of its parts and 

 Its rocky character, we propose to let 

 the Mary Lovetts have their own sweet 

 will and grow riotously among the 

 grass and weeds where the latter can- 

 not be held in check with scythe and 

 sickle. Where regular distances could 

 be maintained, the hydrangeas have 

 been set about six feet apart each way 

 so that the scythe can have a rather 

 free swing to keep down the grass and 

 weeds which will be permitted to re- 

 main as a mulch. Many of the pro- 

 jecting rocks have been knocked off 

 with a heavy sledge, so as to bring 

 them on a level with the general sur- 

 face and not interfere with the mow- 

 ing. Immediately around the plants 

 we will cultivate by hand Avith the hoe. 

 As yet we can report no results, but 

 we look forward to as happy a ter- 

 mination of our labors as in the pre- 

 vious case already related. We expect 

 our labors to have their reward, and 

 we will send the products of this hog- 

 back to the Philadelphia markets — not 

 a great quantity this summer, but 

 more in the seasons to come. 



My readers must not classify the 

 work done in this instance with the 

 so-called "soft snaps"; there is truth- 

 fully nothing very soft-snappy about 

 it. It is a job full of hardwork. To 

 bestride a hog-back in the hot sun- 

 shine and ride it successfully to an 

 artistic finish requires courage and 

 perseverance; it is not a ride in an 

 Indian howdah with silken hangings 

 and a shading canopy. 



Nature unselfishly gives us many 

 suggestions that are helpful, written 

 on her hills and slopes, if we yield to 

 her dictations and take them and apply 

 them in our work. In the way I have 

 related, many of the hog-backs now 

 lying idle as waste places could be 

 redeemed from their apparent useless- 

 ness and be made objects of beauty In 

 the landscape and sources of profit as 

 well. 



The firm of Learnard & Shirley, 

 Danvers, Mass., is dissolved. The 

 business will be continued by Shirley 

 & Fowle and the plant will be moved 

 to Ash and Hampshire streets. 



ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SO- 

 CIETY. 



On Tuesday, June 11, though there 

 was no special feature, the hall was 

 amply filled with plants and flowers, 

 from the humble Alpine saxifrage to 

 the glorious cattleyas and Odonto- 

 glossum crispum, while in the annex 

 were tables bearing a fine selection of 

 July melons, some placed before the 

 Fruit Committee for certificates by 

 Swanley College, but by far the best 

 and most varied display from Lady 

 Northcliffe, which not only embraced 

 the finest of well-known kinds as 

 Superlative and Sutton's Al, but had 

 a beautifully netted fruit of the Blen- 

 heim Orange strain named the Peer. 

 There were also two trays of usefiil 

 sized cucumbers between Rochford's 

 Market and Bounteous, named Market 

 Rival, and very apth', for it was in ad- 

 vance of both these standard sorts. 

 The rest of the space was occupied by 

 hardy perennials, iris and lilies sent 

 by the T. S. Ware Co. A mass of the 

 brilliant Chrysogonuni virginicum was 

 prettily set off by Ramondea Pyreu- 

 eaca and its rarer albino variety found 

 only in one spot on the Spanish Alpa 

 of the Pyrenees; rising above these 

 were plants of Campanula spicata and 

 Erigeron Philadelphus. 



Low, Sander, Stanley & Co. and 

 McBean, the Sussex champion grower, 

 staged fine O. crispum and well-flowered 

 pieces of Epimedium macranthum 

 (Marshall's var) and of Cypripedium 

 bellatulum. Hobbies staged good 

 plants of leading polyantha roses, 

 clematis and Rose Soleil d'Or, said to 

 be a yellow H. P., but unmistakably a 

 Persian briar. Veitch & Son had large 

 plants of the Himalayan honeysuckle, 

 Lonicera Maaki full of flowers, but it 

 was too far back to know if it had the 

 looked-for fragrance in the genus. 

 Also, a beautiful but tender looking 

 conifer Libocedrus macrolepis, like an 

 arboreal selaginella, and the minute 

 but very pretty Hypericum Chinense 



Mr. Reuthe, always rich in rare and 

 novel things, put up well-flowered 

 specimens of the deep orange-flowered 

 Rhododendron cinnabarinum. Campa- 

 nula abiente and some Eremurus 

 Himalayicus, with exceptionally long 

 and massive spikes of flower, and neat 

 little pieces of the pretty Hypericum 

 polyphyllum, which he says is always 

 in flower. M. Pritchard had rich 

 Oriental poppies, Hemerocallis aureo- 

 lus, and some g'ood varieties of Iris — 

 particularly yellow forms. These are 

 all gains in their class. Charles Tur- 

 ner put up for the floral committee 

 some large plants of a very promising 

 white carnation, named Lady White; 

 the flowers are large and flat, and do 

 not split but, alas, it is scentless. 



H. B. May was awarded a gilt Flora 

 roedal for his superb bank of ferns, 

 which contained the best of his grand 

 Nephrolepis — such as exaltatum super- 

 bum, lodeaoides, plumosa Brusei and 

 elegantissinia, all of which have come 

 to stay. There was a flat, filled with 

 flowering plants of a new hybrid 

 Hippeastrum Mrs. Carl Jay; parentage 

 doubtful, but evidently a vittata, from 

 the broad white midrib stripe on leaf. 



those engaged in the work in New 

 England, if I am right in thus collec- 

 tively naming the States that group 

 around and north of New York, up to 

 the lakes and St. Lawrence river, and 

 where, I opine, is grown the great 

 bulk of the fine apples, and other hard 

 fruit that reaches us in such fine condi- 

 tion at a time when with us it is yet 

 scarce. Since the war, too, it must 

 be a source of congratulation to all 

 that the arts of peace have been to 

 the front, and that the Cape is send- 

 ing home such fine produce from their 

 orchards, ranging from the lordly pine 

 apple to the humble tomato, that it 

 comes within the reach of the humbler 

 working classes, finding a ready sale in 

 the open market, and from the ubiquit- 

 ous barrow of the coster. 



AVe are used to seeing She fine pine- 

 apples that are shipped from Madeira, 

 but these sent over the Atlantic packed 

 singly V|ith great care are more to look 

 at than to eat, while the small but 

 delicious "Queens" from Natal have 

 all the ripeness, color and flavor of 

 those we used to produce in specially 

 constructed pine pits, at such an enor- 

 mous expense, th.at the culture was 

 only attempted, where money was no 

 object, a state of things that has 

 ceased to be since agricultural depres- 

 sion has crippled the resources of land 

 owners. The rest of the exhibits were 

 almost a replica of the show, which 

 took place last October — apples, pears, 

 oranges, grapes, bananas, with a few 

 sundries of tropical fruits from our 

 Colonies on or near the equator. 



Chatting v/ith a well-known market, 

 farmer I gathered that the fruit pros- 

 pects in the suburbs were not very 

 promising. Victoria plums, over the 

 average; Damsons, at present doubtful, 

 having the stoning period yet to get 

 over, when especially on deep soils 

 so many of them run off. 



THOMAS BUNYARD. 



You will find something worth 

 reading on every page of HORTI- 

 CULTURE. 



The R. H. S. held their first show of 

 colonial fruit at Vincent Square on the 

 i:lth and 14th inst. These exhibitions 

 have a certain interest to English 

 fruit producers, and doubtless more to 



ALBANY FLORISTS' CLUB. 



The Albany Florists' Club met last 

 night in the office of Patrick Hyde. 

 Two new members were initiated, and 

 the reports received indicated that the 

 club is in a prosperous condition. 

 After business was over the members 

 became the guests of Mr. Hyde. They 

 were provided with good things and a 

 social time was enjoyed. There were 

 brief addresses by various members 

 and some songs and recitations. 

 Among those who attended were: 



Edward Meaney, Fred Henkes, Fred 

 Goldring. H. C. Whittle, Wm. C. 

 Gloeckner, Henry Bashtel, John Mur- 

 nane, Edward Tracey, William Kurth, 

 Harry Riggs, John Moran, John Mc- 

 Allister, Fred A. Danker, Patrick 

 Hyde, John A. Howe, Jr., John Hag- 

 gerty, Henry Long, Harvey Woodland, 

 Fred W. Gloeckner, Arthur S. King, 

 Thomas Snare, Thomas Tracey, H. E. 

 Hurlbut and W. H. Brockway. 



EXHIBITION AT WENHAM, MASS. 



The ladies will give a floral carnival 

 August 14 and 1.^, at Wenham, Mass., 

 for the purpose of stimulating an in- 

 terest in floriculture in Wenham and 

 neighboring towns. Tire committee 

 in charge feel that from the interest 

 taken by the residents, the affair will 

 lie both a financial and educational 

 success. Prizes will be given in all 

 classes for annuals, perennials and 

 vegetables, and there will be many 

 exhibits of specialties. 



