July 27, 1007 



HORTlCULTURi: 



93 



character, stand in line for consideration by onr national 

 society and niiicii can be done, under wise guidance 

 towards tlifjr solution. 



We referred brietly in our issue 



Boston's last week to the approach of 



"Old Home Week" Bostons "Old Home Week" and 



our pleasure in the prospect of 

 a visit from as many of our horticultural friends as 

 jnight come to Boston on that joyful occasion. We here 

 rejx'at the invitation and hope to see many take advan- 

 tage of the opportunity to see the old town at her best. 

 'Kut alone the city but her far- famed suburljs will be 

 arrayed in the glory, not only of bunting and electric 

 lights but of midsummer verdure and sylvan beauty. 

 Her unrivalled parks in all their natural and artistic 

 loveliness will well repay the effort of a visit no matter 

 how great the distance may be. Boston is "Old Home" 

 in many respects other than as one's place of birth. In 

 common with one or two other centres she holds the 

 distinction of having nourished American horticulture 

 in its infant days. Here ever since, under the protect- 

 ing wing of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society, 

 has horticulture found a hospitable home and from here 

 have emanated example and impulse which have exerted 

 a mighty influence in the upbuilding of American gar- 

 dening and floral art. Scores of the greatest public 

 parks and most noted jjrivate estates, -from the Atlantic 

 to the Pacific, bear the imperishable imprint of Boston 

 genius. The death blow to stiff, clumsy and unnatural 

 floral arrangement was struck in Boston and here the 

 beautiful art of floral decoration as now practiced all 

 over the land had its birth. There is not and never has 

 been much of the gigantic in the composition of the 

 Boston brand of municipal or individual ambition, but 

 the New England metropolis stands well in what she 

 has accomplished and she is essentially Old Home for 

 much of the best in American home and business life as 

 we find it today. 



The Show at Holland House 



The show of the R. H. S. of next importance to that 

 in the Temple grounds, took place on the 9-lOth inst., 

 in the paddock adjoining the historic mansion of the 

 celebrated statesman and notorious gambler, Chas. J. 

 Fox ; a name interesting to Americans, because it was 

 his opposition to an obnoxious bill of Lord North's, re- 

 lating to the port of Boston, which led to the American 

 Eevolution. The tents are pitched in the paddock at 

 the back of Holland House, where, rumor says, Fox's 

 favorite race horse, Pantaloon, was turned out to grass 

 to end "his days in peace, after winning for his master 

 no less than £28,00(1 in one year. 



WHiat changes are wrought by the whirligig of time — 

 now an American heiress rules the mansion — and a 

 peaceful show of flowers takes place in the grounds, the 

 only military element being the fine band — conducted by 

 Lieut. Charles Godfrey- -discoursing sweet music. By 

 kind permission of the tenant the house is thrown open 

 to visitors on the show day for a small fee, which goes 

 to the admirable gardeners' orphan fund. Those that 

 are fond of old furnitiire can wander through the state- 

 ly rooms, including the cozy dining ropm, whe7'e Jolin 

 Timbs relates that Fox and his brother, the elder not 

 yet 25, lost in three nights the sum of £.33,000. But 

 here he died in povertv', owing immense sums to the 

 Jews, his tradesmen, to AValpole and others of his 

 friends. 



Entering the grounds liy ii badly-kept gravel road, 

 flanked on either side by elms and common shrubs, the 



iirst marquees are reached. Carter & Co. had a small 

 lent to themselves just by the 'entrance, but the only 

 thing on view worth notice was some well filled pods 

 of their new pcii — "()uite Content" — certainly a'^^ good 

 to look at as one cau desire if oidy the flavor be right. 

 Sunrise tomato is a 'landsome siirt and a good cropper. 

 J. Veitch it Son had among otlier things a fine lot of 

 orchids, some good American cannas, as Louisiana and 

 Ottawa, a promising lobelia of an intense bhie with 

 large Avhite eye, named Dorotliy Dixon, and Croton 

 Eeidi — one of the Ijest and richest colored — the group 

 finished oft by plant- of the new Angelonia salieifolia 

 and al'oa. There was a glorious bank of orchids from 

 Sander & Son, most notalile among them being Cattleyas 

 Mossae, AVagneri and Reickmanni excelsa, and Laelio- 

 Cattleya, "Martineti Empress." H. B. May put up (or 

 down) a lovely bank of choice ferns, including a new 

 Lvgodium Japonicuui. Polypediuni Mayi, Doryopteris 

 nobilis and other fine new kinds. Messrs. Charksworth 

 took the lead in orchids — lovely laelio-cattleyas, in all 

 colors, and white and flue cypripodes, mostly hybrids. 



As quite a relief to the eye after all this splendor, a 

 lot of cool selaginellas. from Crurney Fowler, must be 

 noted. Paul & Son followed with a fine lot of roses, in- 

 cluding the pretty new ramblers "Goldfinch," the Gipsy 

 and Wedding Bells. Also a bunch of the distinct anrl 

 lovely China, Laurette Messimy and the very dark Poly- 

 antha Ne Plus Ultra, while a tall plant of the singular 

 thorny pyracantha attracted much notice. Veitch had 

 fine Malmaison carnations. Yaller Gal is yet the only 

 true v'ellow in this "class. 



H. B. May put up the grand heliotrope "Lord Rob- 

 erts and Ixoras Westi and macrothyrsa. His double 

 Zonals were very fine, also some new colors in the Cac- 

 tus class, as The Kiug, The Countess and Herbert 

 Greenhill. Low & Co. staged fi.ne Malmaisons, one 

 ilercia, a fine salmon, which the King selected for his 

 buttonhole at Lincoln R. A. S. Lady M. Hope is really 

 a fine thing and the dark Maggie Hodgson. New roses 

 were Commandant Felix Faure, Pharisaer, Gustave 

 Greennerwald, Betty and the exquisite Irish Elegance. 

 The chaste R. sinica Anemone was in Paul's group. 



G. Bunyard & Co. put up some healthy well-fruited 

 cherries in pots. Noble, Windsor and Bohemian Black, 

 also a tray of about forty sorts of strawberries and plates 

 of black currants — Gloire de Boskoop — the only one that 

 up to now has defied the mite. Quillim's begonias were 

 again to the fore — some of the singles being six inches 

 in diameter yet full of substance — Mary Quillim. Pride 

 of Eltham and Avalanclie the best white, while they also 

 showed how well some kinds do for hanging iiaskets. 

 Jarman (Chard) again showed his lovely new sultans. 

 Bride and Bridegroom, Bridesmaid and Honeymoon. 

 Sutton & Sons, under their own canvas, had exquisite 

 masses of Nemesia stramosa of everv color, and under 

 a glass shade som,e fine doxinias and begonias. 



There were seme fine out-door groups: Cripps & 

 Son, mostly maples ; '^^eitch, novelties from N. China, 

 as Lonicera tregaphylla, Vitis Thompsoni, Lonicera gra- 

 ta and Fremontia Californica;, L. R. Russell, a fine lot 

 of ivies grown on standards and pyramids; coniferae, 

 etc., almost filling one tent ; Amos Perry, well arrangecl 

 pondlets, filled with nyiuphoeas; and Artindale Shef- 

 field put up pots of Davison's new montbretias. King 

 Edward, Prometheus and Westwick — all great advances. 



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