November 16. 1907 



A QUESTION OF NOMENCLATURE. 



Chapter 11. 

 Editor HORTICULTURE: 



Dear Sir: — I note in your issue of 

 Nov. 2nd your reference to the uomen- 

 clature of Hydrangea arhorescens 

 sterilis. I cannot see anything in the 

 explanation offered by Mr. Hill which 

 validates the mistalve. It appears that 

 the above name was given in the 

 regular approved form, by Torrey and 

 Grey long before the appearance of the 

 Cyclopedia of American Horticulture, 

 and adopted or rather recognized by 

 organizations which deal with the 

 question of nomenclature. The fact 

 that the secretary of the S. A. F. over- 

 looked this earlier record is no argu- 

 ment that the original name given, 

 properly published, and described, 

 should be ignored. If this principle 

 were followed, we might as well let 

 rules of nomenclature "go by the 

 board." I believe in correcting mis- 

 takes, and acting in consistent accord 

 with the established rules. It this 

 mistake had passed along without dis- 

 covery for a number of years, it would 

 be another question, but the correction 

 is now being offered in abundant time 

 to warrant its adoption without any 

 serious confusion. The main point is 

 that the Cyclopedia of American Hor- 

 ticulture is not the authority in this 

 case, but merely recorded the name 

 given many years ago by the leading 

 botanists of this country. 



Sincerely yours, 



JOHN CRAIG. 



We are glad these facts are coming 

 out. Personally we have no prejudice 

 in favor of either name. The point we 

 wish to emphasise is that botanical 

 authorities should keep better informed 

 as to events in commercial horticul- 

 ture. They cannot expect that men 

 engaged in the hustle of business ac- 

 tivity can keep posted as to obscure 

 botanical records not to mention the 

 perplexing changing and overturning 

 of long-established botanical names 

 which these same disagreeing authori- 

 ties are ever engaged in. Having been 

 secretary of the Society of American 

 Florists and in charge of its registra- 

 tion department at the time Mr. Hill 

 registered Hydrangea arborescens 

 grandiflora alba, the present editor of 

 HORTICULTURE is able to say that 

 the widespread publication of the "sub- 

 mission" of a plant name for registra- 

 tion was made with a view to bring to 

 light any prior name or other valid 

 reason for discarding the name pro- 

 posed and in accordance with the pub- 

 lished rules of the Society, registration 

 was not finally effected until after a 

 sufficient time had elapsed for all 

 Protestants to be heard. The coopera- 

 tion of its scientific friends would have 

 been in the past and will now be 

 very welcome to the Society of Ameri- 

 can Florists in its well-meant efforts 

 to prevent confusion in plant nomen- 

 clature, and that this controversy over 

 Mr. Hill's action may thus result 

 is a "consummation devoutly to be 

 wished." 



HORTICULTURE 



NEW DAHLIAS AT CANNELL'S. 



It would certainly have been a great 

 treat tor any member of the New Eng- 

 land Dahlia Society to have been with 

 me the other day when I spent a short 

 time going over the immense collection 

 of dahlias at Messrs. Henry Cannell 

 & Sons, of Swanley. Under the ener- 

 getic guidance of the head of the firm 

 who although close on 70 years of 

 age was as eager and as brisk as a 

 young man of 25, I spent a most en- 

 joyable time with this veteran florist 

 whose recollections go back many 

 years in all classes of florists' flowers 

 and who has grown everything worth 

 growing in that line. 



One of the most interesting is Can- 

 nell's Pet, a capital little bedder, of 

 the color of La France rose, with the 

 advantage that the blooms stand up 

 erect and do not droop as many of the 

 others do. Large Decorative Singles 

 of recent introduction are Hall Caine, 

 which has very broad petals of pure 

 golden yellow, shaded reddish chest- 

 nut; The Bondman, a fine substantial 

 petal, very large flowers, white ground 

 flushed crimson-magenta; Golden 

 Glory, immense breadth of petal, color 

 a lovely shade of pure greenish lemon 

 yellow; White Cloud, a massive-pe- 

 talled variety, pure white with the 

 base shaded yellow. 



Smaller in size but curious are the 

 new anemone-centered dahlias. These 

 are only 3 or 4 inches across but the 

 disc is very pronounced. Swanley Au- 

 emone is deep rosy velvety crimson 

 maroon with a golden center. Another 

 of this type is Pink Gem and worthily 

 named: the color is a lovely shade of 

 bright losy pink, disc golden buff. 



CoUerette dahlias are a French in- 

 vention of a few years since and are 

 beginning to be fairly well known; 

 the number is still increasing and 

 some interesting novelties are annu- 

 ally being raised. Maurice Rivoire, 

 rich magenta and crimson with white 

 collerette is one of the best. Prest. 

 Viger, reddish carmine and Mme. Le 

 Page Viger, reddish scarlet with yel- 

 low collerette is also a fine variety, al- 

 though in neither instance are these 

 to be considered novelties of the sea- 

 son. 



The huge decorative peony-flowered 

 varieties are immense in size and now 

 comprise about a dozen well estab- 

 lished sorts. Most of them have been 

 exhibited at the dahlia shows this year. 

 Baron de Grancy, Dr. K. W. Van Gor- 

 kum, Reine Wilhelmina, Gloire de 

 Baarn, Germanica. Due Henri, Reine 

 Emma and several others being fully 

 in flower at the time of writing these 

 notes. Decorative garden dahlias. Mile 

 Helene Char vet, pure white; Souvenir 

 de Gustave Douzon, rich red; Jeanne 

 Charmet. Mme. Vauden Daele, Mme. 

 a Lumiere and Source de Feu were all 

 the subject of admiration on account 

 of their value for massing in a color 

 scheme where bold effects are required. 



We noticed on our way across the 

 dahlia ground a large collection of Dec- 

 orative Singles with fine upstanding 

 blooms that had been raised in Por- 

 tugal and sent by the originator to 

 Cannell's for trial. Nice bushy plants, 

 vegetation not too rampant and large 

 flat blossoms essentially single in form 

 were mostly to be seen here. They 

 will be tried and selections made before 

 being finally announced for distribu- 

 tion. 



689 



HARRY H. THOMAS. 



We extract the following from our 

 English contemporary, "The Journal 

 of Horticulture": 

 The New Editor of "The Gardener." 



Mr. Walter P. Wright, who has 

 edited "The Gardener" since its foun- 

 dation nine years ago, has resigned 

 his post. His successor is Mr. H. H. 

 Thomas, son of Mr. Owen Thomas, V. 

 M. H., late of The Gardens, Frogmore. 

 Mr. H. H. Thomas has been sub-editor 

 of "The Garden" for several years, and 

 is the author of two books. One of 

 these is upon the cultivation of the 

 apple; and the other, just published, 

 deals wiih suburban and town gar- 

 dening Mr. Thomas has hail prac- 

 tical experience both in England and 

 in France, and was for a short while 

 foreman in the fruit department m 

 the Roval GardenK, Progmore. He 

 also served for two years at Kew, 

 and bad general nursery experience 

 in Messrs. Veitch's nurseries. 



We also understand that Mr. 

 Thomas, whose name is familiar to 

 oiu- readers as a ontrihutnr for some- 

 time past to HORTICULTURE has 

 been appointed to the secretaryship of 

 the English National Dahlia Society. 

 We wish him every success in his new 

 undertakings. 



PERSONAL. 



Arthur Griffin, of Newport, R. I.. 

 has returned from an enjoyable visit to 

 England. 



Horticulture's popular representative 

 in Philadelphia, George C. Watson, has 

 been quite seriously ill and confined to 

 his room during the past week. 



Visitors in Boston this week: Win- 

 fried Rolker and H. F. Darrow, New 

 York city; A. M. Rennie, Providence, 

 R. I.; E. J. Harmon, Portland, Me. 



On November 12, at the Cathedral 

 Chapel, St. Louis. Robert F. Tesson 

 and Miss Hariet Wilkinson were mar- 

 ried They will make their home at 

 Sunnv Point, West Forest Park. 



Hjalmar Hartmann, of Copenhagen, 

 the noted cauliflower seedsman, an- 

 nounced to his friends that his wed- 

 ding would take place on November 

 15th at the Royal Shooting Club house 

 in Copenhagen. His bride-elect is the 

 daughter of Professor Godfred Chris- 

 tensen, the celebrated Scandinavian 

 artist. 



A LEADING HOLLAND NURSERY. 



Van Meerbeek & Co.. the nurserymen 

 of Hillegom. Holland, whose adver- 

 tisement appears in this issue, carry 

 on an extensive bulb growing estab- 

 lishment where some of the finest 

 Dutch bulbs are produced which find 

 their way to the American market. 

 This firm has been in existence for 

 over half a century and its list of 

 hardy border plants comprises an im- 

 mense variety of the more elegant 

 things which are now coming into 

 wide demand. 



