May 10, 1913 



HORTICULTUEE 



707 



F. has done has been done mostly 

 through the generosity and earnest de- 

 sire of some of its most loyal mem- 

 bers, at their own expense and time 

 and money. 



Fellow members, we have a National 

 Society, which, if properly backed up 

 by the majority of the men in our pro- 

 fession, could give us splendid results. 

 But, we must not stand pat; we must 

 all be willing to do our little share 

 in this crusade. The florists' clubs all 

 over the country are the offspring of 

 the National Society. They are all 

 strong and in a healthy financial con- 

 dition. There should be no objection 

 whatever to giving back to our Na- 

 tional Society what is actually her due. 

 It will strengthen not alone the S. A. 

 F., but the florists' clubs as well. No- 

 body who has the least idea of the im- 

 portance of our business, should have 

 any objection to paying $1.50 a year 

 to be a member of the S. A. F. We 

 should have no trouble whatever in 

 making it the strongest commercial 

 horticultural society in the world, able 

 to take care of its members, and by 

 so doing solving many conditions 

 which, at the present time, are very 

 perplexing. 



I know it is uphill work. President 

 Wilson, in his last week's speech at 

 Trenton, said: "It takes courage for 

 a handful of men to start a battle." I 

 hope that all of you members of the 

 Florists' Club of Philadelphia will be 

 with me — will be that handful of loyal 

 men to do our best to bring about a 

 larger and more useful National So- 

 ciety, worthy of the great cause it 

 stands for. 



CARNATION CALIFORNIA GIANT. 



ARBORETUM NOTES. 



The procession of spring flowers at 

 the Arnold Arboretum Is passing along 

 rapidly under the impulse of summer 

 temperature. Prunuses are already 

 past and pyruses are in their prime, 

 while lilacs, dogwoods and honey- 

 suckles are bursting into bloom about 

 two weeks ahead of the average date. 

 The trusses on the lilacs appear to be 

 smaller than usual, but there are 

 plenty of them. The dogwoods have 

 never before been so profusely set 

 with bloom and will make a rare dis- 

 play. Japan quinces, although reported 

 as being winter killed in some places, 

 have flowered as well as ever and 

 about every variety is represented. 



A long winding border on the top of 

 the hill contains much of engrossing 

 interest for the progressive horticul- 

 turist, for here are all the Wilson col- 

 lections, some three hundred species 

 from China, three specimens of each, 

 undergoing their test as to character 

 and hardiness. Some of the larger 

 growers such as walnuts and ashes 

 have now been planted in their per- 

 manent locations and are making a 

 vigorous growth. Early rhododendrons 

 of several species are now blooming, 

 among them being one low-growing 

 pink-flowered beauty which Mr. Jack 

 got in Korea, and which will be sold 

 by the million, if it ever gets dissemi- 

 nated among the nursery trade. 



Sir Herbert Maxwell, a distinguished 

 English horticultural authority, is ex- 

 pected to visit the Arboretum next 

 Sunday. 



The accompanying picture of this 

 huge carnation is from a photograph 

 sent to us by P. W. Popp, gardener for 

 H. Darlington, Mamaroneck, N. Y., 

 who has been testing the variety for 

 the past season. Mr. Popp says that 

 the claims of the introducers as to 

 size, stem and fragrance are fully 

 borne out, every bloom that he has 

 cut measuring at least S^A inches and 

 some as much as 614 inches. He finds 

 it necessary to split the calyx, other- 

 wise the bloom is lable to come one- 

 sided, there being such a mass of 

 petalage to develop. It throws good, 

 strong cuttings, is a gross feeder, has 

 clean, healthy foliage and every shoot 

 produces a flower. He gives further 

 details as follrws: 



I received my dozen single-stem 

 plants the first week in July last year, 

 pinched once, and planted directly in 

 the bench, August 1st. The plants 

 were very hard when received. The 

 house they were planted in has two 

 benches in the center. The outside 

 bench room is devoted to miscellane- 

 ous pot plants, the temperature aver- 

 aging about 53 degrees at night, 67 

 to 70 degrees in the day-time. I plant- 



ed in well enriched. soil with a mixture 

 of broken concrete added, fed occa- 

 sionally with liquid animal manure, 

 and applied a light dressing of lime 

 occasionally. The support showing in 

 the photograph is 36 inches high, and 

 the blcoms show 12 to 20 inches above 

 it. The other varieties growing in the 

 bench are White Enchantress and 

 Princess Charming. Even with the 

 poor start the plants made from six 

 to twelve leads and growing stronger 

 all the time. I had a vase of it at 

 the International Show, showing six 

 blooms, measuring from 5% inches to 

 6V4, inches, with 30-inch stems, but 

 they were damaged from handling be- 

 fore the judges got to them. 



My conclusions about this carnation 

 are as follows: Planted in the field 

 in rich ground and kept pinched to 

 induce it to break freely, lifted in 

 September and n'anted in solid beds 

 in very j-ich soil with plenty of old 

 concrete or lime rubble, and given a 

 higher temperature than the ordinary 

 varieties of carnations. 56 to 58 de- 

 grees, I think that the productive 

 qualities will compare very favorably 

 with the average varieties of carna- 

 tions as grown today. 



TO FLOWER VANDAS. 



Editor Horticulture: 



Dear Sir: — I would very much like to be 

 pn.sted in tlie culture of viiiida.s. Have 

 two plants, but in six years they have 

 never produced a flower. Roots seem 

 healthy and leaves, too, I keep them in a 

 house with hothouse plants at a tempera- 

 ture of 60 to 6.5 dosrees at night and 

 plenty of moisture. Does this plant need 

 any drying up? — T. N. 



Your correspondent does not say 

 what varieties or rather species of 

 vandas he has which do not flower un- 

 der the treatment given them. Most 

 likely his plants get too much shade, 

 as under such conditions most any 

 vanda ought to flower, providing they 



get enough light, Vandas should 

 never be dried up, but during the dull 

 winter months they should be al'owed 

 to dry out between each watering. 

 During summer when the plants are 

 growing and rooting freely they en- 

 joy plenty of water at the roots and 

 a hot, moist atmosphere. Shade only 

 enough to prevent the leaves from 

 scorching. Vanda teres can be grown 

 in full sun all the year around, also 

 V. Kimballiana and other terete-leaved 

 varieties. Vanda coerulea likes cooler 

 treatment, such as is given the gen- 

 eral run of cattleyas. 



M. J. Pope. 



