July 25, 190S 



HORTICULTURE 



103 



size and t^e onions from W. J. Clem- 

 son, J. O. Christenson, gardener, were 

 I he best ever shown here. The Bos- 

 ton Mycological Club had an interest- 

 ing display of fungi. 



DETROIT FLORISTS' CLUB. 



The regular meeting last week was 

 held out of doors at the secretary's 

 residence. The meeting was well at- 

 tended and many questions of local 

 interest were discussed. The day 

 for the annual summer outing was 

 decided upon and consequently all 

 the members with wives and sweet- 

 hearts w-ill embark for Bois Blanc 

 on July 27. After a lengthy dis- 

 cussion Mr. J. F. Sullivan was induced 

 to consent to be a candidate for sec- 

 retary of the S. A. F. 



FRANK DANZER. 



PERFECTION IN PETUNIAS. 



NEW ORLEANS HORTICULTURAL 

 SOCIETY. 



The annual meeting of this society 

 was held on July l<i. Richard Steckler 

 was elected president. C. R. Panter 

 secretary, John Elden, treasurer. A 

 vote of thanks was tendered the retir- 

 ing president, Charles Eble. Follow- 

 ing the meeting the "23rd anniversary 

 dinner took place. 



CLUB AND SOCIETY NOTES. 



The Newport Horticultural Society 

 at their last meeting voted to hold 

 their September show on September ]2. 

 13 and 14 



The Florists' Club of Washington 

 will hold a four days' chrysanthemum 

 show, beginning November 9. The 

 committee in charge consists of George 

 Cooke, W. F. Gude. George Shaffer, 

 Charles McCauley and Z. D. Blacki- 

 stone. 



The thirty-second annual meeting 

 and exhibition of the Georgia State 

 Horticultural Society will be held at 

 Cornelia, Ga., on August 12 and 13. 



Tne Lenox (Mass.) Horticultural So- 

 ciety will hold two flower shows this 

 yea 1 ', one on August 15 and the other 

 early in November. 



MOVEMENTS OF GARDENERS. 



William Creighton, formerly at 

 Sykesville, Md., is now at Rowayton, 

 Conn., with J. Sherman Hoyt. 



F. C. Searles, formerly with E. G. 

 Asmus at Closter, N. J., is now- with 

 the Pittsburg Rose and Carnation Co. 



The preachers will now have a 

 chance to catch up with the times. 

 The Massachusetts Agricultural Col- 

 lege will devote two weeks of work 

 to their especial needs during August, 

 190S. They will be taught by expert 

 instructors who will be able to show 

 them what modern agriculture means 

 in this world of industry: what the 

 social organization of country life real- 

 ly is today, and what the rural and 

 working classes are actually thinking 

 about. The progressive preacher who 

 attends this school will not only get 

 a new point of view but will get it 

 put up in a vacation capsule as he 

 enjoys the pleasant outdoor life on 

 the college farm at Amherst. 



About July 15th of each year the 

 Dreers commence their hybridizing of 

 the petunia for seed purposes. The 

 methods and system employed were ex- 

 plained to the writer recently by 

 Frank C. Betz. wlm has charge. G 

 care is taken to keep 1he various 

 colors pure, and the rows of each 

 shade are carefully rogued. Last year 

 there was a partial failure of the dark 

 shades and some plants had to ue used 

 unavoidably for hybridizing that 

 showed a slight tinge of some other 

 marking, in order to even partially 

 supply the demand for this seed. This 

 year the plants are thriving better. 

 Every plant is carefully manipulated 

 by hand, the pollen of one double 

 flower being used on the stigma of 

 the single flower previously emascu- 

 lated, after which the stalk is tagged 

 and the resultant seeds carefully gath- 

 ered. Tedious and expensive, but it 

 is the only way to approach perfection 

 in this plant. Some five thousand 

 plants were hybridized last year and 

 lor the present season more than that 

 will be utilized if possible. As is well 

 known, seed saved from the most 

 carefully hybridized flowers produces 

 but a small percentage of doubles, but 

 the singles of the strain are of line 

 form and substance. The weaker seed- 

 lings are the ones to be nursed most 

 carefully, as they produce the finest 

 double flowers. The white section 

 comes the truest from seed. The dou- 

 ble flowers are almost invariably beau- 

 tifully frilled and curled, most of them 

 measuring 3 1-2 and 4 inches across. 

 Representatives of the firm visit the 

 principal flower shows here and 

 abroad, and wherever a good strain 

 occurs it is secured and tested at Riv- 

 erton. By this means the strain it- 

 having constantly added the best 

 Blood obtainable. The plain-edged 

 sorts have been discarded of late 

 as the frilled and fringed varieties are 



so much more beautiful. The double 

 section has risen to the dignity of 

 named varieties — sold as plants only— 

 among the best of these being: 

 Modesty, delicate mauve, veined red- 

 dish crimson: Caprice, pink white, 

 led with reddish violet; Snow- 

 liall, a finely fringed white; and Fairy, 

 soft solferino, occasionally marked 

 white. For hanging baskets, window 

 boxes, etc. singles and doubles are 

 both excellent — the variety known as 

 i i ward's Star being one of the best in 

 the latter connection. 



G. C. WATSON. 



MESSRS. LEMOINE'S DEUTZIAS. 

 (G. T. Grignan in Revue Horticole.) 



Victor Lemoine & Sons have sent 

 out this season among their novelties 

 a series of remarkable varieties of 

 deutzias. The genus Deutzia has had 

 its best improvement through the pa- 

 tient and continued hybridizations of 

 Mr. Lemoine, and a history of these 

 crossings which have enriched our gar- 

 dens so much may prove interesting. 



In 1S9I Messrs. Lemoine crossed 

 Deutzia parviflora with the D. gracilis 

 and obtained D. Lemoinei, which they 

 improved again in the varieties Com- 

 pacta, Boule de Neige and Avalanche, 

 all remarkable for the profusion of 

 their flowers. 



After the appearance of D. discolor 

 purpurescens, introduced by the "Mu- 

 seum," and distinguished by the rose 

 tint of its buds and the exterior of 

 iis flowers, Mr. Lemoine crossed it 

 with other species and gained also a 

 series of very interesting hybrids in- 

 heriting in a pronouned degree the rose 

 color of D. discolor purpuresens and 

 at the same time superior in robust- 

 ness to the D. gracilis crossings. The 

 D. gracilis hybrids under the names 

 of Venusta, Multiflora and Rosa and 

 the D. discolor hybrids Floribunda and 



