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HORTICULTURE 



September 26, 1908 



NATIONAL DAHLIA SOCIETY. 



The annual show of this well-known 

 society took place in the Horticul- 

 tural Hall, Westminster, London, on 

 September 3rd. There was the usual 

 display in the competitive classes for 

 cut blooms and in addition there were 

 some fine exhibits of out dahlias in 

 vases and baskets. The schedule pro- 

 vided 47 classes divided into sections 

 for nurserymen, amateurs and open to 

 all. The requirements in the various 

 classes vary from 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 24 to 

 48 cut blooms with prizes in propor- 

 tion varying from certificates, sums 

 of cash and medals, to a handsome 

 silver challenge cup, value $78.00. 



The grandest displays of course 

 came from the great trade exhibitors 

 and there were several that occupied 

 an immense space round the side walls 

 of the hall. Dobbies of Rothsay had 

 a grand lot staged in exquisite taste 

 comprising all sections; Pompons, 

 Cactus, Single Cactus, and the old 

 double forms were well represented. 

 Cannell & Sons had a fine lot close 

 by, including Cactus and Decoratives 

 of fine form. Emberson had also a 

 good table neatly arranged. Pompons 

 and Cactus of surpassing merit were 

 well shown with ferns in front, the 

 latter being effectively staged in the 

 back row. 



T. S. Ware & Son had a grand lot 

 of the Giant form which were remark- 

 able for size. Cactus and Pompons 

 were very numerous. Hobbies, Ltd., 

 had a collection of the Giant decorative 

 race, Cactus, etc., set up with ferns 

 and Isolepis gracilis in quantity; a 

 fine display worthy of more space than 

 is at our disposal. J. T. West was 

 another large exhibitor; Cactus m 

 enormous quantity and variety; Pom- 

 pons also. . Among other exhibitors 

 such well-known names were noticed 

 as Keynes, Williams & Co.. J. Cheal & 

 Sons, J. Burrcll & Son, John Walker, 

 S. Mortimer, C. Turner, Seall, Knight 

 and Stredwick, all eminent cultivators 

 of this gorgeous autumn favorite. 



Singles were shown prettily arranged 

 in pyramids. Specially fine in the 

 various competitive groups were 

 Helena, Tommy, Brilliant, Peggy, 

 Glencoe, Vesuvius, Betty, Formosa, 

 Aurora, Snowdrop, Kitty, Bertha and 

 others. 



Medals were awarded as follows: 

 Gold, to Pobbie & Co. Silver Gilt, to 

 Cannell & Sons and J. T. West. 

 Silver to J. Emberson, T. S. Ware & 

 Sons, Hobbies Ltd., and J. T. Knight. 



The Floral Committee met in the 

 morning and made the following 

 awards: First class certificates to Bur- 

 rell & Co., for Una; to Stredwick for 

 Debutante, The Rev. T. W. Jameson, 

 Mrs. Ayre Dyer and Snowdon; to Bur- 

 rell & Co., for Minnie (Pom. Cactus); 

 to C. Turner for Adela (Pom.); to 

 Pearce for Mrs. W. W. Merry (Single); 

 to J. Cheal &. Sons for Betty 

 (Single); to Mortimer for Tom Jones 

 (Show) and Jasper (Show). 



Altogether an excellent show with 

 a high standard of quality everywhere 

 observable. 



C. HARMAX PAYNE. 



MUSA CAVENDISHII. 

 Our illustration shows a fine speci- 

 men of Musa Cavendishii in fruit at 

 the greenhouses of Mrs. H. F. Durant, 

 Welleeley, Mass.. Thomas Watt, gar- 



dener. The plant shown is about 

 eighteen months old and was raised 

 from a side shoot from an old plant. 

 The fruits are from 7 to S inches long, 

 very round and full as the picture 

 shows, and of delicious flavor. 



FERN NOTES. 



Among the ferns regarded as especi- 

 ally promising from the florists' stand- 

 point, by J. F. Anderson of Short Hills, 

 N. J., is an adiantum bearing superb 

 fronds, taller and more graceful for 

 cut use than even the popular 

 Croweanum. Mr. Anderson thinks it 

 may possibly be a hybrid between 

 Birkenheadi and affine as he has both 

 of these growing and the new plant 

 shows characteristics of both. He will, 

 however, submit it to qualified experts 

 for identification before giving it a 

 name. 



Pteris sulcata, an erect, strong grow- 

 ing fern with generous fronds of light 

 green color is one which Mr. Anderson 

 thinks should be grown more largely 

 by florists for decorative planting. It 

 is tough and hardy and will withstand 

 unfavorable conditions or rough hand- 

 ling as well as any of them. 



Pellaea geraniaefolia is an elegant 

 little fern for jardiniere work, with 

 wiry stipules and triangular fronds, 

 which suggest a resemblance to a 

 geranium leaf. Another fern which is 

 rarely seen but certainly in the useful 

 clasf is Dryopteris palmata. It is a 

 beautiful dwarf species. 



A "golden fern" known as Gymno- 

 grarnma Peruviana superba has the 

 pinnae partially rolled up in the 

 mature fronds thus showing here and 

 there, on the upper side, the bright 

 gold reverse and producing a peculiar 

 sparkling effect. 



FLORISTS - PLANT NOTES BY 

 "WIRELESS." 



"White Perfection" Well Named. 



For really good flowers and plenty of 

 them throughout August and Septem- 

 ber, when white carnations of accepta- 

 ble quality are hard to find, White 

 Perfection has been winning a great 

 reputation this season. Houses planted 

 with this variety at first of May have 

 been producing crops equal in quality 

 and quantity to those usually cut in 

 Maich and April. 



Some Fine Bedding Geraniums. 



Mr. L. E. Wood of Fishkill, N. Y. ( 

 ventures the assertion that Mrs. E. G. 

 Hill, single salmon, is about the best 

 of all the bedding zonal geraniums. 

 As ■seen in a mass in Wood Bros.' field 

 it certainly makes a gorgeous show 

 excelling even the popular Poitevine. 

 Another variety that stands out con- 

 vincingly is Devoy's Telegraph, a 

 big light vermilion variety which origi- 

 nated in Poughkeepsie a few years 

 ago. Among the scarlets none beat 

 J. J. Harrison. 



Advice to Rose Growers. 

 One of the keenest of the large com- 

 mercial rose growers advises the buy- 

 ing now of 3-in. grafted Killarney, at 

 the present price of about $100 per 

 1000, and then turning them out into 

 boxes and holding them cold and 

 dormant until next spring when they 

 may be potted up early and given one 

 shift into 4-in. pots and will be super- 

 ior to anything that can be bought at 

 any price for next year's planting. 



Pot Lilies. 



"A 5-in. pot is big enough for any 

 Easter lily provided you give proper 

 feeding" is the expressed view of one 

 of the most extensive lily forcers in 

 this country. "When it comes to 

 shifting and carrying around you'll 

 find them heavy enough." 



A Profitable Rose. 

 At A. N. Pierson's establishment in 

 Cromwell, Conn., John Cook's recent 

 introduction "My Maryland" is ac- 

 credited with being the best producer 

 and in all respects the best paying rose 

 ever grown there. Wallace Pierson 

 says it will probably be a long time 

 before the equal of this rose for profit 

 will be found. 



SAME OLD STORY. 

 Boston dealers who handle Connec- 

 ticut peaches complain of the slow 

 freight service. Shipments, they say, 

 from nearly all points of Connecticut 

 have been many hours overdue and 

 serious losses have occurred. Rail- 

 roads conveying produce from the 

 South make a specialty of the trade, 

 sending forward the freight at almost 

 express speed. Dealers contend that 

 New England roads ought to do some- 

 thing of the kind with perishable 

 crops like peaches. At present it 

 sometimes takes peaches as long to 

 come from Connecticut as from the 

 nearer states of the South. It is 

 claimed by some that the railroads are 

 trying to force shippers to patronize 

 the express companies by offering 

 such slow freight service that the 

 shippers will be obliged to patronize 

 the express in order to have their prod- 

 uce forwarded promptly. — Amer. Culti- 

 vator. 



