December 12, 1908 



H ORTICULTURE 



785 



two weeks will give a regular supply 

 of fruit until the fruit ripens naturally 

 out of doors, the last batches being 

 ripened in the frames. 



When preparing to force them, as 

 much of the old soil should be taken 

 off as can be done without disturbing 

 the roots, the pots washed and the 

 drainage looked to. and a mulching of 

 a good rich compost applied and 

 rammed firm. 



Cultural Rules. 

 A temperature of 40 deg. is plenty to 

 start them, with a gradual increase as 

 the plants start to grow. Plenty of air 

 on all occasions, a dry cool atmosphere 

 whilst setting, and plenty of heat and 

 moisture when swelling are the main 

 requirements of the strawberry'. A 

 good place to swell the fruit is in a 

 vinery or cucumber house, as they 

 revel in that moist atmosphere. It is 

 necessary to go over the flowers with 

 a camel hair brush to set them, thin- 

 ning the fruit when set to about nine 

 to a pot; sometimes twelve is left. 

 Removing them to a cool airy house 

 when ripening gives them a much bet- 

 ter flavor than if kept In so much 

 heat and moisture. I find a shelf in a 

 carnation house an ideal place to ripen 

 them, and at the time they are ripe 

 (April), they do not do any harm to 

 the carnations in the way of shade. 

 It is necessary to support the trusses 

 of fruit, and small forked twigs are 

 the best means; if the stems get bent 

 the fruit never gets a good flavor. 

 Plenty of manure water and a leu 

 dressings of a chemical fertilizer will 

 swell the fruit to a good size. Green 

 fly and red spider are about the only 

 insects to contend with, and it is un- 

 necessary for me to repeat the meth- 

 ods to combat them. I find .Marshall 

 the best to force, being of good size 

 and color, and tie flavor is all that 

 could be desired. I think one variety 

 of strawberry is enough; you can keep 

 up a more steady succession than with 

 more varieties, and Marshall has filled 

 the bill with me. I omitted to say 

 that a temperature of 55 to 60 deg. at 

 night will help them throw out their 

 flower stems, giving a longer stem 

 than when grown cooler. 



I have .endeavored to make clear the 

 main points of fruit growing under 

 glass, and if I have said anything that 

 will be of service to anyone I shall feel 

 more than repaid for the trouble taken. 

 There is no more fascinating branch 

 of our profession, and we have to go 

 at the present time to the old country 

 for fruit growers, but I don't see why 

 in the future there should not be suffi- 

 cient work done here to produce men 

 trained in this work. 



| UTHE CYCLAMEN AS A CHRISTMAS PLANT. 



GARDENS ET BASSES-COU RS. 

 The above is the title of a new fort- 

 nightly publication devoted to rural 

 pursuits in France. It is edited by Al- 

 bert Maumene and published by Hoch- 

 ette et Cie of Paris at 4 cents the num- 

 ber or $0.S0 per annum. It is issued 

 on the 5th and 20th of each month. 

 It is illustrated, but the typographical 

 execution is hardly up to the standard 

 of the average American periodical. 



C. H. P. 



Cyclamens 



Thomas Roland, Nahant, Mass 

 There have been some magnificent 

 specimens of cyclamens of highly de- 

 veloped strains shown at the spring 

 exhibitions, particularly at Boston. 

 These plants, however, are usually two 

 years or more old and, as every grow- 

 er knows, their production with a mass 

 of bloom in April or May is not re- 

 markable. The plants shown in the 

 picture an. however, unusual, as they 

 are but fifteen months from seed and 

 demonstrate the possibilities with the 

 cyclamen as a Thanksgiving Day or 

 Christmas flowering plant. Thos. Ro- 

 land, Nahant, Mass., recognized as one 



of the most skilful plant growers in 

 this country, was awarded a bronze 

 medal at the National Flower Show 

 for his cyclamens shown earl; in No- 

 vember. We might add that the plants 

 illustrated are not merely a few 

 selected from the many, but are just 

 a fair sample of the thousands which 

 fill three houses, ready for the Christ- 

 mas demand. So well-liked are these 

 in the Boston market that S-inch 

 specimens are readily taken at $36.00 a 

 dozen by the leading retail stores and, 

 no doubt, when other localities can 

 show them, they will find an equal 

 approval. 



F. H. Kramer has named his seed- 

 ling rose, hitherto known as No. 116, 

 Eva Cooke. The young lady thus hon- 

 ored is the daughter of George jci. 

 Cooke, the florist, of Washington. 



CHRISTMAS AT CRAIG'S. 



Philadelphia ought to be thankful. 

 Not every town has within arm's 

 length the wealth of well-selected and 

 skilfully grown flowe:-ing and foliage 

 plants that are to be found in readiness 

 for every holiday at the big Craig es- 

 tablishment. In.manv respects, other 

 than the magnetic personality of its 

 gifted proprietor, this place is unique 

 and a visit to it is an inspiration. 



At present, the most attractive sight 

 is probably the Lorraine begonias 

 which are seen in great quantities and 

 remarkable uniformity all the way 

 from little 3 in. pot size for basket fill- 

 ing, up to specimen plants big as a half 

 bushel measure. Cyclamens are fine, 

 as usual, although the recent muggy 

 weather has been rather hard on them. 

 There are azaleas, oranges, ardisias 

 dracaenas and all the other good 

 things usually provided for Chris 1 mas 

 at all well-conducted plant establish- 

 ments, but the two specialties of this 

 place, crotons and Ficus pandurata. 

 are an attraction duplicated nowhere 

 on this continent. Of the great luxu- 

 riant rubber with its fiddle-shaped 

 leathery foliage there is a veritable 

 tropical forest, and Mr. Craig says that 

 he finds it impossible now to keep up 

 with the demand foi it 



As for crotons. they are simply 

 beautiful. Craigii. the brilliant yel- 

 low variety, with its 3-lobed leaves. 

 catches the eye the moment one enters 

 the house. The two best of Mr. Lons- 

 dale's phenomenal batch of seedln 

 mentioned in our former notes, have 

 been named Ed. Lonsdale and Robert 

 Craig. They are somewhat alike, with 

 bronzy red and orange entire foliage, 



but their special claim to superiority- 

 is their free and rapid growth. Mr. 

 Craig asserts that in a selection of 

 the best five crotons these two varie- 

 ties would have to be always included. 

 Leaving the plant houses, a glance 

 into the carnation houses will prove 

 interesting. There are several seed- 

 lings of unusual character in which 

 high hopes are centred. One is a pure 

 white with outside petals almost 

 smooth-edged, but centre petals deeply 

 laciniated, producing a pleasing frosty 

 effect. Another is scarlet, a great 

 bloomer and, compared with Beacon 

 which is growing on the adjoining 

 bench, it is less grassy than that popu- 

 lar variety and seems to be consider- 

 ably ahead of it in brilliancy of color. 

 Ano'her seedling which promises great 

 things is what might be called an im- 

 proved Enchantress. The color is 

 slightly deeper with a suggestion of 

 stripes through the petals, and the 

 Bower is higher in the centre and bet- 

 ter modeled, than Enchantress. It is 

 also very fragrant. A sport trom 

 \\ lute Perfection is seen, with color of 

 Enchantress and a clear, soft, satiny 

 i nish, and all the character other- 

 wise of the parent. The three seed- 

 lings above mentioned are the entire 

 saving out of a block of 800 under 

 number. So they ought to be good! 



Wellesley, Mass. — Among the nota- 

 ble gifts to the botany department of 

 Wellesley College recently announced 

 are the lichen collection of the late 

 Clara Eaton Cummings. specimens 

 from Mrs. Maud C. Wiegand, 100 Euro- 

 pean specimens from Mrs. Frances L. 

 Perrero, and $500 from a donor whose 

 name is withheld. 



