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HORTICULTURE 



December 2G, 1908 



PARIS AUTUMN SHOW. 



[This accounl has been crowded out of 

 our columns for an issues but 



Inti 

 read I i 



Once again il bias been our pleasure 

 and privilege to visit the great autum- 

 nal display of chrysanthemums, iruit 

 and vegetables annually held by the 

 National Horticultural Society of 

 France. It is a matter for extreme re- 

 gret that the show which opened on 

 the Gth of November and lasting to 

 the 15th will lie the last of a series of 

 brilliant horticultural shows, for the 

 huge greenhouses on the Cours la 

 Reine lying between the Champs Ely- 

 sees and the river Seine are doomed to 

 demolition. 



On our arrival on the opening morn- 

 ing we were welcomed at the entrance 

 by many old friends: M. Viger, the 

 president; M. Abel Chatenay, the sec- 

 retary; M. Truffaut, and many others, 

 anxious to receive the visitors with a 

 courtesy peculiarly characteristic of 

 our French horticultural friends. 

 After a few handshakes and introduc- 

 tions to new acquaintances we pass 

 through the gate and enter the spa- 

 cious promenade leading up to the 

 show. We are no sooner through the 

 entrance than we at once begin work, 

 for on our right and on our left we 

 behold fine groups of hardy ornamen- 

 tal shrubs alternating with long lines 

 of trained fruit trees that extend the 

 whole length of the promenade in 

 double rows. From Alfred Monnier 

 we notice several of these ornamental 

 groups, and there are also some fiom 

 M. Lecointe in which we observe a 

 very choice assortment of conifers, 

 hollies, euonymus, box, aucuba, etc. A 

 little farther along the path of the 

 central promenade we come to the 

 usual display, at all these French 

 shows of numerous trained fruit trees 

 in diverse forms and uses known only 

 to the French fruit culturist. Here 

 euonymus, conifers, hollies, abies in 

 variety, cupressus, are set up in large 

 beds in the open, tastefully arranged 

 in the usual French style and compris- 

 ing many hardy ornamental shrubs of 

 great merit. Culture and tasteful ar-. 

 rangement are irreproachable, and be- 

 fore entering we cast an appreciative 

 glance at the extensive exhibits of 

 greenhouses, garden pottery, heating 

 apparatus, stationery and every con- 

 ceivable accessory connected with the 

 garden art— a display of gigantic pro- 

 portions, which materially helps to 

 vary the charm of this great show 

 and to interest the visitors. 



Entering the show we turn our steps 

 towards the orchids, which are staged 

 in two side rooms specially set apart. 

 In one of these rooms, on our left, a 

 handsome and imposing display pre- 

 sents itself to our view. It is practi- 

 cally the result of one firm of exhib- 

 itors of repute, viz., A. Truffaut & 

 Son, comprising azaleas, dracaenas in 

 great variety, anthuriums, ornamental 

 foliage plants, begonias, etc., arranged 

 artistically. Opposite, in the other 

 room, are several collections of orchids 

 from well-known Parisian cultivators, 

 such as Maron & Son, Lesueur, Reg- 

 nier, Beranek and others. 



On emerging we are again in the 

 dome-like entrance to the first green- 

 house. In a series of several shaped 

 borders we find Vilmorin-Andrieux & 

 Co. have sent one of their representa- 

 tive collections of chrysanthemums. 



They are mostly pot plants, dwarf, 

 bush, and standards, the whole edged 

 with a border of brightly colored 

 pompons behind a green turf verge. 

 Another exhibit from the same 

 firm consists of a very large rec- 

 tangular sunken garden with slop- 

 ing sides towards the middle. On the 

 lower level a geometrically arranged 

 bed containing blooms graduated in 

 great diversity of color with huge 

 centre trained plant of yellow Japan- 

 ese in bold relief. Along the sides are 

 huge trained specimens of several fine 

 varieties set up in beds cut out of the 

 turf, many of them purely French 

 show varieties unknown on our side. 



New seedling chrysanthemums are 

 always a feature at the Paris show, as 

 also at the provincial ones, and special 

 classes are provided for them. The lot 

 from Ernest Calvat was superb in size 

 and in color, and with them we must 

 deal separately at some future time. 

 Another lot came from the Marquis 

 de Pins, but these were wanting in 

 brilliance of color. Far more attrac- 

 tive in this respect were some of the 

 novelties by Chaubrier, although the 

 seedlings of this grower lack the pro- 

 portions of the two first named. 

 Heraud, Nonin, Dolbois, Vilmorin and 

 others also staged novelties, and the 

 floral committee had no easy task 

 when it came to awarding the first- 

 class certificates. The result of the 

 floral committee's deliberations were: 

 eighteen certificates to Calvat, eight 

 to Vilmorin, eight to Nonin, seven to 

 the Marquis de Pins, five to Chaubrier, 

 f\e to Heraud, and seventeen to other 

 exhibitors less well known to our 

 readers. 



In the chrysanthemum exhibits of 

 cut blooms and pot plants we must 

 notice M. Pechou's capital collection of 

 fine cut blooms, which were staged in 

 style on a rectangular grass lawn. 

 Among them, and there were many 

 others equally fine, Pres. Loubet, Mrs. 

 Mease, Jean Calvat, Sapho, Calvat's 

 Sun, Polypheme, Souvenir de Re\ del- 

 let were striking examples of good 

 culture. Another exhibitor, M. Robil- 

 lard, had also a very interesting and 

 artistic display of pood cut blooms, 

 mostly varieties of purely French ori- 

 gin, and therefore not much known 

 to our readers. In Ernest Masselin's 

 lot there were good blooms of great 

 size and substance, such as Marquis 

 de Pierres, Sans Souci, F. S. Vallis, \V. 

 R. Church, Tokio, Mrs. Dalton, all ex- 

 ceptionally fine. 



M. Martin had a nice group of Miss 

 Alice Byron in quantity, and also 

 many other good varieties. Another 

 good lot were staged in fine form by 

 Durand. consisting of cut blooms only. 

 Lachaussee staged some fine Japanese 

 in a long group of plants in pots, large 

 blooms, mostly three or four on a 

 plant and deserving mention. 



Opoix, the head gardener to the Lux- 

 embourg Garden, had a tastefully ar- 

 ranged lot of blooms, chiefly of the 

 Japanese section, edged with maiden- 

 hair ferns. Single-flowered varieties, 

 Baronne de Vinols and several of its 

 sports, including also a few pompons, 

 helped to brighten up this lot in the 

 most effective manner. The Asile de 

 Ville Evard exhibited a fine group of 

 pot plants, edged with Gerbe d'Or pom- 

 pon—a very popular favorite for the 

 purpose in raris. J. H. Leconte also 

 exhibited another collection ot only 

 medium sized blooms and rather too 



closely packed. From another exhib- 

 itor, Giblin, came a curiously arranged 

 and novel group. Large trained speci- 

 mens carrying big show blooms were 

 set nil in rows at the back, while three 

 rows of very large cut blooms in vases 

 were arranged in front. 



Cordonnier & Son occupied the far 

 end of the first greenhouse with four 

 collection 1 ; composed of specimen 

 blooms of the highest merit, arranged 

 on the ground level in different beds. 



Leveque et fils made an imposing 

 plant display, nicely set up and a good 

 color arrangement throughout, also 

 nicely grown cut blooms. 



\ prominent exhibitor at the Tours 

 show also competed at Paris. This was 

 Pinon, whose curiously trained plants 

 made a most imposing display. They 

 consisted of tall pyramids, in variety, 

 with fan shaped, and other curious 

 designs, stars, etc. A noted exhibitor 

 of grafted chrysanthemums who has 

 made many successes in Paris is Leon 

 Cavron. On this occasion he was well 

 to the front as usual with a most com- 

 prehensive and varied collection. A. 

 Govignon's collection was made up of 

 very dwarf plants in pots sunk in the 

 ground. They were chiefly medium 

 sized blooms and comprised some well- 

 grown examples. 



Carnations were staged in large 

 masses by several good growers. We 

 can only name a few and of these Le- 

 veque et fils, who are famous for their 

 roses as well as their carnations, made 

 a fine display in two lots. The Ecole 

 Plessis Piquet also showed carnations 

 and a good exhibit from Beranek of the 

 same flowers was also on view. 



Floral decorations are also a grand 

 feature. The celebrated florist La- 

 chaussee of the Rue Royale, known to 

 every American visitor to Paris, had 

 a most artistic lot of chrysanthemums, 

 orchids, autumn foliage, roses, etc., 

 arranged in vases on pedestals, some 

 on tables and various other designs, 

 with a background of palms. Ed. De- 

 brie had table and other floral decora- 

 tions in pots and vases in similar style 

 to the preceding. 



On entering the corridor we notice 

 a collection of Anthemis White Per- 

 fection and cyclamens by Aubert 

 Maille. 



The far right hand corner of the 

 corridor was reserved for the literary 

 and artistic exhibits in the so-called 

 Retrospective Exhibition. Many old 

 books, drawings, prints, pottery, etc., 

 were staged here illustrative of the 

 chrysanthemum. Momefa of Paris 

 and Harman Payne of London made 

 the finest display. Other exhibitors 

 were Nonin, Roselle, Vilmorin, Baltet, 

 the Library of the Society, etc. Cayeux 

 and Leclerc staged various flowers in 

 season. Francois large plants of chry- 

 santhemums grown in tubs, with a 

 very good collection of cut blooms in 

 front. Close by was the lot from Le- 

 colier consisting of hardy shrubs. 



Fruit throughout the show was 

 grandly shown, and there must have 

 been many tons of it in the many fine 

 lots we saw. So vast was this part of 

 the show that we can only refer to it 

 in the briefest way. 



As an instance of the competition, we 

 may mention that in one grape class 

 alone there were twenty-one prizes 

 awarded and in another twenty. 



Turning down the flight of steps 

 leading to the promenade by the river 

 Seine we see Vilmorin Andrieux & Co.'s 



