January 25, 1908 



HORTICULTURE 



105 



HOME PRODUCTION OF LILY 

 BULBS. 



Bulletin No. 120 of the Bureau o£ 

 Plant Industry, written by Geo. W. 

 Oliver, treats on the Production of 

 "Easter" Lily Bulbs in the United 

 States. Disease in bulbs imported 

 from Bermuda is given as the reason 

 for the trials which have been under 

 way in the Department of Agriculture 

 to find favorable locations and climatic 

 conditions for the domestic production 

 of these bulbs for commercial pur- 

 poses. After many unsatisfactory at- 

 tempts in the Carolinas, on the Pa- 

 cific coast and elsewhere, it is stated 

 that the experimenters became con- 

 vinced that the progeny of crossed va- 

 rieties were more vigorous than either 

 parent, and the work is now being 

 prosecuted iu California with results 

 so encouraging that several practical 

 men are engaged in getting up a stock 

 of seedlings upon a large scale. The 

 report now issued tells of the advan- 

 tages or drawbacks of many localities, 

 the difficulties encountered in the va- 

 rious stages of production, etc. It is 

 stated that the best success thus far 

 has been with seedlings obtained by 

 crossing the red-stemmed "giganteum" 

 with the Harrlsii. Full details of cul- 

 ture, selection of seed bearers, prepa- 

 ration of soil, sowing seed, tempera- 

 tures and their effects, etc., and an in- 

 teresting group of plates is appended. 



CARNATION ANDREW CARNEGIE. 



APPRAISERS' DECISIONS. 



No. 17SS5.— Iris Bulbs.— Protest 255,- 

 1S4 of F. B. Vandegrift & Co. (New 

 York). 



Dried iris bulbs which were classi- 

 field under the provision in paragraph 

 251, tariff act of 1S97, for "bulbs * * * 

 which are culti>'ated for their flowers." 

 are claimed to be free of duty under 

 paragraph 548 as "drugs," or under 

 other provisions of the free list. As- 

 sessment affirmed. 



Waite, General Appraiser: • * * The 

 iris is a well-known flowering plant. 

 See "Iris," International Encyclopedia. 

 From some varieties of this plant is 

 produced the orris root, Itnown to the 

 drug trade. We think, however, that 

 the orris root of commerce is the root 

 of the iris plant after being scraped 

 and prepared for the trade, which de- 

 stroys the germinating principle. We 

 are unable to learn that the root in 

 such form as imported in this case is 

 known or dealt in by the drug trade. 

 There is some evidence in the case 

 which lends to show that this particu- 

 lar importation was brought in for the 

 purpose of planting and raising the 

 orris root for medicinal or drug pur- 

 poses of planting and raising the orris 

 root for medicinal or drug purposes. 

 We do not think, however, that the 

 use of the merchandise after importa- 

 tion should govern. It will be noted 

 that the language of paragraph 251 is, 

 "which are cultivated for their 

 flowers." We think the iris roots are 

 cultivated for their flowers, and the 

 fact that they may be diverted to an- 

 other use cannot vary the asses.sment 

 upon importation, the commodity not 

 being in shape or condition to be used 

 as a drug or by these dealing in drug- 

 gists' materials. It appears from the 

 evidence that these plants at the time 

 of importation were in a condition to 

 germinate and grow. If the bulb may 

 be used either to plant for flowering 



The Chicago 

 Carnation Com- 

 pany has 10,000 

 plants of this new 

 variety growing. 

 It is even more 

 vigorous than its 

 parent, with a 

 somewhat heavier 

 stem and a short- 

 er growth than 

 Harlowarden. As 

 Harlowarden is 

 so well known 

 universally and 

 has so m a n y 

 good points, there 

 is little left to be 

 said in regard to 

 the merits of this 

 sport. The dis- 

 seminators are 

 booked up on or- 

 ders for about all 

 they can deliver 

 this month, and 

 anticipate ciuite a demand for it later 

 In the season, which they hope to be 



able to supply, as the variety makes 

 so many cuttings. 



purposes or to raise a product intended 

 for ultimate conversion into a drug, it 

 cannot be said, therefore, to be duti- 

 able under paragraph 54S. 



A NEW NURSERY. 



Messrs. A. Van Leeuwen and H. H. 

 deVVildt, formerly of Worcester, Mass., 

 under the firm name of the Horticul- 

 tural t!ompany, have put in operation 

 a nursery of 50 acres on the tract 

 which the Carolina Trucking Develop- 

 ment Companv is developing at Castle, 

 N. C. 



The Horticultural Company is at 

 present erecting a large stable and 

 bulb house, 40x100 feet, on their place 

 at Castle Haynes, Both gentlemen ure 

 well qualified by long experience in 

 nursery work and landscape planting, 



AN INTERESTING SEEDLING. 



Edwin Lonsdale of Girard College, 

 Philadelphia, has a number of seedling 

 carnations one of which, a cross be- 

 tween Enchantress and Crane, he has 

 great hopes of. It has the character- 

 istic stem of the seed parent and 

 gives promise of being a more profuse 

 bloomer. The shape of the flower is 

 also an improvement. It is essen- 

 tially a white variety but has the faint- 

 est pink edge on each petal which, 

 however, fades away before the flower 

 is in condition for cutting. Mr. Lons- 

 dale has hopes that this pink edge is 

 the beginning of the picotee marking 

 which, in his opinion, is preferable to 

 the striped or bizarre stripe of variega- 

 tion which, thus far, prevails in tbe 

 American carnation type. 



