262 



HORTICULTURE 



February 29, 1&08 



horticulture: 



VOL. VII FEBRUARY 29, 1908 NO. 9 



PUBLISHED WEEKLY BY 



HORTICULTURE. PUBLISHING CO. 

 11 Hamilton Place, Boston. Mass. 



Telephone, Oxford 292 

 WM. ]. STEWART, Editor and Manager 



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Eniered as second-class matter December 8, 1904, at the Post Office at Boston, Mass. 

 under the Act of Congress of March 3, 1879. 



CONTENTS 



Page 

 FRONTISPIECE — Arbor of Boiigainvillca glabra. 



BOIIGAINVIIXEAS— Robert Cameron 261 



VIBXTRNUM OPULUS— David A. Clarke 261 



PINUS ARIST ATA— C. S. Harrison 2G3 



CLIANTHTJS PUNICEUS— K. Finhiyson 263 



AFTER ADJOURNMENT 264 



APPLES IN THE NORTHWEST 264 



NEWS OF THE CLUBS ANIi SOCIETIES: 



Gardeners' and Florists' Club of Boston— Chrysan- 

 themum Society of America— American Rose So- 

 ciety 265 



Illinois State Florists' Association — New Orleans 

 Horticultural Society — Southampton Horticultural 

 gociety— New York Florists' Club— National 

 Flower Show Committee— Twin Cities Florists' and 



Gardeners' Club— Club and Society Notes 266 



COMMERCIAL CARNATIONS— W'allace R. Pierson.. 266 

 CARNATION BREEDING IN AMERICA— C. W. Ward. 267 



SEED TRADE 270 



OBITITARY — William McManus — .lames Daly — Robert 



Allan 274 



GREENHOUSE GROWN VEGETABLES— Illustrated.. 272 



FLOWER MARKET REPORTS: 



Boston, Chicago, Detroit, New York, Philadelphia, 



Washington 277 



SMALL FRUITS— Wilfrid Wheeler 2So 



MISCELLANEOUS: 



Heard at Dingee & Conard Co.'s 264 



Personal 264 



Movements of Gardeners 269 



Catalogues Received 270 



$250,000 for Gypsy Moth Fight 270 



List of Patents 271 



News Notes 274 



Fire Record 274 



Business Changes 275 



New Retail Flower Stores 275 



Carnation Lieut. Peary 277 



Greerihouses Building or Projected 277 



Philadelphia Notes 277 



The present depression in market 

 The carnation values of many standard varieties of 

 growers' burden e^t flowers, imusual in its extent 

 . over the greater part of this coun- 

 try. bri:]g.s to the front ques;tions of grave importance 

 to the grower and, although in somewhat lesser degree, 

 to the flower dealer, the bulb importer and the green- 

 house builder. Naturally, comparisons are made be- 

 tween returns for flowers marketed this season and 

 prices realized at corresponding dates last year and in 

 years previous. In this light, carnations, for instance, 

 make a very poor showing, although, so far as quality 

 is concerned, the average product this year is equal to, 

 if not superior to, anything ever before offered. Con- 

 ecding this fact as to quality the break of from thirty to 

 sixtv per cent., or even more in some cases, in prices 



for February as compared with those prevailing one 

 year ago must come as a serious disappointment to 'the 

 carnation growers, a disappointment which the heavier 

 aggregate cut of blooms during this period will not 

 greatly lessen. It is to be hoped that as the season 

 [irogrosses some compensating balance on the other side 

 may yet be experienced and a better general average 

 thus reached than now seems likely, for no class of flow- 

 er growers has better earned a substantial reward for in- 

 telligent industry than have the American carnation 

 growers. 



Undoubtedly the man who has occasion 

 The forcing to View the situation with the greatest 

 bulb industry apprehension is the one engaged in 



bulb forcing. The market value of 

 this particular product, including lily of the valley, 

 has run of late on the average dangerously near the 

 first cost of the bulbs and not infrequently the returns 

 for the flowers have been considerably below the cost 

 of the bulbs. This cannot go on indefinitely and bulb 

 importing houses, as well as the foreign firms making 

 direct shipments, should prepare themselves for a cur- 

 tailed demand for next season while those who were 

 over-indulgent in giving credits last fall may have to 

 take some painful jolts. Direct information by cable 

 this week is to the effect that higher prices are con- 

 templated for all French bulbs for the coming season 

 and quotations on deliveries are thus far unobtainable. 

 Considering the experiences of the present forcing sea- 

 son the attitude of American bulb buyers, in the event 

 of higher import prices, should not be a matter of con- 

 jecture. The fact that the forcing bulb crop is with a 

 good many growers a sort of filler-in between other 

 crops and that it is not easy to find any other use for 

 the houses in midwinter is not likely to have much 

 weight if the business must he done at an actual cash 

 loss to tlie grower. 



Old style 

 houses at a 

 disadvantage 



Some views of the violet-growing ques- 

 tion as affected by this year's market 

 conditions and tendencies, as same ap- 

 ))ears to us, were given in our issue of 

 two weeks ago. A few thoughts on the 

 rose may not be untimely. The rose has been one of 

 the few bright spots in this listless flower season, up to 

 date. There have lieen seasons in the past when the 

 rose grower has had to face a much worse proposition 

 than anything that has confronted him thus far this 

 year. The explanation is to be found, undoubtedly, in 

 light crops. Indications now favor an increa.sed supply 

 for the weeks to come and with the incoming of Lent 

 and the fact of a late Easter, heavy surplusses seem 

 inevitable. One thing that should not be lost sight of 

 is that the great majority of roses, and. to a considerable 

 extent, of carnations also, which have the quality neces- 

 sary to find an appreciative market now-a-days come 

 from establishments having modern-type houses. Con- 

 ditions are rapidly approaching that stage where a liv- 

 ing income can no longer lie easily extracted from the 

 growing of roses in any but the modern light and spa- 

 cious type of house and the rose grower limited to 

 equipment which, a dozen years ago. was ample and re- 

 munerative will then be at a great disadvantage. Cul- 

 tural ability is, of course, an indispensable factor in any 

 ease, but cultural ability confined in inadequate houses 

 is badly handicapped when forced to compete against, 

 equal cultural skill backed by the modern "rose fac- 

 tory" outfit. It we mistake not, the up-to-date green- 

 liouse builder has lively times in store for him in the 

 near future. 



