261 



HORTl CULTURE 



February 29, 19U8 



AFTER ADJOURNMENT 



We (ion'l believe in green carna- 

 tions or any other dyed blossoms and 

 regard the indulgence in such mon- 

 strosities as a disgrace to the florist 

 business. We do believe in the sham- 

 rock, however, as a beautiful little 

 emblem of St. Patrick's Day. Many 

 more of these plants might be sold. 

 See advertisements of these in this 

 issue. These people have the "rale 

 thing." 



steps to eliminate the "scrawny" and 

 "yellow" relics from the sight of the 

 Plain Dealer man. 



We extend congratulations to the 

 lloral fraternity of Hoboken and con- 

 tiguous New Jersey territory on the 

 opening of transportation through the 

 new "tube" under the broad Hudson 

 River by which quick and sure access 

 to New York markets is at last as- 

 sured. No longer can New .Jersey be 

 classed as a foreign country. John 

 Hirnie and his loyal German clan are 

 new in the United States, glory be. 



When a man of such literary 

 prominence as W. D. Howells assumes 

 responsibility for the absurd state- 

 ment quoted in our seed trade column 

 in this issue, it would seem that in 

 providing horticultural instruction for 

 the pubic school children we are not 

 .going far enough. Why not establish 

 night schools where people such as 

 Mr. Howells, whose opinions carry 

 weight w-ith the public, may have an 

 opportunity to learn a few of the first 

 principles of botanical science and 

 acquire a bit of commonsense concern- 

 ing plant life? 



H. Suzuki of Yokohama, Japan, who 

 is visiting this country for the first 

 time in fifteen years tells us that there 

 are no less than five hundred private 

 conservatories In the neighborhood of 

 1 0KOhama and Tokio all -built within 

 the past few years and the demand tor 

 orchids and other conservatory mate- 

 rial is increasing so rapidly that 

 within five years it is expected that 

 the number of establishments devoted 

 to their culture will equal that of the 

 most favored districts of England. 

 Horticulture in Japan is evidently 

 very much up-to-date. 



Tliey well' alone in the conservatory, 

 says the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Ue 

 turned to her. His voire was low, but 

 passionate. 



"Yon know," he saiii, "why I have 

 asked yon to come here. Will yon lie my 

 wife?" 



Slio looked at Itim inteutl.v. 



"No," she answered, and she ntti'red the 

 inonosyllalile as if site loved it. 



No doubt she expected him to reel and 

 clutch at something, ' but he did nothing of 

 the sort. 



"Very well." he bri.skly said, "that's all 

 I want to know. Shall we go In and finish 

 our dance '^" 



She staled at him in wonder. 



"Aren't yon hurt liy my refusal? Don't 

 .vou intend to do something desperate?" 



"I»esperate? Certaiul,\' nftt. Unless you 

 oall tai-klUig: the lobster salad desperate." 



Her i)ride was sorely wounded. She had 

 meant to hurt him. it would have been a 

 proof of her power. Now she hungered 

 for revenge. There was ouly one way to 

 get even with him. 



"George." she said. "1 have reeonsidered 

 my decision. I will be your wife." 



And the two scrawny rubber plants and 

 the three vellow palms quivered with sup- 

 pressed l:inehter. 



The rubber plants and the palms do 

 occasionally get a chance at something 

 worth seeing and hearing. But It's in 

 order for the Cleveland florists if there 

 are any left in that town, to tak° 



APPLES IN THE NORTH WEST. 



Pomologists and geologists alike 

 agree that the soil of the Spokane 

 country, especially in the valleys, is 

 remarkably riclLand almost inexhausti- 

 ble and adapted to the successful 

 growth of all kinds of fruits, and, to 

 emphasize thia fact it may be noted 

 that the district produced ?14,ii(l(i,000 

 worth of commercial fruits, more than 

 60 per cent, of which was in apples, in 

 1907. The importance of this branch 

 of the industry will be better appre- 

 ciated when it is known that almost 

 100,000 acres of land, or more than 

 four full townships, were devoted to 

 apples alone last year, which shows 

 an increase of from 20 to 30 per cent. 

 in bearing trees over 1906. The com- 

 ing year will show a gain of 27 per 

 cent.', while that for 1909 is estimated 

 at from 50 to 75 per cent, and more 

 than 100 per cent, in 1910. The value 

 of the fruit produced in Spokane coun- 

 ty, by no means the largest in eastern 

 Washington from a horticultural 

 standpoint, is placed at $2,894,165, of 

 which $1,827,065 was received from 

 the sale of apples. 



This is looked upon as a remarkable 

 showing when it is considered that 

 only a few years ago not enough fruit 

 was raised to supply the local mar- 

 kets. 



The prune crop probably was the 

 next in importance, and this was fol- 

 lowed by strawberries and pears in the 

 order named, while peaches, cherries, 

 grapes and melons came as indicated. 

 The grape crop fell short of expecta- 

 tions, because of the curtailed pro- 

 duction in the Snake River and Clear 

 water districts, but the quality was 

 of a grade to make up for any mone- 

 tary losses. 



That the apple is the chief orchard 

 I)roduct of the Inland Empire as well 

 as the national fruit is not questioned, 

 and it is known also that those grown 

 in Washington, Idaho and Oregon are 

 in demand the world over; in fact, 

 the highest market prices are paid 

 in New York, Chicago, Boston, Lontloi. 

 and cities in Australia for the big red- 

 cheeked apples that grow so plentiful- 

 ly in this part of the country. An- 

 other thing that became manifest last 

 season was that while the crops in 

 the older apple belts in the middle 

 west and eastern states were either 

 failure or less than 20 per cent, of the 

 usual production, the yield in tne 

 Spokane country was the largest and 

 best from the standpoint of color, size 

 and flavor in its history. Apple buyers 

 from Chicago, New York and Boston 

 commission houses, representing also 

 exporters, were active in the district 

 throughout the picking and packing 

 season and high prices were the rule. 

 The shortage of labor and the lack 

 of adequate transportation facilities 

 during the harvest resulted in a 

 waste, estimated to have cut down the 

 total output by from $2,500,000 to $'■'.- 

 000,0(»0 on apples alone. 



En.gland is the market of the world; 

 it draws its supplies from all pai ts. 

 and is the only nation that allows all 

 piodncts to enter her market duty 

 free, thus securing for its people the 

 best and largest variety of the world's 

 prouucts, one of the most conspicuous 



aiid foremost of which is the far- 

 famed "American apple," the qualities 

 of which have procured for it a name 

 and has doubtless been the origin of 

 the saying, "An apple a day keeps the 

 doctor away." It is known that the 

 trade on this fruit has, from a small 

 beginning, now acquired enormous di- 

 mensions, not only in the Inland Em- 

 pire, but throughout the Pacific north- 

 west, and the season just closed shows 

 the healthy state it is in, and how 

 rapidly it is increasing. 



HEARD AT DINGEE & CONARD 

 CO.'S. 



Our Philadelphia representative 

 called at the establishment of Dingee 

 & Conard Co. a few da.\s ago and 

 found that this firm had added mush- 

 room growing to their already large 

 list of special subjects and with grati- 

 fying success, ^yir. Lynch said: 



"We are shipping now about 600 lbs. 

 a week, and the crop has been on since 

 Novemlier. Prices were low at first, 

 but we arc now averaging 6fic. a pound, 

 which is a very satisfactory figure 

 when the crop is good. 



"Canuas have always been a great 

 specialt\- with us, and we may claim 

 with all due modesty to have done our 

 share in improving and popularizing 

 them. Here is one called the 'Sweet 

 Scented Canna' — botanically Myrosma 

 cannaefolia. Flowers white, fragrant 

 as an orange blossom. 



"Another oddity you don't often see 

 we have here is the 'seedless fig' — the 

 genuine variety — 4 in. pot plants with 

 well developed fruits. This is a relic 

 of the late talented but eccentric Pat- 

 rick Mee^.an, \\ ho was in our employ 

 at one time and left behind him many 

 new ro.-ias and other thin.gs which he 

 had developed by hybridizing and 

 otherwise. 



"No money in little palms at a quar- 

 ter'' Don't you believe it. We grow 

 them from seed in six months and find 

 them a v.:ry satisfactory item. 



"Yes, Oxalis Ortigesii is old, but still 

 unexcelled as a window plant. We 

 never have enough of it " 



PERSONAL. 



E. Jenkins, Lenox, Mass., has gone 

 to England for a two months' vaca- 

 tion, during which time he intends 

 visiting some of the old-fashioned 

 gardens of England. 



Visitors in Boston: Henry Wild. 

 Greenwich, Conn.; H. A. Jahn, New- 

 Bedford; Wallace R. Pierson, Crow- 

 well, Conn.; H. S. DeForest of Pier- 

 son T'-Bar Co., New York. 



Chas. W. McCauley, secretary of the 

 P'lorists' Club of Washington has been 

 confined to his home for some days 

 with a mild form of blood-poison as a 

 result of a nail wound in his foot. 



Secretary John Young of the N. Y. 

 Florists' Club is about again after the 

 serious injury to his wrist due to a 

 fall on the icy sidewalk. It will be 

 some weeks before he can use his 

 injured arm. 



Visitors in Chicago: Wm. Dykes, 

 representing Ed. Jansen, New York; 

 Wm. Desmond, representing L. S. 

 Donaldson Co., Minneapolis, Minn.; 

 Otto Will, Minneapolis, Minn.; S. Wer- 

 theimer. New York City. 



