814 



H ORTICULTURE 



June 20, 1908 



j)art of my list at least, should be iiK-hideil in his iron- 

 clad contingent. 



;Mr. Koehler remarks that it wonld not be uureason- 

 alilc to demand as a test lor hardiness, that a Rhododen- 

 dron be able to satisfactorily withstand a winter without 

 protection in the middle of a ten-acre Held. I have 

 tlioroughly digested this interesting statement, and at 

 once compare it with the following : "There is no iron- 

 clad list in the sense that that term can be applied to 

 a common lilac.'"' "Enough said." Stirely a Ehodo- 

 dendron which planted in the middle of a ten-acre 

 field -'wovtld survive a test of ten years, and at the 

 end of that time still be shapely" must be classed as 

 a most desirable variety, ^^'ould Mr. Koehler name, 

 say, half a dozen varieties which would stand this 

 treatment for ten years? 



Regarding that part of Mr. Koehler's article where 

 with a brilliant rhetorical flourish, he goes globe trot- 

 ting, and takes in all the remote corners of the earth, 

 these, I suppose, were what I might call his irrepressible 

 digressions. Mr. Ivoehler"s comparisons were ostensibly 

 intended to illustrate his remarks, to enlighten readers 

 as to his philosophy, to add something to the soundness 

 and effectiveness of his logic. I think it did nothing 

 of the kind. His remarks in this respect were perfectly 

 obvious, and call for no reply from me, inasmuch as the 

 remote parts of the earth are in the present instance 

 quite outside my province, and have no part in the 

 present discussion. 



Mr. Koehler in the course of his remarks says, "Ad- 

 mittedly many Rhododendrons are hardy in localities 

 in England, which are not hardy in Xew England." It 

 appears to me that he has got a trifle mixed in this 

 part of his article. I did not mention England, except 

 as referring to that country as being the principal 

 source from which we get our varieties, and I still think 

 that the sentence quoted by Mr. Koehler is quite in or- 

 der, and could not possibly be taken to mean anything 

 other than what I intended it to mean. 



It seems that Mr. Koehler is displeased with my 

 using the very wide term Xew England States ; why he 

 should be, I am at a loss to understand. I should like 

 to infonu him that this term when used in a limited 

 sense, is perfectly legitimate, and for this purpose I will 

 give him a precedent where this very wide term has 

 been used. In Bailey's Cyclopedia of American Horti- 

 culture, I find the following sentence in an article deal- 

 in.T; with Rhododendrons, which was WTitten by our es- 

 teemed and learned friend, ilr. Alfred Rehder: "For- 

 merly it was considered impossible to grow the beautiful 

 hardy hybrids in the iS'"ew England States, but now it 

 has been shown by sitch splendid collections as those of 

 Mr. H. H. Hunnewell at AYelleslev', Mass., that even in 

 a trying climate they can be grown to perfection if the 

 right situations are selected and the right way of culti- 

 vation is followed." Xow. personally, I cannot see any- 

 thing wrong in those words, contributed to a great hor- 

 ticultural work by one of the most brilliant writers in 

 this country, and I still think that the term Xew Eng- 

 land States, as I used it, is perfectly correct. 



I feel sure Mr. Koehler will agree with me when I 

 say that Mr. Rehder is one of the leading authorities 

 on Rhododendrons in this country and that if he states 

 than any particular variety is hardy in the Xew Eng- 

 land States (or Boston and vicinity to suit Mr. Koeh- 

 lers residential convenience) we should at once accept 

 it as being the outcome of his careful observations. In 

 ilr. Rehder's list of hardy varieties, suitable for plant- 

 ing in the vicinity of Boston, I find the following: 

 Alex. Dancer, August Tan Geert, Charles Bagley, Ever- 



estianum. am! Hannibal. Mr. Koehler informs us that 

 only two of those sorts are hardy. So much for those 

 varieties. Xow I will deal with The Queen. I can as- 

 sart! Mr. Koehler that this variety has been planted 

 quite extensively throughout Xew England, and has in- 

 varial)ly given satisfaction. I have before me a list of 

 iihododendrons (ironclads by the way) which was is- 

 sued this year by a well-known firm in the vicinity of 

 Xew York. This firm makes special reference to tlio 

 fact that all of their stock have been grown for many 

 years past in the open withotit the slightest protection 

 whatever. Incidentally I may say that The Queen is 

 included in theii' list of ironclads. How do you ac- 

 couiit for this, Mr. Koehler? 



Mr. Koehler mentions R. S. Halford in his article. I 

 am sorry I have not had the pleasure of seeing this va- 

 riety in my travels ; perhaps he meant Mrs. R. S. Hol- 

 ford. Regarding this variety and also Mrs. John Ciut- 

 ton, I can only emphasize what I have already stated, 

 that they are both perfectly hardy if they are planted 

 in the right situation, and a slight winter protection is 

 given them. It appears, however, that one person at 

 least, classed those two varieties as being ironclads, and 

 recommended their as being most desirable varieties for 

 Buston and vicinity. I refer to the late Mr. F. L. 

 Harris, ^W'lcsley, Mass. Mr. Harris so far bacK as 

 ];^i)7 recomru'uded Mrs. John Glutton and Mrs. R. S. 

 Holiord as being absolutely hardy in the vil:-iniiy of 

 Boston. (See Gardening, Vol. 5, Xo. 120, page 370.) 



Much that Mr. Koehler has written in his concluding 

 remarks I entirely agree with, and I make haste to say 

 ti::it I a!?o have much to learn about Rhododendrons, 

 and wouli! be deligl ted to have the experience of other 

 people on this subject provided the various points are 

 met with solid facts and irrefragable logic. 



When diSfuEsing as to whether a Rhododendron is 

 hardy or not, one of the most important facts is often 

 o\erlooked, namely, site. By far the largest number 

 of Rododendrons are planted on happy-go-luclvy sites, 

 that is, sites which are quite unsuited for giving good 

 results. Hence arises the need of artificial protection 

 for many varieties, which might safely be dispensed 

 with in a less exposed location. Intelligent and sys- 

 tematic management may of course greatly lessen the 

 disadvantages imposed by faulty environment, but say 

 what we will, it is "site" first and last which is the 

 most essential factor in successful Rhododendron cul- 

 ture. 



What then is the crux of the whole question when 

 we consider in this connection a few remaining points, 

 such as the climatic conditions peculiar to the New 

 England States, oscillating as it does between the ex- 

 tremes, there remains such a preponderance of ignor- 

 ance in relation to essential factors, that the most vital 

 question of all, site, is too often neglected. 



In conclusion I -s^-ould say to those who intend going 

 in for Rhododendrons, — find out what varieties do best 

 in your locality : keep strictly on those lines at the start; 

 and then vrhen you feel that you would like to add to 

 your collection, try experiments. There are never two 

 seasons quite alike, so that you can always count upon 

 surprises, but never condemn a variety as not being 

 hardy, unless you have given it the situation and care- 

 ful attention which its constitution demands. 



North Easton, Mass. 



