282 



THE GARDENERS' MONTHLY 



[September, 



I. 



blooming above ground, but ripening their fruit' is actuated solely by a desire to benefit somebody, 

 beneath the surface. The former is an oval, one- 1 Still, it is a matter of individual interest that per- 

 sided legume. The seed is hard and requires boil- '< haps ought to come under the head of " declined ;" 



ing before it can be eaten, and is not used parched 

 like the Pea nut. It is not as rich nor as palatable 

 as the Pea nut. 



The Goober Pea, or Voandzea, was cultivated 

 very commonly by them 50 or 60 years ago, but it 

 is now very rarely seen. Other and better varie- 

 ties of Beans and Peas have taken its place. 



I have always been under the impression that 

 these two vegetable productions were brought over 

 to this country by the .'Vfricans and. under their 

 different names, have been cultivated by their de- 

 scendants here. Aiken, South Carolina. 



but in view of the fact that the note calls attention 

 to a point of very general interest, and a correct 

 point as we believe, — that there is a vast field in 

 growing towns for people to build up business in- 

 stead of crowding into the already overdone cities, 

 we cheerfully give place to the communication. — 

 Ed. G. M.] 



EDITORIAL NOTES. 



WHERE FLORISTS SHOULD LOCATE. 



BY R. C. POPPEY. 



This question many florists ask themselves, and 

 with but few exceptions, I dare say, all imagine ored^ to perform the unpleasant duty 

 that, in order to be successful they must locate as 

 closely to a metropolis as possible, regardless of 

 the fact that already too many are huddled there, 

 battling with the law that allows only the fittest to 

 exist. On my arrival to this city, Elmira, New 

 York, I wondered how it had escaped the eye of 

 so many practical florists, who have settled in lo- 

 calities where they eke out a miserable existence. 

 I know of no place where more money is so liber- 

 ally expended for plants, and especially cut 

 flowers as is here. For funeral purposes it is 

 scarcely equaled in a city double its size. Not 

 alone is Elmira to be considered, but also the live- 

 ly httle villages that surround it. A practical 

 florist would find no opposition, from the fact that 

 no flowers worth speaking of are raised here. 1 

 know florists in the eastern part of this state who 

 are tasty in making up flowers, but are wholly de- 

 pendent upon shipping to New York City, that 

 would find it more profitable to open a neat store 

 here. I am a practical florist myself and there- 

 fore know what I am saying. I have no mercenary 

 motives for this communication, and if the Gar- 

 deners' Monthly does not consider it out of or- 

 der, I would willingly give further information 

 through its columns or by letter. 



415 Walnut St., Elmira, N. V. 



[The Editor has to distinguish between that 

 which is wholly personal, and that which is of in- 

 terest to a very large circle of readers, — the latter 

 only being the guide as to what should have a 

 place in the magazine. In the present case Mr. 

 Poppcy has no personal interest in this matter, and 



Lawson or Comet Pear. — We note that some 

 question is still raised as to our decision in this 

 matter. If wrong we shall be glad to be set right, 

 for we can have no personal interest in the decision 

 one way or another. We are simply asked to de- 

 cide an unpleasant controversy, and have endeav- 



The rules of 

 the American Pomological Society say — 



I. The originator or introducer (in the order 

 named) has the prior right to bestow a name upon 

 a new or unnamed fruit, and — 



4. Should the question of priority arise between 

 different names for the same variety of fruit, other 

 circumstances being equal, the name first public- 

 ly bestowed will be given the preference. 



lender rule 4, if a variety be found of which no 

 one knew the origin, introducer, or owner, and 

 thus several persons named differently the one 

 thing, the first name given would be adopted. In 

 this instance if no one knew where the pear was 

 owned or by whom introduced. Comet would be 

 justifiable as the first name published. But here 

 the "circumstances are not equal" for the Lawsons 

 were known to own the Pear, and first introduced 

 it to Mr. Cay wood and others ; and, so far as we 

 understand the English language, have the prior 

 right to bestow a name. We cannot see that the 

 fact that Mr. Caywood did not think proper to 

 consult the owner, who introduced the grafts to 

 him, as to what name it should bear, stands in 

 the least in the way of the owner's right to name it 

 under the rules adopted by the American Pomo- 

 logical Society. 



If any one can show that this decision is wrong 

 we shall very cheerfully recede from it, having, 

 as already said, no reason for any prejudice in 

 favor of any name. 



History of the Leconte Pear. — When the 

 average literary man — the literary magazine man — 

 gets off his horse, he is very apt to carry his poet's 



