March 30, 1907 



HORTICULTURE 



425- 



THE MUS'NGS AND MAXIMS OF 

 McGCRUM. 



The convention of the Rose Society 

 has again terminated and judging from 

 the reports its star is again in the 

 ascendant The essay of E. G. Hill 

 should be kept for future reference. 

 Coming from a gentleman of so high 

 a standing, "aside from his genial 

 personality," we owe him much. I 

 coincide with the views of our friend 

 Elliott that the Rose Society should be 

 in the hands of commercial men, and 

 its officers should be of that class, or 

 men affiliated with the profession. We 

 will take a step backward if we admit 

 amateurs or those not in commercial 

 work in to the working ranks of the 

 society at the present time. Chicago is 

 to be the next Mecca for the rose men. 

 Well, judging by reports, the western 

 brethren will be able to show us a few 

 wrinkles that we easterners don't 

 know. Here's hoping we may be all 

 spared to see it. 



I have just been studying the 

 photograph of the delegates taken on 

 I he Treasury steps "just a few steps 

 between them and riches." George 

 Watson looks as if he had taken a fall 

 out of the President. I wonder if the 

 affair took place in the Blue Room. 

 I see George is retaining the hand that 

 shook the hand, etc., "George again" — ■ 

 and just back of George stands Job. 

 Job don't seem flustered; though 

 shorter in stature, he has the bearing 

 of one of his forefathers who was a 

 pedantic ruler of Scotland, and who 

 carried a sword live feet four inches 

 in length. Burns made the owner of 

 that sword memorable by giving us, 

 "Scots wha' hae wi" — Well you know 

 what comes after that, but Job's fore- 

 fathers' sword lies in a glass case in a 

 certain monument, so the pen being 

 mightier than the sword and better 

 suited for the vest pocket he prefers 

 it. Job says he is "rubbing shoulders 

 with experts" now and wishes to be 

 understood to be in that category. 

 Experts don't usually take their own 

 prescriptions; if they did I wonder 

 where Job would be languishing. 



I attended the spring show in Boston 

 Saturday. It was a beautiful show of 

 plants, but the cut flower section was 

 rather meagre. What is the reason 

 that we have not the spirited con- 

 tests we bad some years ago. I am 

 informed that there is something com- 

 ing on at the fall show in the interests 

 of the commercial men. Society 

 people are offering some handsome 

 special prizes tor roses to be com- 

 peted for at that time. Let the good 

 work go on and I hope the growers 

 will appreciate the efforts of the men 

 who are instrumental in bringing for- 

 ward this movement. 



President Westwood's letter on 

 "Tightening the ties" shows him to 

 be a broad-minded gentleman of a 

 class who sees that antagonisms and 

 divisions mean the ultimate disrup- 

 tion of the whole. Beecher once said, 

 "A man who does not know how to 

 learn from his mistakes turns the best 

 schoolmaster out of his life. ' I wish 

 to be understood that no party or 

 parties in any club have any right to 

 the moneys of the club any more 

 than any individual member, but when 

 those moneys are wanted by any set 

 of men in a profession for the benefit 

 of that profession, to cause an in- 



justice to be stopped, the members 

 ought to rise as one man and help 

 those who are in trouble. Organiza- 

 tions are more to be feared by a cer- 

 tain class of men than men going as 

 individuals. Give president Westwood 

 your strongest support for by his 

 action he stood by the ship when she 

 was in a very rocky quarter. Give us 

 more men like him and we would 

 have a happier and better world. 

 Don't live for self. Give your neigh- 

 bors a helping hand when in need. 



R. T. McGORUM. 



SCHOOL GARDENS. 



Editor of HORTICULTURE: 



I note with great interest two com- 

 munications on children's gardens in 

 your issue of March 9th. Good for 

 Mr. Murray. More such generous of- 

 fers might easily establish a school 

 garden center from which would radi- 

 ate more substantial support than the 

 movement has ever received. 



We have had In Boston during the 

 last six months two school garden 

 conferences, one at Horticultural Hall 

 largely attended by school teachers, 

 school garden workers and those in- 

 terested in children and in civic im- 

 provement, the other at Lorimer Hall 

 under the auspices, of the Massachu- 

 setts School Superintendents. Both 

 were enthusiastic, well attended meet- 

 ings and will do a lot to push the 

 good cause along. Why not a confer- 

 ence of the trade to outline a definite 

 policy for helping? 



I believe the school garden move- 

 ment should be thoroughly studied 

 and a definite plan drawn up. The 

 trade should do two things now, get 

 the public interested and give definite 

 help to all. It is a movement which 

 is growing fast but which needs sub- 

 stantial support now as never before. 

 The trade are interested and cannot 

 but see the great advantage in the 

 movement. Let them step in and give 

 balance and strength which will carry 

 it forward with a strength that 

 nothing can break down. The more 

 one studies it the more one believes 

 in it. Now is the time for action. 

 Get together and talk it over. 



The report of the Committee on 

 Children's Gardens of the Massachu- 

 setts Horticultural Society for 1906 is 

 just out. Anyone interested may 

 secure a copy from Sec. W. P. Rich, 

 Horticultural Hall, Boston. 

 Very truly yours, 

 HENRY SAXTON ADAMS. 



Wellesley, Mass., March 9, 1907. 



WHOLESOME CHESTNUTS. 



It is a little early yet to prune hy- 

 brid perpetual roses outdoors, but 

 when the work is in order, which it 

 will be in most sections within the 

 next two or three weeks, remember to 

 cut back weak wood more than the 

 good strong shoots; hard pruning 

 within season always insures larger 

 blooms, but not in large numbers. In 

 making a new planting of roses out 

 doors it must be borne in mind that, 

 although plants when growing can 

 hardly get too much water, wet soil 

 naturally is repugnant to them espe- 

 cially in winter and it will be found 

 that when roses are planted in wet 

 ground with no provision for drainage, 

 the roots are mostly dead in spring 

 and the plants of little use. 



Roses like a rather stiff soil, but 

 when the best possible results are de- 



sired it will be well when starting 

 upon the work of preparation for their 

 cultivation to remove a part of the 

 soil from the place intended for the 

 plants filling the vacancy thus created 

 with the same quantity of good turf 

 grown on a stiff soil mixing therewith 

 a liberal portion of cow manure, never 

 omitting taking the precaution of pro- 

 viding adequate drainage. 



Hybrid tea roses in frames should 

 receive all the air possible from now 

 on and their planting in beds should 

 not be deferred after they show un- 

 mistakable signs of growth. Any 

 pruning necessary for this class of 

 roses can be given them at leisure 

 before they are planted. Those of 

 the same class out doors all winter 

 may be winter killed down to the sur- 

 face of their protecting material and 

 a little lower perhaps, and still be of 

 service. 



Frau Karl Druschki and Mildred 

 Grant are two superb white roses that 

 no one growing roses should be with- 

 out. Mrs. John Laing, also a hybrid 

 perpetual although not new, is a pink 

 rose of surpassing beauty in flower 

 and foliage. 



The hybrid tea class of roses are 

 fast gaining ground in the march to 

 permanent popularity because they 

 flower steadily till frost checks them 

 for the winter. 



No apology is required for making 

 use of cold frames in the early spring 

 under the supposition that frames are 

 antiquated. Might as well apologize 

 for condescending to utilize the heat 

 of the old sun, with the possibility of 

 making as great an impression. Cold 

 frames are indispensable adjuncts to 

 every greenhouse establishment, pri- 

 vate or commercial, large or small, 

 but there is a proper time and manner 

 of using them to advantage and it 

 may also be that sometimes it would 

 be better if they remained unoccupied. 

 The danger of such an eventuality Is 

 nowadays reduced to a minimum. 

 Most people know perfactly well what 

 to put in cold frames in early spring 

 and in what condition those things 

 should be when placed there. 



Geraniums established in their flow- 

 ering pots may be removed to frames 

 any time, care being taken that they 

 are sufficiently protected from frost. 

 Antirrhinums and other things of like 

 character that have been some time 

 pricked off into flats will do well in 

 frames now. There is much complaint 

 this season concerning the failure of 

 salvia seed to germinate. This Is es- 

 pecially pronounced in the case of 

 Bonfire. Plants well advanced now in 

 pots should provide cuttings which 

 will soon root and make nice plants 

 in time for bedding. 



Now is the time to go ahead with 

 the work of getting a good stock of 

 coleus ready. Cuttings well rooted, 

 obtainable for half a cent each, will 

 make tip-top stuff by planting time. 



Alternantheras will soon claim at- 

 tention; by dividing and taking cut- 

 tings subsequently from a seemingly 

 small stock an enormous quantity may 

 be grown. Keep the plants growing 

 and keep putting in all the cuttings as 

 fast as they reach a fit stage. 



Don't allow Begonia Vernon to 

 crowd in flats; pot into three-inch pots 

 as many of these as circumstances 

 will permit of handling; they are 

 preferable in pots, but useful even in 

 flats. 



