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HORTICULTURE 



May 11, 1907 



The railroads could, through such 

 coutracts, control the rates to be fixed 

 by the express companies, and it 

 would be to their interest always to 

 increase rates so long as the traffic 

 would move thereon, for thereby their 

 portion of the receipts under the con- 

 tract would be increased." 



The order of the commission re- 

 quires the United States Express Com- 

 pany to desist from charging the one- 

 dollar rate after June 15, and directs 

 it to put in a sixty-cent rate from 

 Chatham and Soraerville, N. J., to 

 New York City; a seventy-two cent 

 rate from Allentown, Penn., to New 

 York City, and from Philadelphia, 

 Hillside, and Dorranceton, Penn., a 

 ninety-cent rate. The order also 

 directs the reduction on rates on 

 empty llower boxes from New York 

 City to the points named to the mer- 

 chandise I ate of .50 cents per hundred 

 pounds. 



The question of reparation to in- 

 jured shippers is held in abeyance 

 sub.iecl to proofs to be taken. 



REGULATING THE EXPRESS. 



(Boston Heialil Editorials.) 

 Express rates must come down, too. 

 Imagine the feelings of the venerable 

 Mr. "piatt, whose company is operated 

 upon for a starter. Is there to be no 

 consideration for aged statesmen en- 

 gaged in business on the Side? 



The Interstate Commerce CommiB- 

 sion has rendered its first opinion in 

 an express company case, and it is 

 against the company. The defense 

 rested on the contracts alleged to exist 

 between itself and the railroad coni- 

 jiany carrying the goods, by the terms 

 of which so large a part of the rate 

 charged was taken by the railroad 

 that the balance remaining to the ex- 

 press comjjany was only a reasonable 

 reward foi the service. But the com- 

 mission brushed this aside and fixed u 

 lower rate, saying that extortionate 

 contracts wiih the railroads were no 

 excuse. 



Thus we have another extension of 

 federal authority, but a necessary and 

 welcome one. Unless some board or 

 commissicn is clothed with power to 

 compel the express companies to con- 

 form their charges to reason it is hard 

 10 see where the ordinary man is to 

 have any redress for the overcharges 

 they intend to make. Their business, 

 like telephoning, has become a neces- 

 sit^• of modern life. 



PERSONAL. 



.luo. Ross, gardener on the Francis 

 Peabody,' Jr., estate, Hyde Park, Mass., 

 sails for Scotland on May 14. 



George Reed, for the past year in 

 charge of the new park at Homestead, 

 Pa., has resigned and accepted a posi- 

 tion as assistant with H. Wesley at P. 

 V. Thompson's, Uniontown, Pa. 



B. S. Slinn, Jr., of New York, has 

 been ordered to Arkansas Hot Springs 

 by his physician, and will stay there 

 for the next two months. Mr. Slinn 

 has been a great s ifferer from 

 rheumatism for some time. 



Fred Windmiller, now with the 

 Cleveland Cut-Flower Company, was in 

 Columbus, Ohio, last week visiting his 

 old friends. For years Mr. Windmiller 

 was in charge of the greenhouses here 

 of the Livingston Seed Company. 



ROSES. 



Aljstract of a rapur ifjid lioforo tlie 

 Morris Couuty Gai'deners" and Florists' 

 Societ.v by Andrew Kennedy. 



Roses started from cuttings are 

 probably the best for small growers 

 and private gardeners, but for large 

 commercial plants I think the grafted 

 stock is more easily grown and will 

 yield larger profits. 



In propagating from cuttings there 

 are two points that 1 think cannot be 

 mentioned too often; one is always, 

 and at any cost, to propagate from 

 clean, vigorous stock; and the other, 

 which I consider equally important, is; 

 don't hurry the rootin.g process. 



Cuttings that are kept cool and 

 moist and are ready for potting, that 

 is have emitted roots a quarter inch 

 long at the end of the fourth week 

 after insertion, will invariably make 

 better plants than those that are root- 

 ed in less time. 



Potting and repotting as growth ne- 

 cessitates will be in order till June, 

 when the plant.'; should be benched. 

 If, tor two months after benching, the 

 growing has been as nearly natural as 

 possible the plants should be strong 

 enough to begin cutting and forcing. 



Cutting is very important at thi» 

 stage of growth; the prospects for the 

 whole year are often blighted by an 

 indiscTiminate use of the knife. Early 

 cutting does not pay, for prices are 

 usually low, -and I do not hesitate to 

 say if all buds are taken, pinching 

 those on small wood and cutting bot- 

 tom shoots with four to six eyes as 

 soon as the buds show color, the fu- 

 ture strength and productiveness of 

 the plant will justify such treatment, 

 for it is generally admitted that devel- 

 oping the buds is the greatest tax on 

 the energy of the plant. 



After cutting begins, syringing will 

 generally furnish all the clear water 

 necessary, and all other water used 

 should be more or less enriched un- 

 less on some occasions when the bench 

 woiild be too dry to receive manure 

 water, when a light watering with 

 clear water should be .given first. 



I consider liquid feeding by far the 

 best during fall and winter, for then 

 the surface of the soil may be 

 scratched lightly and the whole bench 

 will dry in less time than if covered 

 with mulch, and if my observation is 

 right a l)ench that can be dried and 

 watered often during the winter will 

 produce a more active growth than on? 

 kept continually wet. About February 

 1st. when the days get longer and 

 I'righter. the plants will readily take 

 hold of a coat of mulch and it will a^'t 

 both as a feed and a covering for the 

 rents that have reached the surface. 



When the plants begin to break from 

 the old wood it is time to start prun- 

 ing, and bv the time the new shoots 

 have finished their foliage the greater 

 part of the old blind wood should be 

 cut away; thus during the spring 

 montjis the plants will present almost 

 as pleasing an appearance as they did 

 in early fall. 



OBITUARY. 



John C. McCarthy, formerly with 

 Geo. Lee, Beverly Farms, has taken 

 Peter Ward's place at the Oliver Ames 

 place. Pride's Crossing. Mr. Ward has 

 taken the position of gardener for 

 John Caswell, Pride's Crossing. 



Hendrik van Waveren, of the firm 

 of Waveren Brothers, bulb growers, 

 died at Hillegora, Holland, on March 

 24, aged 96 years, 



Frederick E. Shaw, for the past 

 twelve years engaged in the florist bus- 

 iness in Utica, N. Y., died on April 29, 

 aged 56. A widow and two children 

 survive him. 



John L. Bingham, a plant and bulb 

 grower of Oyster Bay, N. Y., died on 

 April 30, aged 38 years. Mr. Bingham 

 was tax collector of the town. His 

 death was caused by pneumonia. 



Col. Henry W. Wilson, a prominent 

 and active member of the Massachu- 

 setts Horticultural Society, died at his 

 home in South Boston, Mass., on May 

 7, aged 73 years. 



Col. Wilson was identified with 

 many prominent engineering projects, 

 including the filling in of the Com- 

 monwealth Park flats, the water meas- 

 urements on the Merrimack river, the 

 sewage systems- of Chelsea and the 

 construction of the Metropolitan Street 

 Railway. He was connected with the 

 city engineer's office until 1863, when 

 he resigned to take up private practice. 

 He served for many years on the gar- 

 den committee of the Massachusetts 

 Horticultural Society. His companion- 

 able and cheery disposition brought 

 him a host of friends among the hor- 

 ticultural fraternity. 



FLORISTS' CLUB OF WASHING- 

 TON. 



The regular monthly meeting of the 

 Florists' Club of Washington was held 

 May 7th at Gude's Hall, with Pres. 

 Bisset in the chair. The meeting was 

 not so well attended as usual, owing 

 to the inclemency of the weather. Par- 

 ticular attention was called to bogus 

 advertisements which appear from 

 time to time in the trade papers, and 

 to which several parties have fallen 

 victims. One member stated that he 

 sent an order for chrysanthemums ac- 

 companied by cash. He waited several 

 weeks before having any reply; finally 

 he received a letter, saying that all 

 the stock was exhausted and offering 

 to send celery plants. It is hoped that 

 some plan may be decided upon where- 

 by the clubs can work in unison with 

 the trade papers and suppress all such 

 fraud. 



There has been some slight con- 

 fusion as to prizes won at the Rose 

 Show occasioned by parties who made 

 entries, sending their fee to Sec. Ham- 

 mond, instead of to Sec, McCauley, 

 when the exhibit was before the fio- 

 rists' club. Sec. McCauley was in- 

 structed to take up the matter with 

 Sec. Hammond at once, so we may 

 soon hope for a final adjustment of all 

 matters pertaining thereto. 



BETWEEN YOU AND ME, What 

 do you think of the Buyer's Directory 

 and Ready Reference Guide of HORTI- 

 CULTURE? I always look it over be- 

 fore I do any buying. 



