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HORTICULTURi: 



May 11, 1907 



NEWS OF THE CLUBS AND SOCIETIES 



MASSACHUSETTS HORTICULTU- 

 RAL SOCIETY. 



Saturday, May 4, was the date set 

 for the annual May exhibition, but so 

 unpropitious has the spring weather 

 been that much material intended for 

 this show was not in readiness, and 

 while the display was excellent in ev- 

 erj' particular, it was much smaller 

 than usual, and it was thought best 

 to set a date two weeks later tor a sup- 

 plementary show. Martin Sullivan, 

 gardener for William Whitman, was the 

 largest contributor. His fancy pelar- 

 goniums were very fine. Darwin tu- 

 lips and narcissi were also shown ex- 

 tensively by him. A specimen Rhodo- 

 dendron formosum from J. L. Smith, 

 gardener to Mrs. A. W. Blake, was a 

 centre of attraction, as were some su- 

 perb branches of Marechal Niel roses 

 from George Page, gardener to Mrs. 

 Fred Ayer, one of the latter bearing 

 twenty-nine flowers. In the orchid 

 section, J. T. Butterworth opened the 

 eyes ot the visitors with a specimen 

 Cattleya Mossiae bearing fifty-nine 

 flowers; the same plant produced for- 

 ty-four blooms last year. The display 

 of spring flowering bulbs and other 

 seasonable garden material from Har- 

 vard Botanic Garden, W. N. Craig, W. 

 J. Clemson and others was excellent. 

 Prizes were awarded as follows: 



Pelargoniums — First, William Whitman. 



Tulips — First, William Whitman; second, 

 W. J. Clemson. 



Darwin collection of twelve named va- 

 rieties, one twelve-inch pan of each — First, 

 William Whitman. 



Hardy Narcissuses, collection — First, 

 Langwater Gardens; second, William Whit- 

 man; third, W. J. Clemson. 



Pansies — First, Mrs. A. W. Blake; 

 second, Mrs. E. M. Gill. 



Silver Medal — J. T. Butterworth, for su- 

 perior cultivation of Cattleya Mossiae. 



First Class Certificate of Merit— George 

 Page, gardener to Mrs. Frederick Ayer, for 

 superior cultivation of Marechal Nlel roses. 



Honorable Mention — Harvard Botanic 

 Garden, New Primula, P. Polssonl; Mrs. 

 Frederick Ayer, Acacia pulchella; William 

 Whitman, superior cultivation of Cattleya 

 Skinneril. 



Asparagus — First, Edwin Parker. 



Beets — L'irst, A. E. Hartshorn. 



Cucumbers — First, Geo. D. Moore. 



Dandelions— First, J. B. Shurtleff, Jr.; 

 second, Mrs. Frederick Ayer; third, A. B. 

 Hartshorn. 



Lettuce — First, G. D. Moore; second, Mrs. 

 A. W. Blake; third, A. E. Hartshorn. 



Parsley — First, W. J. Clemson; second, 

 A. E. Hartshorn. 



Radishes — First, Ed. Parker; second, A. 

 E. Hartshorn; third, G. D. Moore. 



Rhubarb — First, G. D. Moore; second, 

 Alice A. Warburton; third, Ed. Parker. 



Collection of Vegetables — First, Ed. 

 Parker. 



sidered; offered by George R. White; four 

 prizes $40, $30, $20, $10. 



No. 472. For the best vase of fifty 

 Ro.ses, of any one variety: three^ prizes; 

 (first prize offered by Francis Skinner) 



$50, $30, $20. 



No. 473. For the best six vases of Car- 

 nations, fifty blooms each, of any one 

 variety; four prizes $40, $30, $20, $10. 



No. 474. For the best made-up center- 

 piece of growing plants, suitable for a 

 table of eight covers; offered by the Gar- 

 deners' and Florists' Club of Boston: three 

 prizes $12, $8, $5. 



No. 473. For the most tastefully deco- 

 rated table of Fruits, 8x6 feet; autumn 

 foliage and berries may be used to pro- 

 duce a pleasing effect, and the fruits may 

 be either native or foreign; four prizes 



$40, $30, $20, $10. 



No. 476. For the best collection of 

 Vegetables of fifteen varieties, not more 

 than two kinds of any variety admissible: 

 the number of specimens of each variety 

 must be the same as given in the annexed 

 scale of points; tasteful arrangement will 

 be considered; to assist in the decoration 

 of the collection parseley or other vegetable 

 greenery may be used; mere size of speci- 

 mens shown will not necessarily entitle 

 the exhibitor to the highest award; for 

 private gardeners only; four prizes; first 

 prize a Silver Cup valued at $75, offered 

 by R. & J. Farquhar & Co.; the Society 

 offers also second, third, and fourth prize 

 $25, $15, $10. 



On account of the backwardness of 

 the season the date of the Rhododen- 

 dron Exhibition scheduled for June 1st 

 is changed to Saturday, June 8th. 



WM. P. RICH, Secretary. 



The Committee on Prizes and Ex- 

 hibitions of the Massachusetts Horti- 

 cultural Society has issued the follow- 

 ing list of additional special prizes for 

 the Chrysanthemum Show of Novem- 

 ber 8-10, 1907: 



No. 469. For the best arranged table of 

 cnt Chrysanthemum blooms: all classes 

 admissible; tables to be 8x6 feet; for com- 

 mercial growers only; four prizes t 



$40, $30, $20, $10. 



No. 470. For the best decorative ar- 

 rangement of cut Chrysanthemums, with 

 autumn foliage or other suitable material, 

 filling a table 8x6 feet; all classes ad- 

 missible; for retail store florists only; four 

 prizes $40, $30, $20, $10. 



No. 471. For the best vase ot one 

 hundred Chrysanthemum blooms, of one or 

 more varieties, in the Society's large china 

 vases; tasteful arrangement will be coD- 



TARRYTOWN HORTICULTURAL 

 SOCIETY. 



The monthly meeting of the Tarry- 

 town Horticultural Society was held 

 on April 'M, president Howard Nichols 

 In the chair. Four magnificent speci- 

 mens of calceolaria in 6-inch pots 

 were exhibited by Mr. Atkinson, gar- 

 dener to Henry Siegel, Mamaroneck, N. 

 y., who was awarded a cultural cer- 

 tificate for same. He was also 

 awarded a cultural certificate for two 

 pelargoniums Robt. Allen, gardener 

 to E. C. Benedict, Greenwich, Ct.; was 

 awarded a cultural certificate for a 

 cluster of tomato Princess of Wales, 

 there being 23 good sized fruits on the 

 cluster. The monthly prize for two 

 foliage plants was awarded to D. Mc- 

 Farlane for dracaena Lord Wolseley, 

 and croton Lady Zelland. Henry 

 Siegel offers a silver cup for the best 

 table of ferns and flowering plants at 

 the fall show. The society voted to 

 donate $25.00 towards the fund for 

 the proposed new hospital, and to 

 make a charge of 2-5 cents admission 

 to the June show, the proceeds to be 

 turned over to the hospital fund; 

 also to lay out and decorate the 

 grounds around the new hospital ex- 

 clusive of the rou.s;h grading. 



D. McFARLANE, Cor. Secy. 



NEW YORK FLORISTS' CLUB. 



Members Take Notice. 



Through unforseen circumstances 

 we will be unable to meet in the Grand 

 Opera House building, our usual meet- 

 ing place. The next meeting will be 

 held in the Hotel Earlington, 55 West 

 27th street; between 6th avenue and 

 Broadway, at 7.30 p. m., Monday, May 

 13th. S. S. Skidelsky will deliver an 

 address on the coming National 

 Flower Show in Chicago. 



JOHN YOUNG, Secretary. 



NORTH SHORE HORTICULTURAL 

 SOCIETY. 



This society held its regular meet- 

 ing in Manchester on May 3rd, Presi- 

 dent McGregor occupying the chair. P. 

 R. Sanborn gave a most interesting 

 talk on the Fundamentals of Garden- 

 ing, saying in part as follows: 



The fundamentals of gardening are 

 embodied in a thorough understanding 

 of the natural elements which produce 

 the living plant and which the garden- 

 er or farmer must realize in order to 

 bring the plant or crop to maturity, 

 exactly as the manufacturer must un- 

 derstand the qualities and condition of 

 the raw material which passes through 

 his manufacturing plant in order to 

 produce the finished product. 



The raw materials which form the 

 basis of all plant life are soil, water 

 and air. The soil is composed of part- 

 icles which form into kernels and these 

 kernals hold the water not as a sponge 

 but as a film around each kernel where 

 it is held by capillary attraction, the 

 same unseen force that draws the oil 

 through the wick of a lamp. In culti- 

 vated soil nearly 50 per cent, of the 

 volume is taken up by air and water. 



According to experiments made by 

 Prof. F. H. King actual solid soil 

 grains occupy less than one-half the 

 space in a given bulk of soil. In 

 coarse, sandy soils the particles are 

 larger and there is less vacant space, 

 and what space there is exists as 

 larger channels through which air and 

 water move more freely and rapidly. 

 At a depth of four feet the vacant 

 space is about one-third that of the 

 first foot or surface soil; in heavy clay 

 soil half the volume was water or air 

 space. Ground may easily become too 

 compact for the best growth of plants, 

 as is the case below the first foot or 

 so of cultivated ground. A cubic foot 

 of solid soil grains will weigh 165.4 

 lbs.; a cubic foot of fertile clay loam 

 at the surface will weigh but 79 lbs., 

 less than half of 165.4 lbs. It must be 

 therefore that the actual solid soil 

 grains occupy less than one-half the 

 space in a given bulk of soil. It is the 

 business of the farmer or gardener, 

 by cultivation to keep the pore space 

 between the soil particles up to nearly 

 50 per cent, of the total volume of the 

 soil. This fact forms the fundamental 

 reason why we must plough or fork 

 over our gardens, keeping them porous 

 and admit free circulation of air, with- 

 out which their fertility could not be 

 preserved. 



If, as sometimes happens, the water 

 is in excess and fills the air-spaces, 

 crops cannot grow for want of air and 

 such land must be drained in order to 

 bring it to fertility. The average rain- 

 fall for the eastern States from May 

 to October, is over 2000 tons to the 

 acre; enough for all purposes if evenly 

 distributed, which is seldom the case, 

 and it often happens that the rainfall 

 is far short of the needs of the grow- 

 ing crops, to say nothing of the im- 

 mense amount drawn from the soil by 

 evaporation. 



Prof. Smith tells of an experiment 

 where the loss by evaporation from a 

 square foot of loam was nine pounds 

 in seven days, equal to a loss of 200 

 tons per acre. Ground that is compact 



