May 25, 1907 



HORTICULTURE 



689 



NEPHROLEPIS 



Piersoni Erleg'antissima 



Ttie Tarrytown Fern 



A good stock in all sizes on hand at all times. A splendid seller and 

 money-maker. Large specimen plants, ready for immediate sale : 6-inch at 

 75c and $1.00 each; 8-inch at $J.50 and $2.00 each; J 0-inch at $3.00 each; 

 12-inch at $5.00 each; J4-inch at $7.50 each; 16-inch at $10.00 each. Also 

 fine young stock for growing on, 2>+-inch at $8.00 per hundred. 



F. R. PIERSON CO., Tarrytown-on-Hudson, N. Y. 



many flowering stalks bearing from 

 three to five flowers to a stem, and 

 with daric blue coloring marked with 

 white pencilings. The two most use- 

 ful forms, however, are the pure white 

 variety, which grows about two feet 

 high, bearing purest white flowers in 

 small clusters, an admirable plant for 

 any flower border, and the variety Ori- 

 eutalis, with broad, short foliage, 

 growing to a height of eighteen 

 inches, and bearing with wonder- 

 ful profusion flowers of the rich- 

 est blue, with faint white throat 

 markings. There is no better true 

 blue in the iris family than this. 

 It too is one of the few irises which 

 will bloom a second time, though spar- 

 ingly, it is true, by cutting down after 

 the flowering period. This can hardly 

 be recommended, however. No iris 

 reproduces itself any faster than this. 

 It quickly forms broad colonies and 

 necessarily requires frequent division 

 and transplanting. 



Japanese Irises. 

 Japanese irises comprise perhaps the 

 par excellence of the family; they are 

 much misunderstood and require more 

 judgment in their cultivation than do 

 German irises. If planted in situations 

 where water will not collect about the 

 crowns in winter they are perfectly 

 hardy. To flood them at the flowering 

 period is an advantage, not a necessity. 

 This need is nearly as fully met by 

 thorough mulching to retain all pos- 

 sible soil moisture during the flower- 

 ing period, and with artificial water- 

 ing is far safer than to plant In a 

 moist situation. It is a false impres- 

 sion that the Japanese plant them 

 where they are subject to excesses of 

 moisture in winter. During this peri- 

 od the Japanese iris fields are drained. 

 All Japanese irises are seemingly im- 

 proved and selected varieties, rather 

 than hybrids. Their range of color Is 

 a very ample one, but has decided limi- 

 tations. Aside from the variety of self 

 colors and their combinations in flak- 

 ing and veining, together with the sin- 

 gle and semi-double forms, nothing 

 can be expected. A dozen distinct 

 sorts represent the class far better 

 than a large collection of varieties 

 whose distinction Is more dependent 



on their labels than on any visual evi- 

 dence of variety. Probably no class of 

 plants have been more cruelly foisted 

 on the public as new than these, by 

 means of fanciful names in which Jap- 

 anese terms have been used as indica- 

 tive of new sorts. 



It is highly improbable that any dis- 

 tinctive improvement of the class has 

 resulted in comparison with the first 

 gets of varieties shown in our halls 

 twenty years ago. The following list 

 is probably no better than others that 

 could be named, but possesses distinc- 

 tion in the sorts quoted: Arthur Sil- 

 bard, double, white, shaded with vio- 

 let; Blue Jay, single, clear blue, spot- 

 ted with white; Calypso, double, lilac, 

 richly veined with purple; Dagmar 

 Georgeson, rich royal purple, single; 

 Goliath, double, white, marked with 

 violet; Emperor of Japan, double, vel- 

 vety maroon; Gold Bound, double, 

 white, margined with gold; Painted 

 Lady, single, white, veined with claret. 



The wonderful size of the flowers of 

 the Japanese Iris, their late period of 

 bloom carrying on the flower effect to 

 early August, renders the class in- 

 dispensable to every flower garden. 

 Their massing in groups of a single 

 variety, rather than in promiscuous 

 clashing of colors is, however, essen- 

 tial for the most artistic effects. 



WHOLESOME CHESTNUTS. 



Dahlia tuliers should now be planted 

 out in the open ground and when the 

 work is underway it is better to do it 

 right and be reasonably sure of good 

 results than to do it imperfectly with 

 the certainty of poor returns. Dahlias 

 like plenty of room, three feet between 

 the rows and plants. The soil should 

 have have been thoroughly dug and 

 broken up and enriched with manure 

 before digging the holes for the tubers. 

 A grower of dahlias will be well re- 

 warded if he keeps the soil thoroughly 

 cultivated right through the season. 

 Plants from green cuttings may be 

 put in the soil out-doors just as soon 

 as they are sufilciently hardened to 

 stand it. 



The bedding of plants of various 

 kinds will soon be under way. There 

 is very often too much haste asso- 



ciated with this important work. 

 Some are in a hurry to get the plants 

 out of the way and in the ground with 

 the result that sometimes many plants 

 are a long time In amounting to any- 

 thing. Others again while actually 

 engaged in the operation are in such 

 haste that many plants are planted 

 imperfectly. It pays to wait and take 

 time in these cases. 



Notwithstanding that orders may so 

 far be few for bedding plants, indica- 

 tions point to a scarcity of good stock, 

 and before the planting season is 

 nearly over It will without doubt be 

 felt generally. 



Poor plants are not desirable at any 

 time but when unfortunately a number 

 is on hand they can be sold at lower 

 prices than that asked for good plants. 

 They should be disposed of in that way, 

 but they should never be mixed in 

 with choice plants and shipped to a 

 customer who pays for good stock. 



The rush in quest of the dollar with- 

 in reach should not detract attention 

 at the present time from staple ar- 

 ticles which if given the care they de- 

 serve will amply repay for the trouble 

 later on. I refer chiefly to cyclamens 

 and poinsettias. I have noticed very 

 frequently that these suffered consider- 

 able from neglect at this time of the 

 year and that just for the reason noted 

 above. Poinsettias should now be 

 awakened and refreshed still further 

 at the roots by cutting back reason- 

 ably, and repotted in order to encour- 

 age the making of good material for 

 cuttings. They require a gentle heat 

 and water at the root and applications 

 to the foliage by syringing frequently. 



Cyclamens, when well grown, are 

 always good sellers, but small or oth- 

 erwise poor or indifferent stock are 

 hard to get rid of at any price. Then 

 for that reason it is surely evident 

 that it is folly to have them take up 

 valuable room if every effort is not 

 made to grow to perfection. 



The first excursion of the Depart- 

 ment of Botany of the Brooklyn Insti- 

 tute was held last Saturday at the 

 greenhouses of C. W. Ward, Queens. N. 

 Y. The visitors were received with 

 characteristic hospitality. 



