1882.1 



AND HORTICULTURIST. 



199 



is darker and has a fine truss, but the flower 

 stalks are slender and every rain breaks them 

 down. McLeod has fine double pips and a 

 good truss, but one-half of the truss is dead bj' 

 the time the other half is out. This is the case 

 with General Grant, Queen of the West, and 

 others of the " enormous " trussed varieties. Of 

 what special use is this enormous truss if not 

 one-fourth is perfect at once. In the orange 

 scarlet class none were satisfactory, as the dew 

 soils the flowers and makes them still duller. 

 Alba Perfecta was not so easily soiled as some 

 of the other white ones. 



In Roses I purchased some thirty varieties, 

 mostly ten cent teas. Daring the latter part of 

 the season some of these had on ten buds at a 

 time. La France got up to six. I thought teas 

 were of small growth, but some of these grew 

 two feet high the first summer. 



I followed Mr. Elwanger's list mostly. But the 

 " extras," which are welcomed when you have 

 none to be duplicated, did just as well. Clement 

 Nabonnand grew stout and branching, and was 

 very prolific. That nice little white one called 

 M'll. Rachele I believe, if of small growth and 

 not profuse of blossoms, is good for what it 

 does. Malmaison and Pearl of the Garden 

 winter-killed most. 



If you read some catalogues you will find 

 "many " roses desirable and " extra " with special 

 " merits," etc., and you hardly can go amiss if 

 3'ou have none. The following I liked best : 

 Catharine Mermet, Marie Guillott, Marie Van 

 Houtte, Malmaison, Perle des Jardins and Mad. 

 de Vatery ; and one rose that has good form, 

 color, fragrance, etc., is worth several that have 

 not these qualities. Paul Neron was the only 

 Hybrid Perpetual that blossomed in the sum- 

 mer. 



Roses like new ground, so I burned a brush 

 heap to make it new and ash it. Then it is well 

 to cut the blossoms as soon as they open. Al- 

 most any lady will accept a bouquet of roses, 

 whether rich or poor. I give most of mine 

 away. 



A DISPLAY OF COLORS IN SPRING. 



BY W. H. BOOMKAMP, PASSAIC, N. J. 



In no other time of the year are flowers more 

 appreciated than in spring. They attract a good 

 deal of attention in winter, either on the ball 

 dress of young, blushing maidens, or in the re- 

 ception rooms of large fetes, but seldom are 

 they admired so much as in the opening of the 



season, when everything revives with new vigor 

 and splendor. As a natural fiict the first flowers 

 in our northern climate are either white or yel- 

 low, and blue or red ones, with a few exceptions, 

 don't appear before the rays of the sun fall more 

 perpendicularly on our part of the globe. With- 

 out exotic plants we would miss those darker 

 colors that make spring so cheerful and pretty. 

 There are still many gardens, however, where 

 one should expect to see more variety of colors 

 in the beginning of May than is as yet the case. 



The florist or gardener is anxiously waiting 

 for warmer and more steady weather, for as long 

 as those chilly nights prevail, he don't trust his 

 greenhouse plants out doors. His Geraniums, 

 Verbenas, Coleus, etc., are ready for planting 

 out, but the night frost don't allow their appear- 

 ance outside the greenhouse and during all this 

 time the garden looks dreary and desolate. And 

 yet one of the beds in front of the house could 

 show the finest colors and give such a display 

 even hard to attain in midsummer with the 

 choicest specimens. 



There is no need to go in for heavy expenses 

 to have a fine display of colors in the beginning 

 of spring— a few dollars worth will answer the 

 purpose. Many a gardener receives in the fall 

 price-lists from seed houses, mentioning Dutch 

 bulbs, without understanding the value those 

 bulbs can have for him. It is true that it cost 

 considerable money to fill a bed of three or four 

 yards in diameter, with first-class Hyacinths, 

 though good bedding Hyacinths can be had at 

 any of the reliable seed stores for a fair price. 

 I know many who got disappointed by buying 

 from the wrong man, but when you deal with a. 

 house that imports it's bulbs direct from Hol- 

 land, you seldom will find fault with them. It 

 is with the bulb peddlers, as with all of them, 

 "cheap, but no good.'' 



Two hundred single early Tulips mixed is suf- 

 ficient for any good-sized bed, and with a few 

 Narcissus, or a Crown Imperial in the centre, 

 will give full satisfaction. As a rule all bulbs, as 

 Hyacinths, Tulips, Lilies, Crocus, will develop 

 better when planted out-doors than in pots in 

 the greenhouse. It is therefore not necessary 

 to take first quality for bedding purposes, though 

 first size bulbs are very desirable, and come to 

 a perfection of form and color without rival in 

 the greenhouse. 



It is possible, also, to make a bed that can last 

 at least two months (from the beginning of April 

 till June), when planted with care and judg- 



