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THE GARDENERS' MONTHLY 



[November, 



form you that this Department has already taken 

 action in reference to this subject, by instructions 

 to our Ministers in the principal countries of Eu- 

 rope, and that every effort will be made to have 

 the unnecessary restrictions complained of, re- 

 moved. The result of the correspondence upon 

 this subject will be promptly made public, for the 

 benefit of those interested. 



I am, sir, your obedient servant, 



" Frederick T. Frelinghuysen." 



It is to be hoped, for the sake of common sense 

 in human nature chiefly, that the contracting 

 parties will see soon how silly they have acted. 

 Common sense, however, does not seem to be a 

 very common article among the rulers of the old 

 world. Republics make mistakes sometimes, but 

 these asinine exhibits of the old-world folks, must 

 be a source of comfort to those who have faith in 

 popular self rule. — Ed. G. M.] 



QUALIFICATIONS OF GARDENERS. 



BY J. B., FREDERICTON, N. B. 



I read with much interest and satisfaction, in 

 the August Monthly, page 232, Mr. H. B. Ell- 

 wanger's remarks on the Manetti Rose. I have 

 known of considerable use being made of the 

 Manetti, in London nurseries, and have experi- 

 mented enough to prove the stock to be of great 

 advantage in certain cases, explained so well by 

 the above named gentleman. 



I would like to make some remarks on another 

 matter. Some time ago I read an article headed, 

 "The Horse Everybody Wants." This, of course, 

 had reference to breeding and training the right 

 kind of saleable animals. It suggested to me, " A 

 Gardener Everybody Wants." The former must be 

 bred and trained by man, the latter must train 

 himself to be a practical working gardener. The 

 qualifications he may soon find out. From my 

 own experience, few "kid glove" gardeners are 

 kept in the United States ; the demand being for 

 working, industrious men. 



I think you will find most of the successful 

 horticulturists in the old and new world have been 

 great workers. This applies to every other branch 

 of business. Is not skilful manual labor con- 

 tinually rising in value? The late President Gar- 

 field is quoted as saying ; "If industry is not genius 

 it is the next thing to it." I have thought some- 

 times that, in this progressive age, manual labor is 

 much undervalued. Do not the young genera- 

 tion of gardeners need to learn to wash pots 

 quickly and well, to manage fires economically 

 and well, to dig ground well, to whet a scythe, to 



grade a piece of ground, to cultivate and crop 

 garden or field systematically, and in order? 

 Begin low down and rise, remembering to do a 

 full amount of work, as well as to do it in the right 

 way. Industry is a neccessary quality in all who 

 work for a living. If we take a full week or 

 month's pay, for less than that amount of work, it 

 is not honest. A gardener generally gets, or 

 should get, wages according to quality and quantity 

 of his work. A gardener that everybody wants 

 must be reliable, trust-worthy and having the em- 

 ployer's confidence. 



A VISIT TO THE GROUNDS OF C. L. 

 ALLEN & CO. 



BY C. E. PARNELL. 



It was on the afternoon of a bright and pleasant 

 summer day in the early part of August, that I 

 found myself in the lovely little park that sur- 

 rounds the railroad station at Garden City. A few 

 days previously a refreshing and invigorating rain 

 had fallen, which had imparted fresh verdure to all 

 vegetation, and caused the well mown lawn to as- 

 sume a garb of living-green, while the spray from 

 numerous fountains sparkled in the sun. It was 

 through scenes like this, a pleasant walk of ten or 

 fifteen minutes duration, which brought me to my 

 destination — the flower farm of C. L. Allen & Co., 

 where I was so fortunate as to meet with that well- 

 known horticultural writer, Mr. C. L. Allen, the 

 senior member of the firm, who welcomed me in a 

 most cordial manner and, at my request, kindly 

 accompanied me around the farm. 



Upon entering the grounds, my attention was 

 first attracted by a fine display of Lilium auratum, 

 covering some three acres of ground, the plants of 

 which, for size and vigor, far surpassed anything 

 of the kind that I had ever seen before — each stalk 

 having from fifteen to thirty buds and blossoms 

 upon it. This is a lily that is considered diffi- 

 cult of cultivation, but Mr. Allen says that if 

 properly cared for, it is as easily grown as L. Lig- 

 rinum, and at my request, kindly gave the follow- 

 ing directions for its treatment: This is a lily that, 

 like speciosum and some others, forms a new bulb 

 inside of the other for some two or three years, 

 after which it begins to form small bulbs at the 

 base of the stem ; and, in order to keep up a stock, 

 these small bulbs should be taken off and planted 

 in a rich, deep soil. It is essential that they be 

 planted deep, in order that the young bulbs may 

 form above the old one, which they will not do if 

 the old one is near the surface ; plant at least ten 



