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THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE OF AMERICA, 



THE S. A. F. & O. H. CONVENTION— MINNE- 

 APOLIS, AUGUST 19-23, 1913. 



Members of the S. A. F. & O. H. who come to Min- 

 neapoHs in August to attend the National Convention 

 and Flower Show of their association will find sight- 

 seeing opportunities in abundance. Both Minneapolis 

 and St. Paul are famous tourist cities. Together they 

 have natural beauties in sufficient number to warrant 

 a visitor's spending a week in sight seeing. There are 

 some points of historic interest in both cities, but the 

 chief claim of the Twin Cities lies in their lakes and 

 parks. 



Minneapolis has twenty distinct bodies of water 

 within its limits. There are more than one hundred 

 lakes within a radius of twenty-five miles of the Twin 

 Cities. Most of them are well stocked with fish and 

 most of them are easily reached by automobiles. 



The principal lakes in Minneapolis are connected 

 and circled by a boulevard, approximately thirty-five 

 miles in length. Every visitor to the city should ar- 

 range to spend the two hours required to make the 

 circuit of this boulevard in an automobile. Starting 

 from his hotel, he will be taken past Loring Park, a 

 beautiful tract of thirty-six acres only a few blocks 

 from the business center of the city ; thence past the 

 Parade, a playground of sixty-eight acres, lying close 

 to Loring Park. The parkway passes the National 

 Guard Armory and Coliseum, which faces the parade, 

 and then winds through the Esmond residence district 

 to tlie Lake of the Isles. At the right may be seen 

 Cedar Lake, one of the four large bodies of water in 

 that part of the city. The boulevard follows the irreg- 

 ular shore line of Lake of the Isles to Calhoun and 

 takes its course along the east shore of that large body 

 of water. At the right is the famous Calhoun bath 

 house and the "finest inland bathing beach in Amer- 

 ica." Leaving Lake Calhoun the boulevard continues 

 through the wooded Interlachen district, separating 

 Lake Calhoun from Lake Harriet; it completely en- 

 circles the latter body of water, which is one of the 

 most beautiful lakes in the country. The Minneapolis 

 Park Board maintains a band and concerts are given 

 each evening at the pavilion. Leaving Lake Harriet 

 the boulevard skirts the winding course of Minnehaha 

 Creek, passes between Lake Nakomis and Rice Lake 

 to Minnehaha Park. In that park are the Falls of 

 Minnehaha, immortalized by Henry Wadsworth Long- 

 fellow in the poem "Hiawatha." Joining Minnehaha 

 Park are the grounds of Fort Snelling, the historic 

 armory region of the frontier days, and the Minnesota 

 Soldiers' Home, which occupies a magnificent site 

 across the Mississippi River from the fort. Here the 

 'boulevard follows the gorge of the Mississippi River to 

 the Campus of the University of Minnesota, which is 

 one of the famous seats of learning of the continent 

 and well worth a visit. Returning from the university 

 one sees the flour mills of Minneapolis, which have a 

 daily capacity of eighty-four thousand barrels. They 

 occupy sites on both sides of the Mississippi River at 

 St. Anthony Falls, the "Cradle of Minneapolis." 



Points of interest in Minneapolis and St. Paul may 

 be reached by street car. Lakes Calhoun and Harriet, 

 Minnehaha Falls, the university, the fort, and Sol- 

 diers' Home are all within a ride of thirty minutes 

 from the center of the city. 



The August number of the Chronicle will be dis 

 tributed at the S. A. F. convention. 



The court house and city hall in Minneapolis, built 

 of Miimesota granite, at a cost of three million five 

 hundred thousand dollars, is one of the famous public 

 buildings of the country. 



The old round tower at Fort Snelling, erected in 

 1820, has been maintained in its original condition and 

 should be inspected by visitors to the army post. 



Between Minneapolis and St. Paul are the grounds 

 of the Minnesota State Fair, the largest State exposi- 

 tion in the country. On the same car line inside the 

 limits of St. Paul is the Capital Cit3''s famous Como 

 Park, one of the most beautiful public gardens in the 

 United States. Another famous St. Paul park is the 

 Mounds. It was an Indian burial ground in the days 

 when the red men held undisputed sway in Minne- 

 sota, and takes its name from the large number of 

 mounds which cover the skeletons of the braves of the 

 early days. 



White Bear Lake is reached by street car from St. 

 Paul. \Vildwood, on the shores of this lake, is the 

 principal summer park of the Twin Cities. 



Both of the Twin Cities are filled with incidental 

 attractions for the sightseer. In Minneapolis there are 

 mile after mile of streets, lined with hardy elm trees 

 which were planted under the direction of the Minne- 

 apolis Park Board and maintained by it. The city has 

 no single prominent residence district. There are beau- 

 tiful homes in every part of the city and in whatever 

 direction the visitor inay go, he will find things to 

 please the eye. 



FORCING IRIS. 



The forcing of Iris is a profitable florist's venture, 

 especially when timed so that the blooms come in 

 March. Iris Germanica is the best for this purpose, 

 particularly the four following varieties : Mnie. Che- 

 reau, pure white with light blue edge; Trautlieb, a 

 splendid delicate pink; Florentina albo, pure white 

 mottled sky blue ; Atroviolacea, violet lightly veined 

 white and blue. 



The Iris on being divided after blooming are planted 

 into beds and well watered. They are given frequent 

 doses of liquid manure during the summer. The Iris 

 like a damp, loamy soil, the richer the better 

 for producing well developed plants. In late fall the 

 plants are taken up with the balls and set close to- 

 gether in a house or cold frame. They should be at 

 least three feet from the glass, to prevent the blooms 

 from touching it later and getting injured. They 

 grow quickly with a temperature of 50 to 54 degrees, 

 and will be in splendid bloom within twelve to thirteen 

 weeks, if given plenty of air, water and liquid manure. 

 All faded or dead leaves should be removed at once, 

 for Iris easily damp off in forcing. For shipping it is 

 important to cut and pack them in the bud ; open Iris 

 blooms will stand no pressure, but the buds open 

 freely when unpacked. 



Other good varieties for forcing are Iris Hispanica 

 and I. Anglica, both of which furnish valuable cut 

 flower material. Like the preceding, they should not 

 be forced too early or the loss will be too great. The 

 bulbs of both of the above Iris may be planted in Au- 

 gust in boxes, like Tulips, and brought into forcing 

 when well rooted. The treatment otherwise is similar 

 to that of Iris Germanica. 



Iris may be forced many years in succession. They 

 should be divided immediately after blooming, the 

 rhizomes being planted in a cold frame and covered 

 with sash, and later transferred into outdoor beds as 

 soon as the weather permits, — Moeller's Deutsche 

 Gartner-Zeitung. 



