September 11, 1909 



HORTICULTURE, 



873 



A TRIP THROUGH BELGIUM AND 

 FRANCE. 



On arriviug in Antwerp, Belgium. 

 I at once took a train for Brus.sels and 

 Ghent, the home of horticulture. In 

 the city and surrounding towns of 

 Ghent one can find close on to twelve 

 hundred establishments consisting of 

 from three to two hundred and fifty 

 greenhouses each, all growing about 

 the same kind of stock, such as 

 azaleas, araucarias, begonias, gloxi- 

 nias, palms, rubbers, bay trees and 

 many other miscellaneous stove and 

 gfeenhouse plants. 



Azaleas Higher. 



Immense fields of azaleas can be 

 seen everywhere and no one would 

 think that they could dispose of such 

 large quantities, but still upon going 

 around and inquiring you will find 

 that there is plenty of demand for 

 them and they are asking higher 

 prices this year than last, stating that 

 there is a much larger demand from 

 Germany this year on account of their 

 stocks being frozen in May. The 

 plants this season are hardly up to 

 last year's stock. Most of the plants 

 are not budded yet and many of them 

 have been cut back too late which will 

 make them unfit for market, but I 

 suppose many of them will be sold 

 just the same. Madame Petrick is 

 very scarce this season and high 

 prices are asked for this desirable 

 azalea. Good 'early white azaleas are 

 not plentiful. The white vervaeneana 

 will be the coming variety but they 

 are not plentiful as yet and can only 

 be had in small sizes. 



Some Good Things Coming. 



Palms are about the same as last 

 year, but certain sizes are scarce and 

 in many places the plants are dam- 

 aged, which will make them unfit for 

 sale as first class stock. Bay trees 

 seem to be abundant and at reasonable 

 prices. Acacias in popular varieties 

 are Very scarce. In novelties there is 

 not a large list. A Dracaena Bruanti 

 variegated, promises to be of great 

 merit but we have to prove this yet 

 on this side of the water. A few va- 

 rieties of azaleas will be seen for the 

 first time this season; one a variety 

 introduced by Messrs. J. B. Haerens 

 and H. Wille is of a yerj- pleasing 

 color. 



In Paris. 



After leaving Belgium, Paris is the 

 next in order. A visit to the trial 

 grounds of Vilmorin, Andrieux & Co. 

 is of great interest to any one in- 

 terested in horticulture. The estab- 

 lishment of G. Truftault at Versailles 

 is also a place to be visited. Here you 

 will find a very fine collection of 

 crotons, azaleas, begonias, orchids 

 and many other rare stove and green- 

 house plants. 



The parks in and around Paris are 

 Just now looking at their best, making 

 one feel sorry to leave. From here 

 you take a train which carries you 



A VISIT TO COURTLAND. 



••COLRTLAND," POMFRET, CUNN. 



Among the estates recently inspect- 

 ed by the Garden Committee of the 

 Massachusetts Horticultural Society, is 

 "Courtlaud," the beautiful estate of 

 Mrs. Hoppin at Pomftet, Conn., Rob- 

 ert Rust superintendent. The grounds 

 consist of about sixteen acres. Ther3 

 is a gentle slope overlooking a beau- 

 tiful ra\ine well wooded with fine 

 specimens of oak, maple, spruce and 

 pine. One broad tank of one thousand 

 rhododendrons and five hundred azal- 

 eas, well protected with conifers, pre- 

 sents a beautiful appearance. The 

 lawn is adorned with fine specimens 

 of oak, maple, elm, beech and a num- 

 ber of pines. At the toot of the lawn 

 is a tennis court, and in process of 

 construction is a swimming pool, CO 

 by 30, well shaded by trees in the 

 valley. A wide avenue winds from 



the main road to the mansion, bor- 

 dered with beds of rare design. One 

 of the most unique things to be ob- 

 served about the mansion itself is the 

 method of growing English ivy on 

 trellises fitted in between the windows. 

 These large plants of ivy are in boxes 

 and are removed in winter to the cold 

 storage, and kept in readiness to be 

 replaced in the position in the spring. 

 Separated from the mansion and 

 grounds are the gardener's cottage, 

 greenhouses, vegetable and flower and 

 fruit gardens. The greenhouses for 

 roses, carnations, melons, etc., are in 

 fine condition, and the stock far ad- 

 vanced for this season of the year. On 

 the whole, it is as finely kept an es- 

 tate as there is in this section of the 

 country, reflecting much credit upon 

 Superintendent Rust. 



through France, Germany, Switzer- 

 land and Italy to the Mediterran- 

 ean Sea, then to Marseilles in the 

 southern part of France. From 

 here I went to Toulon and Hyeres. 

 Hyeres is one of the prettiest places 

 along the coast, abounding in palms 

 and with a semi-tropical climate. 

 From here are shipped large quantities 

 of roses, carnations, violets, gardenias, 

 and many other flowers to all parts 

 of Europe from the open ground dur- 

 ing winter. Palm growing is carried 

 on here to a large extent and the 

 plants are sold and shipped all over 

 Europe and also to America. 



After visiting a few place5 along the 

 Mediterranean I took a train for Bou- 

 logne, connecting with steamer for 

 New York, whch I reached after nine 

 davs of pleasant sailing. 



A. LEUTHY. 



Roslindale, Mass. 



Ef yu see yer nayber turnin' th' 

 hoz on er pil uv dishus in th' bak 

 yard yeh kin bet hiz wif iz komin 

 home frum hur vakashun. — Ex. 



GALEGA HARTLANDII. 



William Baylor Hartland writes in 

 "The Garden" for August 28, concern- 

 ing this plant, as follows: 



"I am glad to notice that this beauti- 

 ful plant has been brought before the 

 floral committee of the Royal Horti- 

 culturcTl Society quite recently, and 

 this without any recent effort on my 

 part, but through the head of the de- 

 partment at Wisley, to whom I sent a 

 plant some years since. Now that it 

 has obtained the awa d of merit, the 

 history of its recognition here at Ard 

 Cairn should be accredited to the late 

 F. W. Burbidge, a m-?n with a keen 

 I ye for anythiug good, from a daffo- 

 dil to an ochid. He, when on a visit 

 to Cork, pronounced it as one of the 

 best sumnier borde- plants for color 

 in existence. This pra'se was well de- 

 served. This summer it has been very 

 fine, and we have had it in flower since 

 the end of April under glass, as it 

 forms a splendid show in the large 

 conservatoi-y in conjuncaon with the 

 beautilul new Spii.-eas Peach Blossom 

 and Alexandria. 



