498 



HORTICULTURE 



October 9, 1903 



of the market by the influx from Holland was just what 

 was needed to teach America to go slower and not buy 

 peonies because they were cheap. They can now see 

 that although cheap they are worthless. There will be 

 piles of them to go on the dump to clear the land for 

 something better. The lesson will be dear to some, but 

 on the whole, it will be well deserved. I look for a 

 steady and sound growth of the sale of choice varieties 

 right along. 



cgy^^'^^^^^-^ 





IVellesley Hills, Mass. 



The Lilac 



The Lilac is so well known and highly valued that it 

 seems almost idle to make an effort to increase its popu- 

 larity, and- yet so many desirable varieties have been 



Lilac Emilie Lemoine 



added to the collections during the last few years, that 

 lovers of this flower should become acquainted with 

 them and enjoy them. 



The lilac is known and grown generally because of its 

 hardiness, richness and freedom of bloom, its delicate 

 fragrance, handsome foliage, good habit, vigor, health- 

 fulness and easy culture. 



Grown singly or in masses its effect upon the lawn 

 is always pleasing and satisfactory, and every one who 

 possesses a lilac bush or bushes feels that he has some- 

 thing valuable, that will give a good return regularly 

 every year. The older the bush is, providing it has 

 been taken proper care of, the better the yield of flowers. 

 And this is a desideratum — all things do not improve 

 with age. Oftentimes we see bushes flowering profuse- 

 ly under the most adverse conditions, having been ne- 

 glected and even abused at times. So we can very prop- 

 erly conchido that tlic lilac i>^ for the masses, those who 



are without gardeners or whose places may not be the 

 best for gardening purposes, as well as for those who are 

 fortunate enough to own large properties, with ample 

 help to take good care of everything. 



In May when the lilac is in flower, admiration is ex- 

 pressed for it on every side ; even the most indifferent 

 observer cannot . restrain himself from manifesting his 

 appreciation of the flower, praising its beauty and ex- 

 pressing a wish that it might be employed more frequent- 

 ly than it is in garden work. The gardener realizes that 

 in this shi-ub we have particularly valuable material for 

 gardens and parks, and recently unusual interest has 

 been taken in it. Great collectiojis, embracing hundreds 

 of varieties, have been planted at the Arnold Arboretum 

 in Boston, and at Highland Park in Rochester. This 

 year at Highland Park, when the lilacs were at their 

 best, they were inspected by over 30,000 visitors in one 

 day, who had only words of appreciation and admiration 

 for them. 



It certainly is very gratifying to note that this flower- 

 ing shrub is growing in popular estimation. One rea- 

 son for the new interest manifested in the lilac is that 

 during the last ten or fifteen years many beautiful new 

 sorts have been introduced. These varieties come prin- 

 cipally from France, being the production of the cele- 

 brated horticulturist, M. Lemoine. Great credit is 

 due him for the many choice sorts which he has origi- 

 nated and sent out. They are mostly doubles of rare 

 beauty and excellence. Nearly every one is familiar 



Lilac Abel Carriere 



with the single flowered lilac, but not so many know the 

 double flowered. The individual flowers of the double 

 sorts are perfect in their formation and the panicles are 

 of the largest size, and the bushes flower as freely as do 

 those of the singles. 



President Grevy is one of the most beautiful, each 

 individual flower is perfectly formed, the panicle is very 

 large, and the color is a light blue. One who sees this 

 cliarming sort for the first time will be surprised and 

 delighted, and the ijuestion will naturally be asked — how 

 was this accomplished? The answer will have to come 

 from M. Lemoine. 



Anion"- the iiinm- \:iri(^ties he has sent out it is diffi- 



