508 



HORTICULTURE 



October 9, 1909 



THE SEARCH FOR NEW FERN 

 FORMS. 



A feature of fern study that has not 

 as yet been very extensively exploited 

 in America is the search for forms of 

 ferns of commercial value. In Europe 

 this appears to be one of the main in- 

 dications of an interest in ferns, and 

 in consequence the named varieties are 

 almost limitless. Often the appearance 

 of the cultivated forms are scarcely at- 

 tractive from the point of view of 

 beauty, but, their odd shapes seem to 

 please the public, for it may be ob- 

 served that if our own florists cultivate 

 any of these Europe.an forms they al- 

 most invariably select the crested, tas- 

 seled and frilled specimens. It cannot 

 be denied that variation along certain 

 lines adds to the beauty of an already 

 beautiful race of plants. Illustrations 

 of this may be seen in the many sports 

 of the sword fern (Nephrolepis ex- 

 altata) all of which are undoubtedly 

 more beautiful than the type, and in 

 "Adiantum farleyense," which is well 

 known to be a sport from a species 

 that is not celebrated for its appear- 

 ance. Since most of our greenhouse 

 fernsi are tropical in origin, the search 

 for desirable forms will go on most 

 vigorously in the tropics and may lend 

 zest to every outing, but such fern 

 hunting need by no means be restricted 

 to the tropics. The demand is steadily 

 Increasing for ferns of the temperate 

 regions, hardy enough to endure our 

 winters out-of-doors unprotected, and 

 If people are willing to pay for the 

 Christmas fern, the ostrich fern and 

 the Osmundas as they are, surely they 

 will pay more for improvements in 

 these forms, perhaps even coming to 

 the point when they demand the new 

 form and refuse the type, as they now 

 do in the so-called Boston fern. Mr. 

 Terry's multifldum form of the Christ- 

 mas fern is one that would always be 

 selected in preference to the type and 

 the same may be said of various forms 

 that Mr. Hans has produced; indeed, a 

 decided and characteristic form of 

 Polystichum acrostichoides incisum 

 would no doubt sell well, as would a 

 crestedl form of the lady fern or the 

 Dlcksonia. There is a satisfaction In 

 giving to the world a more beautiful 

 form of anything than it now pos- 

 sesses, quite aside from any monetary 

 consideration, but when art, beauty and 

 commerce join forces, the student of 

 ferns has cause to rejoice. — The Fern 

 Bulletin. 



CONVENTION RATES AND HEAD- 

 QUARTERS. 



The Editor of HORTICULTURE: 



Dear Sir: — I have noted the contro- 

 versy in HORTICULTURE with regard 

 to the failure to secure special railroad 

 rates to the Cincinnati Convention. 

 No doubt the inability to secure a more 

 favorable rate was partly responsible 

 for the small attendance on such an 

 important event. The mere fact that 

 only 300 voted at the election gives a 

 general idea of the attendance in pro- 

 iwrtion to the number of florists there 

 are in the United States. 



I have been wondering whether the 

 failure to secure a concession from the 

 railroads was due to the same influ- 

 ences that were responsible tor the 

 switching of the headquarters of the 

 society at Cincinnati from the hotel 

 originally selected. 



HARRY A. BUNYARD. 



jt nmiy 1^ The Insecticide ttiat Kills 

 r% r H I M t Plant Lice of Every Species 



Without the slightest injury to flower or foliage. 



Has no equal for the Greenhouse. 



But is no less effective outdoors. 



" Aphine has a future as wide and long as the United 



States," says Colliers. 



" Aphine will do all you claim for it and more," says 



Chas. H. Totty. 



"Aphine will do the work; if you don't believe, try 



it," says another. 



Eminent entomologists and other expert authorities 



are no less enthusiastic in their praises of the merits 



of this wonderful insecticide discovery. 



Aphine can be applied effectively as a spray, wash, or 



dipping solution — it is used at an average strength of 



I part Aphine to 40 parts water. 



PRICE $2.50 PER GALLON 



If your supply house does not yet handle Aphine, write us 

 and we will send you name of our nearest selling agents. 



George E. Talmadge, Inc., MrD^oNTj. 



AUTO FLOWER PARADE AT 

 WASHINGTON. 



The auto flower pageant of the 30th 

 ult. is a matter of history and there 

 has been but one opinion expressed, 

 viz., "a wonderful success." There was 

 but one thing to mar its beauty — the 

 cars were not public-spirited enough 

 tc stop running while the parade was 

 in progi'ess. The day was ideal and 

 "the world and his wife" had turned 

 out to enjoy the pageant. There were 

 flag-bedecked cars and flower-decorated 

 cais, both with natural and artiflcial 

 flowers, miniature cars and touring 

 cars, but the car most admired by the 

 public was the one to which the five 

 judges gave the sweepstake prize, con- 

 sisting of a $600 rose bowl — the Navy 

 Yard car, which was decorated by F. 

 H. Kramer. The Florists' Club first 

 prize of a silver vase was awarded to 

 Harry Wardman, for a Venetian gon- 

 dola," decorated by Geo. Shaffer. The 

 Florists' Club considered only the cars 

 decorated in natural flowers. Honor- 

 able mention was made of the Florists' 

 Club car, which was decorated by Geo. 

 Cooke and was not in competition. 



er to Clarence Whitman, Katonah, N. 

 Y., cactus dahlia "Katonah"; Francis 

 Milne, seedling dahlias "Mamaroneck" 

 and Mrs. Francis Milne"; J. T. Lovett, 

 seedling dahlia "Dr. Frederick A. 

 Cook"; J. T. Lovett, Seedling dahlia 

 "Henry Hudson." 



ASTORIA BOWLERS. 



The Astoria Florists' Bowling Club 

 will be entertained on Saturday, Octo- 

 ber 16th, by Wm. H. Siebrecht at his 

 fountry home at Chappequa, N. T. 

 This club will leave by automobile at 

 9 a. m. from the Siebrecht greenhouses 

 at Astoria, L. I. 



Bowling Scores, Oct. 5. 



Miesem 173 175 198 



Elnsmanu iri6 168 158 



Dorlioefer 167 168 130 



Anderson 124 14.3 190 



.\iuol(i 123 117 115 



W. II. Siplirocht 208 147 197 



W. H. S. .Tr 116 115 



II. Siebrecht 137 138 181 



Lawrence 143 141 139 



.Taoobson 137 139 160 



Ulackween 148 147 145 



Donaldson 187 158 161 



AMERICAN INSTITUTE. 



The list of premiums awarded at the 

 78th Fair of the American Institute 

 at New York City on September 21-2:!, 

 has just come to hand in printed form. 

 Among the dahlia prize winners the 

 names of W. D. Hathaway, W. P. 

 Lothrop, H. F. Burt and George L. 

 Stillman appear frequently in the com- 

 mercial and general classes. In gladi- 

 cli, John Lewis Childs; in herbaceous 

 flowers, Peter Murray; in ornamental 

 plants, Harry Turner and A. J. Manda; 

 in roses, L. A. Noe and F. R. Pier- 

 son; In carnations, Geo. Hale; in vio- 

 lets, Howard Nichols; in flowering and 

 foliage groups, Julius Roehrs Co.; all 

 appear prominent. Certificates were 

 awarded as follows: 



E S. Miller, collection of gladiolus 

 seedlings: Mills & Company, single 

 dahlia "Jessica"; Wm. Wills, garden- 



YOU 



Certainly grow more than 

 your requirements. 



AUCTION 



off tlie balance. 



W. Elliott & Sons, 



NEW YORK. 



