October 23, 1909 



HORTICULTURE 



571 



staged, and undertake to select from the big sprawling 

 masses of coarse growth specimens that would aceept- 

 al)ly adorn a well-groomed garden — considering further 

 that for the greater part of the season they have been 

 tlowerless and that one frost means their utter ruin — 

 and the dahlia's shortcomings will quickly be mani- 

 fested. Instead of working to add to the number and 

 variety of forms and colors of flowers of which there is 

 a superfluity already it would seem that the dahlia 

 specialist might better devote his energy and ingenuity 

 to the development of greater compactness of habit and 

 earliness of flowering, eliminating the rampant coarse- 

 ness of the plant and thus giving it a shapely finish as 

 yet unattained for garden use, and securing a longer 

 and more reliable period of floral effect. 



European Horticulture 



THE CHIEF MEETING OF THE GERMAN DAHLIA SOCIETY 



The order of the day was not abundantly tilled on 

 this occasion, owing to the acting chairman of the so- 

 ciety being greatly burdened with the work of the exhi- 

 bition. Mr. Obergartner Bergmann discoursed on the 

 exhibits of dahlias: Mr. Editor Schneider, conversed 

 about the exhibits of the florist's art and the importance 

 of the dahlia to the florist of the present day ; whilst 

 Mr. Obergartner Schonborn of Wahren talked about 

 Otto Mann's introductions of new herbaceous plants for 

 cutting purposes, gladioli, etc. Herr G. Bornemann, 

 president, read a report of the dahlia trial grounds at 

 the Palmengarten, and at Otto Mann's nurseries at 

 Leipzig-Entritzseh : and a letter was read from a mem- 

 ber, Mr. Heinrichseu, concerning the condition of the 

 Frankfort trials. Should the exhibition at Leipzig 

 turn out to be unfavorable the proposed great dahlia 

 show in 1910 would be questionable, and as a substitute 

 it was hinted that a visit should be undertaken to Eng- 

 land during the dahlia season. 



re pelargoniums berolina and meteor ( syn. paul 

 krampbel) 



In a note in "Die Gardenwelt" for October 2, 19u9, 

 Herr W. Wendt, landscape gardener, Berlin, states that 

 on six sunny balconies having a total length of 18 

 metres, he had substituted the variety Berolina for 

 Meteor which he had previously employed as screening 

 plants, rejoicing in anticipation on the fine effects these 

 plants would produce in this .sunny aspect. On these 

 six balconies there were, however, about eighteen miser- 

 able blooms at the time of writing, instead of numer- 

 ous corymbs, as would have been the case had Meteor 

 been employed. The excuse that the Berolinas were 

 spoiled by being crowded by other plants does not hold 

 good, as in front of these stood plants of Begonia Er- 

 fordia, Pelargonium peltatuni Leopard, which last in 

 common with Meteor most decidedly, in regard to its 

 fine clear coloring and markings, is to be preferred to 

 the so-called Berlin peltatum. The result. of his experi- 

 ence is that P. Meteor remains Meteor, and that the 

 best about Berolina is its name. 



DAHLIAS IN GERMANY 



The readers of this journal who do not receive the 

 German nurserymen's and florists' lists and may be de- 

 sirous of information in regard to new varieties of 

 dahlias now commonly cultivated in Germany by ama- 

 teurs and gardeners will read the following remarks 

 with interest. The varieties are almost exclusively of 

 German origin, and are selected from a list of Herr 

 Karl Bergmann's published in a leading gardening 

 journal. The weather in the summer and autumn was 

 wet and cool, causing unsatisfactory growth in the 



plants, the shoots overtopping the flower-buds, and 

 many varieties produced their blossoms beneath the foli- 

 age instead of above it, as is usual with them, but as 

 the rains ceased and the weather became dryer the 

 dahlias flowered abundantly, and the flowering season 

 continued for a greater length of time, than has seldom 

 occurred in that country. 



Certain varieties as Aphrodite, ivory white; Sylphide, 

 light rose; and Melpomene, dark crimson, flowered 

 early and were richly colored, notwithstanding the un- 

 favorable weather. The last two are sports from the 

 first named variety, and they have the peculiarity of 

 bringing flowers which are occasionally striped, and 

 of much beauty. Other early bloomers are Polarstern, 

 pure white ; Weisse Perle, Erlkonig, light saffron ; Me- 

 dusa, blood red : Landrat Dr. Scheiff, of middling 

 height, and of amber color; Feurstern, brilliant scarlet, 

 a small Liliputian cactus variety ; Yestalin, lilac, with 

 light pink tint, a capital bouquet flower ; Brantjungfer, 

 whitish pink, an abundant and early flowerer, which 

 now and then produces less well-filled double flowers ; 

 Thuringia, of a fiery orange red tint : Aristocrat, cin- 

 nabar scarlet, the flower well poised. These are espe- 

 cially recommended for early flowering. 



Of the large flowered section the writer lays great 

 stress on Socrates, rosy scarlet, with florets inclining 

 inwards: Aristid Gurtler, raised in Hungary, .a flower 

 of enormous size and of light red tint, the florets like- 

 wise bent inwards. The flower stalk is certainly too 

 weak to carry the heavy bloom : Lisa Barecke is of a 

 clear reddish lilac tint, and the flower is borne erect. 



Of dwarf varieties of show dahlias mentioned may be 

 Puck, orange scarlet: Zaunkonig, light carmine; Nick, 

 dark carmine; Citronenvogel, light yellow, having a 

 pink tinge; Edelweiss, snow white: Alma, rosy lilac; 

 and Johannes Mortensen, orange colored. These last 

 three are new. ilarianne, which came into commerce 

 in 190(5, belongs to this class. The flowers have broad 

 florets, and are of a pretty, loose form, and the color 

 that of old gold. The flowers are much valued for flor- 

 ist's work. Harzer Kind has flowers of middle size, 

 which appear early in the season, are moderately double 

 and of a clear pink color, and they are carried well 

 above the foliage, erect, and in great profusion. 



NEW VARIETIES OF ROSES 



The following new roses were noted in a collection 

 shown by Messrs. W. Paul & Sons at a late show at 

 the E. H. S. Hall. Westminster, viz., Comtesse Icy 

 Hardegg, having the shape of Gruss an Teplitz, and a 

 rosy crimson tint — a charming flower : Hugo Roller, a 

 flower having white central petals, and outer ones cerise : 

 Mme. Maurice de Luze, the flower of exquisite shape 

 and the color a deep rose; Gruss an Sangerhansen, a 

 purplish crimson, flat formed bloom : Le Progress, with 

 beautiful shell-shaped petals, in color buff, and seen at 

 its best in the partially open state: and Bianca, a white 

 petalled flower with the tips of the petals a tender pink 

 color. As a half opened bud it is a great beauty. 



LETTUCES 



The firm of J. Yeitch & Sons have this jear made 

 a great display of vegetables and saladings. Among 

 the latter deserving of special notice for their compact 

 shapes and finnness may be mentioned the All Seasoiis 

 Cos and Goldrings Cos. The last named possesses 

 leaves of a remarkable dark green tint, and brown at 

 the tips. The following appeared to be excellent cab- 

 bage varieties, viz., Continuih', White Chauvigny, a 

 large and close form : Buttercup, and Xew York. 



