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tlORTICU LTU RE- 



Novembei- 6, 1909 



THE EXHIBITIONS 



LENOX (MASS.) FLOWER SHOW. 



A report of the annual chrysanthe- 

 mum exhibition of the Lenox Horti- 

 cultural Sooiety has already appeared 

 in at least one of the horticultural 

 papeis, in which the prize list has 

 been fully given, and various com- 

 ments appended. 



Lencx, Mass., nestles Itself among 

 the beautiful Berkshire Mountains, and 

 as an ideal summer home has few 

 equals. Here the New York business 

 man can retire for his happy vacation, 

 and can rely on peace and solitude un- 

 disturbed. It is off the beaten track 

 and all we hear of Lenox is an oc- 

 casional note in the Society column. 



These busines.s men and million- 

 aires have their gardens and garden- 

 ers and in out-door life and the beau- 

 tifying of their places they take espe- 

 cial pride, but the gardeners who are 

 largely responsible for the appearance 

 of their places get little of the passing 

 comment. Now and then we read of 

 some of their horticultural doings in 

 a vague way, but anyone who is a 

 competent judge and who visits some 

 of these places and particularly their 

 flower show, feels that these men are 

 very much slighted by the press gen- 

 erally. In Lenox they are doing a 

 pioneer work horticulturally in many 

 respects, and this is very clearly em- 

 phasized at their exhibitions. 



Perhaps the most outstanding and 

 leading feature of these exhibitions 

 are the plant groups. Here these 

 groups are put up on a scale that we 

 never see attempted at any of our 

 other exhibitions. It is a long way by 

 rail to transport these delicate plants 

 to any of our large centers, but it 

 certainly would be a grand feature for 

 some of our New York exhibitions to 

 have one or two of them just for 

 once, as a sample. Perhaps if some of 

 the show committees would use a lit- 

 tle persuasion, and some liberal donor 

 provide the necessary transport 

 charges, we might be able to see this 

 consummated. 



Here the groups are put up with re- 

 markable taste and so arranged that 

 when you stai:d in frtnt of them you 

 can see the individuality of every 

 plant used. It is in the province of 

 the gardener to produce fine specimens 

 but usually when he groups them they 

 are so massed as to hide their indi- 

 vidual beauty. In building the one- 

 side mounds so often seen, it is not 

 really necessary to have good plants, 

 as only one side and sometimes only 

 the top, shows. To show them to 

 perfection, considerable decorative art 

 is necessary, and this the gardeners in 

 Lenox seem to study to as great an 

 extent as they do the cultural details. 



If is not the Intention of the writer 

 to discuss the superior merits of either 

 of the groups as put up by Mr. Here- 

 mans, Mr. A. Jenkins or Mr. E. Jenkins. 

 The judges had their own troubles in 

 making the awards, but in any case 



they were all really good from the most 

 critical standing point, and were cer- 

 tainly a revelation to the writer and 

 others, and an object lesson in their 

 line. Notable among tlie individual 

 plants used were some specimens of 

 Croton Warreni at least five feet high 

 and perfect in foliage and color, sev- 

 eral beautiful pieces of orchids, and 

 many well-grown palms, while the 

 ground work was mainly composed of 

 Adiaiitum Farleyense, lily of the val- 

 ley and Gypsophylla paniculata. 



For the group of orchids, Mr. Love- 

 less carried off first honors, with Mr. 

 Heremans a close second, both groups 

 being exceptionally fine and reflecting 

 great credit on the exhibitois, both 

 for cultivation and the tasteful man- 

 ner in which they were arranged. 



For specimen chrysanthemum plants, 

 Robert Spiers carried off the principal 

 honors, while Mr. Loveless was first 

 and Robert Spiers second for" twelve 

 plants grown in six-inch pots. This 

 was as fine a lot of plants as we have 

 seen grown in this size of pot. Every 

 bloom would have graced an exhibi- 

 tion table in the cut-bloom class. 



The principal prize in the cut-bloom 

 chrjsanthemum section was for 24 

 blooms, distinct. Here Edw. Jenkins 

 was first, Thomas Proctor second and 

 F. Heremans third. In competition 

 for the C. S. A. cup, F. Heremans was 

 awarded first for a splendid vase of 

 Mrs. F. S. Vallis, this being perfect in 

 form and finish; A. J. Loveless being 

 second with Montigne. These were 

 monster blooms, but hardly finished. 

 Had the show been a week later the 

 tables might have been turned. Thom- 

 as Proctor came in third with a well 

 finished vase of Lady Hopetown. 



It would take too much of your 

 valuable space to enumerate all the 

 varieties shown in each class, so we 

 give herewith a list of some of last 

 year's novelties which showed to best 

 advantage in competition with the old- 

 er kinds: Pres. Taft, Leslie Morrison, 

 Pockett's Crimson, G. W. Pook, Frank 

 Payne, Merstham Blush, Chas. Beck- 

 ett, Mrs. O. H. Kahn, Mrs. C. H. Totty, 

 Pockett's Surprise, Rose Pockett. 



Some of the most prominent of the 

 old varieties were: Mrs. J. C. Neil, 

 Mrs. Henry Patridge, Mary Mason, 

 Mrs. Norman Davis, H. J. Johns, Mrs, 

 F. S. Vallis and Lady Hopetown. 



In the vegetable classes, Rol>t. Spiers 

 carried oft first prize with a really 

 excellent collection; Mr. Edw. Jenkins 

 being second and F. Heremans, third. 

 To show the excellence of the vege- 

 tables shown in this class, we have no 

 hesitancy in saying that the third 

 prize lot would have taken first prize 

 in any show except Lenox. 



For grapes, Mr. Carlquist carried off 

 first honors, both for black and white, 

 F. Heremans being second. Both 

 showed Gros Colman in good form, 

 being excellent in color and finish, 

 while Muscat of Alexandria for white 

 was exceptionally good. In fact we 

 never saw it shown better this late 

 in the season. 



Altogether the show was worth a 

 long journey to' see. We are glad we 

 went, and consider the time well 

 spent. 



WM. SCOTT. 



Elmsford. N. Y. 



THE FLOWER CITY'S FLOWER 

 SHOW. 



The first Flower Show of the Com- 

 mercial Florists' Association, of 

 Rochester, N. Y., opened at Convention 

 Hall on Tuesday afternoon, Novem- 

 ber 2nd, with a display of floral 

 wealth and beauty seldom seen at 

 such exhibitions. Convention Hall was 

 one immense, undivided garden of 

 beauty, and the visitor was guided 

 along paths and' walks amid tropical 

 gardens dense with palms and ferns; 

 beds of violets and roses; and masses 

 of chrysanthemums, bouvardias and 

 primulas which smiled at one as he 

 passed from one glorious view to 

 another still more beautiful. 



At the rear of the hall and reach- 

 ing twenty feet toward the ceiling, a 

 rock garden was constructed from the 

 top of which a cascade tossed and 

 tumbled to the little lake below. The 

 walls of the building were covered 

 with scenic paintings, and from the 

 center of the roof thousands of yards 

 of southern smilax were gracefully 

 festooned to the supporting columns. 



A part of the famous Kimball orchid 

 collection was shown by Mrs. W. S. 

 Kimball. These were undoubtedly the 

 most interesting and rarest of the 

 many beautiful exhibits. 



W'hile the orchids formed a consider- 

 able part of Mrs. Kimball's exhibit, 

 the major part was a display of chry- 

 santhemums. 



The method of exhibiting was en- 

 tirely distinct from any flower show 

 held in the past, the plan being to 

 make the hall a great garden, rather 

 than a series of small booths or tables 

 containing individual exhibits, and 

 the success of this idea is in a great 

 measure due to Mr. Charles H. Vick, 

 chairman of the general committee, 

 assisted bv George B. Hart, W. L. Kel- 

 ler, J. M." Keller, F. L. Keller, R. G 

 Salter, E. P. Wilson, A. T. Salter, 0. 

 J. Brown, F. W. Vick, William Pitkin, 

 C. B. Ogston, F. R. Schlegel, H. B. 

 Stringer and E. A. Osborne. 



The opening of the exhibition was 

 very informal. President F. W. Vick, 

 of the Florists' Association, introduced 

 Mayor Edgerton, who spoke briefly 

 and extended his congratulations. 

 Then there was a crash of music, and 

 from the Fifty-fourth Regiment Band's 

 inclcsure, where Conductor Fred T. 

 Zeitler and his musicians were sta- 

 tioned, there came the strains of the 

 Schiicht march, "Do It For Rochester." 



In the many pergolas, leading into 

 the miniature gardens were hung 

 cages of canary birds. 



The exhibit from the Highland Park 

 conservatories, in charge of John Dun- 

 bar, superintendent, showed a desert 

 of sand in which hundreds of speci- 

 mens of cacti and other succulent 

 plants grow. 



An interesting exhibit showing what 

 may be accomplished in landscape 

 i;ardening in a small scale, was made 

 by Walter Ticknor. 



A complete list of exhibitors fol- 

 lows: A. W. Darling, Charles E. Fry, 

 John House, Vick & Hill Company, E. 

 R. Fry, Prank Bennett; Hiram W. 

 Sibley, Etienne Berry; R. H. Pringle, 

 H. E. Wilson, Thomann & Teute, 

 George Crooke * Co., G. T. Boucher; 

 Mrs. G. N. Perkins, John Condle, gar- 



