March 12, 1910 



HORTICULTURE 



381 



do the plants throw character blooms, 

 but if by Jan. 1st each plant does not 

 show several blooms cut, something 

 is decidedly wrong, either with the 

 variety or with the culture given. 



In regard to new varieties, we need 

 them and they are interesting, and 

 we must not forget that every variety 

 that we grow was once an untried 

 novelty; but it behooves every gen- 

 eral grower to ascertain as far as 

 possible the exact value of a "new 

 one" before displacing an "old one" 

 to make room for it in quantity. This 

 national meeting is of inestimable 

 value to carnation growers in that it 

 shows just how well the standard va- 

 rieties are holding their early vitality 

 and position, and just what new sorts 

 are surpassing their seniors in bril- 

 liance of color, perfection of form 

 and in size. Only the finest and most 

 productive sorts can in this day and 

 time pay for standing room in the 

 modern, up-to-date greenhouse. 



THE SHAMROCK. 



Says St. Patrick in the old song: 



"I'm a saint oome to sei-ve you 

 and Patrick's my name" 



and' tells them he's going to have a 

 tussle with the devil and then advises 

 them to 



"Go lay down in clover 



Till the scrimmage is over" 



and the poet winds up his many verses 

 with the same refrain; 

 "It was Patrick's Day in tbe morning" 

 Another old Irish song has it; 



"In his hat good St. Patrick used always 



to wear 

 The shamrock whenever he went to a fair. 

 And Nebuchadnezzar no doubt highly 



prized 

 A bit of the blossom \\hcn he went dis- 

 guised. 

 For the bosom of beauty itself might 



expand 

 ■When bedecked by the shamrock of Old 

 Ireland." 

 Dion Boucicault's tragi-coniic song, 

 "The Wearing of the Green," is a gem 

 of the first water. 



When this song was written condi- 

 tions were different from when "The 

 Wearing of the Green" loomed up. 



"May the sons of the Thames, and the 



Tweed, and the Shannon, 

 Drub the foe who dares plant on their 



confines a cannon; 

 United and happy at loyalty'.s shrine. 

 May the rose, leek and thistle loua: flourish 



and twine 

 'Round a sprig of shillelah and shamrock 



so green." 



— Henry Condt. 



This variation of the same old song 

 was used to celebrate a St. Patrick's 

 Day in Paris, 100 years ago; 



"On the banks of the Seine and the banks 

 of the Shannon, 

 I.i't each Irishman sing 

 To his country and king. 

 Anil let each honest heart, whether Irish 

 or not, 

 Ueligiously think 

 "t'ls his duty to drink 

 On St. Patrick's day in the morning." 



— Sir Jonah Barrington. 



"I'll seek a four-leaved shamrock in all 



the fairy dells, 

 Ai'd, if I find the charmed leaves, 



()! how I'll weave my spells. 

 I would not waste ray manic might 



On diamond, pearl or gold; 

 For treasure tires the weary sense 



Such triumph is but cold; 

 Hut I would play the enchanter's part 



In casting bliss around — 

 O! not a tear nor aching heart 



Should In the world be found." 



— Satnull Lover. 



The four-leaved shamrock was sup- 

 posed to be gifted with magic proper- 

 lies, but it is not nearly so uncommon 

 as is generally supposed. 



OUTDOOR FLORICULTURE IN 



NORTHERN STATES— PRESENT 



DEVELOPMENT AND FUTURE 



MISSION. 



(A paper b.v Richard Kotbe read before 

 the Har Harbor Horticultural Society 



at the March meeting). 

 Broadly speaking, the New England 

 states have a well established and 

 enviable record in all lines of outdoor 

 floriculture as far north as Boston. 

 Beyond the Massachusetts boundary, 

 however, the horticultural fraternity 

 of this country still looks with more 

 or less doubt. Maine, New Hamp- 

 shire and Vermont have not been 

 heard from often enough to make an 

 impression. I don't think I am exag- 

 gerating when stating that in the 

 minds of a great majority of Ameri- 

 can horticulturists floriculture within 

 those states is still in its infancy and 

 little is expected of this section in the 

 near future. While this may properly 

 apply to the thinly settled regions it 

 hardly does to our larger cities. 

 Floriculture as a means to beautify 

 home surroundings and city squares 

 is better understood and becomes 

 more noticeable year after year. For 



BlCUARD KOTHE 



obvious reasons we find it farthest 

 advanced along the seacoast line. 

 With the establishment of fashionable 

 summer resorts and subsequent build- 

 ing of cottages the desire to have the 

 immediate surroundings laid out in 

 the customary lawn like shape, 

 planted with trees, ornamental shrub- 

 bery and some flowers followed. It 

 was, and in many cases still is, 

 simply the introduction of the con- 

 ventional city suburban lawn into the 

 native spruce and pine region of the 

 North. Whatever little of flowering 

 everyday bedding plants during the 

 early stages of development were em- 

 ployed, were supplied by the large 

 far away central markets. The com- 

 paratively short growing seasons, the 

 uncertainty of plant material coming 

 a long distance from a much warmer 

 climate thriving, not to speak of the 

 frequent absence of skilled labor for 

 proper handling and care, proved in 

 many instances serious obstacles In 

 the pathway of quick advance. The 

 rapid floricultural progress of Bar 

 Harbor is first and last due to the 

 early employment of high class pro- 



fessional plantsiuen and subsequent 

 foundation of her own plant growing 

 industries. To lay bare the floricul- 

 tural possibilities of a region, which 

 at the beginning must have looked 

 near to hopeless, required a vast 

 amount of patient experimenting. 

 There is no need to talk to you of 

 the many disappointments, or, on the 

 other hand, of the many happy sur- 

 prises the northern floriculturist 

 meets with, but it is safe to say, that, 

 so far the latter by far have out- 

 classed the former in number and im- 

 portance. 



A Favoring Climate. 



It was one of the happy surprises 

 to find out that we can safely em- 

 ploy many of the Azalea mollis and 

 pontica varieties along the Atlantic 

 coastline as far north as Canada. 

 Calycanthus floridus, Cydonia japon- 

 ica, all the free flowering deutzias, 

 diervillas, forsythias, bush honey- 

 suckles, mock oranges, spiraeas and 

 viburnums have proven perfectly 

 hardy and the rich florescense of im- 

 mense lilac bushes gives evidence 

 that the climatic conditions of the 

 north are exceptionally favorable for 

 their growth. Let us hope that the 

 popularity of the hardy hydrangeas 

 and Rosa rugosas is soon to be shared 

 by rose varieties such as Austrian 

 Briar, Copper, Harrison's Yellow 

 and Persian Yellow. Likewise are 

 the rubiginosa Penzance hybrids and 

 the many comparatively new rugosa 

 hybrids worth serious consideration, 

 for they are not only perfectly hardy 

 within this locality, but also exceed- 

 ingly prolific in flowering. Hybrid- 

 perpetuals, teas and hybrid teas need 

 winter protection in New England and 

 more so along the Canadian boun- 

 dary. If carried through in good 

 shape and otherwise properly cared 

 for their growth is extraordinarily 

 vigorous, the crops of buds are heavy 

 and the period of their flowering long 

 lasting; not to mention the fortunate 

 absence of the obnoxious rose bugs 

 which often ravage crops of outdoor 

 roses in the Middle Atlantic states. 



Glorious Color Effect. 



There is no climatic or other hin- 

 drance for the free use of nearly all 

 the popular bedding plants as gerani- 

 ums, tuberous rooted begonias, helio- 

 tropes, salvias, petunias and so forth. 

 It there had been any doubt as to the 

 possibility of flowering such roots as 

 dahlias, gladioli and cannas, your mag- 

 nificent' exhibits of last year's flower 

 show would have quickly removed it. 

 But, after all, there is nothing which 

 can eclipse the great success we have 

 had in the line of hardy biennials and 

 perennials. Not alone can we grow 

 wellnigh everything worth having, but 

 time has devulged the fact that we 

 can also cultivate many varieties up 

 to a perfection and floriferousness that 

 is simplv impossible south of Massa- 

 chusetts." I said. "Cultivate up," lest 

 we forget that growing of perennials 

 in the north means increased atten- 

 tion, and in consequence thereof high- 

 er expenses, especially in overwinter- 

 ing, than in the Middle States. For 

 those few extras, northern grown 

 plants, after surviving our long, ley 

 winters under protecting leaf-covering, 

 hardy and vigorous, are ready to put 

 forth that wonderful sturdy growth, 

 rich floriferousness and brilliancy of 

 colors, which year after year compels 



