464 



HORTICULTURE 



March 19, 1910. 



SPRING FLOWER SHOW AT PHIL- 

 ADELPHIA. 



The annual spring show, March 15, 

 16 and 17, under the auspices of the 

 Pennsylvania Horticultural Society 

 was augmented this year with the ex- 

 hibits of the National Association of 

 Gardeners, who held their third an- 

 nual convention in Philadelphia on the 

 above dates. Many of the regular 

 prizes of the P. H. S. were not offered 

 because N. A. G. premiums were ample 

 to bring out a good show. The ex- 

 hibits as a rule showed high skill in 

 culture, and were very creditable to 

 all concerned. Azaleas, lilies, roses 

 hyacinths, tulips, daffodils, and the 

 usual line of Easter flowering subjects 

 comprised the bulk of the display. 

 Two handsome specimens of palms 

 (Caryoia sobolifera) one facing the 

 stairway the other gracing the center 

 of the hall, came from Clement B. 

 Newboid's and helped to take some 

 of the bare effect off the show, but 

 there was a great lack of good palms 

 and other foliage plants, such as 

 should always be present in an ex- 

 hibition of this nature to tone down 

 and relieve the blaze of color and give 

 rest to the eye, and a general sense 

 of pleasure to the visitor. By "visitor" 

 is meant the general public, of course, 

 as they are the object aimed at in all 

 shows. The principal prize winners 

 were: Winthrop Sargent, Fishkill on 

 Hudson, N. Y., gar. F. C. Whitney; 

 P. A. B. Widener, Ogontz, Pa., gar. 

 W. Kleinheinz; John Wanamaker. 

 Jenkintown, gar. J. H. Dodds; Jno. W. 

 Pepper, Jenkintown, gar. William 

 Robertson; Countess Santa Eulalia, 

 Elklns Park, gar. Thos. Gaynor; 

 Clement B. Newbold, Jenkintown, 

 gar. Samuel Batchelor; Prof. H. F. 

 Osborne, Castle Rock, Garrison, N. Y., 

 gar. James Bell; Mrs. F. C. Penfield, 

 Germantown, gar. Jno. McCleary; Mrs. 

 W. L. Elkins, La Mott, gar. Jno. Hed- 

 land; J. W. Geary, Chestnut Hill, gar. 

 James Bell; Miss Gertrude Ely, Bryn 

 Mawr, Pa., gar. R. W. A. Schneider; 

 A. C. Zvolanek, Bound Brook, N. J.; 

 R. B. Ellison, Bryn Mawr, gar. Apel 

 Landroth. 



The Waterer premium for hyacinths 

 and other bulbous stock brought out 

 a splendid display — two long tables 

 i-unning from side to side of the hall 

 being entirely filled. The high quality 

 of the Waterer bulbs and the skill of 

 the growers were both well illustrated 

 here. This section was a Mecca for 

 everybody, and showed what can be 

 done for the education of the public 

 when brains and money are back of 

 it. The Miehell premiums were along 

 the same general lines and brought 

 out a fine display. 



The stage circle was occupied by a 

 large number of small plants, foliage 

 and flowering, from the Dreer green- 

 houses at Riverton — begonias, anthu- 

 rjums, ifprns, palms, etc. The gems 

 ot this collection were the Cocos Wed- 

 deliana. absolutely perfect in health 

 and finish — and the admiration and 

 despair of all good palm growers. 



There were but two groups of foli- 

 age and flowering plants. First prize 

 went to Mr. Batchelor who had a rich 

 and effective showing of rare plants 

 the most striking being the wistarias, 

 laburnums and lilacs. Mr. Robert- 

 son's group was splendid from an ar- 

 tistic viewpoint and many good judges 

 liked it even better than the other. 

 The men who had the deciding cer- 



tainly had a hard struggle between 

 these two. Dreer, Miehell and Waterer 

 all had attractive displays of seeds, 

 bulbs and sundries. 



A pyramid Lady Gay and a balloon 

 Farquhar rose graced the main stair- 

 way, showing the splendid things that 

 can be done with these ramblers. They 

 were some four feet high and three 

 feet through and carried thousands of 

 blossoms. William Kleinheinz and 

 William Robertson were the artists in 

 this connection. 



Nephrolepis Schoelzeli held the cen- 

 ter of attention in the fern depart- 

 ment. This variety has come rapidly 

 to the front and from its healthy 

 growth, fine habit, dark deep green 

 crested fronds, seems to be the king 

 of all the crested nephrolepis. Dreers 

 were the pioneers in this and their 

 good judgment is being borne out by 

 the experience of others. Empress 

 Elizabeth stocks, Calla Rossi and Sol- 

 faterre, were bright little stars in the 

 general galaxy. 



Lager & Hurrell had a collection of 

 orchids comprising about twenty-five 

 species and were the center of atten- 

 tion with the lovers of these aristo- 

 crats of the floral world. Their genial 

 representative had his hands full tak- 

 ing orders and answering questions. 

 Alphonse Pericat also had a good col- 

 lection of orchids on exhibition. Wil- 

 liam Kleinheinz took the first prize 

 for specimen orchid plant with Schom- 

 burgkia undulata, seven feet high, 

 three feet diameter, eight flowering 

 stalks, each umbel carrying from 15 

 to 25 flowers. 



Cineraria stellata appeared in many 

 groups and was well done as a rule 

 and a great feature. Cineraria grandi- 

 flora was also in good evidence. It 

 seems rather unfair to pit the very 

 dwarf against the half-tall form ot this. 

 Most judges will give the prize to the 

 bigger plant even if the flowers be 

 equally good. Mr. Robertson won an 

 honor on this on size, and strange to 

 say, lost it for the same reason with 

 Primula obconica. In the latter the 

 prize winning lot didn't show any- 

 thing like the flowers in Robertson's, 

 but they were bigger plants. Cyclamen 

 and amaryllis were both well repre- 

 sented. 



A variegated Asparagus Sprengeri 

 and a variegated pineapple (Ananas 

 sativa) were attractive novelties. The 

 latter would make a good badge for 

 the Ananias Society, perhaps. On sec- 

 ond thought, no. The members of that 

 society get their finest work in in the 

 dark, and the last thing they'd think 

 of is proclaiming themselves by wear- 

 ing a badge. 



We must say a good word for Acan- 

 thus montanus. Of course, it's only a 

 thistle, but it is dwarf and has really 

 handsome leaves of the loveliest deep 

 green. Primula Sieboldi, Phlox cana- 

 densis, Myosotis semperflorens. Iris 

 pumila hybrida, Roses Walter Speed. 

 Mrs. Aaron Ward, Geo. C. Wand, Mar- 

 garet Molyneux, The Lyon, Harry Kirk 

 were among the good things exhibited 

 for the Dreer prizes. 



Lord <Sr Burnham Co. had a nice 

 alcove at the head of the stairway with 

 a display of framed photos on the 

 walls, showing specimens of their 

 greenhouse buildiug, etc. Mr. Tuthill 

 called the erection an Irish pagoda. 

 The form of their stand was in honor 

 of the saint, of course. D. T. Connor 

 ably represented his firm and dissemi- 



nated much useful information to an 

 eager and anxious public. They also> 

 had a good exhibit of glass and slat 

 cold-frames on exhibition. 



Kleinheinz and Zvolanek were the- 

 sweet pea kings. Greenbrook, Mrs. 

 Chas. Totty, No. 45, No. 107, were espe- 

 cially fine. 



The cut carnations and roses were 

 excellent and made a great feature. 

 Kleinheinz, Dodds, Robertson, Gaynor 

 and Batchelor all shone in this section. 

 Jno. McCleary won first on the best 

 display ot cut flowers of bulbous stock. 

 This was a good feature and brought 

 out a fine display. The Dielytras from 

 Robertson's were a splendidly done lot. 

 Of coiuse, this ought to be Dicentra, . 

 but they had bad spellers in Holland 

 once so the Dielytra error still con- 

 tinues. 



The challenge prize for the most. 

 points — given to the biggest prize win- 

 ner in the show by the Pierson U-Bar 

 Co. — was won by W. Kleinheinz with 

 46, the second being William Robert- 

 son with 29 third, S. Batchelor with 

 21. G. C. WATSON. 



LILIES AT EDGAR'S. 



One ot the show places in the Bos- 

 ton district, particularly at Easter 

 time, is the W. W. Edgar Co.'s place- 

 at Waverley, Mass. On Saturday of 

 this week the annual visit of the mem- 

 bers of the Gardeners' and Florists' 

 Club of Boston to inspect the Easter 

 display will take place on invitation of 

 Mrs. Edgar, who takes pleasure in per- 

 petuating this custom established by 

 the late Mr. Edgar many years back. 

 The visitors will find much to praise 

 and admire this year. Herman Barsch,. 

 who has been for a number of years 

 foreman at this plant, is well known 

 as one ot our most reliable and skill- 

 ful growers, and what he has to pre- 

 sent from year to year is always credi- 

 table to his ability as a plantsman, 

 but this year he has outdone himself 

 and no better demonstration of the 

 skill of the modern commercial plant 

 grown can be asked tor than is here 

 presented, in a season particularly un- 

 favorable and an Easter which is so- 

 early. 



The lilies are said by competent 

 judges who have had the privilege of 

 inspecting the stock of many of the 

 largest growers from Chicago east- 

 ward, to be the best in the country 

 and never excelled and rarely equalled 

 in America up to the present time. 

 The multlflorums and giganteums are 

 superb, particularly the former, which 

 seem to have outgrown the disease- 

 which has been such a handicap in 

 former years and taken a place dis- 

 tinctly in advance of the giganteums. 

 But beyond all and incomparable in 

 size, texture and abundance of bloom 

 is the Formosa stock. As seen at W. 

 W. Edgar Co.'s this is the lily par 

 excellence, and it is a refreshing treat 

 to see the noble carriage and rich luxu- 

 riance of this newcomer which seems 

 to possess all the qualities which the 

 lily grower has been sighing tor. 



There are azaleas of the most ap- 

 proved sorts, hydrangeas with no sug- 

 gestion of hurrying or necessity there- 

 for, acacias, genistas, and Rambler 

 roses in profusion. The plant industry 

 will thrive whilst we have such ex- 

 ponents of its best possibilities as the- 

 W. W. Edgar Co., and Thomas Roland, 

 whose Easter stock we described last; 

 week. 



