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HORTICULTURE 



April 30, 1910 



There Is So Much Exag'geration 



in advertising nowadays that the real truth often gets 

 lost in the shuffle. In order to distinguish the truthful 

 from the doubtful statements, you must reason. Asl< 



Why? 



One reason why 



HorsesHoe Brand Lily Bulbs 



are superior is because they are grown from selected 

 seed stock most carefully cultivated and assorted by 

 experienced hands. Then there are other reasons too. 

 They may cost more but not more than they are worth. 

 Send for the Horseshoe brand Catalog. 



Ralph M. Ward ®, Co. 



12 West Broadway, New York 



before joining your professional ranks, 

 I had the time and inclination to de- 

 velop the best I could get out of my 

 rose garden. You linow the Paul Ney- 

 ron was up to a few years ago and per- 

 haps is yet, the largest rose in cultiva- 

 tion. I have seen it credited in your 

 eastern catalogues with this character- 

 istic, and further described as "some- 

 times attaining 5% to 6 inches in diam- 

 eter!" In Portland in my own garden, 

 I have cut this rose, not once but often, 

 measuring 11%, inches in diameter! 



Evolution. 



Ever since I have known Portland, 

 when her population was only about 

 9,000, her people have been devoted to 

 roses, and I believe the same applies 

 to every town in Western Oregon and 

 Washington. Nearly twenty years ago 

 excellent rose shows were held in Port- 

 land. In those days the ladies of the 

 city took hold and by united effort and 

 good executive, exhibitions were held 

 that would have been a credit to much 

 larger places. The love of roses thus 

 encouraged, rapidly increased and 

 every new home builder became a 

 lover of the rose. In 1901 the Hon. 

 F. V. Holman, a leading attorney and 

 noted amateur rosarian, suggested that 

 Portland be christened and henceforth 

 called "The Rose City." The sugges- 

 tion quickly "took" and today not only 

 in this country, but throughout the 

 civilized world, Portland, Oregon, is 

 identified with fine roses. 



In 1905 the Lewis and Clark Exposi- 

 tion attracted I think some two mil- 

 lion people in this city, and the reputa- 

 tion and beauty of her roses were dis- 



seminated far and wide. About two 

 years later, the Portland Rose Festival 

 Association was organized and annual- 

 ly in June there is held a "week of 

 roses," including the great Rose Show 

 under the auspices of the Portland 

 Rose Society. At this Rose Show last 

 year it was estimated three million 

 rose blooms were used in the decora- 

 tion of the building in which the show 

 was held. Perhaps I am saying too 

 much of Portland, but in this connec- 

 tion it is almost unavoidable, because 

 I live there, and have been, and am in 

 close touch with these matters. Other 

 towns, however, in Western Oregon 

 and Washington are developing the 

 same success In their cultivation. It 

 is inviduous to mention names where 

 all are interested, but it would surprise 

 many of you gentlemen to see the 

 beauty and quality of flowers that are 

 exhibited at the rose shows throughout 

 this section. At many of them, the 

 latest introductions of Europe are ex- 

 hibited. Our rosarians are also dis- 

 criminating and well posted about 

 their favorites, and woe betide the 

 dealer who is not careful to keep 

 everything true to name. Shakespeare 

 says, "What's in a name! That which 

 we call a rose, by any other name 

 would smell as sweet." But here we 

 must have the true rose by its true 

 name, that was given to it by its in- 

 troducer at its birth. I could say more 

 about this, but it does not come within 

 the province of this paper. 



Commercial Aspect. 



So far, Mr. President and Gentlemen, 

 what I have written may not have been 



of interest to you as professionals 

 wishing to know something about the 

 conditions from a commercial point of 

 view. 



I regret to say that for commercial 

 growing in a large way, many insur- 

 mountable drawbacks exist. The mild- 

 ness and beauty of the climate so fa- 

 vorable for the amateur is absolutely 

 impossible for the professional. About 

 five years out of seven, the plants will 

 not ripen until too late for distant 

 shipment. I have often cut good out- 

 side roses at Christmas. Then our 

 spring usually opens too early. Fre- 

 quently when the East is blocked with 

 ice and snow, our roses are budding 

 out and getting ready to bloom. I have 

 more than once seen outside roses In 

 Portland begin to bloom by or about 

 the Sth of April. On the other hand, 

 several times no roses have been in 

 bloom on Decoration Day, May 30th. 



In the former cases, the shipping 

 season is ruinously curtailed. At other 

 times there are killing frosts late in 

 January or February, and in my own 

 experience I have seen the young 

 wheat plants frozen out in the middle 

 of March, necessitating reseeding of 

 practically the whole northern part of 

 Western Oregon. In such seasons the 

 plants suffer such serious injury that 

 a year is practically lost before they 

 can again be ready for market 



I am afraid that some of our push 

 clubs might object to these plain facts, 

 but for all general purposes the cli- 

 mate and conditions which exist In 

 Oregon and Washington are so good 

 that the truth will not hurt either us 

 or them. 



