December 24, 1910 



HORTICULTURE 



901 



A PEEP AT PETER FISHER'S. 



Ellis, Mass., Is the Mecca of carna- 

 tion growers and carnation lovers, es- 

 pecially at this season of the year when 

 young claimants for position and honor 

 in the carnation world are putting 

 forth their best effort in bud, blossom 

 and stem, and the records which are 

 to determine their fate are being care- 

 fully chronicled from day to day. To 

 this vigorous method of trying out his 

 seedlings and the inexorable rule which 

 discards from consideration any that, 

 after years of rigid trial and compar- 

 ison do not demonstrate unquestioned 

 superiority to existing varieties may be 

 ascribed much of Peter Fisher's pres- 

 tige among carnationists the world 

 over. He is never blind to the defects 

 of his own productions — in fact, the 

 defects rather than the good qualities 

 of his seedlings are what he seems to 

 be always most assiduously looking 

 for. Is it any wonder that his record 

 of introductions up to the present time 

 shows not a single failure and that it 

 would be a difficult matter to find a 

 recent introduction either in this coun- 

 try or abroad which has not in its 

 veins more or less of the blood ol 

 Peter Fisher's productions? Among the 

 varieties that seem now close to the 

 goal is Benora, a white and crimson 

 pencilled flower in the way of Bradt 

 but of much better build than that 

 variety and astonishingly prolific, so 

 much so that Mr. Fisher does not hesi- 

 tate to class it among the "bread and 

 butter" class. It has got down nicely 

 to regular working and will in all 

 probability be sent out next year. 

 While on the subject of variegated 

 sorts we might mention here another 

 very beautiful one, now two years old, 

 which if it keeps up to its present 

 record will probably displace Mrs. Pat- 

 ten. 



The variety that captivates every vis- 

 itor, however, is the dazzling scarlet 

 cerise Gorgeous. We say scarlet cerise 

 because we know of no other way to 

 describe the radiant quality which puts 

 this variety in a class by itself as com- 

 pared with even the brightest of the 

 true cerise type and frees it absolutely 

 from a suspicion of blue in any light. 

 It is now four years old. There are 

 two full benches of it and about all 

 that remains to be determined is the 

 question of returns at the end of this 

 year's trial. If satisfactory in this 

 respect Gorgeous will be given to the 

 world about two years hence. Another 

 very fine true cerise is known thus far 

 as No. lOS. There is half a bench of it 

 and it gives every evidence of being 

 a great producer. There are over 1200 

 one-year seedlings and the house in 

 which these are planted is of engross- 

 ing interest. There are some monster 

 whites, plenty of pinks and salmons, 

 and comparatively few reds although 

 in past years reds have been plentiful. 

 There are a few crimsons, one of which 

 is a full velvety flower of great beauty. 

 Among the one and two-year stock are 

 seen some reds that outshine even 

 Beacon in the matter of color but one 

 of the chief qualities of Beacon is its 

 constant regularity of blooming and, 

 as carnation growers generally know, 

 there are few varieties that can turn 

 out money value like this prime favor- 

 ite, so the new claimants will be 

 brought forward very cautiously. 



Mr. Fisher calls attention to a pecul- 

 iarity of the yellow varieties — of which 



he has several nice ones — in that when 

 you develop a variety with a good 

 flower the plant is inferior and when- 

 a good sturdy plant is obtained the 

 flower is no good. Yellows seem to be 

 forever out of balance. It is noted 

 that, although he has had no yellows 

 on the place for some time, yet there 

 are quite a few of that color among 

 this year's seedlings. 



Among the disseminated varieties 

 that are doing well with Mr. Fisher 

 are Enchantress and White Enchan- 

 tress, both in second crop since fall 

 came in; White Perfection, which, by 

 the way, presents an object lesson in 

 the value of early planting, in the 

 remarkable superiority of a bench 

 planted June 17 over one planted July 

 30; Winona, which is proving to be a 

 good mid-winter carnation and sells 

 well; May Day, of which it seems im- 

 possible to get enough to supply the 

 great demand, and which Mr. Fisher 

 characterizes as just the thing for the 

 grower with a home trade; Winsor, 

 which is producing a tremendous crop; 

 and Pink Delight, the demand for 

 which forces picking before the flower 



r 



A New Year's .Gift 



Should always be something prac- 

 tical and that will retain its useful- 

 ness undiminished clear through to 

 the end of the year. 



^ Could you possibly give your 

 friend or employee for the sum^of 

 $1.00 anything ihat.wculdlso well 

 fill the above conditions as a year's 

 subscription for Horticulture ? 



^And please note that $1.50 j^ 

 will pay for two, your own | 

 and one other, for 191 I , if sent now. 



V ^ 



is fully developed. Left on till finished 

 the bloom is very large and the stem 

 is almost too long. Pink Delight is 

 a great bloomer and fine keeper but a 

 very poor propagator, its peculiar 

 habit of growth making it necessary to 

 cut high on the stem and wait for 

 breaks for cuttings from the stumps. 

 Mr. Fisher's houses run due north 

 and south. By this plan he gets better 

 and always straight stems and escapes 

 the intense heat in the season when 

 the sun is strong. The houses are 300 

 ft. long with a cross passage in centre 

 of the range. Part of them are 

 equipped with the Foley ventilator 

 which is much liked, being light and 

 easily worked, the exactness with 

 which a line of heavy lights, 150 ft. in 

 length, are opened being especially 

 noticeable. 



FURTHER NEWS FROM E. H. 

 WILSON. 



We have received a personal letter 

 under date of October 31, from B. H. 

 Wilson, who is at Changtu, West 

 China, suffering from a badly broken 

 leg, as mentioned in these columns at 

 the time news of the accident was 

 cabled to Professor Sargent. Mr. Wil- 

 son says that the doctors hoped, if no 

 relapse should occur, to have him up 

 on crutches about the end of November. 

 The expedition up to the moment of 

 the accident had been remarkably suc- 

 cessful. During an overland journey 

 of some 700 miles he had discovered 

 many new and interesting plants, in- 

 cluding the tea plant, truly wild and 

 the wild form of the tea rose (Rosa in- 

 dica). He followed up this by another 

 to the northwest of some 300 miles, 

 and on this found a number of different 

 kinds of conifers, all bearing cones in 

 greatest profusion. Among other fine 

 trees he noted was the remains of a 

 giant Cercidophillum fifty-five feet In 

 girth! The camera was in constant 

 use and he added nearly thirty dozen 

 photographs to his stock. 



The loss to horticultural science 

 through this deplorable calamity to thle 

 noted explorer cannot be estimated. 

 Our readers will all join us, we are 

 sure, in deepest sympathy with Mr. 

 Wilson in the physical suffering he has 

 had to endure and the keen disap- 

 pointment that such a misfortune must 

 bring. 



APPRECIATES NOVELTIES. 



Editor HORTICULTURE: 



I notice in HORTICULTURE of De- 

 cember 17th an editorial, "An Abuse 

 of Opportunity." I would not disagree 

 with anything Mr. E. G. Hill might 

 say along the lines of roses, but we are 

 all the time on the lookout for novel- 

 ties. We search all the trade papers 

 every week. We are also on the look- 

 out in this country and in Europe for 

 novelties in plants and flowers, espe- 

 cially roses. 



We will gladly pay market prices and 

 express charges for anything new or 

 rare in the plant or flower line. Yours 

 very truly, J. H. TROY. 



New York City. 



ROSE HILDA. 



We have had the pleasure of a look 

 at Hilda, a fine shipment of this new 

 rose having been received by Welch 

 Bros., Boston, from Myers & Samt- 

 man. It is best described as an im- 

 proved My Maryland. 



PUBLICATIONS RECEIVED. 



The House of Flowers — Here is a 

 model little pamphlet sent out by J. 

 Breitmeyer's Sons as an advertisement 

 and prospectus. It is a gem in every 

 particular and throws a convincing 

 light on the methods by which this 

 well-known house maintains its su- 

 premacy. There are some fine illus- 

 trations of decorative work planned 

 and executed by J. Breitmeyer's Sons. 



"Golden New England" is the title 

 of a most inspiring and stimulating 

 pamphlet reprinted from The Outlook 

 and distributed by N. W. Harris & Co., 

 Boston bankers. "Golden New Eng- 

 land" points out the great natural and 

 commercial advantages which New 

 England enjoys, her vast agricultural 

 resources and the forces which are 

 at work in the great awakening 

 now in progress among the people of 

 this section to the possibilities for in- 

 dustrial advancement and the promo- 

 tion of local enterprise. New Ejigland 

 men everywhere should treat them- 

 selves to the pleasure of reading this 

 latest contribution to the literature 

 of the great New England revival. 



