X'MI 



UOKTICDLTUKK 



March 23, 1918 



horticulture: 



VOL. XXVll 



MARCH 23, 1918 



NO. 12 



ri KI.ISilKI) WKEKLY BY 



HORTICULTURE PUBLISHING CO. 



147 Suinmer Street, Boston, Mass. 



\VM. J. STIvWAKT. Editor and Mknacer 



TelrphoD«, Bettch t9t 



Rotered as sccond-clois matter December 8. 1904, at tbe Poit Office 

 at BoitoD, Maaa., under tbe Act of Congresa of Marcb 3. 1870. 



CONTENTS Page 



Page 



<'()VKR I LLISTUATIOX— Boston Spring Show 



VKUKTAULK CULTURE— Lima Beans— AsparaKus— 

 Rhubiirl>— ./o/iH Johimoii 279 



PATIUOTIC BOYCOTTING— « en »•!/ Penn 279 



NEW YORK SPRING FLOWER SHOW— Illustrated— 

 List of Awards— List of Trade Booths 281-283 



BOSTON SPRING SHOW 284 



AMERICAN ROSE SOCIETY— President Hammond's 

 Report — Secretary and Treasurer's Reports — Por- 

 traits 285-289 



CLUBS AND SOCIETIES— New York Federation of 

 Horticultural Societies and Floral Clubs; F. R. 

 Pierson. portrait — New York Florists' Club Banquet 

 — National Association of Gardeners — Chicago I?ior- 

 ists' Club — Gardeners' and Florists' Club of Boston 

 — Nassau County Horticultural Society — Meetings 

 Next Week— Rhode Island Horticultural Society. 290-294 



OBITUARY — .Iosei)li Heacock, portrait — A. Robeson 

 Sargent — "Chris" Donovans-Harry Sharp 296 



OF INTEREST TO RETAIL FLORISTS: 



New Flower Stores 298 



FLOWER MARKET REPORTS: 



Boston. Chicago. Cincinnati, New York, Pittsburgh 301 

 Rochester, St. Louis 303 



LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS: 



Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago, Cincinnati, Pitts- 

 burgh, Rochester. New York 304-306 



MISCELLANEOUS: 



A Visit to Waverley 284 



News Notes 284-303 



Greenhouses Building or Contemplated 296 



New Corporations 296 



Visitors' Register " 298 



Massachusetts Agricultural College 303 



Business Troubles 3(1f, 



Nothing but tlie heartiest apjiroval 

 Flower js (hie the managers of the big ex- 



show policies liibitions of the year in New York 

 and elsewhere for their decision to 

 refrain from soliciting, as in former years, sjjecial 

 prizes to excite interest and at the same time relieve 

 the management of a portion of its financial obligations. 

 There was a time when the latter was almost unavoid- 

 able, so great was the risk and probability of financial 

 loss in the conduct of a flower show. But we have now 

 learned better how to carry these enterprises to success 

 and a successful outcome is nowadays more of a rule 

 than an exception. A friendly spirit towards the flori- 

 cultural people, professional and amateur, is a first 

 requisite for popular success and under the exceptional 

 pconomic conditions now existing it may be fairly 

 assumed that the attitude of generous tradesmen and 

 amateur patrons of horticulture might have been •(ery 

 unfavorably affected by any solicitation for prize dona- 

 tions. So the decision to "go it alone" without outside 

 assistance when funds are so much needed for humane 

 purposes was not only commendably patriotic but good 

 |X)licy with a wise regard to the future. As an exam- 

 ple of rare liberality and jiatriotism the Boston spring 



sbiiw must lu' aicordcil a marked distinction, for tho 

 .MH^sai-hu.M'tts lliirticultural Society and all its ex- 

 hiliiluis. coniMU'rcial a.s well as private, turned over llu- 

 entire proceed.s U> the Hed Cross. 



.\ writer to the New York 



Barbarism l-;\cniMg Sun. who seems not to 



versus Americanism li,iv(. Iind the courage to sign his 



name, expresses his views that 

 lluwers and jilaiits for decorative and aesthetic purpose.n 

 are "among the typical luxuries" and asks, "why not 

 divert a large percentage of the florists and their em- 

 ployees from their usual work and turn them to the 

 pniductioii of food stuffs?" The knowledge and skill 

 of the florists he thinks, "should become an asset in 

 tlic-^e times." Tiiey die hard, these busybodys, but 

 tlic public are imt taking as much stock in their illogi- 

 cal thciirios as they once did and they will take still lees 

 stock as time goes on and better economic sense pre- 

 vails. The size, (juality and enthusiasm of the public 

 iittcn(hincc at tlic two elaborate exhibitions just closed 

 in Boston and Xcw York shows thtt tcnipor of the peoph- 

 and gives the best answer to the narrow-minded critics 

 who would abolish all these rich displays of Nature's 

 jiageantry, exquisite in form and sweet of perfume, 

 with their soul-elevating and civilizing influences, un- 

 make the slow development of the ages and turn back 

 and downward tbe course of humanity in its evolution 

 upward. How much more reasonable ajid human than 

 this reactionary propaganda is the position taken by 

 President ITammond in his address to the Americaji 

 Rose Society that "the appreciation and sentiment in 

 favor of nice things is the difference between barliarism 

 and .Americanism !" 



Kaster. the joyous floral festival, with its 

 Easter iiis])ii-ing consciousness of awakening life, 



is now close upon us and what a relief it 

 lirings to tbe worried and distracted florist after the 

 jirivatiims be has had to contend with during the win- 

 ter now haii])ily gone. But while Nature is thus doing 

 her best to smootli over the scars of the conflict the 

 situation for the florist is still far from normal or 

 encouraging, as every one who lias occasion to send or to 

 receive the i)cri.shable products from any considerable 

 distance knows by bitter experience. We learned, a 

 few days ago, of a shipment of flowers delivered in New 

 "S'ork City seven days after its start from Rahway, 

 N. J., just 19 miles distant. This is an exceptional 

 case, of course, but such is the present uncertainty with 

 regard to transportation and delivery either by express 

 or parcel post that plant growers do not dare to entrust 

 their goods to the chances of delivery at any great dis- 

 tance. Hence the big plant establishments that in the 

 |iast sought a wide territory for the distribution of their 

 jiroduct are forced to look for a local outlet and buyers, 

 likewise, are pretty closely limited to their local sources 

 of supply for needed st/jck. It is to be expected that 

 the Easter now approaching w'ill take on some unex- 

 jiected peculiarities, for the reason above alluded to as 

 well as on account of the absence from the market of a 

 considerable part of the material heretofore grown ex- 

 tensively for the Easter demand and because of the 

 scarcity and inferiority of the lily ci'op, which is now 

 pretty well realized. There is no reason to doubt the 

 attitude of the public on the Easter plant and flower 

 custom but every precaution should be taken to fore- 

 stall tbe interruptions and irregularities which are 

 lialile to interfere with established l)usiness methods. 



