no 



11 () irr 1 c u i/r u kk 



April 27. 1918 



house was a very fine pinnt of the pure wliitc Cattlcya 

 spcciosissima and Cattlcya Skinncrii alba. 1 also saw 

 the specially fine Cattlcya Schrodera^ var. .lames 

 Goodier which is very exciuisite, the whole flower being 

 slightly sulTused with a primrose pink and of line shape 

 and texture. 



Almost every wlute laltlcya iu cultivation is repre- 

 sented by one or more specimens, some of which have 

 been in this collection for many years. Cattlcya 

 Mossin' Zion IIo\ise ^a^., is to be .«een growing here vig- 

 orously and this plant was imported from luirope to 

 Trenton well over twenty years ago. Jlr. h'oeliling al- 

 ways was a lover of I.!elia anceps and its varieties and 

 there are about si.xtcen distinct named varieties grow- 

 ing freely here, including the rare and beautiful 

 Ho'blingiana. In tiio same house is the old natural 

 hybrid luelia Fincheniana Schroderiana which was in 

 flower with seven pure white perfect blooms. 



Cypripediums are another great feature in tliis collec- 

 tion and all the best and well-known varieties are to be 

 seen, including C. Beryl, Gaston Bultel, Germaine 

 apoix, Euryades splendens, Adrastus, Hindeanum. Ad- 

 miral Jellicoe, Lord Walmcr, Aeson giganteum, Wood- 

 row Wilson and a host of others. A large number of 

 Cypripedium hybrids have been raised at Trenton and 

 some very fine forms have resulted. 



Botanical species are also of special interest here and 

 there is an endless variety of them including Coelog\'nes, 

 Cirrhopetalums. Masdevallias, Epidendrums, Aerides, 

 Phajus, Oncidiums, Lycastc. Sobralias. Scbomburg- 

 kias, etc., and also a few very fine plants of Zvgopetaluni 

 Roeblingianum which is now very rare. This was in 



flower and looked very charming. Cympidiums are also 

 grown here in great variety and in flower was the rare 

 natural hybrid Itoseiiin an<l a line variety of Lowianum 

 eliiirneum. In the 1 tcndroliiuni liousc can be seen end- 

 less varieties, both hybrids anil sjiecics, and a nuinlier of 

 which were idooniitig, including Mclunodiscus, Hain- 

 bow and the fine nobilc var. Ashwortbianum. 



Probably nowhere can be seen such wonderful speci- 

 nicn ijlants of ]'2pidendrum Boundii, radicans O'Brien- 

 ianum, etc., as are growing here to perfection. Miltonias 

 also thrive and grow finely and are here in almost every 

 known variety. Numerous orchids have ijccn named in 

 recognition of Mr. ]{oei)ling, one of the best being the 

 wonderful Cattlcya 'J'rianaj IJocblingeana. 



A word of praise should be given to Mr. Ooodicr for 

 the excellent manner in which he cultivates the Phala;- 

 nopsis. They are certainly grown admirably and reflect 

 great credit to the ))erfect treatment which they receive. 

 They were in full idoom and gave a glorious display. 

 Over 100 sjieciniens iirc grown here in all the well known 

 varieties. The wliole collection is now probably the old- 

 est in the country and a large number of rare species 

 exists here which are otherwise unknown. Owing to the 

 large quantity of seedlings and dujilicates which have 

 been propagated it looks as if Mr. Koebling will soon 

 have to take over more houses for his orchids or other- 

 wise they will become too congested. The planta 

 throughout look remarkably well grown and certainly 

 will repay anyone to inspect. 



^a£C^^ ^<rlt- 



HORTICULTURAL PROBLEMS OF TODAY 



Synopsis of an Address by E. W. Breed of Clinton, Mass.. before the Gardeners' & Florists' Club of Boston. 



We are confronted today with prob- 

 lems that require unusual treatment. 

 Conditions have arisen that we never 

 realized could exist during our life- 

 time. Tliese conditions make neces- 

 sary the readjustment of our business 

 methods as well as our methods of 

 cultivation. It is a time when we have 

 to do some hard thinking. 



The European conditions make Im- 

 porting of plants, seeds and bulbs a 

 questionable venture. This fact will 

 encourage the growing of these sup- 

 plies here, which is already beginning 

 to be demonstrated in various parts of 

 our country, particularly in California. 

 where it seems possible that we shall 

 soon be receiving many of the hard- 

 wooded plants that have come from 

 Belgium, also bulbs from Holland and 

 seeds in even greater quantity than 

 have already been grown here. Some 

 of the leading horticulturists, in view 

 of the many existing conditions, be- 

 lieve the time is not far distant when 

 we shall be exporting the stock that 

 we formerly imported. 



Labor. 



The labor problem is the most seri- 

 ous one we have ever encountered; 

 both quality and quantity seem to be 

 limited. There seems to be an In- 

 equality in the wages demanded by 

 day laborers and that which is paid 



skilled hands. While we may account 

 for this condition it is beyond our 

 province to remedy it. We are obliged 

 to follow the example of other coun- 

 tries in the employment of women and 

 boys. Concerning the former there 

 are many duties which they can per- 

 form and they will probably be a great 

 assistance as many of them are going 

 out under organized clubs with deter- 

 mination to be of service. The boys 

 can be helpful if they can be made to 

 realize the importance of their work 

 and pay strict attention to the duties 

 assigned them. With the government 

 asking us to plant more, and then call- 

 ing the young men to service upon 

 whom we are dependent for labor in 

 growing the crops, it makes the prob- 

 lem rather a difficult one. 



Fuel. 



Most of us are dependent on fuel 

 for the winter season and as our 

 plants are equipped with heating ap- 

 paratus for coal consumption, it seems 

 to me that it is best tor us to do what 

 we can with what coal we can get. 

 We ought to know and probably will 

 before long how much coal we can ex- 

 pect the coming winter. Nearly every- 

 one has had to economize, either by 

 maintaining a lower temperature, or, 

 by closing a portion of their plants in 

 order to meet the conditions The sub- 

 stitutes have been helpful but like all 



other substitutes they have proved ex- 

 pensive. Many have been able to use 

 wood and wliere near at hand it has 

 been useful. Coal briquettes have been 

 used in limited quantities. There is 

 a possibility that oil may be used. To 

 some the shortage of coal has been a 

 blessing in disguise because their 

 stock has been better grown, showing 

 they formerly maintained a too high 

 temperature. It is very important 

 that we should keep the greenhouse 

 business alive not only for Its useful- 

 ness at the present time, but, also for 

 the fact, that after the war is over 

 we want to be able to furnish employ- 

 ment for the gardeners who have been 

 loyal in their country's service. 



Fertilizers. 



The increased cost of fertilizers has 

 made It necessary for us to utilize 

 everything at hand. Where we have 

 sufficient land to grow green crops that 

 can be heavily fertilized and then 

 plowed in, we can furnish a large 

 amount of humus in the most avail- 

 able form. This helps the mechanical 

 condition of the soil, which I believe 

 is of greater Importance than the 

 fertilizing properties supplied, for, 

 without good digestion rich food is of 

 little value. This necessitates a close 

 study of the plant requirements in 

 order to supply the particular plant 

 food required. 



