HORTICULTURE. 



September 16, 1905 



British Horticulture 



AX AMERICAN ESSAY 



An essay on "The Progress of Horticulture in the 

 United States" — deferred from a meeting on July 4th — 

 from the pen of Professor Webber, the U. S. Department 

 of Agriculture, of Washington, was read before the 

 fellows of the Royal Horticultural Society on August 

 15th. Dealing with the remarkable growth of the fruit 

 industry in America, Professor Webber referred to the 

 important part which refrigeration has taken in this 

 development, and the immense strides made in peach 

 growing in Georgia. He paid a tribute to the practical 

 and business-like way in which the American nursery- 

 men conduct their undertakings, describing them as 

 intelligent, wide-awake men, who sought to advance the 

 industry of fruit growing in every way. To the 

 nurserymen of the Iftaited States was entirely due the 

 various fruit growing extensions. They had furnished 

 information as to propagation, culture, where and how 

 to plant, which had enabled the industries to be built up. 

 As a result of careful study and the trials at the experi- 

 mental stations the knowledge of cultivation and manur- 

 ing had extended. The large commercial orchards 

 which had followed the adoption of a thorough system 

 of refrigeration, had produced a better and more 

 thorough ^system. Prior to this fruit cultivation was 

 only a matter of secondary interest. Professor Webber 

 gave some interesting information on the changes made 

 in recent years in order to secure suitable fruit for cul- 

 tivation, incidentally mentioning that many European 

 varieties had been found unsuitable. 



A BRITISH VIEW 



Mr. George Bunyard, a leading authority on fruit 

 culture in Britain, who presided, remarked at the close 

 of the reading of the paper that apparently they had 

 very little luck in growing European varieties in Amer- 

 ica. On this side they had secured but a little result 

 from the varieties imported from America. He thought 

 a majority found a place upon the bonfire. There were 

 just a few which might be mentioned as an exception 

 to this rule, such as the pear, Clapp's favorites. This is 

 a very handsome pear, which comes in at a time when 

 there is no other to equal the size of it, if grown well 

 upon a quince stock. Another sort. Lady Clapp, which 

 he presumed came from the same raiser, promised to be 

 very fine. He was propagating it with a view to 

 finding out its advantages. As regards the apples, Mr. 

 Bunyard spoke highly of King of Tompkins County. 

 and in the plum section he praised the one introduced 

 by Mr. Burbank. The latter was remarkable for the 

 profusion of flowers produced. He considered that this 

 was the most valuable to this country of the wonderful 

 introductions Mr. Burbank has sent out. The speaker 

 concluded by proposing a vote of thanks to Professor 

 Webber, remarking that although many of the facts 

 given were not new to practical horticulturists the paper 

 was very interesting and would prove of value when 

 published in the Society's Journal. 



SEED TRADE MORALITY 



We have reached the dull season when newspapers in 

 search of "copy" allow their readers to express their 

 views on all topics under the sun. A correspondent has 

 taken advantage of this freedom to make a virulent 

 attack on the seed trade. This anonymous writer makes 

 the serious assertion, without affording any proof, that 

 "falsehood and deceit are regularly practiced in the 

 agricultural and horticultural seed trade." There is a 

 strong feeling of resentment in the trade against this 

 unwarranted attack by an irresponsible censor. I 

 invited a leading firm of London seedsmen with a 

 world-wide reputation to rei>ly to the allegations. In 

 response they wrote : "We are quite willing for anyone 

 to see our trial grounds, and the way we select, and the 

 care we take to have the best stocks of seed procurable; 

 our rapidly increasing connection is the best proof we 

 have that the letter has no interest for us." The best 

 answer to the charge is the fact that many of the princi- 

 pal houses in the seed trade have been in existence for 

 generations, and it is obvious that their businesses with 

 customers in all parts of the empire could not have 

 been built up on a basis of commercial dishonesty. The 

 utilization of efficient tests is more generally adopted, 

 for most of the buyers have facilities of this description, 

 so that the possibility of deception is now very small. 



SOME NEW DAHLIAS 



Dahlias are now becoming a feature at the shows of 

 the Eoyal Horticultural Society, giving a reminder of 

 the near approach of the annual exhibition of the 

 National Society associated with that flower. Messrs. 

 Stredwick and Sons of St. Leonard's, who are usually at 

 the front as prize-takers have just secured awards of 

 merit from the Eoyal Horticultural Society for two nov- 

 elties in the cactus section. William Marshall, with a 

 yellow centre shading off to orange, and T. A. Have- 

 meyer, bright crimson. Jno. S. Mortimer, of Row- 

 ledge, Farnham, Surrey, who has secured 100 gold and 

 silver medals, has a number of new introductions which 

 are likely to be seen on the show stands. These com- 

 prise Alexander, a bold dark crimson flower, flushed 

 with maroon, with a fine centre ; Innocence, with bright 

 yellow base, the fluted petals being broadly margined 

 with white; Mrs. J. S. Brunton, deep yellow; Blush 

 Queen, rosy pink, with a creamy white centre; Vivid, 

 bright orange scarlet. The whole of these have been 

 raised by Sir Mortimer who has several acres devoted 

 to this subject at his Surrey nursery. The populariza- 

 tion of the cactus varieties during the last twenty years 

 has done a great deal to bring the dahlia in favor. This 

 section still retains its hold on the public, for the new 

 introductions are generally in this branch, and by selec- 

 tion the former defects of the flowers are being gradu- 

 ally eradicated. 



THE PREMIER PROVINCIAL SHOW 



The show held annually at Shrewsbury is regarded as 

 the largest and best one outside London. This impor- 



