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HORTICULTURE 



April 15, 1911 



BRITISH HORTICULTURE. 



A Proposed National Daffodil Society. 



In the making of new floral societies 

 there appears to be no end. The latest 

 suggestion has been to organize a Na- 

 tional Daffodil Society. An adjourned 

 meeting of those interested in the pro- 



. ject was recently held in London. Rev. 



■G. H. Bngleheart, a well known enthu- 

 siast, presided. It transpired that 

 some communication had taken place 

 with the Royal Horticultural Society 



•on the proposal. The following com- 

 munication was received from the 



'Council of that Society: "The Coun- 



'cll, having considered the resolution 

 sent up to them by Uie Narcissus Com- 

 mittee this day are willing (1) to hold 

 a two days' show in April; (2) to issue 

 a year-book, if the committee supply 

 sufficient and suitable material for the 

 same; (3) to issue a schedule for the 



show after receiving recommendations 

 from the committee thereupon; (4) the 



"Council consider all committees com- 

 petent to sub-divide themselves into 

 sub-committees tor special and topical 



[purposes." In view of this new devel- 



'opment, it was decided to postpone the 

 proposal until it is ascertained how 

 far the Narcissus Committee's scheme 



Js workable. 



TMatlonal Rose Society's Year Book. 



'The National Rose Society has for 

 some years deserved the gratitude of 

 all rosarians for the valuable contribu- 

 tion it has made to the literature of 

 the "Queen of flowers." The Society's 

 "■year Book" for 1911 is replete with 

 "the most authoritative details of all 

 phases of rose culture. There is much 

 cause for congratulation as to the 

 progress made in rose culture, as re- 

 "vealed in the comprehensive article of 

 the Rev. J. H. Pemberton, who reviews 

 the season of 1910. A glimpse of con- 

 tinental methods is given in the re- 

 view of the Paris Quinquennial Horti- 

 •cultural Show, furnished by Mr. George 

 Paul. There are some helpful details 

 on the dates of the flowering of differ- 

 ent varieties of climbing roses, fur- 

 aiished by Mr. H. R. Darlington and Dr. 

 A. H. Williams. Mr. Darlington finds 

 something new to say on the subject 

 •of tea roses for bedding. Rose culture 

 has its humorous side, as indicated by 

 the Rev. F. Page-Roberts' essay on 

 "Nosarians and Antinosarians." 



More Garden Leaves. 



During the last five years there has 

 been a "boom" in books devoted to the 

 sweet pea. One of the latest is from 

 the pens of Messrs. Horace J. Wright 

 and T. Stevenson. Mr. Wright was 

 the former secretary of the National 

 Sweet Pea Society, and is well known 

 as a capable writer and lecturer on 

 the subject. Mr. Stevenson writes with 

 the expert knowledge of a leading 

 prize-winner at the National shows. 

 As an indication of the popularity of 

 this pleasing flower, it is mentioned 

 that the weight of seed sown annually 

 Is 40 tons. "Daffodils" have a volume 

 devoted to them from the pen of Mr. 

 R. A. Joseph Jacob, a regular contrib- 

 utor to the gardening press. The Rev. 

 "W. Wilks, secretary to the Royal Hor- 

 ticultural Society, supplies an appro- 

 priate preface. For garden and deco- 

 rative purposes Mr. Wilks favors: Em- 

 peror, Empress, Horsfieldii, Barri con- 

 :spicuus, Madame de Graaf, Baroness 



Heath, King Alfred, White Queen, 

 Lady M. Boscawen. Weardale Perfec- 

 tion, Golden Bell, Victoria, and J. B. 

 M. Camm. "Pansies, Violas and Vio- 

 lets" receive ample treatment at the 

 hands of Mr. W. Cuthbertson. Mr. 

 Alex. Dean, V. M. H., gives the result 

 of his long and ripened experience in 

 "Root and Stem Vegetables," which is 

 admirably embellished with colored 

 plates. The tour works referred to are 

 contained in the "Present Day Garden- 

 ing" series, published by Messrs. T. C. 

 and E. C. Jack of Edinburgh, and ed- 

 ited by Mr. R. Hooper Pearson. 



W. H. ADSETT. 



The first Provisional Schedule for 

 the International Horticultural Exhibi- 

 tion to be held in London May 22-30 in- 

 clusive has been distributed and copies 

 may be procured from the Honorary 

 Secretary, Edward White, 7 Victoria 

 street, Westminster, S. W. The sys- 

 tem of premiums adopted will consist 

 in a combination of silver or silver 

 gilt cups and money together with a 

 diploma. A single form of cup is to 

 be adopted and made in a variety of 

 sizes to suit the larger and smaller 

 classes and merits, the cups in all 

 cases to be engraved with the seal or 

 other official badge of the Exhibition 

 committee. 



PERSONAL. 



Patrick O'Mara has gone south for a 

 brief period of rest. 



John Donaldson, of Elmhurst, N. Y., 

 who has been very ill with rheumatism 

 is now improving slowly. 



E. Westergaard. formerly gardener 

 for D. Carmichael, Wellesley, has now 

 taken charge of the Francis Skinner 

 estate in Dedham, Mass. 



Ernest Bisson has accepted a posi- 

 tion as market gardener for Charles 

 H. Warren, Worcester, Mass.. and 

 will take up his work after Easter. 



El. L. Palm has been engaged as 

 grower for the Curtis Floral Co., 

 Hampton, Iowa. He was formerly em- 

 ployed by the Clinton Falls Nurserv 

 Co. 



E. H. Wilson is now in the Faulkner 

 Hospital, Jamaica Plain, Mass., under 

 treatment for the wear and tear of his 

 long tedious trip from China to Bos- 

 ton. Recovery from the wounds sus- 

 tained in his expedition is naturally 

 slow and the journey home was a se- 

 vere experience. 



Visitors in Boston: Thos. W. Head, 

 representing Stumpp & Walter Co., 

 New York; J. P. Cowell, Buffalo, N. Y. 



DETROIT PERSONALS. 



Chas. Warnke, of Woodmere, rented 

 a nice little store at 215 Woodward 

 for the Easter season and secured the 

 option for a lease of same. 



The Detroit Floral Co. is completely 

 settled at their new store 747 Wood- 

 ward Ave. A very good location prac- 

 tically fitted up for the business. 



Mr. Pautke, now with Breitmeyer's 

 at Mt. Clemens, will, beginning May 

 1st, assist Mr. Knope in the manage- 

 ment of Breitmeyer's greenhouses in 

 Detroit. Mr. Knope is slowly recover- 

 ing, but the many responsibilities inci- 

 dent to a place devoted to a general 

 line of plants, are too many to bring 

 about his complete recovery. 



FRANK DANZER. 



OBSERVATIONS AND QUERIES BY 

 OUR PHILADELPHIA CORRE- 

 SPONDENT. 



A conference of the officers of the 

 Sweet Pea Society was held in Phila- 

 delphia on the 5th inst. The Presi- 

 dent, W. Atlee Burpee, and the secre- 

 tary, Harry A. Bunyard, were both 

 present — as was also David Rust, rep- 

 resenting the Pennnsylvania Horticul- 

 tural Society, under whose auspices 

 the annual exhibition of sweet peas 

 will be held this year. Friday and 

 Saturday, June 23rd and 24th, are the 

 dates selected for holding the show. 

 This may be a little late or a little 

 early for exhibitors from some locali- 

 ties, but it is thought that it will suit 

 best those who are in a position to 

 send the largest and most interesting 

 exhibits — and therefore tend to the ag- 

 gregate success of the exhibit as a 

 whole. 



According to the published list of 

 the Sweet Pea Society the official scale 

 of value points for judging are; Size 

 25. color 20, stem 25, substance 15, 

 number of flowers to stem 15, total 100. 

 In this connection we would like to 

 know why nothing is allowed for fra- 

 grance? Are all sweet peas equally 

 fragrant? We pause for reply. Come 

 on, Mr. Kerr. What is any flower 

 without fragrance? 



Make memo, of the $5,000 sweet pea 

 prize of the London Daily Mail. Great 

 advertising, not only for that paper, 

 but for horticulture. We have had 

 nothing in the way of such enterprise 

 along rational lines in America, al- 

 though a good beginning has been 

 made by the Sweet Pea Society — which 

 will hold its annual meeting and exhi- 

 bition in Philadelphia next June. Why 

 can't some of our great dailies get 

 down to common sense, and good poli- 

 tics, like this, instead of spending their 

 thousands on "Mutt and Jeff?" Is 

 America so far behind in the race for 

 distinction in the civilized world? It 

 looks as if a tew home truths would 

 have to be fired at them! We cer- 

 tainly have retrograded in our daily 

 press standards since the days of 

 James Gordon Bennett and George W. 

 Childs. 



"Crocuses and scillas in appropriate 

 receptacles are fine sellers," says a 

 contemporary, and gives a picture of 

 them. Very good. We echo the senti- 

 ment. But we would not, if we could 

 have helped it, have used an illustra- 

 tion of a snowdrop, and then called it 

 a scilla. Maybe the editors didn't 

 know the difference. We must not ex- 

 pect too much from the wild and 

 woolly west. 



On page 534, HORTICULTURE for 

 April 8, W. H. Adsett gives the British 

 carnation scale of points as size 20, 

 color 20, habit of plant 20, fragrance 

 10. What are the remaining 30 points 

 given for? It would be interesting to 

 compare them with the American scale 

 which is thus: Size 20, color 25, stem 

 20, form 15, substance 10, fragrance 5, 

 calyx 5. 



Spring Flow^ering Bulbs? Yes, you'll 

 find a list of the best dealers in the 

 Buyers' Directory, page 582, this issue 



