May 27, 1911 



horticulture: 



780a 



LILACS AT ARNOLD ARBORETUM. 



The collection of the common lilacs 

 has been much enlarged and now con- 

 tains nearly all the principal varieties, 

 although some of the plants are still 

 too small to flower. The blooming 

 came on with a rush last week, and 

 most of them are already finished. 

 The earliest species in the collection 

 is the white-flowered Syringa affinis. 

 This slender shrub with fragrant flow- 

 ers is a favorite ornament of the gar- 

 dens of Peking. Nearly as early is an- 

 other north China lilac, Syringa ob- 



lata, with large pale purple, fragrant 

 flowers. Nearly as early to flower as 

 these two Chinese species is Syringa 

 hyacinthiflora, a hybrid between Syr- 

 inga oblata and the common lilac. 

 This hybrid grows to a large size, and 

 the small, blue-purple double flowers 

 are very fragrant. It is interesting as 

 one of the early hybrids in this genus. 

 More beautiful and in every way a 

 more useful garden plant is another 

 hybrid, Syringa chinensis, raised many 

 years ago in France. The name is un- 

 fortunate for its parents are Syringa 



vulgaris, now known to be a native 

 of the Balkan Peninsula, and Persian 

 lilac. The flowers of this hybrid are 

 produced in long clusters which are 

 so heavy that they become semi-pe;id- 

 ant on the slender branches. There 

 are varieties with rose-colored and 

 with pale nearly white flowers. An- 

 other Chinese species, Syringa pube- 

 scens, has small leaves, and small, 

 long-tubed pale purple flowers which 

 are produced profusely in small clus- 

 ters. The value of this plant is in the 

 delicate perfume of the flowers. 



BUFFALO PARKS. 



Buffalo City Parks, flushed with the 

 first bloom of spring, are ready for the 

 vast throng of pleasure seekers that 

 will visit them during the summer. 



The park system of Buffalo includes, 

 in addition to 31 small parks, six of 

 greater extent. In these latter are 

 the botanical and zoological exhibits, 

 the recreation grounds, the lakes, 

 lawns and driveways. Drivers of auto- 

 mobiles, carriages and saddle horse 

 have for their use miles of road and 

 paths kept in perfect condition by 

 park superintendent Seymour. On 

 Humboldt Parkway, the old speedway 

 is being seeded down. The road is 

 completed between Perry street and 

 the park and two rows of trees have 

 been added. Humboldt Park is in 

 shape for the summer with the ex- 

 ception of a number of needed lights 

 still to be placed. The wading pond 

 has been emptied and cleaned and 

 the lawn and flower beds gioomed. 



At South Park which is under the 

 direction of Prof. Cowell. the collec- 

 tion of tropical plants has a national 

 reputation as being one of the finest 

 in the United States. At present there 

 are masses of orchids in bloom, lem- 

 ons and oranges nearly ripe and the 

 bananas are growing rapidly. 



The Park Commissioners have in 

 view the immediate improvement of 

 Cazenovia Park by the erection of a 

 casino and refectory, the cost not to 

 exceed $30,000. It will contain rest 

 rooms, shelters and a lunch depart- 

 ment. The new island, six acres in 



extent, which was made when the new 

 lake was constructed, is almost fin- 

 ished. It will be accessible from 

 Cazenovia street, through the park 

 and from the park drive near Abbott 

 road and will be one of the most 

 beautiful spots in Buffalo. 



A trip through Forest Lawn found 

 everything in the pink of condition. 

 Superintendent Troup being a busy 

 man getting things shaped for Memo- 

 rial Day. The placing of urns and 

 blooming plants has already begun 

 and by the end of the week the beau- 

 tiful resting place may be seen in a 

 mass of blooming plants and flowers. 



B. C. B. 



DECORATION DAY. 



Long years agone ye marched awa.v. 



Buoyant with patriot impulse, all: 

 To lue it seems liut .vesterday 



I heard the shrill fife's morning call! 

 .\n(l once I saw ttie setting sun 



(Tleani on your bayonets — heard the drum! 

 Into the twilight, one liy one 



Ve vanished, and onr hearts were numb. 

 .\like it flamed on battleship 



F{!nveloped in war's sulphurous gloom; 

 Oh. there was many a whitened lip. 



And many a stout heart met its doom! 

 Nor Spartan pluck, nor the fierce stand 



.\t I.odi's bridge, on victor.v bent. 

 Displayed tenacity more grand, 



Hr courage move magnificent. 

 In honor of that far-off day 



I hear the bells of memory chime: 

 Sweet bells! Their tongues shall chant 

 alway 



Your valorous deeds thro' coming time. 

 The world gives loudest plaudits oft 



To guilty kings, not knowing yet 

 That he who proudly bore aloft 



The "old flag" wore a coronet ! 



Arthur Elwell Jenks, in Boston Journal. 



A SIM SPECIALTY. 



,\s an illustration of the extent to 

 which enterprise and hustle ran be 

 carried we think that a house of toma- 

 toes, plants already from 5 to 6 feet 

 tall and well-laden with good-sized 

 fruit, at Wm. Sim's place in Clifton- 

 dale, Mass., takes the cake. This 

 house was in full glory with a phe- 

 nomenal crop of sweet peas at the 

 time of the National Flower Show! 

 Another house with tomatoes planted 

 from four-inch pots two weeks ago, is 

 following along with fruits as big as 

 plums. Nearly the entire place is in 

 tomatoes at the present moment and 

 the first picking was marketed on May 

 22nd. Violets, sweet peas and !,oma- 

 toes follow and lap over one another 

 at this remarkable establishment in a 

 way to bewilder one. A field of corn, 

 several acres in extent, was planted 

 from pots last Saturday and the house 

 where this corn was germinated was 

 all settled down to tomatoes within 

 24 hours. Mr. Sim grows Comet, ex- 

 clusively, as a greenhouse tomato and 

 he has 50,000 of them. Asked about 

 how he escapes white fly he replied 

 that white flay gets no encouragement 

 in houses grown so cool in winter as 

 is necessary for violets. He has given 

 up the frames for tomato growing en- 

 tirely, and has two large houses <:on- 

 ftructed during the past winter from 

 the discarded sash, which he finds 

 much more economical as to labor 

 than the sash frames were. 



