August 29, 1914 



HORTICULTURE 



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BRITISH HORTICULTURE. 

 Sweet Pea Show. 



At the annual show of tho National 

 Sweet Pea Society in London, July 

 16th, amongst the novelties whitli had 

 been tested in the Society's trials was 

 Fiery Cross, a cerise-scarlet, shown by 

 Alex. Malcolm, also Royal I'lirple and 

 Jean Ireland, from Debbie & Co. There 

 was a keen competition in the Henry 

 Ecktord Memorial class for 12 bunches 

 of distinct varieties; Mrs. H. V. Mac- 

 namara, County Clare, Ireland, was 

 first, and E. G. Mocatta, second. The 

 Sutton challenge cup for 18 biinchey 

 was secured by A. E. Usher, Lord 

 North being second. Sir G. O. Trevel- 

 yan was first in the class for 18 varie- 

 ties. The E. W. King challenge cup for 

 12 bunches fell to E. Cowdy. The W. 

 Atlee Burpee trophy for a display of 

 waved sweet peas was won by E. G. 

 Mocatta. Gold medals for trade e.x- 

 hibits were awarded to Bide & Sous, 

 R. Bolton, Alex Dickson & Sons, Deb- 

 bie & Co., and Hobbies, Ltd., C. C. 

 Morse & Co., of California, received a 

 silver medal for a splendid group of 

 the new variety, Mary Atlee. 



A NEW HAVEN ROSE GARDEN. 



11 Mid U WM m 



L. E. Stoddard Estate, Gard. William .\ustin. New Ilavcii, t'oiiii. 

 The accompanying illustration is a about 1000 roses in this garden and 



view in the rose garden of L. E. Stod- ^^''^' ^"'''\,f°'}<' ^vonderfully well this 



season. William Austin is the gar- 

 dard at New Haven. Conn. There are dener on this fine estate. 



National Rose Society. 



The National Rose Society scored 

 another success on July 7th, at their 

 annual summer show at the Royal Bo- 

 tanic Gardens. The following gold 

 medal awards were made for new in- 

 troductions: Hugh Dickson. Ltd., for 

 Mrs. Berham Walker; B. Cant & Sons, 

 for a vivid red Augustus Hartmann; 

 Alex Dickson, for Margaret Dickson 

 Hamill, of an apricot tint; Wm. Paul 

 & Sons, for Majestic, an attractive pink 

 bloom; and Rev. J. H. Pemberton, for 

 Clytemnesha, a light pink climbing 

 variety. A silver gilt medal was taken 

 by Alex Dickson & Sons for Mrs. Maud 

 Dawson. The other novelties exhibited 

 by this firm included Donald McDon- 

 ald, rose pink. Hugh Dickson, Ltd., 

 has a group of new hybrid teas, includ- 

 ing a sulphur colored yellow named 

 Ulster Gem. The champion trophy in 

 the class for 72 blooms was secured by 

 B. R. Cant & Sons. Prizes tor premier 

 blooms were taken as under; Best H. 

 T., George Prince with British Queen; 

 best H. P., B. R. Cant & Sons with Hor- 

 ace Vernet; best Tea, J. Mattock with 

 Mrs. Foley Hobbs. 



The Trade and the War. 



The horticultural trade is being 

 hard hit by the lamentable war. Flor- 

 ists doing a West End trade in Lon- 

 don are suffering from the effects of 

 the cancelling of public dinners and 

 social functions. At this serious pe- 

 riod there will be wholesale cutting 

 down of expenses, and in this policy 

 of strict economy the horticultural 

 section is bound to suffer. The Dutch 

 bulb trade will also be seriously ham- 

 pered, owing to the difficulty of ship- 

 ping the consignments to this coun- 

 try. The Rev. W. Wilks, the Secre- 

 tary of the Royal Horticultural So- 

 ciety, and Professor Keeble. the Di- 

 rector of the Society's Gardens, at 

 Wisley, have rendered good service in 

 calling attention in the public press 

 to the importance of the small un- 

 used or uncropped plots of ground be- 

 ing planted with such food plants as 

 it is possible to sow at this season of 



the year to provide against an\ 

 sible shortage in the future. 



pos- 



Experiments at Woburn. 



A party of members of the Inter- 

 national Congress on Tropical Agri- 

 culture recently visited the Woburn 

 Experimental Fruit Farm. Amongst 

 the experiments to which attention 

 was directed was the demonstration 

 of the remarkable influence of grass 

 upon fruit trees. Even where the 

 grass was not sown until four years 

 after the trees were planted the lat- 

 ter were all but dead after twelve 

 years, and in the living trees the dif- 

 ference in color of leaf, bark, and fruit 

 was striking as compared with trees 

 grown on tilled ground. An investiga- 

 tion of the problem by pot culture in- 

 dicates that the effect is produced by 

 something that goes from the grass 

 to the roots of the trees. If the soil 

 is aerated the poisonous substance 

 may become beneficial. The conclu- 

 sion drawn from the pruning experi- 

 ments is that the less pruning there 

 is the lietter. Root pruning dwarfs 

 the growth, and yield where done 

 every fourth year, and is injurious if 

 done oftener. 



yeais on land that has produced a 

 diseased crop. No kind of dressing 

 would be likely to destroy the chlamy- 

 dospores directly, but during the 

 spring, when they are germinating 

 and producing secondary spores, the 

 latter would be killed by a dressing 

 of kainit. or of sulphate of potash, 

 lightly worked into the soil. The dis- 

 ease is known in Holland, from 

 whence it may often be re-introduced 

 into this country by means of slightly 

 infpfted bulbs. W. H. Adsktt. 



A Narcissus Bulb Disease. 



The Board of Agriculture has issued 

 a leaflet dealing with a disease of 

 narcissus bulbs (Fusarium bulbige- 

 num, Cooke and JIass). During last 

 year the disease Increased to such a 

 serious extent that, according to the 

 statement of growers on a large 

 scale, entire plots of bulbs were com- 

 pletely destroyed. The continuance 

 of the disease, it is stated, may be due 

 to two independent causes, viz.: (1) 

 to slightly diseased bulbs containing 

 the Fusarium spores; (2) to infected 

 soil. So far as is known at present 

 the fungus has only been met with 

 on narcissus bulbs, but it may extend 

 its ravages to other bulbous plants. 

 The leaflet suggests that for this rea- 

 son the safest course would be to 

 avoid planting bulbs for two or three 



HOME FROM THE WAR COUNTRY. 



H. Huebner of Groton. Mass., who was 

 in Switzerland when the war broke 

 out. has safely returned after some 

 unique and exciting exjieriences. He 

 managed to get passage from Genoa 

 in the steerage of the Stampalia. 

 where he had as fellow passengers 

 bank presidents, millionaires, opera 

 singers and others, who were getting 

 their first experience in roughing it, 

 and mighty glad of the opportunity. 

 -Ml of them had lost their baggage 

 and many, including .Mr. Huebner, 

 had absolutely nothing except the 

 clothing they wore. The trip to New 

 York consumed two weeks, the first 

 five days of which in traversing the 

 .Mediterranean to Gibraltar was a 

 time of peril and anxiety for fear that 

 Italy would get into the fight before 

 they were safely out. Mr. Huebner 

 not only lost his entire baggage, but 

 also a lot of valuable plants he had 

 bought and for which he had paid 

 cash. 



PERSONAL. 



We are glad to learn of the safe ar- 

 rival in New York of Harry A. Bar- 

 nard, of Stuart Low & Co., Bush Hill 

 Park, Enfield, England. 



William E. Schmeiske, formerly fore- 

 man for Alex. Maxwell, florist of 

 Springfield, C. has taken charge of 

 the greenhouses of W. Murray Crane, 

 Dalton. Mass. 



