October 10, 1914 



HORTICULTURE 



9t7 



for the Exhibitions of February, 

 March and Hay, 1915, to be held in 

 Horticultural Hall, Boston, has been 

 issued and those who have not re- 

 ceived a copy may secure same on 

 application to W. P. Rich, secretary. 

 There are some fine prizes for the 

 big Spring Exhibition, March 18-21. 



The Association of American Ceme- 

 tery Superintendents is in session 

 this week at St. Louis. .\lo., with 

 headquarters at the Planters' Hotel, 

 M. P. Brazil, Calvary Cemetery, St. 

 Louis, is president of the association; 

 Thomas Wallis, Rose Hill Cemetery, 

 Chicago, vice-president, and Bellett 

 Lawson. Jr., Elmwood Cemetery. Chi- 

 cago, secretary-treasurer. 



The annual exhibition of the pro- 

 ducts of the school gardens was held 

 on October 2. at the Town Hall. Ip- 

 swich, Mass., and was attended by a 

 large number of parents and interest- 

 ed people. The display of flowers 

 and vegetables was the best since the 

 school gardens were started. The 

 contest is conducted under the direc- 

 tion of the Civics Committee of the 

 Ipswich Woman's Club. Cash prizes 

 were awarded. 



The annual fruit, vegetable and 

 dahlia show under the auspices of the 

 Field Naturalist Society was held Oc- 

 tober 3 and 4 at Central Falls, R. I., 

 and was attended by hundreds of the 

 residents of the city, as well as many 

 people from the villages along the 

 Blackstone. The exhibition was said 

 to have surpassed anything in the 

 same line which the society has ever 

 attempted. The judges were Thomas 

 Ashworth. John Standring and John 

 Joyce. 



The third annual flower show of 

 the Hightstown (N. J.) Improvement 

 Association was held Saturday, Sept. 

 19. The interest shown proves that 

 this is a lively organization, the mem- 

 bers of which are gladly giving their 

 time, money and energy for the uplift 

 of the community's ideals. In spite 

 of the dry and unfavorable weather, 

 it was by far the largest and best 

 flower show the society has yet had. 

 The committee in charge deserves 

 much praise for Its work In arranging 

 the exhibition. 



The fall show of the Floral and 

 Civic Association of Merchant ville, 

 N. J., was characterized by the local 

 papers as "a tremendous success." 

 Although ihi.? v.'as their first show- 

 it is said that not within the mem- 

 ory of the oldest inhabitant of the 

 town has the hall ever been visited 

 by so many people within twenty-four 

 hours. On the evening of Sept. 26. the 

 opening day. there was a jam of people 

 waiting in line to gain admission as 

 late as 9 P. M. Many Philadelphia 

 florists, seedsmen and nurserymen 

 were represented and received special 

 awards. 



The next annual meeting and exhi- 

 bition of the New Hampshire Horti- 

 cultural Society will be held at An- 

 trim. X. H.. on October 21. 22. and 23. 

 In addition to approximately three 

 hundred dollars in cash prizes for ex- 

 hibits of fruit and vegetables, the 



Society this year has six beautiful 

 silver trophies and many special 

 prizes, which will be offered. The 

 New Hampshire State Grange has 

 donated a silver cup to be offered for 

 the best general exhibit of apples by 

 any subordinate grange. Premium 

 lists and entry blanks may be secured 

 of the secretary-treasurer, Stanley K. 

 Lovell. GofEstown, N. H. 



The schedule of prizes for the annual 

 tall show of the Menlo Park Horticul- 

 tural Society to be held in Armory 

 Hall, Palo Alto, Cal., on October 23, 24 

 and 25, has been received and it has a 

 very enticing look for the growers of 

 flowering and foliage plants, chrysan- 

 themums, etc. There are 86 classes, 

 open, private and commercial and 

 among the trophies offered are nine 

 silver cups and one gold watch. The 

 officers are as follows: H. L. Goertz- 

 hain, president; J. M. Daly, vice-presi- 

 dent; G. Nunn, treasurer; P. Ellings, 

 secretary; exhibition committee, J. M. 

 Daly, chairman. G. Nunn, D. Bassett. 

 J. T. Lynch, P. Ellings; Manager of 

 show, G. Ward. 



AWARD OF THE WHITE MEDAL OF 

 HONOR. 



The Board of Trustees of the Massa- 

 chusetts Horticultural Society has 

 awarded the George Robert White 

 Medal of Honor for the current year to 

 Sir Harry J. Veitch of London in rec- 

 ognition of his distinguished services 

 in promoting the advancement of hor- 

 ticulture both in Great Britain and in 

 the United States. 



This is the sixth award of this medal 

 which was established by George Rob- 

 ert White of Boston in 1909 to be 

 awarded annually by the Massachu- 

 setts Horticultural Society to the per- 

 son who has done the most in recent 

 years towards the advancement of the 

 interest in horticulture in its broadest 

 sense. The preceding awards have 

 been as follows: 



1909, Prof. C. S. Sargent, Director of 

 the Arnold Arboretum. 



1910, Jackson Thornton Dawson of 

 the Arnold Arboretum. 



1911, Victor Lemoine, Nancy, France. 



1912, Michael H. Walsh, Woods Hole, 

 Mass. 



1913, Park Commission of the City of 

 Rochester, N. Y. 



W.M. P. Rich. Sec'y. 



SOLDIERS OF THE 

 PLUME. 



GOLDEN 



My soldiers of the gulden plume 



Are tuarebiiig forth today; 

 The valleys of the autumu bloom 



Are glorious all the way; 

 The asters flank them in the laue. 



And round the world they run — 

 Brave soldiers of the fall again. 



Bright-plumed against the sun. 



The iron\Yeed's purple coronals toss 



On tall stems Ijy the road; 

 The meadow marvel's sunbeams boss 



The path the storm wind strode; 

 And liy the highways of blown dust. 



And o'er the fields of dream, 

 My soldiers of the golden-rod 



In ranks of splendor gleam. 



Uow stately and how brave they tread 



The vestige of the year. 

 When summer leaves her fields of dead 



For a\itumn's mothering tear! 

 How courtly in their conscious pride 



They guard 'mid weed and grass 

 The highw.ivs of the count rysi.le 



Where ranks of dream must pass. 



—Thi Liearditown Bard. In Boston Post. 



TOPSFIELD NOTES. 



What is said to be the finest ex- 

 ample of rock-gardening in America 

 is to be found on the Thomas E. 

 Proctor estate In Topsfield, Mass. It 

 is In many respects unique and in 

 connection with the extensive arbor- 

 etum established here, presents an at- 

 traction of engrossing interest for the 

 advanced horticulturist and plant lov- 

 er. The rock garden is constructed 

 of boulders, many of them of enor- 

 mous size, overlooking a small lake, 

 and here seem to have been found the 

 iTeal conditions for a myriad of al- 

 pine plants. Rare conifers and erica- 

 ceous material are planted in endless 

 variety and this most fascinating 

 branch of ornamental gardening is 

 here presented in its most flourishing 

 aspect. 



The Proctor estate comprises 3,000 

 acres, of which the arboretum occu- 

 pies 300 acres. James Marlborough, 

 the superintendent, points with pride 

 to some specimens and groups of 

 young sequoias and Cupressus Law- 

 soniana 4 to 6 feet high raised from 

 seed from selected resistant stock 

 with a view to securing trees hardy 

 in Massachusetts, which give lusty ev- 

 idence of adaptability in this respect. 

 The oaks and other deciduous trees 

 are being largely cut away on this es- 

 tate and it is being reforested with 

 white pine of which 60,000 young 

 plants are set out each year. Al- 

 though 25 miles north of Boston this 

 place showed but little sign of frost 

 damage, on a visit on October 2. Be- 

 gonias and heleotropes in the flower 

 garden were uninjured and in the rock 

 garden the native Adiantum pedatum 

 was also unharmed. Scotch heather 

 (Calluna vulgaris) seems perfectly at 

 home here. Mr. Marlborough has a 

 very sweet-scented single white violet 

 which he brought from the City of 

 Mexico, a most robust grower forming 

 great clumps of massive leaves and 

 now flowering in frames. The flowers 

 are inferior in size to those produced 

 in Mexico, for some unexplained cause,^ 

 but it is possible that under different 

 climate conditions — further south or 

 west — this would prove a valuable 

 commercial variety and we should like 

 to see it given a trial elsewhere. The 

 ranges of plant and fruit houses on 

 this estate are very extensive and, un- 

 der Mr. Marlborough's care furnish 

 shining examples of cultural skill. We 

 hope to present some interesting notes 

 later, on the system of peach train- 

 ing followed here. 



Another estate of prominence in the 

 Essex County galaxy is the Lawrence 

 Farm where J. Wood is the attentive 

 superintendent. This place compris- 

 ing 135 acres is "still in the making" 

 and although its principal activities 

 thus far are agricultural rather than 

 horticultural yet there is an elabor- 

 ately built range of conservatories and 

 additions are contemplated in the near 

 future. Considerable forest planting 

 is under way. 



The Palmer estate where William 

 Keith presides as gardener has many 

 interesting features. The rhododen- 

 drons are a picture of health and vigor 

 such as is rarely seen. Rose house, 

 carnation house and gardens all ^how 

 evidence of good care. 



