April 8, 1916 



HORTICULTURE 



487 



of handling the undertaking and making 



good. For reference: Cleveland Flower 



Show— 1915. 



Whatever financial backing is necessary 



will be forthcoming from our interested 



organizations in Cleveland. 



We ask for a favorable deiision during 



I he present week, if possible. 

 Thanking you for considering tlie matter 



at your earliest convenience, 1 remain. 

 Yours trniv, 

 H. I'. KNOUI.E. Chairman. 



Committee on Invitation: Cleveland Flor- 

 ists' Club, Ohio IliirtieuUural Societv. 

 Garden Club o£ Cleveland. 



The exhibition of fish proved one o£ 

 the delightful and surprising features 

 to the thousands of visitors. The 

 specimens of the finny tribe were en- 

 tered through the Aquarium Society 

 of Philadelphia, the oldest organiza- 

 tion of the kind in the United States. 

 Franklin Barrett, with entries repre- 

 senting many divisions of the fish 

 family, led all contestants. He was 

 awarded 35 cups and 22 ribbons. Mr. 

 Barrett won the prize for having the 

 four best lion heads on e.xhibition and 

 also carried off the grand prize for 

 the largest and best collection. In 

 the lion head class he had scaled and 

 scaleless entries. 



Scaled and scaleless nymphs, of the 

 telescope, ribbon-tailed and veil-tailed 

 varieties, proved consistent winners 

 for Mr. Barrett. Harry Peters and 

 William Peck carried off four cups 

 each for their entries. Charles E. 

 Visel, of Brooklyn, N. Y., was awarded 

 six cups for his collection of Japanese 

 varieties. William T. Innes, John 

 Andsley and Dr. Herman Burgin were 

 other winners. The latter was award- 

 ed a cup for the best 24-inch house- 

 hold aquarium on exhibition. 



Three thousand of the carnations 

 shown earlier in the week went in 

 the hands of visitors who desired to 

 purchase the flowers in order to help 

 boost the fund to be turned over to 

 Miss Anna Jarvis, founder of Mother's 

 Day. The flowers were readily dis- 

 posed of at the tea garden, and over 

 $300 was raised in this way. Of the 

 other cut flowers, the great majority 

 were distributed among the hospitals 

 of the city after the show closed Sun- 

 day night. 



A mistake due to obscure copy got 

 into our report on the carnation 

 awards for Tuesday. March 28. In the 

 class for best vase in the lOOcIasses. 

 the silver medal was won by A. A. 

 Pembroke with Pink Sensation and 

 the bronze medal went to Cottage 

 Gardens for Crystal White, thus re- 

 versing the order as first reported. 



The magnificent group of acacias ex- 

 hibited by Thomas Roland, of Nahant, 

 Mass,, numbering 118 plants, was sold 

 to Joseph E. Widener througli his 

 head gardener. Wm. Kloinheinz. and 

 their home will be in the Lynnewood 

 Hall collection at Ogontz, Pa. 



Silver medals were awarded to H. 

 A. Dreer for the two Nymphiv novel- 

 ties we described last week, also for 

 Peteris Rivertoniana, and the same 

 for an improved form of Cyrtomium 

 Rochfordianum. 



AMERICAN DAHLIA SOCIETY 



Address by President R. Vincent, Jr., at National Flower 

 Shiow, Philadelphia. 



'Ill 



After some preliminary remarks in 

 reference to the organization of the 

 Dahlia Society and its work thus far 

 Mr. Vincent proceeded to give some 

 cultural advice on dahlia growing, with 

 stereopticon slides, as follows: 



"The most suitable soil for growing 

 Dahlias is a sandy loam. Heavy soils 

 can be lightened by the use of coal 

 ashes or sand, anything that will help 

 to make the soil porous. Whenever 

 possible the land for dahlias ought to 

 be plowed or spaded up the fall pre- 

 vious, the action of freezing helping 

 to make the soil more pliable. 



Fertilizer or Manure. 



We ourselves use very little manure, 

 preferring bone meal with the addition 

 of a little potash. If the ground is 

 spaded in the fall or early winter the 

 bone could well be mixed with the 

 soil at that time. In using manure we 

 would rather use it as a mulch. Put it 

 on any time after the plants or roots 

 are set. Any kind of material used 

 for mulch around the plants will retain 

 moisture and save watering and if 

 watered will keep the soil from baking. 

 By using bone we get a more stocky 

 growth and more flowers, — at least 

 this is our experience. 



Planting. 



We find that the June-planted dah- 

 lias invariably give us the finest or ex- 

 hibition blooms. The early plantings 

 have the extreme hot weather to con- 

 tend with, very often causing an in- 

 different growth; the stalks get hard 

 and the plant forms a mass of small 

 weak limbs with poor flowers if any, 

 and more subject to disease and insect 

 pests. This condition can only be 

 remedied by a vigorous use of the 

 knife, cutting back hard so as to cause 

 the plant to make a new and strong 

 growth. 



The above troubles are often ours, 

 but there are some years when there 

 are exceptions. You may ask then 

 why do we have these troubles. My ad- 

 vice is "do as 1 say not as I do," as it 



generally takes us six weeks to iilant 

 our crop, even by using machinery in 

 planting. 



Insect Pests. 



The dahlia is not exempt from in- 

 sect pests any more than other flow- 

 ers; and the growers will find that a 

 few sprayings, especially during a 

 drought, are an advantage. Tobacco 

 solution, soap, etc.,— almost any insec- 

 ticide will answer; except that for the 

 black aster bug, which feeds on the 

 flowers alone, hand picking, if not too 

 numerous, is the best remedy. They 

 ran easily be seen as they very seldom 

 touch the dark colored flowers but al- 

 ways white or pink. 



Staking 



To have the dahlia grow and show- 

 up to the best advantage they ought to 

 be tied up to a strong stake, and to 

 get large flowers thin out when too 

 many limbs start out from the stool 

 or main stalk, also disbud (as per 

 figures shown upon the screen.)" 



Mr. Vincent then gave a list of va- 

 rieties which his experience led him 

 to recommend as the best in their 

 classes, as follows: 



Six Best Peony-Flowered — Bertha von 

 Suttner. Geisha, Germania, Gloire de Baaru. 

 Queen Wilhelraina, Queen Emma. 



Six Best Show — A. D. Livoni, Chas, 

 J.anier, Ethel, Maule, Souve. Mme. Moreau, 

 Vidlow Duke, Zebra. 



.Nine r,est Cactus — Countess of Lonsdale. 

 Gcdden Gate, .T. H. Jackson, Kalif, Margue 

 rite lioui-hon. Rene Cayeaux, Sweetbriar. 

 Wodan. Wolfgang von Goethe. 



.Six Best Pompon — Alewine, Allle Mourev. 

 Indian Chief, Little Beauty, Little May. 

 Snowclad. 



.Six Best Decorative- Delice, Hortulanus 

 Fiet. .lack Rose, Jean Charniant. Le Granil 

 Manitou. Papa Charmant. 



Six Single Century — Ami Barillett. 

 Fringed :;Otb Century, Rose Piuk Century. 

 Sensation. .Setting Sun. White Century. 



The Gardeners' and Florists' Club of 

 Boston will hold a Field Day with 

 I he William W. Edgar Company, Wav- 

 erley. Mass., on Saturday, April 8. 

 liilG. The display of Easter plants 

 here is always a notable one. 



A special gold medal was awarded to 

 R. & J. Farquhar & Co., of Boston, for 

 their group of the new hardy .Vzalea L.vw.v DF.cuii.vrio.x i.\ Fuoxr oi' COaNVENTION H.\lt, by H. F. .Mh mi:i.i, Co.. 

 Kaempferi. Nationwi, Plowek Show. i 



