.May 15, 1915 



HORTICULTURE 



651 



Theories Upset 



Although the past winter may have upset some 

 theories regarding the hardiness of many plants we can- 

 not regard the results of our experiences as conclusive. 

 Weather conditions during late winter were impartial 

 as to the choice of subjects; natives as well as "foreign 

 born" suffered about equally. A condition rather than 

 a theory upset our calculations and a condition always 

 liable to occur, no matter how much in the way of plant 

 breeding and selection for hardier types. The aeclima- 

 lization of plants from seed by natural as well as arti- 

 ficial means will still go on. 



I wish to record some experiences I have had during 

 recent years in plant breeding for a hardier type among 

 Taxus — yew. Although most of the kind we have been 

 working on are recognized by the trade as species, I do 

 not believe there is more than three species, and if any 

 one set up a theory that there was only one, I think I 

 should support lum without much question, — which is 

 about the same thing as saying that Taxus is probably 

 a moiiotypic genus. 



We have been raising yews from seed for ten nr 

 twelve years. We have done no artificial, except to 

 proximate the plants ; nature has done what was done. 

 We saved seed of each carefully ; kept the seedlings apart 

 expecting the characteristics of each type to reproduce 

 itself, with more or less distinctness. As the plants year 

 by year developed we found a convergence on one type, 

 and that was haccata, which to me appears evidence that 

 tlie yew is monotypic. 



AVe used the Irish yew: the English yew in various 

 forms and with as many distinctive names; both forms 

 of the Japan yew T. cuspidata and the China form of 

 cuspidata — known as T. Sieboldii. T. canadensis was 

 present in the near vicinitv' and could easily have effect. 



We use both green and golden-leaved and found golden- 

 leaved varieties quite common among all the seedlings — 

 to me some evidence of the uniformity of type. 



Whatever we have used it apparently made no differ- 

 ence, and what we got in no case resembled its parent. 

 'I'he most valuable result of all is in the way of acc-lima- 

 lization, — all are hardv. 



Wellesley, Mass. 



Winter Killing 



T was much interested in Mr. Wilson's article in 

 your issue of May 1. You in the East will now know 

 how to pity us in tlie West. With us the winter drouth 

 is often terrible. So we cannot raise rhododendrons, 

 azaleas, kalmias or any of the broad-leaved evergreens, 

 Tbe only thing in tliat line we can raise is the Berberis 

 repens or creeping barberry. This is a prolific bloomer 

 — fiowers golden and very fragrant — fruit edible. It 

 is often called the Oregon gTape. But in some winters 

 in full exposure this will turn. In beautiful clear 

 weather in February I have watched grape vines kill 

 back an inch a day. Prof. Hansen crossed Shafer's 

 Colossal with a Manitoba red raspberry which does well 

 in the north, and is very hardy in Minnesota, but it kills 

 to the ground in Nebraska except this winter, when you 

 gave us a New England winter, and we loaned you for a 

 short time a section of Nebraska winter just to let you 

 see how vou liked it. 



Yorl-, Neb. 



(^ S lt€i/^ 1 v^M^ 



SOME ROSE PARENTAGES. 



Editor HORTICULTURE: 



Can anyone teU me positively whether 

 the rose Mrs. George Shawyer is a T. or 

 H. T. ? Authorities seem to differ on this 

 question. E. E. 



The rose "Mrs. George Shawyer" 

 (Lowe & Shawyer 1911) was put out 

 by the originators as an H. T. Of course 

 you may remember they made dis- 

 tributing arrangements tor America 

 with Mr. Totty. As an outdoor plant 

 it has the charaiteristics of an H. T., 

 but your question is likely to arouse 

 considerable debate, because frankly I 

 do not believe any of us in the rose 

 business know where we are at. My 

 opinion is the Victor Verdier (Lachar- 

 me 1860) should be classed as an H. T., 

 and it we start there and all agree to 

 that start we probably could clear tlie 

 field. 



Then LaFrance, Capt. Christy and K. 



A. Victoria were all put out as H. P's, 

 but we agree that they are H. T. Then 

 when we come to Frau Karl Druschki 

 (P. Lambert 1901), -Mr. Lambert des- 

 cribes it as a "Remontant Rose with 

 H. T. characteristics," but after all 

 said and done we come to Hugh Dick- 

 son and J. B. Clark, both of them 

 Lord Bacon X Gruss an Teplitz. and 

 we call one an H. I', and the other (J 



B. Clark ) an H. T., and I was assured 

 that the seed of both these roses came 

 from the same hep. 



Tnos. N. Cook. 



View in Sphim; Fi,owp;k Show 

 Palace of Horticulture, Panama-Paoiflc K.\positioii 



A POSSIBLE NEW HEDGE PLANT. 



.At Tachien-Iu on the borders of 



Tibet, at about eight thousand feet 



above the sea, Mr. Wilson found 

 hedges from 6 to 8 feet high and so 

 thick and spiny that a yak, an animal 

 as strong as an ox. could not break 

 through them. The plant of which 

 these hedges were made, Ribes alpes- 

 tre, var. commune, is now in flower in 

 the collection of Chinese shrubs on 

 Bussey Hill. This Gooseberry has 

 grown rapidly in the Arboretum and 

 appears to be perfectly hardy. There 

 is little to reromniend It as a garden 

 shrub for the flowers are small and in- 

 conspicuous, and the acid fruit is cov- 

 ered with prickles and has little 

 beauty, but as a hedge plant it may 

 prove valuable in the cold iiarts of the 

 country. — Arnold Arboretum Bulletin. 



A BROOKLINE GARDEN. 



Our title page this week presents a 

 very comprehensive view in one of the 

 smaller elaborate garden estates in 

 the vicinity of Boston — that of F. C. 

 Fletcher at Brookline, Mass. The 

 grounds are arranged to give the im- 

 pression of extensiveness and to ac- 

 commodate as many and varied feat- 

 ures as possible. The pergolas which 

 appear in the centre will soon be al- 

 most hidden by a luxuriant growth of 

 rambler roses. The greenhouse while 

 not large is a model in its way and 

 incorporates all the best ideas of the 

 Lord & Burnham Company in really 

 serviceable modern construction. War- 

 ren Manning laid out the grounds. 



