132 



HORTICULTURE 



August 11, 1906 



together and put into permanent form 

 the history of the organization which 

 was first started at Atlantic City in 

 1894. and the present organization 

 which was put in force March 13th. 

 1899. Mr. W. C. Barry of Rochester 

 being the first president of the society. 

 The motto which was proposed at the 

 executive meeting, for the organization 

 was, "A rose for every home, a Inish 

 for every garden." 



The sense of the committee is that 

 the society should be broadened out 

 to make it as comprehensive as its 

 name, that "American" represents no 

 section but takes in the entire bound 

 of the zone where roses grow. 

 Yours respectfully, 

 BENJAMIN HAMMOND. 

 Sec. American Rose Society. 



SEED TRADE TOPICS 



MASSACHUSETTS HORTICUL- 

 TURAL SOCIETY. 



The Saturday exhibition of the Mass- 

 achusetts Horticultural Society on 

 August 4 was devoted to annuals and 

 perennials. Harvard Botanic Garden, 

 Blue Hill Nurseries, and Mrs. J. L. 

 Gardner were among the largest ex- 

 hibitors. T. C. Thurlow, Mrs. J. B. 

 Lawrence. W. G. Winsor, Towle's 

 Dahlia Garden, fine dahlias: E. F. 

 Dwyer, H. A. Stevens & Co., T. C. 

 Thurlow, Langwater Gardens, phloxes. 

 A first-class certificate of merit was 

 awarded the Blue Hill Nurseries for 

 Gypsophila paniculata fl. pi. Lager & 

 Hurrell for Vanda Miss Agnes 

 Joachim, and E. E. Dwyer & Son re- 

 ceived honorable mention for Heuch- 

 era brizoides. 



There was a meritorious display of 

 fruits and vegetables. 



SOCIETY OF AMERICAN FLORISTS 

 AND ORNAMENTAL HORTI- 

 CULTURISTS. 



Department of Plant Registration. 



Lager & Hurrell. Summit. N. J., 

 submit for registration orchid seed- 

 ling Laelio-Cattleya Lady Bernice. 

 Cattleya gigas atropurpurea x Laelia 

 purpurata. Flowers large, 7 inches 

 across, sepals and petals lilac with 

 numerous and delicate mottles and 

 veins of rosy purple superimposed, 

 these accentuating more toward the 

 tips of the petals. Lip wavy, 2 inches 

 across, dark purple with a minute mar- 

 gin of rose. Lower part of throat with 

 numerous yellow and reddish-brown 

 longitudinal veins, upper part or sides 

 of tube orange yellow. 



W. J. STEWART, Secretary. 



Much has been said and written re- 

 garding the tendency of peas to "sport" 

 or depart from their true type. Men 

 in this line of business have spent 

 years trying to get types so fixed that 

 they would be free from this charac- 

 teristic, but no one has succeeded, be- 

 cause we cannot change nature. 

 Nearly everything in the animal and 

 vegetable kingdoms shows this ten- 

 dency, and eternal vigilance alone pre- 

 vents reversion to original types. 



We know that certain breeds of hogs, 

 sheep, horses and cattle have "run 

 out" or become extinct. In every case 

 these breeds have been the result of 

 crosses of two or more other breeds. 

 In the vegetable kingdom the same 

 rule obtains. 



If any one will take the trouble to 

 compare the seedsmen's catalogues of 

 to-day with those of forty years ago, 

 he will not only be surprised at the 

 great increase in the number of varie- 

 ties, but if he can remember back 

 twenty-five or thirty years, will real- 

 ize the very great improvement w^.ch 

 has been made in those varieties. 

 Compare the magnificent tomatoes we 

 have to-day with the pale, watery, 

 seedy specimens of twenty years ago 

 and, taking the entire list of vegetables 

 from asparagus to turnips, the same 

 improvement in types can be shown, 

 though perhaps not all in the same de- 

 gree as in the tomato. Many of the 

 standard varieties of thirty years ago 

 are not only obsolete, but extinct, the 

 standard varieties of to-day being so 

 vastly superior that the old ones 

 would be unsalable. 



Probably in no single instance has 

 greater improvement been made than 

 in peas. Any one familiar with the 

 seed business in the early '70's. knows 

 that our list of peas then consisted of 

 the common Field variety. Early Kent. 

 White and Black Eye Marrowfats, and 

 Champion of England. This latter 

 variety was one of our first sweet 

 wrinkled peas, and was an immense 

 advance over the Early Kent, and the 

 Marrowfats. Compare the magnificent 

 varieties of to-day with those enumer- 

 ated and one can see the great advance 

 that has been made in this important 

 vegetable. 



What would our friends in the can- 

 ning trade do if they had to pack the 

 smooth, hard Early Kent, Marrowfats 

 or the Champion of England? No 

 doubt the latter would make an excel- 



lent quality, but suppose it were the 

 only sweet pea the canner had? 

 Every canner will be able to answer 

 this question, and all that need be 

 .said is that no canner to-day uses the 

 Champion of England. Reverting to 

 the problem of why peas "sport," it 

 may be stated that no one has yet given 

 an authoritative or satisfactory ex- 

 planation, and it can only be said to 

 be the "nature of the critter." It is 

 v.ell known that peas of last year's 

 crop planted this year may show from 

 ten to fifteen per cent, of "sports," 

 while the same seed carried over and 

 planted next year may not show over 

 two or three per cent. Climatic con- 

 ditions are largely responsible for this 

 "sporting," and this fact is as well 

 established as any fact can be. 



Any one dealing with the farmer 

 knows that when he grows a crop on 

 contract and the seed is furnished to 

 him, any partial failure of the crop 

 or any departure from the true type 

 is always charged to the seed, and the 

 less the person knows about the 

 vagaries of seeds and the peculiarities 

 of plants, the more vociferous he is 

 in charging everything to the seed. 

 When the farmer plants wheat, oats, 

 rye, barley, field corn, potatoes, or in 

 sliort any crop, and furnishes his own 

 seed, particularly if it be not a con- 

 tracted crop, he seldom thinks of 

 charging any failure to the seed. 



However it may be only fair to say 

 that seed peas are not always as good 

 as they might be made. Perhaps the 

 crop was not ro.gued as closely as it 

 should have been, and no doubt nianv 

 crops receive precious little attention, 

 and even the best might be made bet- 

 ter, but when all is said, the fact re- 

 mains indispulal)le that no man living 

 can answer for the vagaries due to 

 I liniatp. or other conditions over 

 which the producer of the seed has no 

 control. As well ask him to control 

 the elements themselves as their re- 

 sults. If the manufacturer cannot 

 ai)solutely control the quality of his 

 I)roduct, how can tiie man who has 

 such a changeable and fickle pattern as 

 mother nature? 



Howard M. Earl of Burpee's re- 

 turned from an extended trip through 

 Louisiana, Texas, Michigan and New 

 Jersey on the 2(;th nlto. He reports 

 on crops as follows: 



All eyes are now centered on the 

 onion seed situation. It will soon be 

 time for estimates that will mean 

 something. There is quite a glut of 

 tomatoes at Sundesboro, N. J., where 

 are grown hundreds of acres of 

 Spark's Earliana for shipping. Many 

 cars are now being shipped daily to 

 lioints in New England. 



Watermelons are scarce and those 

 who are fortunate enou.gh to have a 

 < rop are "making money." The can- 

 ning varieties of peas — Alaska, Ad- 

 miral, McLean's Advancer and other 

 varieties grown especially for this pur- 

 pose are reported short. 



Beans are looking well and if season 



Gardeners' and Fli 



Club of Boston at W auahal.um Giuve 



If you are interested in violet 

 growing read George Saltford's 

 book on violets. A practical treat- 

 ise by a practical man. We mail 

 it postpaid for 25 cents. Order now. 



