October 20, 1906 



HORTICULTURE. 



417 



A GREAT FRUIT SHOW. 



i 



The annual fruit and vegetable show 

 of the Massachusetts Horticultural 

 Society held on October 10-11 was the 

 first exhibition devoted exchisively to 

 fruit and vegetables held for some 

 years and a very wide interest was 

 shown in the matter for the entries 

 were larger and the specimens finer 

 than any we have seen in the past. 

 With the exception of the American 

 Pomological Society's exhibition held 

 here in 1903 there has never been such 

 a variety of fruit shown in the hall. 

 Over seventy-five varieties of apples 

 and thirty-five of pears were on the 

 tables. Particularly Interesting were 

 the large entries in the classes for any 

 other variety of apples not specified In 

 the schedule; in one there were thirty- 

 four entries and eighteen different va- 

 rieties, in the other thirty entries and 

 sixteen varieties. The same class in 

 pears attracted a large showing there 

 being twenty-eight entries with sixteen 

 varieties. The total number of prizes 

 in these classes were eleven and the 

 total entries were ninety-two so it 

 seemed as if the greatest contests were 

 waged about the unlisted varieties. 

 The hot house fruit was noticeable by 

 its absence and it seems a waste of 

 time and space to place them on our 

 schedule for while both medals and 

 money prizes were offered the entries 

 were not forthcoming. 



The exhibits from the experiment 

 stations of Massachusetts, Maine and 

 Rhode Island were very interesting 

 and instructive, as showing what our 

 experiment stations are doing in fruit 

 culture. This interchanging of ex- 

 hibits among experiment stations, hor- 

 ticultural societies and growers should 

 have more encouragement as it is of- 

 ten the only means by which new and 

 valuable varieties of fruit are brought 

 to the notice of the public. Such an 

 exhibition as the one just past which 

 was not entirely local in its scope, 

 does more to stimulate horticulture 

 than many of our smaller exhibitions 

 which are largely attended by grow- 

 ers within 25 miles of Boston. 



More than twelve varieties of apples 

 and eight of pears were brought to 

 the exhibition to be named thus show- 

 ing an added interest in fruit growing 

 for no doubt many of these people who 

 brought them had had this fruit grow- 

 ing on these places for some time and 

 had never taken enough interest in it 

 to even find out the name. 



A very interesting feature of the ex- 

 hibition was a collection of apples 

 from the State Board of Agriculture of 

 North Carolina. This contained about 

 fifteen very well grown varieties which 

 in size and color went way ahead of 

 many of our northern apples. One 

 thing particularly noted was the bright 

 and smooth skin of the pears from 

 Dorchester and Roxbury district; it 

 seems as if soil conditions must be 

 very good for pears in those selections. 

 A very fine collection of peaches 

 which for this season of the year could 

 not be surpassed were on exhibition. 

 Plums and quinces were also well 

 competed for. 



A great variety of grapes were 

 shown there being one collection of 

 fourteen varieties which showed al- 

 most every color and form of bunch 

 in which our native grapes are pos- 

 sible. 



The exhibit from the Massachusetts 

 Agricultural College was largely a col- 

 lection of apples and pears grown on 



dwarf trees. This method of fruit 

 growing is increasing in favor and 

 ought to be more generally used, for, 

 as shown by this exhibit, very fine 

 fruit can be grown on these dwarf 

 trees, and in a much smaller space and 

 in less time than with standard trees. 

 It is to be hoped that this and all 

 other exhibitions of the Massachusetts 

 Horticultural Society will not only 

 bring out large and fine displays of 

 fruit liut that they will awaken a new- 

 interest in this great branch of horti- 

 culture and stimulate growers to com- 

 pete not merely for the money prize 

 which is offered but rather for the 

 honor which a prize awarded by this 

 society means. The fruit committee 

 wish to thank all exhibitors who 

 helped make this one of the finest ex- 

 hibitions in the history of the society. 

 WILFRID WHEELER. 



CHRYSANTHEMUM OCTOBER 

 FROST. 



TO GET RID OF "FALL GRASS." 



Editor of HORTICULTURE: 



Noting the little story related by Mr. 

 Lonsdale conceiming the automobile 

 lawn mower, to rid lawns of "fall 

 grass," I remember reading that story 

 myself a few years ago and thought 

 that would be a very easy way to get 

 rill nf it. We are situated on the bor- 

 ders of Long Island Sound and right 

 here the land is very sandy, with 

 gravel subsoil; very hot and dry in 

 summer, which seems to be very 

 favorable to "fall grass" after August. 

 Through the month of September we 

 find scarcely any other grass. The 

 above story repeated itself many times 

 in my mind. So this spring we start- 

 ed the automobile lawn mower. 

 There's no doubt it compacted the 

 soil, for our lawns are as hard as the 

 macadamized roads, but we have the 

 largest crop of fall grass I ever saw, 

 this season. Mr. Hatfield certainly has 

 the only practical method of destroy- 

 ing it, "pulling it out by hand," but it 

 would take an army to do it here. 



S. J. TREPESS. 

 Glen Cove, L. I., N. Y. 



This new early chrysanthemum has 

 been welcomed with much cordiality 

 by the trade and is looked upon as a 

 distinct advance in the early white sec- 

 tion. Messrs. Nathan Smith & Son, 

 the introducers, advise the selection of 

 early buds as they produce larger and 

 fuller flowers than the late ones do. 



OUR FRONTISPIECE. 



The carnation Alma Ward which 

 forms the sub.iect of our frontispiece 

 is one of the best if not the best of 

 the productions of Mr. C. W. Ward. 

 The typical form is white suffused with 

 a soft flush of pink but Mr. Ward has 

 selected a pure white form and ex- 

 pects to fix two distinct types. The 

 picture shows the flowers considerably 

 reduced in size. 



NEWS NOTES. 



S. .T. Clibbs of Carnegie, Pa., has filed 

 a petition in bankruptcy; liabilities, 

 $2714; assets, $234. 



The Metairie Ridge Nursery opened 

 a l)ranch store at 141 Oarondelet street, 

 .New Orleans, La., on October 6. 



W. H. Kilter of Fitchburg, Ma.ss., 

 announces his opening of a new flower 

 store at 70 Main street on October 10. 



The florist store of H. A. Keser at 

 El Paso, Texas, was destroyed by fire 

 on October 5. The loss is estimated 

 at $700. 



C. D. Mills of Jacksonville, Pla., is 

 completing a branch greenhouse estab- 

 lishment in the fashionable residential 

 suburb of the city which he expects to 

 open November lirst. 



The Park Board of Baltimore, Md., 

 have decided to return to the plan of 

 holding flower shows in the park 

 greenhouses in the spring and fall, al- 

 though the arrangement cannot be en- 

 tered upon \intil next fall. 



H. M. Robinson & Co., finding their 

 quarters at 8 and 10 Province street, 

 Boston, too restricted have added the 

 large store opposite, at No. 15 and will 

 extend their business by the addition 

 of a cut flower department. 



PERSONAL. 



Visitors in New York last week: F. 

 Gower Waterer, Bagshot, Eng. 



.Tohn Donohue has been appointed 

 gardener on the estate of Morris K. 

 .Icsup at Lenox, Mass., to succeed his 

 father, the late P. .T. Donohue. 



Thomas F. Brown of Detroit, Mich., 

 who fell from a scaffold recently 

 while building a new greenhouse, is 

 now able to get about with the aid of 

 a crutch. 



VISITORS IN BOSTON. 

 .lames McHutxhison, New York, S. 

 S. Skidelsky. Philadelphia. 



OBITUARY. 



Paiil Goebel. for the past twenty 

 years engaged in the florist business 

 in Grand Rapids, Mich., died on 

 October 6. aged 72. A widow and four 

 sons survive him. 



