::ii) 



HORTICULTURE 



October IS, 1919 



RAMBLING OBSERVATIONS OF 

 A ROVING GARDENER 



several years to get well established, 

 but eventually it makes a very fine 

 garden subject. It should become 

 common, for it is easily raised from 

 seeds and is fairly hardy. 



I notice that George Watson is sing- 

 ing the praises of the new dahlia Jean 

 Kerr, for which the Burpee Company 

 received a certificate of merit from 

 the American Dahlia Society. It is 

 not to be wondered at that this dahlia 

 meets the approval of Mr. Watson and 

 that it is interesting many florists who 

 have seen it, either in the field or 

 used as a cut flower. This dahlia, 

 which is a seedling, is perhaps the 

 best of the pure white novelties for 

 cutting, that is to say, for florists use. 

 Very likely it will come to be an im- 

 portant flower in the trade. That fact, 

 however, will not interfere with its 

 use in the garden and I am glad to 

 recommend it to gardeners who grow 

 dahlias. It is a well known fact that 

 many of the flowers which make a 

 handsome show when growing are al- 

 most useless for decorative purposes 

 when taken into the house. Jean 

 Kerr stands up well and loses none 

 of its attractive features when com- 

 bined with colored varieties. Moreover, 

 it is an ideal flower for the amateur, 

 because it seldom or never fails to 

 produce a wealth of flowers, even in 

 seasons when other varieties prove to 

 be almost entire failures. It is said 

 to be a fact that the aster beetle never 

 touches Jean Kerr. I do not know 

 personally about this peculiarity, but 

 am assured that it is a fact. That be- 

 ing the case, Jean Kerr becomes a 

 treasure, for the aster beetle is usually 

 partial to white and light colored 

 varieties. 



Another new dahlia in which I have 

 been much interested this season is 

 Mandaiana, which is as the names in- 

 dicates, a creation of W. A. Manda of 

 South Orange. N. J. This dahlia is 

 distinctive most particularly in its 

 habit of growth. It is very dwarf and 

 very stocky. The size of its stem is 

 amazing and it can surely be expected 

 to stand any kind of exposure without 

 need of staking. The great value of 

 this new dahlia is going to lie in its 

 availability for landscape work. It 

 should prove among the best for mass- 

 ing and for working out summer ef- 

 fects. This does not mean, though, 

 that the blossoms are not suitable for 

 cutting. They were used for decorat- 

 ing the tables at a recent meeting of 

 the Horticultural Club of Boston, and 

 proved very effective. The flowers are 

 red and very large and because of 



their stout stems hold up their heads 

 with the utmost assurance. I believe 

 that Mr. Manda has a very good thing 

 in Mandiana. 



Growing in Professor Sargent's gar- 

 den at Brookline I saw the other day 

 an unusually fine, clump of Aconitum 

 Wilsonii, and was greatly pleased 

 with the fine, deep blue shade of its 

 blossoms. Certainly this is one of the 

 best of the Monkshoods and a par- 

 ticularly fine perennial for fall flower- 

 ing. This well established clump has 

 made stalks almost as high as a man's 

 head and Mr. Charles Sander, the 

 head gardener, finds it very easy to 

 handle. Aconitum Wilsonii is related 

 to the old A. napellus. The leathery 

 leaves are a dull green. The plant 

 has a tuberous root stalk and likes 

 pretty rich soil. Moreover, it needs 



THE HILLCREST FARM PRIZES 

 Boston, October 8, 1919. 



Dear Sir: — The Hillcrest Farm 

 special prizes offered at the exhibi- 

 tion of the Massachusetts Horticul- 

 tural Society held September 25, have 

 been awarded as follows: 



First, $50.00, to Edwin L. Lewis, 

 Taunton. Second. $30.00, to Faulkner 

 Farm, Brookline: William N. Craig, 

 superintendent. Third, $20.00, to Ed- 

 ward A. Clark, Jamaica Plain, Walter 

 H. Golby, gardener. 



The prizes were awarded for ex- 

 hibits of both fruits and vegetables 

 winning the greatest number of points, 

 based on the following scale: For 

 single plates, four points for first prize, 

 two points for second, and one point 

 for third. For collections, for each 

 variety, two points for first prize, one 

 point for second, and one-half point for 

 third. Wm. P. Rich, Secy. 



The Dahlia Jean Kerr 



