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HORTICULTURE 



October 25, 1919 



RAMBLING OBSERVATIONS OF 

 A ROVING GARDENER 



No doubt many gardeners have been 

 rather sceptical as to the hot water 

 treatment for dahlias which has been 

 sometimes recommended. Not long 

 ago, however, I stumbled onto a proof 

 of the value of this treatment in prac- 

 tical experience. It was at one of the 

 fall shows. An exhibitor arrived with 

 a large collection of cut blooms which 

 were in a badly wilted condition. It 

 seemed that he had been obliged to 

 cut the flowers at noon and as the day 

 was unusually hot they had suc- 

 cumbed very quickly to the high tem- 

 perature. When this man opened box 

 after box it seemed impossible that he 

 could make any show at all, but he 

 was not discouraged. He made a de- 

 mand for boiling hot water which 

 brought him six or eight buckets full. 

 He arranged them in a row on the 

 floor and plunged his dahlia blooms 

 into the water half the length of the 

 stems and more, in many instances 

 not taking the time to remove the 

 leaves, although that is generally rec- 

 ommended. 



It was interesting to watch the faces 

 of several ladies who happened to be 

 present, although the show had not 

 opened. Some of them went so far as 

 to remonstrate with the grower, as- 

 suring him that his flowers would be 

 ruined by such drastic treatment. 

 After all, though, there wasn't much 

 point in this argument, for the flow- 

 ers seemed ruined already by the heat; 

 but to these ladies it seemed almost 

 like an inhuman act to soak them in 

 water at boiling temperature. 



However, the grower went placidly 

 ahead and in half an hour the flowers 

 were seen to be straightening up and 

 assuming their normal form. They 

 were left in the water for fifteen or 

 twenty minutes longer, by which time 

 they had regained most of their good 

 looks. Then they were removed and 

 staged in vases filled with cold water, 

 with the result that by the time 

 the exhibit opened they looked as well 

 as when they were cut. 



This was a convincing proof of the 

 efficacy of the hot water method of 

 reviving wilted flowers, a method 

 which can be applied to some other 

 kinds which have woody stems. As 

 is well known to florists poinsettias 

 are always dropped into pails of hot 

 water as soon as gatfiered, this being 

 absolutely necessary apparently to in- 

 sure their keeping satisfactorily. 



As long as I have talked so much 

 about dahlias, perhaps I might as well 

 continue for one more paragraph. 

 Those gardeners who live near the 

 salt water get a quality of bloom 

 which is seldom found inland. This 

 has been noticed time and again. 

 Even commercial growers have been 

 surprised sometimes at the dazzling 

 colors shown by flowers in amateur's 

 seaside gardens. These flowers have 

 a brilliancy far surpassing that of the 

 same varieties in commercial rows. Yet 

 one does not need to live by the sea- 

 shore in order to have good dahlias, 

 and in this connection it is interest- 

 ing to find that the people of New 

 Mexico are just now developing a sort 

 of dahlia craze. Apparently this 

 flower has not been grown there ex- 

 tensively at all until the last two or 

 three years. Now great numbers of 

 orders have come to growers from 

 residents of New Mexico who find that 

 the flowers flourish well there. One 

 might expect peculiar advantages from 

 such a warm location, but it seems 

 that it becomes necessary even there 

 to dig up the roots, not for protection 

 from the cold weather, but to give 

 them a rest. 



It is a pleasure to learn that the 

 new La France everbearing raspberry 

 is to be put on the market next sea- 

 son. This gives promise of being the 

 best berry of this type which has yet 

 been given to the public. A large 

 stock has been grown at Stamford, 

 Conn., this season and everybody who 

 has seen the plants and the fruit have 

 been enthusiastic over the new vari- 

 ety. The size and vigor of the canes 

 is quite remarkable. The fruit is 

 large, finely colored and of good fla- 



vor. When I first saw the berry at a 

 Massachusetts Horticultural Society 

 exhibit, I was greatly impressed with 

 it. It seems to be exceedingly prolific, 

 bearing until cut down by the fall 

 frosts. I anticipate that it will prove 

 in the long run much more free fruit- 

 ing than the now well known St. 

 Regis, which so far has been the best 

 berry of the type that I have grown. 



Erskine Park is highly recommend- 

 ed, but has not proved very satisfac- 

 tory with me. It took some time for 

 people to get accustomed to the idea 

 of having raspberries in the fall, but 

 garden makers everywhere are now 

 becoming enthusiastic over fruit of 

 this type which certainly is most ac- 

 ceptable late in the season when 

 berries of all other kinds except the 

 fall bearing strawberries have passed. 

 The accompanying photograph gives 

 a good idea of the handsome appear- 

 ance which the fca France berry makes 

 when served on the table. 



A GOLD MEDAL ORCHID. 



Albert C. Burrage (Douglas Eccles- 

 ton, gardener) placed on exhibition at 

 Horticultural Hall, Boston October 18, 

 a very rare and beautiful orchid plant 

 in flower for which he was awarded a 

 gold medal. It was Brasso-laelio- 

 Cattleya The Baroness, a cross be- 

 tween Brassocattleya Leemanniae and 

 Laeliocattleya Ophir. It is the only 

 specimen of this hybrid orchid in the 

 United States and was publicly ex- 

 hibited for the first time. 



The flower is a rich golden yellow 

 with light purple markings at the base 

 of the beautifully fringed labellum. 



Mr. Burrage exhibited also a speci- 

 men of Cattleya Moira alba, a cross 

 between Cattleya Mantinii and Cattle- 

 ya Fabia alba; sepals and petals pure 

 white, lip crimson with the yellow- 

 throat markings of Cattleya Dowiana. 

 This was awarded a silver medal. 



Mr. Burrage is rapidly developing 

 the largest private collection of or- 

 chids in this country. 



The New Raspberrj 



