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HORTICULTURE 



May 24, 1919 



RAMBLING OBSERVATIONS OF 

 A ROVING GARDENER 



It was the writer's privilege last 

 week to visit the Arnold Arboretum 

 in company with several well-known 

 nurserymen and gardeners, and to 

 see some of the introductions made 

 by that famous institution. One of 

 them, an azalea, is one of the most 

 promising plants which has been seen 

 for a long time. It is unfortunate 

 that it is saddled with the unpro- 

 nounceable name of Schlippenbacbii, 

 though it seems to have acquired the 

 name in a fair enough way, having 

 been given it in honor of a Russian 

 admiral. F. R. Pierson, of Tarrytown, 

 was in the party, and seemed much 

 impressed by this plant. "You will 

 have to give it another name, though," 

 be said, turning to Mr. E. H. Wilson, 

 "We can never put it on the market 

 labeled 'Schlippenbachii' and expect 

 to sell it." "Very well," said Mr. Wil- 

 son, "call it, if you like, the pink Ko- 

 rean azalea." Perhaps that is the 

 name by which it will be known to 

 the public in general. There is no 

 doubt about its being popularized, 

 for thousands of the seeds obtained 

 by Mr. Wilson have been distributed 

 It is understood that Professor Sar- 

 gent, of the Arboretum, is to have 

 at least a thousand of these azaleas 

 planted on the 'side of Bussey Hill, 

 where they should make a wonderful 

 display. This azalea should appeal 

 especially to New Englanders because 

 of its hardy character. It thrives in 

 Korea, according to Mr. Wilson, 

 where the temperature drops to 40 

 degrees below zero. There is little 

 doubt, therefore, about its enduring 

 American winters. 



Speaking of the plan to plant out 

 a thousand of these azaleas in the 

 Arboretum recalls a remark made by 

 Mr. Wilson which leads to the as- 

 sumption that a special feature is to 

 be made of all the hardy azaleas, na- 

 tive as well as foreign. A splendid op- 

 portunity presents itself, and there is 

 no reason why in ten years from now 

 the Arboretum should not have an 

 annual azalea show such as will at- 

 tract visitors by the thousands from 

 all over the country. There is no 



space for a big massing of cherries or 

 other flowering trees, and by using 

 azaleas in the generous way indicated, 

 the Arboretum will have something 

 individual and distinctive. 



Apparently it is only by presenting 

 some great smashing show of color 

 that people can get attracted in large 

 numbers to any public park or institu- 

 tion of this kind. A big display of any 

 plants, though, with the right kind of 

 publicity, does draw the crowds, and 

 many of the people who come find 

 other things of interest. This is 

 being demonstrated at Rochester, N. 

 Y., where thousands of people go 

 out to see the lilacs. When the acres 

 of flowering cherries reach blooming 

 size, they too will make a strong im- 

 pression on the public mind. It is a 

 kind of advertising which leads people 

 to think of the place as a good one in 

 which to live, and do business. It is a 

 pity that more municipalities and park 

 officials do not realize this fact. 



While people in general are fond 

 of flowers, many of them have a curi- 

 ous lack of knowledge concerning va- 

 rieties, even those which are fairly 

 common. One member of the Ar- 

 boretum party remarked that he was 

 conducting a special sale of old 

 Ophelia rose bushes. They were go- 

 ing at a low price and he was receiv- 

 ing hundreds of letters, many of them 

 asking if the rose could be supplied 

 in different colors, if it were a 

 climber, and so on. Doubtless, how- 

 ever, he didn't mind answering these 

 questions, absurd as they may have 

 seemed to him, because each morning 

 mail also brought a sheaf of checks. 



Evidently the discussion over gard- 

 ener's wages still rages in England. 

 One of the magazines across the water 

 contained a particularly tart and read- 

 able answer to the remarks of an em- 

 ployer recently reprinted in Horticul- 

 ture. He said: 



To a good deal of what "Landowner" 

 says little exception can be taken; but 

 when he proceeds to say that "outside 

 kitchen gardening, it is practically 

 non-productive or luxury labor," I feel 

 that he is overstepping the facts. In 

 the first place, how does "Landowner" 

 assess the pleasure he derives from a 

 well-kept flower garden? Does he place 



this as of no account? If so, then 

 practically all the other labor he em- 

 ploys must be set down in the same 

 category. I do not know what form 

 "Landowner's" recreation takes, but be 

 it shooting, motoring, fishing, horse- 

 racing, hunting, or indeed, any form 

 of sport or pleasure, then not one of 

 these can be claimed as productive in- 

 vestments. Indeed, speaking generally, 

 they are much more expensive than 

 gardening, even if we confine the lat- 

 ter to flower-growing and policy-tend- 

 ing. As compared with the other em- 

 ployes, the gardener has never come 

 within sight of being adequately paid. 

 Taken all over, his work is harder, his 

 hours longed, and his responsibility 

 much greater than that of any other 

 servant. He has also to be much bet- 

 ter educated than is essential for 

 stablemen, gamekeepers, or even in- 

 door servants. So why he has always 

 been so miserably remunerated is a 

 puzzle. "Landowner" is also in error 

 when he states that "the labor (out- 

 side digging) is not really hard." Let 

 him put in a full day at a lawn-mower 

 or with a scythe, and he will change 

 his opinion; and there are numerous 

 other jobs that demand considerable 

 physical exertion. In the past it has 

 only been the keen love of their pro- 

 fession that has kept all the best of 

 our gardeners at the work, and it is 

 to be hoped that employers may now 

 deal justly with a class which com- 

 pares most favorably with any other 

 trade or profession in the country,. 



AN INTERESTING METHOD OF 

 GROWING SMALL VEGE- 

 TABLES 



A vegetable gardener of North Mon- 

 aghan, Peterboro, has introduced in 

 his vegetable growing an interesting 

 method which is said to be new to this 

 section of the country, though used in 

 some parts of the L'nited States. He 

 has tried it for the past two years with 

 considerable success. 



In planting carrots, beets, onions 

 and radishes, his method is simply to 

 plant in double rows instead of single 

 rows. The seed is planted in rows 

 four inches apart, with a space 16 to 

 24 inches between each double row. 

 Twenty-four inches was used between 

 the double rows of carrots to allow for 

 the use of a horse cultivator. Each 

 double row is weeded and thinned 

 anglewise. The two rows seem to 

 shade each other, and are less affected 

 by the sun than the single rows, and 

 it is this gardener's experience that he 

 has secured better vegetables by this 

 method than by any other he has tried. 

 — The Canadian Florist. 



