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THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE OF AMERICA. 



"THE MOORINGS," MARION, MASS. 



The writer recently had the pleasure of a trip over 

 the Converse Estate at Marion, known as The Moorings. 

 Seven years ago Col. Converse purchased eighty acres 

 of woodland on one of the points in Marion jutting out 

 into Buzzards Bay, a very picturesque spot at that time, 

 but now transformed into a veritable "Fairy Land" under 

 the able direction of Superintendent David F. Roy. Soon 

 after entering the grounds one is driven through the 

 natural woodlands the driveway lined with specimen 

 Rhododendrons, both native and hybrids, in perfect con- 

 dition and well set with buds, promising a delightful 

 picture in the near future. Right here it might be said 

 that Mr. Roy escaped the disappointment so common 

 in this section this spring of having his Rhododendrons 

 either winter killed or seriously disfigured. Nothing 

 was done for them last fall in the way of protection ex- 

 cept a heavy mulching with leaves to which Mr. Roy 

 attributes his good fortune. Possibly the retentive char- 

 acter of the soil helped carry them through an unusually 

 dry March. 



The principal show spot, when I called, was the formal 

 garden with its ten to twelve thousand tulips and daf- 

 fodils all in bloom at once furnishing a gorgeous display 

 not soon to be forgotten. Some of the tulip beds were 

 left undisturbed from last Spring while others were re- 

 set. Through the Summer these beds were set with 

 Alyssum and Black Prince Nasturtiums in combination, 

 or with single flowered petunias. The tuli])s left undis- 

 turbed gave two and three flowers each in striking con- 

 trast to the single bloom on the full planted Inilbs, and 

 the quality was about even. 



A trip through the greenhouses showed the usual run 

 of flowers to be seen in any well kept place, with thou- 

 sands of bedding stock in prime condition. Conspicuous 

 for excellence among the flowering plants were the 

 French Hvdrangeas, Lxias, some of the newer Hybrid 

 Tea roses in pots. Snapdragon, Schizanthus, while in the 

 orchid house were superb specimens of Dendrobium 

 Chrysatoxum. 



An out-of-door rose garden containing upwards of a 

 thousand plants of Hybrid Perpetuals and Hybrid Teas 

 gave promise of future glory. 



Another beautiful spot is the "Daffodil Walk" winding 

 a circuitous way through the woods from the gateway 

 to the greenhouse. As one wanders along the walk of 

 pine needles among Nature's unmolested beauty, with 

 clusters of Narcissus of various types dotted here and 

 there among the trees, and does not find therein sonie 

 sentiment to the soul he must be impervious to Nature's 

 glory or the horticulturist's art. 



The residence itself is perched upon a knoll at the ex- 

 treme end of the point overlooking the bay and is most 

 beautifully located. As we wander back on the east shore 

 we find a delightful spot known as the Japanese garden, 

 splendidly located in a little dell with its pond and bab- 

 bling brook bridged with bamboo, together with the pro- 

 ducts of nature designed to make the whole effect real- 

 istic. .\s we approach the superintendent's home we see 

 the deer reservation with its ten dainty, alert, sleek look- 

 ing denizens of the forests and wonder how man can have 

 the heart to ruthlessly destroy such dainty creatures. 



Last, but by no means least of the attractions visited 

 was the vegetable garden. Here everything showed 

 careful thought systematically executed and bore evi- 

 dence of prospects of many delicious fruit and vegetables 

 to gladden the inner man. 



"Through the generosity of Col. Converse this place 

 is open to the public at all times and is considered one 

 of the sh'iw ]-ilaces in southern Massachusetts. 



H. F. Turner. 



THE SUMMER CARE OF OUTDOOR ROSES. 



By a Rosarian. 



For practical purposes, roses may be grouped in 

 five distinct classes, namely, Teas, Hybrid-Teas, Baby 

 Ramblers, Hybrid Perpetuals, Climbers and Ramblers. 



Of these, the Teas, Hybrid-Teas and Baby^ Ramblers 

 naturally bloom under suitable treatment from May 

 to October, inclusive. The Hybrid-Perpetuals pro- 

 duce one heavy crop of blooms in June and, under skil- 

 ful culture, some casual blooms, the number depending 

 upon both the variety and the care which they receive, 

 during the remainder of the season. The name, Hy- 

 brid-Perpetuals, is somewhat misleading, the latter 

 word. Perpetual, not meaning that roses of this class 

 bloom perpetually, but that, with proper care, the}' 

 will' continue to live outdoor indefinitely. Climbers 

 and Rambler bloom once each year, in late June or 

 early July, and, as a rule, do not bloom again that 

 season. There are a few exceptions to this last state- 

 ment ; climbing American Beauty, Flower of Fairfield, 

 called by some the Ever-Blooming Crimson Rambler, 

 Christine Wright, and perhaps a few others, under 

 proper treatment will, like the Hybrid Perpetuals, 

 bloom sparingly, after the main crop is over in July, 

 during the remainder of the summer and autumn. 



To obtain the greatest number of blooms from the 

 bushes (if an}- of these .several classes of Roses it is of 

 paramount importance that we both summer prune 

 the bushes in a correct way and that we cut the 

 lilooms in such a manner as to encourage a continu- 

 ance (if the l)l(ioming period. Indeed, summer pruning 

 in a large measure is performed in the pr(jper cutting 

 (if the blooms. 



We should never break a rose carelessly from it,? 

 bush if we would like the bush to make the best form 

 of growth, and produce the greatest number of 

 blooms during the season, but we should sever the 

 blooms from their bushes in a systematic, scientific 

 way with some cutting instrument, preferably a sharp 

 knife. The flower buds of the rose are produced on 

 the young growth of the season. When we pick 

 either one bloom, or, in the case of ramblers and other 

 ])(ilyantha roses, a cluster of blooms, we should cut 

 the bloom or cluster with a sharp knife, taking with 

 each a stem of such a length as to leave a stub having 

 only one vigorous leaf on it, between the point where 

 the cut was made and the old hard wood branch, or 

 main body of the bush, out of which the young wood, 

 which bore the rose bloom, grew. From the axil of 

 this one vigorous leaf will spring another shoot, 

 which, under favorable cultural conditions, will be 

 robust and thrifty% and on whose tip another rose may 

 appear. Never in picking a rose break or cut clear 

 back to the old hard wood branch or body ; never vary 

 from the method of picking suggested, because it 

 seems to you that, if followed, the stem of the rose 

 will be either too short or too long. There is no other 

 correct method of picking roses. If we cut, in picking 

 a rose, clear back to the old hard wood, not leaving a 

 stub of the young wood with a strong leaf thereon, 

 then a new flower-producing branch can spring only 

 from a latent, or adventitious bud on the hard wood, 

 ■which does not usually happen except imder very fav- 

 orable conditions, and then the branch is often too 

 weak to produce a good bloom. If, on the other hand, 

 we leave a stub of the young wood with several leaves 

 on it, from the axil of each of these will come a shoot 

 more or less weak, which will bear either no bloom or 

 at the best an insignificant one. A young shoot which 

 ]iroduces no flower is said to "come blind," and the 

 (Continued on pag^e 274.) 



