260 



THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE OF AMERICA. 



in their development the recapitulation theory- Systematists were 

 never so nunierons nor more active than at present, but all activity 

 is not ucessarily progress. Motion up and down may be spectac- 

 ular and nothing' more. 



There is but one reason for the existence of the professional 

 systematist. viz. : to make it easier for others to know plants. If 

 we fail in this one thing we fail in all. Judging by the indiffer- 

 ence of the multitude to our work ; by the helplessness of the ama- 

 tetir who tries to acquaint himself with the plants he meets: by 

 the none-too-well concealed cynicism of our colleagues in other 

 lines, we are failing in this. Our work has been analytic and not 

 constructive. We have dismembered organisms and held up to 

 view their component parts. We have been looking for differences 

 and with such amazing success that the fundamental resemblances 

 have, tor the most part, escaped our notice. 



Morphology, physiology, ecology, and economic botany in its 

 scores of applications have all gone forward by leaps and bounds, 

 but in spite of, not by the aid ot, taxonomy. Xot all taxonomic 

 work has been useless or erroneous. Keenness of observation and 

 great powers of discrimination aie not lacking. It is not so much 

 that wliat has been done should not have been done, but rather that 

 more should have been done to relate recent work to that which has 

 gone before. Synthesis sliould have followed so closely upon anal- 

 ysis of the elements of our flora that duplications would promptly 

 have been discovered and the relations of each element to the other 

 detected and stated. 



We are on the eve of a new era of reconstruction. Already the 

 pendulum is swinging back toward greater conservatism. The dis- 

 memberment of genera and the multiplication of species proceeds 

 more cautiously. This grows out of the revitalized aim, "make it 

 easier for others to know plant.s." — Aincr'uiin Botiiiiht. 



HORTICULTURAL FEATURES AT PANAMA-PACIFIC EXPO- 

 SITION, 



Into the fi.') acres of living gardens surrounding the Palace of 

 Horticulture were set tliis month the enormous number of over 

 700.000 golden-llowered plants under the direction of Donald 

 Melaren, the famous California gardener. These flowers will 

 occupy sunken gardens in the main entrance facing the Tower 

 of .Jewels and in the Jlinor Courts of Palms and Flowers. 



Mr. McLaren aiuiounces that work has begun on the final trans- 

 planting of 27,000 yellow wall-llowers, and an equal number of 

 Spanish golden iris in the Court of Palms, which looks out upon 

 the Palace of Horticulture, The Tower Plaza has already been 

 planted with 200,000 yellow pansies, 100,000 yellow daffodils and 

 100,000 golden jxippies. In the Court of Flowers, which upens 

 toward Festival Hall. 2.")0.000 golden poppies, 100,000 dallodils 

 and 50,000 golden tulips will be set this week. 



So that the (i.") acres of flowers and plants will be kept con- 

 stantly in bloom during the ten months of the Exposition, it is 

 planned to replace this first setting with other flowers when the 

 fiist cycle has lived its life. Mr. McLaren believes that three 

 plantings will be required to keep the vast gardens in bloom. 

 An unusual decision was made by Mr. McLaren this week to 

 plant no palms in the Court of Palms, the space being given over 

 to acacias, towering Italian cypresses and low-growing eugenias. 

 The balustrade surrounding the i)Ool will be overlumg by low 

 trailing muehlenbeckia, or maiden-hair vines. 



The Exposition's horticultural gardens became international in 

 scope this week when entries of roses from Belgium and Holland 

 were planted in the rose gardens. These flowers are government 

 exhibits of these two countries and are entered in the competitions, 

 one of which has a prize of .^Sl.OCM) for a new, unnamed rose. 



A NEW BOOK ON SWEET PEA CULTURE. 



In Lis book "Sweet Peas for Profit." J. Harrison Dick, the 

 author, covers about every important phase which enters into the 

 culture of that popular flower. While his treatise leans more 

 to the growing methods for market purposes, there is, however, 

 much contained in the book of useful knowledge to the private 

 grower. Its chapters are devoted to the class of houses and 

 lieating facilities best adopted for the culture of the sweet pea; 

 ■outdoor culture: pests and diseases; description of old and new 

 varieties and an interesting history of the winter flowering 

 sweet pea. The book contains many excellent illustrations. It 

 is publisiied by the De La Mare Printing & Publishing Company, 

 ■of New York; price, .$1.50, 



DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE'S CHRYSANTHEMUM 

 EXHIBIT. 



The annual chrysanthemum exhibit of the Department of Agri- 

 culture, held in the departmental greenhouses, Washington, D. C, 

 -which opened on October 29, proved to be as successfid as previ- 

 ous exhibitions. 



Some eighteen hundred plants were on exhibition, representing 



more than one hundred and fifty varieties of the double chrys- 

 anthemums and one hundred and seventy varieties of the single 

 flowers and pompoms. Althoiigii the season has not been a 

 good one for clu ysanlhemunis, the flowers as a whole were found 

 to be of excellent quality and several new seedlings were shown; 

 also some varieties ^vhich have not been seen In Washington 

 before. It is estimated that more than twenty-five thousand 

 ] eople visited the gardens and greenliouses during the week of 

 the show. 



ABSORPTION OF SALTS BY PLANTS. 



Plants alisorb a much greater amount uf water than they ever 

 use in buililing up tlieir parts. In some cases the amount used 

 seems almost incredible. Tlie common mustard is said to use 900 

 pounds of water for each pound of dry matter the plant contains. 

 It is well known, of course, that there is a constant influx of water 

 at the roots and as regular an outflow from the leaves in the form 

 of water vapor. This current of water through the plant is called 

 the transpiration stream. This stream was formerly thought to 

 be of service to the plant by bringing in the mineral salts used, 

 but some investigaticms made by Ileinrich Hasselbring has shown 

 that the amount of mineral matter (ash) in a plant in no wa.v 

 depends on the amount of the transpiration stream. The trans- 

 piration from two sets of plants of the same species, one in sun 

 and the other in shade, was measured and, though the plants in the 

 sun gave off the more moisture, the set in the shade was found 

 to contain the more ash. This seems to show that the absorption 

 of mineral by plants does not depend upon the amount of water 

 absorbed. Probably a large part of the water taken in is simply 

 used in keeping the plant cool, just as our jjerspiration regulates 

 the heat of our own bodies. — Exchange, 



QUERIES and ANSWERS 



We believe the greatest good can be accomplished for the greatest 

 number, by instituting a query column; or an exchange of expe- 

 riences, on practical propositions, by our readers. 



You are invited to contribute questions, and answer others. 



Each question as received will be given a number, the question- 

 er's name will not be published, but the source of the answer will 

 be given unless otherwise requested. 



We all have something we would like to know more about. Here 

 is your opportunity to ascertain somebody's experience in just that 

 matter. 



frothing will tend to better fellowship than helping each other. 



Take advantage of this "Question Box." 



"The article in the September 'Chronicle' on 

 Aquatic Gardening interested me, but why, may I ask, 

 do we find so little aquatic planting on the country 

 estates? Is it because gardeners in general are not 

 familiar with them? My gardener frankly confesses 

 that he does not understand their method of growing 

 and that it is the work of a specialist. Can you recom- 

 mend any practical books on the subject from which 

 he can secure some knowledge on growing them?" — 

 Estate Owner, Conn, 



Replying to the above quer.v, would sa.y there are several reasons 

 why there is so little aquatic gardening to be met with on country 

 estates. Few^ landscape architects advocate it. Why? The em- 

 ployer has to be consulted in most instances on matters concerning 

 his estate, and it is the bounded duty of the superintendent or 

 gardener to carry out his orders, against his likes or dislikes. The 

 employer may object to having artificial ponds on the grounds on 

 account of stagnant water and the mosquito nuisance, and the same 

 where natural ponds exist : something has to be done to rid the 

 place of mosquitoes, and if the gardener cannot convince him that 

 they can be kept clear of, without the application of crude oil, the 

 authorities will apply the oil, which, of cour.se. rids the ponds of 

 mosquito larva, as well as the fish and other insects and any plant 

 life as well. Such action shows a lack of knowledge of plant and 

 insect life. 



There is another mistaken idea, and that is that water lilies re- 

 quire running water, whereas they require still water; still water 

 is not necessarily stagnant : water with growing plants in it is 

 oxygenized and kept clean and pure, even as trees, with the foliage, 

 oxygenize the air we breathe. 



If an employer expresses himself in favor of having water lilies 

 grown, and his gardener hesitates, or says it requires a specialist, 

 that man ought to be fired, such a one is not entitled to member- 

 ship in the National Association of Ciardeners ; he may not be 

 familiar with water lilies, or knows next to nothing of their cul- 

 ture, but there are as many volumes on water lilies, their culture, 



