492 



HOKTICDLTUBE 



October 7, 1916 



TRIALS OF DAHLIAS IN MINNE- 

 SOTA. 



Report of Dahlia Trial Station Located at 

 Universitv Farm. .St. Paul. Minn., Up to 

 September 23. 1916. 



Through the courtesy of some seven 

 •or eight growers located throughout 

 the United States, about 700 tubers 

 were planted between the 7th and 12th 

 of June. Up to about the middle of 

 July this section had altogether too 

 much rain, making it difficult to culti- 

 ■v'ate, and being detrimental to plant 

 growth. This was followed by drought 

 up to the first of September. Some 

 very hot weather was experienced a 

 part, of this time so that Dahlias plant- 

 ed early were very badly stunted. 

 When the fall rains came on the latter 

 part of August and September many 

 of these plants started into growth, 

 and with good growing weather, would 

 have produced a fair crop of flowers. 

 The weather from Sept. 1 to date has 

 been rainy and cold, with several light 

 frosts. The dahlia gardens were par- 

 tially injured by frost on Sept. 18, al- 

 though part of the plantings did not 

 suffer at all. 



We set some tubers the first part of 

 July from old stock that we had at 

 the station. These have made a good 

 growth and are filled with buds. The 

 foliage is bright and with a little 

 warm weather, would give a good crop 

 of flowers. Qnly about ten per cent, 

 of the plants under trial have flowered. 

 The red spider was abundant during 

 hot weather, although we kept it part- 

 ly in check during the spring. 



Some loss of plants w^s experienced 

 during the dry weather, although not 

 many. Apparently the tubers stood 

 the drought better than the potted 

 plants. The potted plants started out 

 ■well in the spring, but were badly hit 

 by the hot, dry weather, while the 

 tubers were not so seriously injured. 



Some grafted tubers were received 

 and these did very well. The varieties 

 that apparently have done the best 

 and are at the present producing the 

 best flowers are: Psyche, Uncas and 

 Geneva 162 F. Other plants are just 

 coming into flower and will probably 

 equal those named. A further report ' 

 of these will be made when the tubers 

 are dug. 



On Sept. 1 the Garden Flower So- 

 ciety held a meeting at the Station 

 and visited the gardens. 



I think we have more flowers on 

 our plants than any of the growers in 

 the vicinity, but they have not pro- 

 duced anywhere near as many as they 

 would with an ordinary season. 



I hope those who have furnished 

 tubers and others that have promising 

 varieties will think it worth while to 

 continue this work o\er another sea- 

 son, when climatic conditions mav be 

 ''«"er. le Roy c^py 



Associate Professor of Horticulture, 

 University Farm, St. Paul, Minn. 



It is reported that the Countryside 

 Magazine, published in Harrisburg 

 Pa and until two years' ago known 

 as Suburban Life bas been sold to The 

 Independent, which receiitlv absorbed 

 Harper's AVee' Iv. 



PEONY FLOWERED DAHLIA MRS. 

 FREDERICK GRINNELL. 



We bad occasion to mention in con- 

 nection with the recent Dahlia Show 

 in Boston the handsome new Peony 

 Dahlia, Mrs Frederick Grinnell, raised 

 and exhibited by John P. Rooney of 



New Bedford. We have now to record 

 another high distinction accorded to 

 this sterling novelty, news of which 

 came too late for our issue of last 

 week, in which it secured a first-class 

 certificate from the American Dahlia 

 Society at its New York exhibition. Up 

 to date this new comer has won four 

 certificate of merit, one gold medal, 

 two silver medals, two bronze medals, 

 and one special award, and the end is 

 not yet. In color it stands without a 

 rival and in all the other qualifica- 

 tions it is second to none. The color 

 of the flower is described by Professor 

 F. H. Hall of Geneva, as follows: 



The lioily of the petal is deep rose pink 

 • itten vemed deeper shade, passing to mal- 

 l"w pinl; toward tip with point pale amar- 

 anth puik. the latter two areas Increasing 

 with age of flower. Base of petal marked 

 lightly with light .salmon orange, faintly 

 luonzed. Large center, orange to cadmium 

 yellow. Heautiful by both natnral and 

 artihcial light. Possesses a distinct fra- 

 grance, most marked as the flower a"es 



LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE EX- 

 HIBIT, 



In an effort to stimulate interest in 

 landscape architecture there will be 

 held in the Museum of the Missouri 

 Botanical Garden, St. Louis, during 

 the montli of October, an exhibition of 

 plans, drawings, models, and photo- 

 graphs of some of the best of the re- 

 cent landscape developments in this 

 country. This exhibition will be under 

 the management of the American So- 

 ciety of Landscape Architects and of 

 the Missouri Botanical Garden. Sev- 

 eral of the best-known landscape archi- 

 tects of this country will contribute, 

 and the Departments of Landscape' 

 Architecture of Harvard University 

 iMassachusetts Agricultural CQllege.' 

 the School for Gardening of the Miss- 

 ouri Botanical Garden, and other insti- 

 tutions will be represented. The work 

 shown will include developments of 

 private estates and home grounds 

 parks, playgrounds, cemeteries and 

 subdivisions, and a few plans and 

 sketches showing the beautification of 

 civic ;rid neighborhood centers will 

 probably be on display. 



MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURAL 

 COLLEGE NOTES. 



Mr. and Mrs. Peter Fisher, of Ellis, 

 Mr. Shea and M. A. Patten, of Tewks- 

 bury, were recent visitors at the col- 

 lege greenhouses. 



A. S. Thurston, formerly assistant 

 in the department of Floriculture, has 

 accepted the offer of Iowa Agricultural 

 College, Ames, Iowa, to head the De- 

 partment of Market Gardening and 

 Floriculture. 



S. H. Hall, a graduate of the col- 

 lege last June, is now with S. J. God- 

 dard, of Framingham, Mass. G. A. 

 Read, a graduate of the college In 

 1914, is now manager of the Peckham 

 Floral Company at Fairhaven, Mass. 



The new perennial gardens have 

 shown their great value to the college 

 and the florists of the neighboring 

 country this past summer. There are 

 now over five hundred species of her- 

 baceous perrenials and it is expected 

 that this number will be materially 

 augmented in the future. 



C. E. Wildon, 1916, has been ap- 

 pointed as assistant in the department 

 of Floriculture to fill the vacancy left 

 by Mr, A. S. Thurston. A. V. Osmun 

 has been promoted to Professor of 

 Botany and Head of the Department 

 of Botany. Paul J. Anderson has been 

 promoted to Associate Professor of 

 Botany. 



The M. A. C. Florists' and Garden- 

 ers' Club reports a great deal of en- 

 thusiasm for the coming year and it 

 is planned to make this year the big- 

 gest year in the history of the club. 

 E. Stanley Duffill, of Melrose High- 

 lands, Mass., has been elected presi- 

 dent; W. I. Cross, of Hingham, vice- 

 president, and John J. Dizer, E. Wey- 

 mouth, secretary-treasurer. 



The new year has opened with an 

 enrollment of thirty students in the 

 courses in Floriculture. There are 

 also two students entered in the 

 graduate school as candidates for the 

 degree of M. Sc. in Floriculture. 

 These students are L. H. Jones, of 

 Milford, Mass., and C. E. Wildon. of 

 Melrose Highlands. Mass., both hav- 

 ing received their B. Sc. in June, 1916. 

 The annual flower show will be held 

 the second week in November. Plans 

 are being made to make this show 

 the largest yet held at the college. 

 Special exhibits and prizes are being 

 arranged for. The cooperation of the 

 Northampton and Holyoke Florists' 

 and Gardeners' Club has been as- 

 sured. Prof. A. H. Nehrling is much 

 gratified by the amount of interest 

 and enthusiasm shown. 



A FRIEND OF THE DAHLIA. 



Editor HoRncuLTURE: 



Dear Sir: — Your editorial "Mutations 

 of the Dahlia" is very timely and I 

 thoroughly agree with you that some- 

 thing ought to be done to protect this 

 splendid flower and some standard 

 fixed by which new varieties could be 

 judged as it is with the carnation, 

 chrysanthemum, etc. Your editorial 

 liits the nail on the head, and I hope 

 fhat it may be brought to the atten- 

 tion of all growers and raisers of 

 dahlias so that their efforts may be 

 .guided in the right direction. 

 Very truly yours, 



Gko. W. Fr vser. 



Storrs, Conn. 



