September 7, 1912 



HORTICULTUEE 



847 



BRITISH HORTICULTURE. 



The Sweet Pea Trials. 



The National Sweet Pea Society has 

 held duplicate trials in two centres 

 this season. The various entries have 

 been inspected by the Floral Commit- 

 tee of the Society. It was found that 

 there was no extraordinary novelty 

 to merit a silver medal, or even a 

 first-class certificate. At the same 

 time there were some excellent varie- 

 ties which will come to the front in 

 future exhibitions. Constance Hinton 

 is a useful addition to the pure whites. 

 King White is another welcome new- 

 comer. This variety has received an 

 award of merit, as did also the follow- 

 ing; Decorator, rich cerise red; Agri- 

 cola, a blending of mauve and rose; 

 R. F. Felton. lilac suffused with 

 French gray; Bertrand Deal, rose 

 mauve; Lady Miller, pale cream, 

 flushed with apricot. 



Gladiolus Siiow. 



The second summer show of the 

 National Gladiolus Society was held 

 in London, on August 13th. Both as 

 I'egards numbers and quality the show 

 was a decided advance on that of last 

 year. Kelway & Son took the first 

 prize in the class for 24 varieties. The 

 excellent specimens included: Par- 

 ody, Duke of Buccleuch, Prince of 

 Orange, Duke of Richmond, and King 

 of Gladioli. Wilhelm Pfltzer, Stutt- 

 gart, Germany, in the same class ob- 

 tained a silver gilt medal, and also a 

 silver cup for a new primrose yellow 

 seedling. E. E. Stewart, of Rives, 

 Mich., U. S. A., gained a silver gilt 

 medal for a new salmon-pink seedling. 

 The silver cup for the best collection 

 of gladioli was carried off by Kelway 

 & Son, who likewise had the first for 

 the best yellow spike (Golden Meas- 

 ure) and a silver trophy for the best 

 white spike. Wilhelm Pfitzer headed 

 the list with a group of late flowering 

 varieties. Frank Banning, Kinsman, 

 Ohio, U. S. A., was first for the best 

 pink (Panama), H. H. Grogg, Canada, 

 being second with Evolution Perfec- 

 tion. W. H. ADSETT. 



WHERE THE CREDIT BELONGS. 



Editor of HORTICULTURE: 



Dear Sir; — Your Philadelphia corre- 

 spondent, page 317 of the current is- 

 sue, gives me credit in a matter to 

 which I am not entitled. He refers 

 to the reduction in postage rates on 

 seeds, plants, and bulbs. 



It may be interesting to your read- 

 ers to know that fourth-class matter 

 was created (it is alleged, and I be- 

 lieve with truth) at the instance of 

 the express companies in 1875. The 

 committee which secured the putting 

 back of seeds, plants, and bulbs into 

 the third class, at the rate of one 

 cent for each two ounces, or fraction 

 thereof, was composed of Messrs. 

 Peter Henderson, Robert Craig, and 

 John N. May, to the best of my knowl- 

 edge and belief. Your correspondent 

 probably had in mind the concession 

 obtained from the express companies 

 on the same class of goods, by the 

 committee of which I was a member. 

 In this connection I wish to say that 

 the concession made by the express 

 companies would never have been ob- 

 tained but for the fact that the post- 

 age rate was used as a leverage to 

 obtain it. Yours trulv, 



PATRICK O'MARA. 



WASHINGTON NOTES. 



The old Globe Building at 339 Penn- 

 sylvania avenue, N. W., has been 

 leased by the Department of Agricul- 

 ture for use as a distributing depot 

 for the seeds annually sent out by 

 Congressmen to their constituents. 



The army worm which has reached 

 Washington has been successful in de- 

 vastating quite a number of this city's 

 finest lawns. The gardens of the State, 

 War and Navy Building were badly 

 damaged, also the lawn surrounding 

 the White House. A concoction made 

 of one pound of paris green and fifty 

 pounds of wheat bran mixed with a 

 little molasses has been found to be 

 successful in killing this worm, but in 

 using this concoction it must be re- 

 membered that song birds and poultry 

 are likely to be poisoned by eating 

 the bugs killed by this method. 



Considerable interest was manifested 

 in the automobile parade held here on 

 Labor Day, although not by the own- 

 ers of commercial cars. There were 

 some 300 cars In line, some decorated 

 and some not. Gude Bros, entered 

 three of their machines, one covered 

 with white cloth and artistically deco- 

 rated with American Beauty roses and 

 butterflies set off by various greens and 

 Asparagus Sprengerii. This latter car 

 won first prize of $150. The car which 

 brought second money was decorated 

 in the shape of a house of colonial 

 architecture with the windows draped 

 with vines, panels set with flowers 

 on either side and boxes of growing 

 plants at each window. Clematis pani- 

 culata and red dahlias were used. In 

 the fourth prize exhibit goldenrod 

 formed the main part of the decora- 

 tion, together with gladioli, oak leaves 

 and ferns. 



OBITUARY. 



Stephen Delbar. 

 Stephen Delbar, a well-known florist 

 and gardener of 40 Olive street, Hart- 

 ford, Conn., died suddenly on August 

 24, from heart disease. 



James X. Devine. 

 After a long illness James X. De- 

 vine died Sept. 3. at the home of his 

 parents in Newport, R. I. He was 26 

 years of age. an electrician by trade, 

 and a son of Patrick Devine, who is 

 gardener for Mr. Pembroke Jones. 

 The deceased was unmarried and 

 when at home was much interested in 

 the large garden under his father's 

 charge. 



GREENHOUSES BUILDING OR 



CONTEMPLATED. 

 Carbondale, Pa. — Mrs. Turnbull, one 

 house. 



St. Joseph, Mo. — Mt. Mora Ceme- 

 tery, one house. 



New Bedford. Mass. — W. H. Daven- 

 port, house 12 x 45. 



New Castle, Pa. — Wemschenck & 

 George, two houses. 



Farmington, Utah. — Miller Floral 

 Co.. range of houses. 



Pontiac. Mich. — Mrs. L. C, Lewis, 

 two houses each 22 x 80. 



Kansas City, Mo. — Linwood Floral 

 & Nursery Co., one house. 



Cincinnati. 0. — Harry Goetz, Win- 

 ona Road, house to cost $3,500, 



AT DREER'S. 



Every Johnson must have his Bos- 

 well— if the world is going to hear 

 the truth about things. So horticul- 

 ture's Boswell went along on the 2nd 

 inst. and did his best to listen to what 

 Mr. Farquhar, who went along, too, 

 had to say, and to enjoy the ride to 

 Locust Farm about six miles back from 

 Riverton in company with that prince 

 of perennial men, Harry Sim. Harry 

 Sim is one of the best "hardy peren- 

 nial" men of the country; J. D. Eisele 

 says so and he is a pretty good judge. 

 What he told us about the first year's 

 growth of delphiniums as compared 

 with the second year; what pointers 

 he gave us on the peony — their first 

 year and their second year — and the 

 cost; the same about the phlox and 

 the dahlia, would fill a book and could 

 only be got at first hand. The soil at 

 Locust Farm is not so extra, but it 

 is tar superior to the soft sandy propo- 

 sition at Riverview and Riverton, so 

 we do not blame Dreers for moving 

 over. The iris does finely at Locust, 

 so does the phlox and the peony and 

 in fact, nearly all the important sub- 

 jects. They have some pretty good 

 gladioli. All the latest varieties are 

 being given a good test. The fierce 

 rain storm of the night before had 

 ruined the appearance of the cannas 

 so that Mr. Michel was in despair as 

 to showing the best results in the 

 newer varieties. One never can tell 

 from a hurried visit. One variety that 

 may look droopy and bashed up today 

 may look entirely different tomorrow. 

 You have to stay with them to find 

 out. That's why we are so respectful 

 to the lads who do that and who by 

 their daily experience correct the hur- 

 ried judgment of the casual looker on. 

 In this connection we want to caution 

 the average reader. How can anyone 

 tell from a one-day look? Still, from 

 these solemn judgments many of the 

 fallacies in our business have their 

 origin. The writers have far more to 

 answer for than they think. 



GEORGE C. WATSON. 



NEW YORK NOTES. 



H, A. Barnard, representing Stuart 

 Low cfc Co., of Bush Hill Park, Eng- 

 land, has arrived on his annual Ameri- 

 can trip. His New York address is at 

 the Hotel Albert. 



J. McHutchison and T. B. Meehan 

 returned last week from Europe. They 

 boarded the steamship Oceanic at 

 Cherbourg and had hardly been aboard 

 an hour when Mr. Meehan had the 

 misfortune to slip and in falling broke 

 a knee cap. On reaching New York 

 he was conveyed directly to his home 

 and. from the latest report, is pro- 

 gressing satisfactorily. Mr. McHutchi- 

 son is well pleased with the looks of 

 European stocks, which he says are 

 exceptionally fine this season. 



A very fine display of gladioli was 

 on view in the Museum Building, 

 Bronx Park, on August 31st and Sep- 

 tember 1st. The weather was dull, 

 cold and showery — consequently the 

 attendance was very limited. Compe- 

 tition w.Ts not very keen, but the 

 quality of the flowers throughout was 

 excellent and the colors were as a 

 rule superb, far exceeding expecta- 

 tions for what is now rather the end 

 of the season. The classes for mont- 

 bretias did not fill, there being only 

 one exhibit. 



