September 16, 1911 



HORTICULTURE 



397 



and a worse combination of colors 

 cannot be imagined than the scarlet 

 of the pomegranate and rose shades 

 of the crape myrtle. There are both 

 yellow and white varieties of the 

 pomegranate also a single scarlet va- 

 riety that to me is fully as pleasing 

 as the double although it does not 

 seem to be as free a bloomer. A 

 number of shrubs that are half hardy 

 farther north are especially adapted 

 to this section. Varieties of spirea, 

 deutzia and forsythia that are often 

 killed to the ground, grow to giants 

 in this climate and are among the 

 most useful spring-flowering shrubs. 



Of the native shrubs the groundsel 

 (Bacchaxis halimifolia) also hardy 

 north, is one of the most showy for 

 autumn effects with its white feathery 

 appendages to the seeds. Like many 

 of our American shrubs it is neglected 

 for those that are not nearly as good. 

 It will grow in the wettest or driest 

 ground and when used against a back- 

 ground of dark foliage in large masses 

 in a border shrubbery, is especially 

 effective. It is dioecious and a few 

 of the staminate plants should be set 

 with the pistillate. Another effective 

 autumn shrub that is worthy of intro- 

 duction to the garden is the bush mul- 

 berry (Callicarpa americana). Its 

 pink flowers in midsummer are incon- 

 spicuous, but the violet purple ber- 

 ries which follow and last until early 

 winter are a sight not to be forgotten, 

 as the graceful sprays literally bend 

 with fruit. 



CLARENCE FOWLER. 



Fortress Monroe, Va. 



TWO LONG ISLAND BULB FARMS. 



E. S. Miller. 



E. S. .Miller, Wading River. X. Y., 

 is an address familiar to most read- 

 ers of HORTICULTURE'S advertising 

 columns as well as to all the leading 

 seed and bulb interests generally for 

 the past few years. Mr. Miller gave 

 up his position at Floral Park where 

 he had been for many years, nine years 

 ago, and started the enterprise in his 

 native place, Wading River, 70 miles 

 east of New York City, on the Long 

 Island railroad. He has thirty acres 

 under cultivation, of which fully one- 

 half is devoted to gladioli. In this 

 specialty seedling raising is his great 

 hobby, and one of the best evidences 

 of his success in this line is the fine 

 variety recently introduced by Peter 

 Henderson & Co.. under the name of 

 Fascination. At the present time he 

 has more than 300 selected seedlings 

 under number the product of several 

 generations of selections from the 

 progeny of the finest named varieties 

 of American and foreign origin. The 

 three sections — Gandavensis, Lemoi- 

 nei and Childsi are kept apart and 

 distinct in the fields. In the true 

 Childsi no yellows have thus far ap- 

 peared, and whites are rare, but in 

 the other sections both these colors 

 are freely produced. Mr. Miller has 

 one white of which he has great hopes. 

 It is practically pure white and stays 

 so, showing none of the pink tint 

 with age which is found in Augusta 

 and other standard whites and has 

 from five to eight flowers open at a 

 time. 



Mr. Miller does not regard the cut- 

 ting of the flower stalks as necessary 

 to the welfare of the bulbs unless they 

 start to set seed pods. All such are 



amputated as soon as there is evi- 

 dence of seeding. 



A large space is given up to seed- 

 lings and young planting stock of 

 lilies which, as is generally known, 

 are a leading specialty with Mr. Mil- 

 ler. Of tenuifolium there are no less 

 than 150,000 and of Henryi 50,000. 

 Elegans is represented by many varie- 

 ties, few of which can equal for 

 sturdiness and beauty the variety 

 Leonard Joerg which was raised and 

 named by Hallock. Peter Barr is a 

 recent elegans introduction which is 

 still high in price. It is an orange yel- 

 low, brighter in color than any other 

 yellow elegans except Alice Wilson 

 which is a very weak grower. Lilium 

 davuricum is fine as is also Thumbergii 

 Sanguineum.. Marhan is about all 

 dead from disease, which is greatly to 

 be regretted, as this is a very fine 

 cross between Martagon and Hansoni 

 with the color and odor of the former 

 and the other qualities as in the latter. 

 Hansoni is in the same predicament, 

 being badly killed out by the fungous 

 disease, a remedy for which is still un- 

 found. Between the two white specio- 

 surns — Kraetzeri and praecox, Mr. 

 Miller states that he sees no differ- 

 ence except in the color of the anthers 

 and he agrees with the views of A. S. 

 Burns, Jr., as expressed in these 

 columns recently as to the difficulty 

 of distinguishing between straight 

 rubrum and "magnificum" as found in 

 commercial stocks. 



The present has been a bad season 

 for lilies and there has been a very 

 poor set of seed. Replying to a ques- 

 tion Mr. Miller stated that he could see 

 no difference in any respect between 

 lilies propagated by offsets and those 

 raised from seed. 



Of callas there is a wide assortment 

 — seedlings and otherwise. Elliottiana 

 — which is still the best — Mr. Roose- 

 velt, Pentlandii and other yellows are 

 seen in quantity. C. Rehmannii is a 

 very pretty little rosy pink flowered 

 one. Hastata as seen here is diseased 

 and not worth growing. Several 

 oxalises make a gorgeous effect in 

 long solid rows, O. Deippi rosea, with 

 nodding pink flowers borne high above 

 the massed foliage having the effect 

 of a good bedding begonia. This with 

 O. lasandria are valuable subjects for 

 use in long borders especially on 

 large estates. 



Mr. Miller confesses to being a 

 sort of "crank" on odd things, and de- 

 votes considerable room and time to a 

 variety of bulbous material not often 

 seen in nurseries. Clidanthus fragrans. 

 which might be described as a yellow 

 zephyranthes, but it does not flower 

 very freely. There is also Zephyr- 

 anthes sulphurea. Z. Candida blooms 

 profusely all summer until frost. Its 

 hardiness is not yet proven, but as a 

 hardy bulb it would be a great acquisi- 

 tion. 



John Lewis Childs. 

 Although far removed from the well- 

 known headquartei s at Floral Park 

 and the great central market of New 

 York. John Lewis Childs' big nei 

 tablishment at Flowerfield, Long. 

 Island, is well worthy of a visit and 

 will fully repay the visitor for tl:e 

 time and trouble taken. It is under 

 the charge of Leonard Joerg who 

 has been eighteen years in the employ 

 of Mr. Childs. and was previously with 

 Hallock, Son & Thorpe for nineteen 



years, and is looked upon as the best 

 informed man on the gladiolus in this 

 country. 



Flowerfield is a seemingly boundless 

 expanse of color; field after field all 

 aglow with bloom. Mr. Joerg says "at 

 least 150 acres of bulb plantations, 

 mainly gladioli." After a drive around 

 and among them one is not disposed 

 to question his estimate. There are 

 X00 acres all told in this vast flower 

 and vegetable farm which was 



; lired only two years ago, the first 



planting being-done a year ago last 

 sining. A prodigious amount of work 

 has been done within that brief time 

 —clearing, plowing, planting, manur- 

 ing, harvesting, road building, etc., 

 and is still being prosecuted. Fifty- 

 toui men, Mr. Joerg says, is the full 

 quota of help, which seems almost In- 

 significant when the extent of terri- 

 tory covered and the excellent condi- 

 tion of everything are considered. 

 Eight men are kept busy most of the 

 time during the flowering season, cut- 

 ting gladiolus stalks and getting them 

 ready for shipment. From fifteen to 

 twenty-four thousand spikes are ship- 

 ped daily — mostly to New York. They 

 are practically a "by-product," as the 

 plants are grown for the bulbs, but 

 the net income from this item, aver- 

 ages one hundred dollars a day dur- 

 ing the blooming season. The spikes 

 are cut as soon as the lower buds are 

 ready to open and before any flowers 

 have expanded. The removal of the 

 spikes is regarded as beneficial to the 

 bulbs. 



The new buildings on the place 

 are an ornamental railroad station 

 and a storage shed, 90x200, with 

 cement walls and floor and a base- 

 ment 40x90. Here the cut flowers are 

 packed and shipped and extensive 

 storage facilities for bulbs are pro- 

 vided. A glass-roofed building for 

 storage and spring starting of roots 

 such as cannas, etc., is now being 

 erected. In the gladiolus section over 

 1100 named varieties are under culti- 

 vation. Many acres are also devoted 

 to cannas, dahlias, montbretias, 

 zyphyranthes, crinums, tritomas, 

 tigridias, ismenes, irises, etc. The 

 culture of squash, cabbage, melons, 

 lettuce, corn and many other vege- 

 table crops for seed production is also 

 extensively carried on. 



AT WABAN CONSERVATORIES. 



Alexander Montgomery is very 

 much pleased with the performance 

 thus far of his seedling rose, Virginia 

 Burrage, which might be described as 

 an improved Wellesley, having all the 

 satiny pink lustre of that variety 

 without its defect of excessive thorn 

 production and being entirely free 

 from "bull-heads." A quantity which 

 will be immediately appreciated by 

 the rose growing fraternity is the ab- 

 sence of any necessity for "pinching," 

 all the growths being long and 

 straight, and thus much labor and ful- 

 ly three weeks' time in bringing out 

 a crop are saved. Mr. Montgomery 

 has' other seedlings going through 

 their lessons which will be heard from 

 i m. There is a double Richmond 

 sport which should find a welcome 

 when it is disseminated. Among the 

 ■in introductions the most charm- 

 ing of all is Lady Hillingdon. As 

 grown here it is worth going a long 

 « ay to see. 



