794 



HORTICULTURE 



December !», lit 1 1 



Tea, Bergamot and others of merely local bearing. 

 Widely distributed, we find at present perhaps only the 

 original- — Monarda didyma with bright scarlet lowers. 

 The heads and bracts of the recent!) introduced variety — 



Cambridge Scarlet- are of darker shade, while "r 



'splendens" conspicuously brighl 

 crimson-hued heads. All mentioned species prefer a 

 sunn; lighl soil and apparently do best in 



moderately moist and low locations. For dry grounds 

 the wild bergamot, Monarda fistulosa, can be safely 



amended. This species appears in two colors — rosy 

 purple and white. Both varieties are, too, well adapted 

 for the wild (lower garden. 



Monardas propagate very easih bj root division. 

 Cut flowers possess splendid lasting qualities and for 

 that reason represent valuable material for indoor 

 decoration. 



-SjuzAsqjuI SSv&L?/ 



Northeast Harbor, Maine. 



Gladiolus Notes 



The season past, has been a pretty severe one for 

 gladioli, especially for developing seed. Although I 

 put in the usual amount of work in crossing, I gathered 

 the record small crop of seed. The bulbs turned out 

 much better than 1 expected, considering the long ex- 

 tended drouth, but I worked the hoe and cultivator 

 double time, conserving all the moisture possible in this 

 wa.\ . 



The blooming period was not at all satisfactory this 

 year. Many of the new sorts I bought for trial did not 

 bloom. In some cases the bulbs sent me were evidently 

 old worn out bulbs thai probably never will bloom. I 

 don't understand why so many growers send out this 

 kind of stock. I have been trying for three years with- 

 out success to obtain young stock of Gladiolus Sans. 

 Pareil, probably the most beautiful salmon pink 

 gandavensis in existence. From about 150 large bulbs of 

 this variety I managed to get something like sixty bulb- 

 lut with the most careful culture 1 only got eight 

 puny little cormels. The old bulbs of many choice 

 varieties will not produce vigorous bulblets. 



As a rule, the longer a bulb is grown from divisions, 

 the more flattened it becomes, so that when we get the 

 round or conical-shaped bulbs we are apt to think that 

 we have some strong young bulbs. This is not always 

 to be depended upon for a great many of my oldest 

 bulbs that I have been growing for seeding three and 

 four years, were as round as virgin bulbs when I dug 

 them this fall. On the other hand, the variety Mrs. 

 Frank Pendleton is invariably flat the second year from 

 bulblets, if over seven-eighths of an inch in diameter. 



two best new white sorts I have tried this year 

 are Isabel (M. Crawford) and White Queen (Geo. 

 Pop]), Jr.) The latter sorl is a solid white and the one 

 healthy bulb out of six I bought produced a strong 

 healthy plant and a splendid spike of pure white flowers 

 equal to any of the solid white varieties I have seen and 



i ay 1 have tes 

 But — wh: matter with all of the so-called pure 



3? li appears that all of them require 

 ideal conditions to grow them healthj and make them 

 produce good spikes of flowers. The new French while 

 Heine a la Anjou (Reine Blanche) is the one exception. 

 This i strong and vigorous in all 



tions. 



On my way to the Baltimore convention I stopped 



lowerfield, L. I. to look over the vast fields 



idioli of John Lewis Childs. The visit well repaid 



or the time spent, and I shall always remember with 



greati - ; ing and insti u i bat with 



ird Joerg, as we walked through the magnificent 



a; gladioli. It is not onl\ the jusih 



- i here, but novelties and 



lies of all and from all parts of the world. 



by side with the healthy Aline, Blanche and Alaska 



all of the new pure whiles ,,f Europe and America 



and not one of then a healthy and vigorous plant 



or a good spike of flowers. A few of the varieties that 

 especially took my fancy I will describe: Cardinal — a 

 splendid scarlet of good size very clear and rich color. 

 Dorothy Burnham — a grand flowered variety of a bright 

 rosy pink color with a large pure white throat. Helen — 

 fine white striped with crimson. Prescott — white tinged 

 with pink, dark throat. Splendor — large flower, soft 

 pink or rose with a large magenta stain. Scribe — the 

 Childsi cousin of the old but still popular Eugene Scribe 

 but to my eye much better. Gallieni — a large splendid 

 red from Europe and the following superb sorts that I 

 will not take up your time in describing — Alec Wallace, 

 Rubesfeur, Pres. MeKinley, Gertrude, Barclay, Silver 

 Sheen and Japnick. 



Among the fine varieties from Europe that bloomed 

 with me this season were Soliel d'Or a good yellow from 

 A. Gravereau, France ; Mons. A. Brougmart, a fine 

 pink, large white blotch; Madame de Vilmorin, very 

 large pale flesh pink, striped rosy carmine ; Melusine, soft 

 lilac with a white band and straw colored blotch on 

 lower petals, and Cordelia a fine Lemoinei of a very fresh 

 pink with two carmine blotches on a white ground. 



At Rochester last year I saw Niagara, and at Baltimore 

 1 saw Mr. Bantling's other beauty, Panama, but not 

 until I had seen these two beautiful varieties in bloom 

 in my own garden, did I appreciate these magnificent 

 gladioli, and I want to say the same of Kunderdi Glory. 

 Those who have only seen these varieties at Baltimore 

 and Rochester, have not seen them at their best. 



Mr. -Montague Chamberlain is growing some wonder- 

 fully beautiful varieties and has been capturing valuable 

 prizes with them this summer. There are four varieties 



are well deserving of mention: — Rajah, a 

 almost solid red; Mrs. M. Chamberlain and Mrs. L 

 Merton Gage, two most beautiful white sorts, and Im- 

 proved 1900, similar to the old 1900 but more brilliant 

 and perfectly healthy and vigorous. 



Mast 



The Rose 



vVi an indebted to II. A. Dreer for the hands 

 rose portrait which is the central feature of our title 

 this week. The rose is pre-eminently a Christ- 

 mas favorite and each year sees the quality of the 



id of our rose growers advi sd beyond their pre- 



record. The present season is notable in that re- 

 spect. The rose, as a florists 5 flower is far, very far. 

 from standing still now. however it may have appeared 

 to lag in the past. 



