11 U i; T 1 C L" L T U R E 



July 10, 1920 



RAMBLING OBSERVATIONS OF 

 A ROVING GARDENER 



This has been a wonderful year for 

 ,the peony growers, not so much be- 

 .cause of the quality of the stock as 

 l>ecause of the interest shown by all 

 classes of people. The e.xhibits have 

 been largely attended and much en- 

 thusiasm has been shown. The pub- 

 lic is just beginning to realize the 

 .adaptability of the peony, and even 

 icomraercial growers are sometimes 

 surprised to find how readily it makes 

 itself at home under adverse condl- 

 ;tions. Mr. Harry A. Norton, who has 

 a fine place at Ayers Cliff. Quebec, 

 was heard with special interest at the 

 recent meeting of the American Pe- 

 ony Society at Reading. Pa., when 

 he said that peonies grow in some 

 places where it is almost impossible 

 .to cultivate other vegetation. He 

 says he has been successful in grow- 

 ing peonies in the open at his place, 

 although the thermometer goes to 40 

 degrees below zero at times. Apple 

 trees have succumbed to the rigorous 

 conditions, but in the same soil the 

 peonies have gone through the win- 

 ter safely and produced prize winning 

 blooms the next summer. 



into prominence at the Reading show. 

 Mr. Schultz. who has a large acreage 

 of peonies on the estate of his father 

 near N'iantic, received seven prizes 

 out of eight entries. In addition to 

 these first prizes. Mr. Schultz was 

 awarded the American Peony Society 

 silver medal, which is the second 

 highest prize offered by the Society. 

 The Schultz estate has been a great 

 show place this season, a continuous 

 stream of motors arriving and depart- 

 ing while the exhibit was at its heisht 



not a weed to be seen and the rows as 

 even as though they had been run by 

 a surveyor's Instrument. The weather 

 this season has interfered greatly 

 with the production of first class fruit, 

 but the vines were loaded with berries 

 of excellent quality, notwithstanding. 



The energy and stamina of the ber- 

 ries may be judged by the fact that 

 that one plant which has been allowed 

 to go its own way for the sake of see- 

 ing what it would do has made fifty- 

 three runners, and is still going 

 strong. 



From what 1 have seen it seems ap- 

 parent that the St. Martin is destined 

 to take its place as one of the beat 

 berries for home or market, at least 

 in Xew England. 



Mr. Elmer K. Schultz. of Langhorn, 

 Pa., is among the growers who came 



A few days ago I had the pleasure of 

 visiting the home of Mr. Louis Graton. 

 the originator of the St. Martin straw- 

 berry. He was just back from New- 

 port where he had won a first and sec- 

 ond prize and a silver medal for his 

 berries. Naturally he was quite hap- 

 py over this recognition of the St. 

 Martin's merit. An Interesting hap- 

 pening in connection with the exhibit 

 was the fact that a man to whom he 

 sold plants in March also showed St. 

 Martin berries and received a certifi- 

 cate of merit. These berries, of course. 

 were grown on the plants set out this 

 spring. 



Mr. Graton's little strawberry plan- 

 tation is a marvel of neatness, with 



The rose gardens this year have 

 been a little disappointing, not so 

 much because they have lacked bloom 

 in abundance but because of the un- 

 certainty of tlieir blooming period. In 

 many cases they have been two weeks 

 late and visitors who expected to see 

 them in full bloom found only buds. 

 However, they are now flowering verj- 

 well indeed, considering the hard win- 

 ter, although it must be confessed that 

 even the most expert rose growers in 

 the Northern states lost heavily. 



It is interesting to find people be- 

 coming more and more enamored of 

 the climbing roses. They are now be- 

 ing grown everywhere, and the newer 

 varieties add greatly to the beauty of 

 suburban and country homes. 



Roses at Roger Williams Park, Providence R. I. 



