336 



HORTICULTURE 



November 11, 1920 



HORTICULTURE 



EstabliitliiMl by M'Mlinni J. Strwurt in 1!>(M 



Vol. XXXII 



November 11, 1920 



No. 18 



rrill.ISlIKl) SKMI-MONTHLY BY 



HORTICULTRE PUBLISHING COMPANY 

 739 Boylston Street, Boston, Mass. 



EDWARD 



FARRINGTON, Editor. 



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Entered as second-class matter December 8, 1904. at the Post Office 

 at Boston. Mass., under the Act of Congress of March 3, 1897. 



For years orchids have been looked upon as 

 Orchids flowers to be enjoyed only by the rich, and it 



has been remarked more than once that they 

 could not be expected to arouse any great amount o£ popu- 

 lar interest at a flower show. The fallacy of this reason- 

 ing has been shown at Horticultural Hall during the past 

 year, where Mr. Albert C. Burrage, of Beverly, has broken 

 all records for orchid displays and performed a great pub- 

 lic service in behalf of flower lovers by staging monthly 

 exhibits. Contrary to expectations, or at least to many 

 prognostications, these displays have aroused a great deal 

 of interest. Indeed, they have proved among the most pop- 

 ular features of the shows, have received long notices in 

 the papers, and have shown that the orchid is viewed with 

 interest even by people who are not able to grow them. 



We believe that one reason why the orchids 



Staging shown by Mr. Burrage at Horticultural Hall the 



shows past year have been so highly appreciated is 



the way in which they have been displayed. It 

 was an inspiration when Mr. Burrage got away from the 

 old fashioned table form of exhibit, and put up his display 

 in such a way that the orchids became part of a general 

 decorative scheme. Take, for example, the show of last 

 week. A false rock work was set up at one end of the 

 hall, and there the flowers were arranged as though grow- 

 ing in their native habitat. 



In almost every instance the method of display has 

 been different, showing remarkable originality and resource- 

 fulness. There is a hint here for exhibitors in all classes, 

 and it is to be hoped that the influence which is radiating 

 from Horticultural Hall will have its effect on other shows 

 in different parts of the country. A flower show ought to 

 be something to fill the eyes of the visitor with delight, as 

 a well composed picture, instead of being merely a stiff and 

 unattractive arrangement of single specimens set out in 

 rows without any attempt at decorative effect. 



Apparently the flower growers who took their cour- 

 Coal age in their hands and decided to wait for lower 



prices, come what may, are going to reap the bene- 

 fit. Bituminous coal is certainly sliding downward, and 

 prices seem likely to go considerable lower than they are 

 now. Of course, it was a gamble all along, and those who 

 bought coal when the price was high cannot be blamed. In 

 many instances It seemed the only way to prevent a heavy 

 loss. Still, those who waited, though, will make a tidy 

 saving, because when one uses two or three thousand tons 

 of coal a year, a difference of one or two dollars a ton 

 makes a sizable total. 



It is to be hoped that many other private 

 Begonias growers will be stimulated by the action of 



Mr. Thomas E. Proctor, of Topsfield, in show- 

 ing his big collection of English winter flowering begonias 

 at Horticultural Hall at the last exhibit. On the whole, 

 owners of private estates have been reluctant, apparently, 

 to enter the shows in any large way of late years. Per- 

 haps this is true in Boston to a greater extent than in New 

 York and some other places, but it isn't confined wholly to 

 the east by any means. Unless these privately grown 

 plants are shown, it is impossible to have the exhibits 

 measure up to the standard which has been set for them, 

 in the past. 



The warm welcome given Mr. Proctor's wonderful be- 

 gonias and the many congratulations showered upon his 

 competent superintendent were enough to prove that the 

 flower loving public appreciated the effort made. It is cer- 

 tainly to be hoped that horticultural interests are to once 

 more take an upward trend. The situation has been far 

 from satisfactory since the war. Perhaps it was to be ex- 

 pected, but it is time now for everybody interested in hor- 

 ticultural advancement to get together and help restore 

 conditions to normal. 



There are rumors from Washington to the ef- 

 Rumors feet that some startling changes are to take 



place in the personnel of the Federal Horticul- 

 tural Board. Just what foundations these rumors have it 

 is hard to say. No confirmation has come with the report 

 that Dr. Marlatt intends to resign, and it may be that the 

 recent election will mean the holding over of all members 

 of the board until something develops as to the future pol- 

 icy of the government. In any event, there seems to be a 

 well defined feeling throughout the country that there is 

 bound to be a change in the situation, with a probable 

 modification of the board's rulings which will do away with 

 the worst features of the embargo without in any manner 

 interfering with its effective control of insect pests and 

 plant troubles of all kinds. 



Are there too many of them? The feel- 

 Organizations ing has been voiced in the west that the 



multiplication of societies, especially in 

 the florist trade, has reached a point where a balance must 

 be struck. Organization is a fine thing. It is needed, and 

 without it the florist trade could not expect to go ahead. 

 There are dift'erent forms of organization, however, and 

 what can be accomplished by a large number of people 

 working in one body is much more difficult to cany out 

 when the same n\imber of people are split up into half a 

 dozen societies. 



In some of the larger cities there are organizations 

 which overlap. In several places there are two or more 

 which might consolidate without any loss of advantage if 

 the members could get together on a proper give-and-take 

 basis. It seems quite probable that the next slogan will 

 have to be "Consolidation," and it's time to be thinking 

 about the matter. 



