i8g8. 



GARDENING. 



249 



proposed that we should adopt the rose 

 of England; the clover, whose leaf is re- 

 cognized in the shamrock of Ireland; the 

 chrysanthemum of Japan, or the lily, 

 which has been so prominently associated 

 with the history of France. Still others 

 would accept a foreign flower, and would 

 advocate the pink, the pampas plume and 

 the cosmos. The lingering fondness for a 

 weed, even though a foreign one, ex- 

 pressed itself in the proposal to choose 

 the oxeyedaisy. The poetic feeling that 

 a floral emblem should somehow be good 

 to eat found expression in the suggestions 

 to glorify the peanut and the potato, 

 while a somewhat similar sentiment urged 

 the grateful recognition of the comfort- 

 bringing King Cotton and Senor Tobacco. 

 To many good people it has seemed that 

 the whole matter depended upon personal 

 fondness, it never occurring to them that 

 fitness for national uses should be the 

 first consideration. Perhaps the most 

 extraordinary suggestion of the time was 

 that we have, instead of a national flower, 

 a bouquet or garland composed oi 

 state flowers. If by some wizard's spell 

 such an incongruous medley could be 

 collected, what could be done with it? 

 None of the following arouse more than a 

 fleeting interest : The pond lily, the lark- 

 spur, and our native asters and sun- 

 flowers. Xo little interest has been arousd 

 by the suggestion to use some tree or 

 shrub. The oak, the American elm, the 

 magnolia, the tulip tree, the yucca and 

 the mountain laurel were the principal 

 woody plants brought forward. These, 

 however, were soon discarded. Sureh' 

 nothing could better show the invincible 

 vitality of the popular desire for a national 

 flower than its persistence. 



The National Floral Emblem Society ot 

 America was organized at the time of the 

 World's Fair. Its object is to " obtain a 

 genuine expression of the will of the 

 people " which shall lead to the adoption 

 of a national floral emblem and a selec- 

 tion of state flowers, as far as these have 

 not already been chosen. Entirely inde- 

 pendent, although in friendly relations 

 with the Floral Emblem Society, is the 

 Columbine Association, which to-day 

 holds a leading place in the national 

 flower movement. It has a single aim, 

 " to bring about the final adoption of the 

 columbine as a national flower ot the 

 United States." 



The desire to have the columbine as our 

 national flower may be said to have had 

 its origin at the Columbian Exposition. 

 It is graceful in poise, under no circum- 

 stances becoming a noxious weed, wear- 

 ing an air of prosperity as it swings its 

 tiny bells from the crevices of bare rocks. 

 It wears our national colors — red, white 

 and blue — and grows in every section ot 

 our country. The name columbine is 

 derived from the same Latin word as is 

 the name of Columbus, the discoverer, and 

 of Columbia, the name which our nation 

 rightly bears. That there are just thirteen 

 species of columbine indigenous in the 

 1'nited States is interesting as a coincid- 

 ence in view ol the thirteen stripes in our 

 flag. The time of flowering for the whole 

 country extends through the spring and 

 early summer, makingit available on our 

 only national holiday— the Fourth ot 

 July. They are at their very best on 

 Memorial Day, when we have most need 

 of a national flower. From the point ot 

 view of decorative design, the columbine 

 possesses great advantages from the fact 

 that its national associations are ex- 

 pressed not only in the name, but in the 

 form and colors assumed by the various 

 parts. 



We were much helped in our efforts to 



reach those who did not clearly under- 

 stand just what sort of a plant is desir- 

 able for a national flower, at the National 

 Flower Convention held at Asheville, 

 N. C, in 1896. This convention, called 

 to recommend a national flower foradop 

 tion by Congress, was composed of dele- 

 gates from various states of the I'nion, 

 chosen by their respective governors at 

 the request of Governor Carr of North 

 Carolina. 



The main result of this convention was 

 an agreement as to the qualifications 

 which should decide the fitness of a flower 

 to be our national emblem. While the 

 convention deemed it inexpedient to make 

 an\' recommendation of a special flower 

 at that time, it was evidently the sense of 

 the majority of the delegates present, as 

 shown by an informal vote, that the 

 columbine or aquilegia (sometimes known 

 as wild honeysuckle) is the only flower 

 which meets the requirements set forth in 

 the qualifications decided upon. It was 

 announced in a recent Asheville paper 

 that arrangements are being made for a 

 second national flower congress, to be 

 called by President McKinley at Wash- 

 ington, D. C. 



To briefly summarize: Each of the 

 columbine's rivals, though precluded by 

 fatal objections, as we have seen, from 

 serving as Columbia's emblem, neverthe- 

 less offered some most valuable qualifica- 

 tions. Thus, as the columbine connects 

 itself by name historically with Columbus 

 and the Columbian Exposition, so the 

 mayflower by its name recalls the good 

 ship of the Pilgrims. For their wide dis- 

 tribution, goldenrods, asters and sun- 

 flowers are remarkable as well as the 

 columbine. The golden or the purple 

 tints of these flowers, at their best, match 

 the columbine's pure yellow and purple, 

 while the latter's near relative, the lark- 

 spur, includes among its colors the col- 

 umbine's red, white and blue. For in- 

 offensiveness, charm and ease of cultiva- 

 tion the pansy and many of the old- 

 fashioned garden flowers are endeared to 

 us as much as the columbine, and for 

 availability in decorative design it may 

 be claimed that such flowers as the moun- 

 tain laurel and the magnolia are, in form, 

 hardly less exquisite and distinctive. The 

 valuable suggestion which keeps in view 

 our dependence upon the trees of the 

 country would be expressed with scarcely 

 less appropriateness by any one of them 

 than by the columbine, their companion, 

 which owes so much to their protecting 

 care 



So in the matter of agricultural suprem- 

 acy, corn, cotton and tobacco, as sample 

 products raised on American soil, suggest 

 the same abundance which is symbol- 

 ized by the columbine's horn of plenty. 

 The great merit of the columbine is that 

 it combines within itself the highest merits 

 of all these rivals. The advocates of other 

 flowers are ceasing to contend with one 

 another, and are rallying to the cause, 

 since in the triumph of this they see the 

 realization ot more than the highest 

 promise of their former hope. 



No one who has studied the growth of 

 the popular desire for a national flower 

 during the last ten years will permit him- 

 self to ask the question. Shall we have an 

 emblem? The American people may be 

 trusted to accomplish their heart's desire. 

 The fundamental question for all of us to 

 decide is this: Shall our national flower 

 be a cause of regret or shame, or shall it 

 be as fitting and noble an emblem as the 

 world has ever seen? We are doing our 

 best to bring the national flower move- 

 ment to an issue of which our country 

 may be proud. 



REINHARD MAITRB. 



WORKERS IN HORTICULTURE, VIII. 



Reinhard Maitre, one of America's pio- 

 neer florists, died of heart disease at his 

 home at New Orleans on April 14. His 

 remains now rest in beautiful Metairie 

 cemetery. Deceased was born in Baden 

 Baden, Germany, in 1830, and located in 

 the Crescent city forty-six years ago 

 when he was a young man of 22. In 

 1855 he married Christine Rehm, who 

 survives him. They had no children. 

 Mr. Maitre spent his lifetime in floricul- 

 ture, for he was a lover of nature's beau- 

 tiful gifts to man. His artistic taste won 

 him a national reputation as a horticul- 

 turist and landscape gardener. The finest 

 grounds in New Orleans, both public and 

 private, show the results of Mr. Maitre's 

 fostering care. He was an unostenta- 

 tious man, fond of his home, his books 

 and his flowers, and in his death his city 

 and the Society of American Florists lose 

 one whose endeavors have done much to 

 beautify and smoothen life's pathway. 



Fruits and Vegetables. 



RASPBERRIES. BtflGKBBRRIES AND DEW- 

 BERRIES. 



The authorities of the New York Agri- 

 cultural Experiment Station, Geneva, 

 N. Y., give some interesting notes on the 

 behavior of these fruits during 1S97 in 

 a recent bulletin, as follows: — 



The soil of the station plats, while 

 somewhat heavy, is better adapted for 

 the culture ofblackberries and raspberries 

 than tor strawberries; and plowing the 

 ground between the rows to a depth of 

 three inches early in the season of 1897 

 effectually loosened the soil and gave an 

 impetus to growth, the effect of which 

 was noticed throughout the season. 

 Little winter injury was shown although 

 the dewberries only were at all protected, 

 and that merely by throwing a few 

 shovelfuls of earth on the prostrate vines. 

 Nearly all varieties set a full crop of fruit 

 and rains late in the season brought the 

 berries to maturity, so that excellent 

 yields were obtained. 



The black raspberries varied in yield 

 from 466 ounces for a 25-foot row with 



