148 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIS7 



make quite a little money by the sale of seed 

 and plants. One tourist describes their 

 method thus : They stand a plant in a large 

 tin pan ; when they touch the long shaped 

 pod it bursts open, scattering the seed. The 

 seed is gathered and ])ut up in packets and 

 sold to tourists for 62 cents, 



A VARIKTY OF CLOVER. 



Trofolium Minus, a variety of Trifoliuni 

 Repens or white clover, has been sold b\- 

 seedsmen as the shamrock, also Trofolium 

 Procumbens, the low hop clover. Tlic 

 ^ledicago Lupulino, of black medick, is an- 

 other claimant for the distinction. The 

 English and Irish have the trefoil figured 

 on their coins. 



i^>rewer's Dictionary of Phase and Fable 

 says: "So far as I have been able to find 

 the shamrock is not mentioned by Shakes- 

 pear. Under the word " clover the author 

 of Plant Lore of Shakespear says of the 

 clover there are two points of interest that 

 are worth notice. The clover is one of 

 the plants that claims to be the shamrock of 



St. Patrick. This is no' a settled point, 

 and at the present da\ the wood sorrel is 

 supposed to have the better claim to the 

 honor, but it is certain that the clover is the 

 club of the pack of cards. In Fngland we 

 paint the clover on our cards and call it 

 clubs, while in France they have the same 

 figure, but call it trifle. It is certainly 

 curious, says one writer, that the trefoil in 

 Arabic is called shamrock, and was held 

 sacred in Iran as emblematic of the Persian 

 triad's. 



Pliny in his Natural Hictory says that ser- 

 pents are never seen on the trefoil, and it 

 prevails against thf^ stings of snakes and 

 scorpions. If such were the case luo more 

 suitable emblem could have been chosen by 

 St. Patrick, seeing that he is said to have 

 tlriven such hideous reptiles from the Emer- 

 ald Isle. This tradition makes it even 

 doubtful if the whole thing is not a myth. 



"The dear little, sweet little shamrock of Ire- 

 land 

 Thrives oiih' on starvation. 

 (Tood food, justice and kindness kills us all." 



FLOWER GROWING ON AN EXTENSIVE SCALE 



WHI<:X Mr. John H. Dunlop, of To- 

 ronto, commenced growing flow- 

 ers in an amateur way, in 1880, with a 

 modest greenhouse six by twelve feet, none 

 of his friends expected that within 25 years 

 he would become one of the leading profes- 

 sional florists in Canada. Yet that is what 

 he has done. From this small beginning 

 Mr. Dunlop has succeeded in adding to his 

 business year by year until he has the second 

 largest floral establishment in Canada and 

 one of the largest on the continent. His 

 greenhouses number 36 and cover about 

 four acres of land. There are 150.000 

 square feet of glass in, his greenhouses. 



So well known has Mr. Dimlop's estab- 

 lishment become it is considered one of the 

 sights of the city by many amateur and pro- 

 fessional florists who visit Toronto. One 

 of his recent visitors was an editorial repre- 



sentative of The Horticulturist, who was en- 

 tertained iu a most interesting manner by a 

 trip (it was nothing else) through the 

 various greenhouses. Believing that time 

 is money Mr. Dunlop has planned his green- 

 houses so that no time need be lost visiting 

 any section of them. The ofifice and work 

 rooms are located in the center and are thus 

 convenient to all the greenhouses. 



The first greenhouses entered from the 

 office were two, 140 feet long each, devoted 

 to the growing of ^[eteor roses. " This is 

 one of the most productive varieties," said 

 Mr. Dunlop, " but it is giving growers con- 

 siderable trouble as it seems to be deterio- 

 rating. Of late years we have been forced 

 to graft it on the ]^Ianetti. Its splendid 

 crimson color and its productiveness are its 

 strong points. Until this year I have been 

 unable to equal it in this respect, but now 



