34 



POPULAR GARDENING. 



November, 



'-I^EiN(iMATTER"ntAT Deserves 



^ TO BEVnOElYKHOWIi. 



Western New York 

 ' Qrape Grower's Associa- 

 tion. This is a Uve and 

 active organization with 

 headquarters at Fredonla, 

 Chautauqua Co., N. Y. Its 

 officers arc as follows, E. 

 G. Wright, president; John 

 Farel, vice-president; A. S. 

 Watson of Westfield, manager. 



Flowers as Educators, I think flowers not 

 only help to beautify our homes, but to make 

 them more valuable. They help to elevate the 

 tastes of those who cultivate flowers. The 

 husbands and sons who help to cultivate the 

 flower garden will be refined and elevated by 

 their influence.— Hocnffteiiille Farmers' Club. 



Ohio State Horticnltural Society. Remember 

 that while we ' trust ^ in Providence and ' com- 

 bine ' with Nature to produce an abundance of 

 fruits, flowers and vegetable, yet we are strongly 

 opposed to the third member of the Trinity of 

 Mammon, and do not desire a ' monopoly ' of the 

 benefits of the society, but cordially invite all 

 horticulturists to join us.— Sec'y Farnsworth. 



Stimulating Love for Flowers. At a small 

 local show in England the committee offered 

 prizes for the best window gardening. Space 

 was not to exceed four feet by two feet. For 

 these prizes there were four entries, all more or 

 less good. The first was very gay ; the plants 

 used were various: Geraniums, Fuchsias, Hy- 

 drangeas and things of this nature, with Lobelia, 

 Musk, Campanulas, etc., as edging plants. 



Florida Sub-Tropical Exposition. This will 

 open about the second week in January, and will 

 continue from twelve to fifteen weeks. The 

 display this season promises to be an exceedingly 

 valuable one, covering a wide range of fruits, 

 flowers, vegetables, farm products and rare 

 plants and shrubs. Exhibits from the Bahamas 

 and West India Islands will lend an additional 

 attraction.— S. A. Adams, Sec'y Jacltsonville, Fla. 



Welcome to the Fig. R. Williamson, at a meet- 

 ing of the California State Horticultural Society 

 stated that the tree par excellence for California 

 is the Fig. Fig growing will be the largest of 

 the state's industries. The common purple 

 Fig of California is a strong grower and an im- 

 mence producer, and at even three cents a pound 

 for the dried article, is a most profitable fruit. 

 The best country for the Fig he believed to be 

 the foot of the hills of the Sierras. 



Ohio State Fair. The horticulturists of the 

 state may well be proud of their display of 

 fruits. The exhibit of Grapes was particularly 

 noticeable for number of varieties as well as for 

 almost phenomenally good quality. The number 

 of entries of Apples was a surprise, for this fruit 

 is known to be a failure over a large portion of 

 the state. The entries in all departments of 

 fruit was about one-fourth larger than at any 

 time ever before. 



Co-Operation in Marketing; Fruits. There are 

 some difflculties encountered in marketing fruit 

 through commission men. The percentage 

 paid is large and the risks are all with the 

 grower. Experience has shown that judicious 

 co-operation will accomplish the following re- 

 sults: 1. Correct the abuses now practiced by 

 commission men.— 2. Enable producers to buy 

 supplies more advantageously.— 3. Enable ship- 

 pers to get reduced rates from railroads. — 4. Give 

 prices enough better to more than repay the 

 cost.— B. J. Howland, Ind. State Uort. Sot. 



Peacl^ Tfellows. Sometimes the disease makes 

 more progress than is visible. When the trees 

 do not bear fruit, the yellows may be working 

 its way through an orchard without revealing 

 itself to the grower. Afterwards the indications 

 of yellows are the results of two or more years 

 rather than one. But this condition of things 

 should put every Peach grower on his guard. 

 Peach orchards without fruit are expensive 

 luxuries. They require cultivation and care, and 

 no fruit in return to foot the bills ; but as they 

 are so generous when laden with fruit, cultiva- 

 tors should treat them generously while they 

 are recuperating for another burdea.—Mr.WUeu 

 before the Saugatuck [Mich.) Hon. Soc. 



Floral Societies of California, A society has 

 just been organized in Los Angeles, and a large 



number of florists, nurserymen, gardeners, seeds- 

 men and amateurs have joined, says the Fruit 

 Grower. The society has a great and rich field 



in which to labor, and it should In a short time 

 become one of thebrightest and most progress- 

 ive of its kind in the country. There are many 

 intelligent floriculturists in the southern coun- 

 ties and it is hoped and believed that they will 

 heartily co-operate with this society in advanc- 

 ing the popularlove for ornamental horticulture. 

 This makes three floral societis for Calif ornia : 

 the State Society. Ventura Society and Los 

 Angeles Society. All of them have been organ- 

 ized In the last two years and all of them 

 are accomplishing great good in educating the 

 public in the culture and love for flowers, 

 trees, shrubs, parks, etc. Let the work go on. 



nbipct'nns to orora Ditchen. Open Ditches 

 should only be made where absolutely necessary. 

 The reason is obvious ; a tile drain will generally 

 cost but little if anv more than a properly con- 

 structed open ditch with sufficiently sloping 

 hanks. Fields can be cultivated, hauling done 

 in less time, and with less inconvenience, beside 

 the additional ground to cultivate which would 

 be waste land if the ditch was left open. There 

 is a constant demand for the deepeninar and 

 widening of ditches, and this demand will con- 

 tinue until their bottoms are sunk low enough 

 not to obstruct the discharge of the tile drains. 

 The bottom of an open ditch should be at least 

 two feet below the necessary denth of tile drains 

 to prevent the tile from being filled un and ob- 

 structed bv the ever-accumulating sediment in 

 the bottom. Probably the best way to treat 

 this deposit of sediment would be to make bank 

 slopes not to exceed two to one. or still flatter. 

 which will greatly reduce the cost of cleaning 

 out the ditch and keeping it in repair by plow- 

 ing and scraping out the deposit and spreading 

 it on the adiacent land.- 2<Vom Report of Draln- 

 aae CnmmUtee of Ohio Society of Surveyors and 

 Civil Engiiieers. 



Wew Vork Btate Fair The following are the 

 prizes awarded at Syracuse. Flowers— Profes- 

 sional List. Cut flowers, a-eneral collection. 1. 

 James Vick, Rochester. Ttahlias— Jas. Vick 1st, 

 for collection, twelve blooms and best American 

 seedling. Roses, coUection. 1. P. R. Quinlain, 

 Syracuse. Phloxes— J. Vick 1st for collection, 

 best twelve varieties, and seedlings not before 

 shown. Verbenas, collection. 1. J. Vick. Twelve 

 varieties. 1. J. Vick : 2. P. R. Quinlain. Ameri- 

 can seedling not before shown, 1. J. Vick. Jas. 

 Vick, first prize on collection of Asters. Celoisias, 

 Lilies, Pansies and Gladiolus— also for 12 varieties 

 of Gladiolus. Geraniums, 1. P. R. Quinlain ; 2. 

 J. Vick. Amateur List. Cut flowers, general 

 collection. 1. Mrs. T. Davison, Freetown ; L. P. 

 Tennant, Stanwix. Dahlias, collection. 1. L. P. 

 Tennant; 2. A. Stone. Stanwix. Six Blooms, 1. 

 A.Stone. Roses collection. 1 A. Stone; 2. L. P. 

 Tennant. Verbenas, collection, 1. A. Stone. Six 

 varieties. 1. A Stone. Phloxes, collection, 1. A. 

 Stone. Perennial, six varieties, 1. L P. Tennant. 

 Asters, collection, 1 . A. Stone ; 2; L. P. Tennant. 

 Pansies, collection. 1. A. Stone. Ten-week Stocks, 

 collection, 1. A. Stone. Gladiolus, collection, 

 1. Mrs. T Davison ; 2. L. P. Tennant. Plants in 

 Pots- Floral Designs. Greenhouse and stove 

 plants. 1st prizes to P. R. Quinlain. on general 

 collection, grouo of Palms and group of Ferns; 

 on collection of Zonal Pelargoniums, six vari- 

 eties of the same, and best single variety ; also 

 on collection of Begonias. Bouquets and Floral 

 Designs, display for funeral purposes, 1. P. R. 

 Quinlain : 2. Mrs. Davison. Other display, 1. P. 

 R. Quinlain; 2. Mrs. T.Davison. Bridal bouquets, 

 1. P. R. Quinlain ; 2. Mrs. T. Davison. 



Hancock Flower Mission of Boston. Excellent 

 results of the summer's work are reported. A 

 meeting was recently held in Ballon Hall, with a 

 large attendance from the towns interested in 

 the work— Arlington, Lexington, Fast Lexing- 

 ton, Winchester, and West Mcdford. During 

 the summer, flowers, wild and cultivated, have 

 been gathered in 'these towns along the line of 

 the Boston and Lowell Railroad, and have been 

 made into bunches and distributed in Boston by 

 50 girls from the Hancock and parochial schools 

 at the North End, among the sick in their neigh- 

 borhood. The work was done under the leader- 

 ship of Miss Cobb of Newton Highlands, on 

 Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday of 

 each week. An average of 800 bouquets has 

 been distributed weekly, about 7000 during the 

 summer. There were more than two hundred 

 sick people on the lists who received flowers 

 regularly, and many flowers were sent to the 

 dispensaries, diet kitchens and sand gardens. So 



faithful have been these girls from the North 

 End schools, and so eager to help in the work, 

 that at the meeting yesterday it was decided to 

 form a permanent organization, so that the work 

 of helpfulness may be carried on in some way 

 during the winter; and it is hoped that another 

 summer flowers may be collected in towns on all 

 railroads leading into the city. In order that 

 this excellent work may be continued, some 

 funds and assistance will be required, and money 

 will be gratefully received and questions 

 answered by the following-named members of 

 the Emergency and Hygiene Association: Mrs. 

 Kate Gannett Wells of Boston, Miss Ellen Tower 

 of Lexington, and Rev. IrN-ing C. Tomlinson of 

 Arlington. 



Berry-Bearing Plants for Fall Dec- 

 orative Purposes. 



{From proceedings of Socifty o/ American Florists.) 



Mr. Robert Vertel, of Connecticut, in 

 reply to a query as to the best berry-bearing 

 plants for fall decorative purposes, gave the 

 following list: 



Ardisia crenata, a charming house plant that 

 should be more generally cultivated. The plants 

 usually fruit when one year old, bearing clusters 

 of brilliant scarlet berries during the winter. 

 These remain for a long time, presenting an 

 elegant appearance. The flowers are small and 

 white. Light fibrous loam containing peat and 

 sand should be given them, also good drainage. 

 Propagate from seed. 



Ampelopsts tricolor is a splendid basket plant, 

 having leaves variegated with white, pink and 

 green. During the fall it is covered with bluish 

 purple berries, which add greatly to its beauty. 



Among the Peppers are several of the finest 

 plants for decorative purposes. Capsicum Little 

 Gem is a very dwarf variety, covered with small 

 erect scarlet pods. Prince of Wales fruits very 

 freely, bearing drooping bright yellow pods. 

 Perhaps the best, however, is Celestial, as it may 

 be had for the holidays, and it is extremely orna- 

 mental when covered with upright pods, which 

 are of all shades of green, yellow and red, being 

 borne very profusely. 



Bittersweet (Ce!a.s(russcandcns) is a well-known 

 climbing plant, that can be made useful in many 

 situations, being very hardy. In the fall and 

 during the winter, when full of its brilliant 

 orange and scarlet fruit, it is exceedingly hand- 

 some. The berries can be used for many decora- 

 tive purposes, as they do not drop for a long 

 time after being gathered. 



The Burning Bush (F.uoniimus Amcricanus) is 

 a handsome shrub, having somewhat inconspic- 

 uous purplish flowers, and bearing a very showy 

 scarlet fruit for some time, rendering it thus of 

 much value for decorating. 



Of the Holly (Ilex) there are many species and 

 varieties which are very desirable for ornamental 

 purposes, as may be readily understood when 

 the immense quantities that are used for the 

 holidays are recalled. 



Mistletoe (Viseum) is of value only because of 

 association with special occasions, there being 

 but little beauty about it. 



Jerusalem Cherry (Solanum pseudo-capsicum) 

 produces a large crop of scarlet Cherry-like fruit 

 from early in the tall until after the holidays. 

 One-year-old,seed-grown plants are more fruitful 

 than older ones, or when grown from cuttings. 

 Sow in the spring for fall bloom, grown in fair- 

 sized pots in the summer, housing them in Sep- 

 tember. The soil may be of any kind that is 

 fairly good. 



Chestnut Growing for Profit. 



(Extract of paper by Samuel C. Moon before the 

 American Nurserymen's Convention.) 



The chestnut orchards that have come in- 

 to bearing are few as yet, still the experi- 

 ments that have been made are encouraging 

 and indicate that they will be quite as 

 profitable as any other fruit trees. 



As Shade Trees. There are no other trees as 

 well adapted for avenues, that will at the same 

 time yield profitable returns, as our native nut- 

 bearing trees, and none more suitable tor shade 

 and ornament about the farm. Chestnuts should 

 be set at least 40 feet apart, and some varieties 

 will require 4.5 or r>0 feet. Like all other fruit 

 trees they need to he heavily mulched or have 

 the land kept mellow about them while they 

 are small. Natural trees usually commence to 

 bear at from 12 to 20 years of age, and grafted 

 trees of the most prolific varieties in from two 



