1891. 



POPULAR GARDENING. 



12, 



forming the latter place iato a vast plant and 

 flower ahow, to which the public were Invited. 

 When it is stated that of this large number of 

 plants there were many Palms and others 20 feet 

 high, and some of U feet spread, and that all 

 were conveyed the distance of 19 miles from the 

 nurseries on wagons, some idea of the extent 

 of the undertaking, which was under the direct 

 charge of Mr. W. A. Manda may be formed. A 

 special souvenir and descriptive catalogue of 

 some 50 pages, and containing many fine plates, 

 was issued for distribution on the occasion. Over 

 4,000 people visited the show on the first day, and 

 the attendance was large throughout. Although 

 the exhibit was mainly in the line of tender 

 plants, the firm are among the most extensive 

 growers of hardy plants on the continent. 



Uncertaioty in Seed. Mr. Gregory the 

 well known seedsman of Massachuseets, 

 offers some ideas on the tendency of seed to 

 run back to old varietal types, or sport to 

 new ones. He says that this trouble some- 

 times causes even the most conscientious 

 seedsmen a good deal of pain. Take Cabbage 

 for example, it seeds are planted in the 

 extreme southern portion of the country 

 a little too early, or if the season proves to be 

 exceptionally favorable to the development 

 of this vegetable the result.is liable to be a 

 field of wild product, in their half .developed 

 state, suggesting a mixture of many varie- 

 ties, with more or less of them running up to 

 seed without forming any heads Even in the 

 Cabbage growing region, of Eastern Massa- 

 chusetts, but a few years ago, during a season 

 that was remarkably unfavorable, the Early 

 Wakefield Cabbage behaved in this same 

 uncivil way, and one of our honest seeds- 

 men only saved himself from a series of 

 law suits by being able to demonstrate that 

 one of his customers living at some distance 

 who had seed from the same lot raised a 

 crop every way satisfactory. It will some- 

 times happen that seed that is grown from 

 the very best of stock and gives the best of 

 satisfaction to the public in general, will fail 

 in one section, though other varieties planted 

 at the same time succeeded well. We may 

 note that while we have had remarkable 

 iuccess; in raising an immense crop of Prize- 

 taker Onions the past season nearly every one of 

 which was perfect, yet the complaints of this 

 variety not doing well received from our sub- 

 scribeirs have not been few. 



An American Ebony in Bhode Island. A sub- 

 scriber, A. Wilcox, Providence Co., R. I . , is quite 

 elated over the Persimmon tree, known botani- 

 cally as Diospynis Virginiana, which is not 

 always found perfectly hardy as far north as his 

 latitude. It is of the same genus as Dwspyrus 

 reticulata of Mauritius, from which the finest 

 black Ebony is made. He says of the American 

 species: " If it were better known it would be 

 largely cultivated both for ornament and for 

 use. In the South it grows to a magnificent tree, 

 but is more shrub-like in the North. The wood 

 is very dark colored with a fine close grain, very 

 hard and susceptible, of a very high polish. Its 

 timber is more valuable than Mahogany. Its 

 fruit when green is astringent and uneatable, 

 but when ripe, after the first frost, it is the 

 sweetest and most luscious fruit known. When 

 ripe, the fruit is so soft, that if put in large pack- 

 ages it will be mashed with its own weight. 

 Hence the best plan is to rub it through a coarse 

 sieve to take out the seeds, and then spread it 

 out in thin layers to dry it. In this shape it will 

 keep well if put under lock and key, but not 

 otherwise, if there are any boys about, for dried 

 Persimmon has such a strong magnetic at- 

 traction that no small boy can resist it. The bark 

 is astringent, tonic and flbrifugal, possessing all 

 properties of Peruvian bark. The male fiowers 

 are on one tree and the female on another, and 

 hence trees planted singly would be barren, but 

 three or four male trees would be sufficient to 

 render an orchard of a hundred female trees 

 fruitful. Propagated by seeds or root cuttings." 



Heat and House Plants. I am amazed to find 

 flower lovers so slow to learn that house plants 

 should not be kept warm by direct fire heat. In 

 November I visited a neighbor who took much 

 delight in showing me a new plant stand made 

 by her husband and which at the time was oc- 

 cupied by many fine pot plants, most of which 

 had been lifted from the garden about a month 

 earlier. A dwarf Ageratum was especially fine, 

 and there were beautiful Geraniums, Carnations, 

 Chrysanthemums, German Ivy, Petunias, etc. 

 The stand had a light position in the from parlor, 

 and the owner was anticipating great things in 



the enjoyment she was to derive from her lovely 

 pets during the winter. A month later what a 

 change! In calling at the house in December, I 

 at once noticed that the plants had met with bad 

 treatment. The cause was not hard to discover. 

 A fire had been started in the parlor stove about 

 a week before, and in the belief that the plants 

 needed stove iwarmth, the stand was given a 

 position at a window not above eight feet from 

 the former. The fierce heat from the anthracite 

 coal blighted the plants, destroying all the fine 

 prospects of the owner's enjoyment at window 

 gardening. The foregoing is the mistake ot 

 multitudes, as I know by observation and expe- 

 rience. I succeed in growing a large collec- 

 tion of plants, including Ferns, in the house, and 



New Jewell or Bail Aster. See " Some Novelties," 0pp. 



base my success on keeping the plants some 

 distance from the stoves. One lot 1 keep in my 

 living room, another in the kitchen, and a third 

 in an upstairs hall. My advice to others is keep 

 your plants cool without allowing frost to reach 

 them, and keep the roots from getting both too 

 little and too much moisture. —ilfj'8. B. Randolph, 

 BeiTien Co., Mich. 



Glass Structnres Defined, One subscriber asks 

 why a correspondent should have spoken of a 

 " cold " greenhouse last month, when every one 

 knows that a greenhouse is tor warmth. This 

 shows that some confusion prevails in the minds 

 ot the public regarding the names of different 

 kinds of glass structures. We take pleasure in 

 throwing some light on the subject. A coM 

 greenhouse is one in which no artificial heat is 

 used, and answering in the Southern States to 

 winter many tender plants; in the North the 

 cold greenhouse ma.v have indirect heat similar 

 to the one described last month. A colrl grapery 

 is similar to a cold greenhouse A yrcenhnuse \s 

 understood to be a glass structure provided with 

 means for artificial heating, to a temperature 

 ranging from 45'' to .55° at night, A hot-lwuse or 

 stove is a structure in which night heat of 80° and 

 upwards is uniformly provided in cold weather. 

 Sometimes the stove is supposed to be distinct 

 from the hot-house, orsignifying the latter when 

 heated uniformly at above 70° at night. The 

 wai'm grapery is analagous to the hot house. A 

 conservatory is an adjunct to other glass houses, 

 and into which plants, after they have reached a 

 showy stage, are brought for display. It is a 

 place where plants are shown rather than grown. 

 The forcing honse is a highly-heated structure, 

 often with the glass near the benches, and into 

 which plants are brought temporarilly for induc- 

 ing their bloom. A retarding house is a kind 

 of cold or cool greenhouse used for retarding 

 plants. A cold pit is of the same class as the cold 

 greenhouse, but is usually built into the ground 

 and with glass only overhead. A cold frame is a 

 shallow bed covered with sash, and unprovided 

 with artificial heat. A hot-bed is similar to the 

 last, but is heated by means of fermenting ma- 

 nure, or sometimes by flue, water or steam pipes. 



Abont a New Siciionary. Ot the new Web- 

 ster's International Dictionary recently added 

 to our office equipment, we take pleasure in 

 saying a few words at this time, for our readers. 



as horticulturists, cannot but be much inter- 

 ested in the latest edition of the greatest of past 

 dictionaries. Simply to announce that of the 

 4,000 engravings in the work, more than 600 are 

 devoted to botany and horticulture direct, be- 

 sides as many more to insects and birds, will 

 convey better idea than any words to the value 

 of this work to persons of the garden and the 

 farm. To further say that this edition is the 

 result of ten years ot patient labor, to which more 

 than 100 persons have contributed, and represents 

 in editing, illustrating, type setting and electro- 

 typing, an expenditure of over S300,000, will 

 give some idea of the extent and thoroughness 

 of the work in general. In establishing defini- 

 tions and meanings, over ~',500 authors are quoted. 

 Besides there are 100,000 proper names given 

 for pronunciation or definition. The total 

 comprises 2,118 pages of three columns each 

 in the body of the book. While the pub- 

 lishers, with becoming modesty, disclaim that 

 their remarkable new volume is an ency- 

 clopedia, yet after a careful reading of 

 many of its comprehensive descriptions of 

 new inventions and things, we are free to say 

 that it is more worthy of the name than 

 many an encyclopedia so-called. It is partic- 

 ularly full, as regards descriptive matter 

 and illustrations of the discoveries recently 

 made in the world ot physics. As a whole, it 

 is a tremendous volume packed with the 

 lore of ages, while retaining that excellence 

 in definitions which has made Webster's 

 the safe and familiar authority to which 

 judge, journalist, scholar, artisan, man of 

 business, and the woman and child of the 

 home refer. Its 4,000 very fine illustrations 

 make it as good as a picture book for the 

 children, while conveying substantial in- 

 struction through the eye. Altogether it 

 is a work which no intelligent person should 

 be without. 



How Undignified. This journal, as being 

 devoted to whatever is progressive in Ameri- 

 can horticulture, regrets to see a leading 

 American trade journal publish conspicu- 

 ously as ordinary news, such undignified stuff 

 as is quoted below. The subject would ;not 

 be mentioned were it not that we are painfully 

 conscious of a growing feeling, sometimes 

 openly expressed, among refined patrons of the 

 floral art, that the dispensers of the purest and 

 most beautiful products of earth should in their 

 tastes and habits, so often be so very far beneath 

 the pure and high standard of their products. 

 They are prone to ask, does not floriculture 

 elevate and purify? With the private lives of 

 florists we have nothing to do; but when their 

 so-called "sport" is carried on in connection 

 with a public flower show and banquet, and then 

 is reported to and boldly spread before the world 

 by a leading journal ot the craft, we must express 

 our regrets. Imagine such proceedings reported 

 in an English horticultural journal! We believe 

 it is done to the hurt of the art in America. In 

 the milder portion of the report which we clip, 

 all names which in the original were given in 

 full, are suppressed. * • * "About this time 



Mr. and Mr. , the two Chrysanthemum 



giants, got into an altercation about the merits 



of their exhibits for the prize. * ♦ * It 



was for the best seedling, and the judge, Mr. 



, decided in favor of Mr. . Mr. 



kicked; he kicked hard, * ♦ * Finally it was 

 resolved to have it fought over, new plants were 

 to be produced, and it would then be seen who 

 was entitled to the honors. * » * Every one 

 agreed to this, and soon a ring was pitched upon 

 the stage, four-ounce gloves were produced, and 

 the contestants retired for a few minutes. * • •» 

 It was for four rounds. Marquis of Queensbury 

 rules. Everything being ready the contestants 

 appeared. They presented a ludicrous appear- 

 ance. wore a red sash and rosette, while 



wore a blue sash, and a blue plume stuck 



down the back of his neck waved over his head. 



In the first round got 's head in 



chancery and it looked all up for the man, 



but he broke away and got in some good body 

 blows On retiring to their corners they were 

 liberally sponged by their seconds. It was give 

 and take all through. Claims of foul were made 

 but not allowed, finally the fight was declared a 



draw, and as Mr. had the prize he kept it. 



Finally when quiet was restored the speeches 

 and .songs were again in order. The supper was 

 spread in the lower hall among the Chrysanthe- 

 mums. The company did not sit down until the 

 show was over; near 11 o'clock, and about 4 a.m., 

 those who still lingered adjourned to the bowling 

 alley, where some wonderful scores were made." 



