364 



CONNECTICUT 



CONOCLINIUM 



5,000 trees would be a liberal estimate for the state; 

 now upwards ot 2,000,000 peach trees are in the state- 

 many orchards of o,0U0 and 6,000 trees, quite a numbt-r 

 with 10,000 to 15,000 trees, and at least one with nearly 

 50,000. While many varieties are grown to some extent, 

 the main plantin^.s are of Mountain Rose, Oldmixou, 

 Crawford Early, Crawford Late and Stump. More re- 

 cently, however, Waddell, Carman, Champion and El- 

 berta have been heavily planted. High culture, close 

 pruning and a thinning of the fruit are generally prac- 

 ticed, and fruit of brightest color, largest size and high 

 quality is thus secured. In the markets of this and 

 neighboring states, "Connecticut peaches " usually sell 

 at a much higher price than those from any other sec- 

 tion. The only serious drawback is the winter-killing 

 of the fruit-buds in the valleys, this happening proba- 

 bly three years out of five, while on many hillsides and 

 hilltops at least two crops out of three are assured; but 

 there are many favorable localities where annual crops 

 are almost a certainty. 



Japanese plums were early planted in this state, and 

 so quickly proved their adaptability to soil and climate 

 that they are now planted in a small way in every sec- 

 tion of the state, fruiting almost as freely as the apple, 

 for family supply, while in a commercial way they are 

 being quite largely planted in district No. 1. Several 

 orchards have from 2,000 to 4.000 trees each. Of varie- 

 ties longest tested, Burbank, Abundance and Chabot 

 are most satisfactory and profitable. Red June and 

 Satsuma are rapidly growing in favor, the latter com- 

 manding extremely fancy prices for canning purposes. 



Raspberries, blackberries, currants and gooseberries 

 grow and produce freely all over the state, and all local 

 markets are abundantly supplied in season. 



Grapes can be grown successfully all over the state, 

 except on the highest and coldest hills ; and on the 

 sandy plains and warm, rocky hillsides all the best 

 standard varieties can be produced in perfection. There 

 are a number of small vineyards in district No. I, and 

 home-grown grapes sell for double the price of those 

 coming from the outside ; yet, on the whole, the grape 

 industry is but lightly thought of. 



Pears thrive and fruit well except on the lighter 

 lands, and nearly every home garden has from one to 

 half a dozen trees. There are a few small commercial 

 orchards in district No. 1, Bartlett and Clapp being 

 most largely grown at Hartford and the adjoining 

 towns. On the west side of the river the Bose is pro- 

 dxiced in its highest perfection. 



Cherries have been steadily failing in the state for 

 twenty-five years past. Not enough for home supply 

 are grown. Newly planted trees soon die out, and there 

 is a general discouragement. They seem to do best in 

 the vicinity of Middletown and Meriden. and the few 

 commercial orchards there are quite profitable. 



Quinces are grown all over the state for home supply, 

 but thrive best along the Sound shore, where there are 

 a large number of small commercial orchards. 



Strawberries are very largely grown, both for home 

 and outside markets, mostly in medium matted rows, 

 with an average yield of 80 to 90 bushels per acre. 

 Some cultivators, who follow the hill system or grow in 

 narrow, thinly matted rows, secure 150 or more bushels 

 per acre. A number of the berry farmers have systems 

 of irrigation which add greatly to the surety of the 

 crop, besides increasing the size and appearance of the 

 fruit. The rolling character of the country and vast 

 number of small streams abundantly supplied with 

 water make it possible, at moderate expense, to irrigate 

 many thousands of acres in this state, and the time is 

 not far distant when the streams of Connecticut will 

 be more valuable to her horticulturists than they ever 

 were to her manufacturers in the old days of many 

 small factories and water-wheels. 



Almost from the earliest settlement, small local nur- 

 series have abounded in the state, and are here to-day 

 to the number of 5.'1. An extensive general nursery at 

 New Canaan, in Fairfield county, is much the largest of 

 any in New England, while the small fruit and specialty 

 nursery at South Glastonbury, Hartford county, dis- 

 tributes plants by the million all over the world. At 

 Cromwell. Middlesex county, is a floricultural estab- 

 lishment which, with onn exception, has the largest 



area under glass of any such establishment in America, 

 and surpasses all others in the annual production of 

 superb roses. 



The late Judge A. J. Coe, of Meriden, was one of the 

 first men in America to take up the new chestnut cul- 

 ture by the importation of the best foreign varieties and 

 the selection of the best natives and their crosses. He 

 commenced the grafting on native sprouts and seed- 

 lings, and stimulated quite a general chestnut grafting, 

 so that a goodly number of chestnut orchards are being 

 established on land too rough for cultivation, yet 

 strong in its ability to grow the chestnut tree and nut 

 to perfection. 



At Wethersfield, in Hartford county, Orange and Mil- 

 ford, in New Haven county, and Southport, in Fairfield 

 county, are many farms devoted to seed-growing. 

 Onion seed and sweet corn are the great specialties, but 

 a great variety of other seeds are also grown, especially 

 at Wethersfield and Orange. 



Market-gardening is carried on quite extensively by 

 specialists near all large towns and cities, while, with 

 so many good markets always close at hand, vegetables 

 and fruits are sold in moderate quantities from nearly 

 every farm. The largest general market-garden farm is 

 at New Haven, where over 400 acres are under annual 

 cultivation with vegetables and small fruits. At South- 

 port, Fairfield and Westport there are many farms, 

 both large and small, devoted entirelyto the production 

 of onions. "Southport onions " are famous for fine ap- 

 pearance and quality, and nowhere in America is the 

 annual yield so great or price received so high as in this 

 district. Marketing is done in sailing vessels direct 

 from the farms to the dock markets in New York, where 

 the onions are sold direct to retail dealers, boat captains 

 acting as salesmen without commission for the sake of 

 carrying the freight. 



Trolley car lines are widely extended through many 

 farming sections of the state, and, running express cars 

 at certain hours of the day with freight movements at 

 night, they are proving quite a factor in the distribution 

 of horticultural products. The Hale peach farms, at South 

 Glastonbury, were the first in America to use this new 

 electric power in the marketing of their products. Fruit 

 is loaded at the farm side-track as gathered during the 

 day, and transporte<i to market at night, after passenger 

 service has closed for the day. It is unloaded in the 

 city from the main-line tracks directly in front of the 

 stores in the early morning hours before the tracks are 

 again required for passenger service, and the empty 

 cars are returned to the farm side-track before a new 

 day's work in the orchard has begun. 



The Connecticut Pomological Society, organized some 

 ten years ago, is a prominent feature in the lively fruit 

 interests of the state. It has a large, active member- 

 ship, and, aside from its annual winter meeting, it 

 holds each summer three or more "field meetings," on 

 fruit farms in different sections of the state, and tliere, 

 around tree, plant and vine, the members meet and 

 discuss the live topics of the hour, gathering inspira- 

 tion which, carried to their homes, is pushing Con- 

 necticut into the very front rank of horticultural states. 

 J. H. Hale. 



CONOCfiPHALUS (Greek, cone head). One of the 

 liverworts ( Marchantiacese), with broad, flat, forking 

 evergreen thallus, growing on moist banks, like a moss, 

 C. cdniciis, Dumort., is offered by collectors as a plant 

 for rockeries. 



CONOCLlNIUM (Greek, cove and bed), ComposiUe. 

 Differs from Eupatorium in having a conical receptacle 

 and tlie somewhat imbricated involucral scale*? nearly 

 equal. Most authors now unite the species with Eupa- 

 torium (which see). 



ccelestlnum, DC. {Etipatbrium cceJestlnuni, Linn. ). 

 Mist Flower. Perennial, 1-2 ft. high, somewhat pubes- 

 cent : Ivs. opposite, stalked, triangular-ovate and some- 

 what cordate, coarse-toothed : heads in compact cymes, 

 many-fid., blue or violet. Mich, and 111., toN. J. andS.— 

 Late-blooming heliotrope-fid. plant, very useful for low 

 borders. 



Lasseauxii, Dur. {Agerdtum. LassefinxH, Carr, ). 

 Spreading pubescent perennial, witli habit of Agera- 



