EEPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON GARDENS. 293 



the viueries, until the Chrysanthemuuis in boxes are removed. 

 In spring all available space is filled up with bedding plants. We 

 were glad to notice a fine lot of the lovely Adiantum Farleyense 

 in a most luxuriant condition, the treatment being quite different 

 from that usually bestowed upon this superb fern, which is generally 

 consigned to the stove ; in this case it was the opposite, being in a 

 cool house with the ventilators raised on a chilly day, November 2. 

 The estate contains about two hundred acres, largely^ in woods 

 and grass ; twenty-five or thirty acres have been thoroughly 

 trenched and laid down into a lawn. A feature of the place is the 

 many beautiful views. We hope in our next report to give a 

 description of this fine estate, the day of our visit being so very 

 wet that we could get scarcely any idea of the extent or beauty of 

 the grounds. We found Mr. Barr a progressive man and a good 

 grower, and accord to Mrs. Cheney our most hearty thanks for 

 this delightful and profitable visit. 



William Nicholson's Chrysanthemum and Carnation Houses, 



fuamingham. 



The last visit of the Committee was on the 4th of November, to 

 William Nicholson's Chrysanthemum and Carnation houses, in 

 regard to which he has favored us with the following letter : 



Framingham, Mass., November, 1895. 

 John G. Barker, Esq. : 



Dear Sir: — In reply to your request for a few items in regard 

 to the culture of Chrysanthemums and Carnations on my place, I 

 will say that the cuttings for my Chrysanthemuuis were struck the 

 last of May and the first two weeks in June ; potted into two and 

 a half-inch pots, and planted out on benches July 26, after my 

 crop of Tomatoes was through. The compost was made early in 

 the spring, of one load of good rotted horse manure to four loads 

 of loam, with two bucketfuls of fine bone meal to every five loads 

 of loam and manure. After they began to show buds we fed 

 once a week with liquid bone manure ; once or twice with hen 

 manure, and top dressed once with sheep manure. We plant six 

 by eight inches apart on benches. The varieties that I deem best 

 for market, for which strength of stem is most considered, are : 



Yellow. — Early; Yellow Queen and Gold Lode. Late; Major 

 Bonnaffon, W. H. Lincoln, and H. Lippincott. 



