222 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



September, 1907 



are propagated each year. Some ex- 

 cellent moss roses were seen. The 

 variety that attracted our attention 

 most, however, was the Baby Ram- 

 bler, which was imported from France 

 by Brown Brothers Company, and in- 

 troduced by them to the growers of 

 Canada. The plants were to be seen 

 at various ages; the young ones were 

 well grown; the ones in bloom pre- 

 sented a beautiful sight. This rose is 

 rapidly becoming a favorite, as it is a 

 free and lasting bloomer, and blooms 

 from early summer until the snow 

 comes in late fall. Large quantities 

 are grown at these nurseries. About 

 20,000 plants of clematis are pro- 

 duced, half of which is Clematis pan- 

 iculata. This species is hardy and rapid 

 growing, often growing about fifteen 

 feet in one season. The foliage is a 

 deep, clear green, and the flowers pure 

 white. 



In lilacs, all the choicest varieties 

 that can be found in the leading ar- 

 boretums of America have been pro- 

 cured for propagation. Some forty 

 varieties are on hand growing on their 

 own roots, and trained to single stems 

 instead of the bush form. When grown 

 on privet roots, they are said to be 

 more likely to sucker. Scores of other 

 kinds of shrubs are grown in quantity, 

 such as altheas, honeysuckles, dog- 

 woods, weigelias, flowering almonds, 

 mock oranges and so forth. For prop- 

 agating the best sorts, cold frames are 

 used. 



Ornamental and shade trees are 

 grown by the thousands. "There is 

 an ever-increasing demand for trees 

 for city streets and home grounds," 

 remarked Mr. Morris. "Nearly every 

 city, town and village has its horticul- 

 tural society that encourage the plant- 

 ing of ornamental trees for beauty and 

 comfort. They have done much to 

 stimulate a desire for the products of 

 the nursery." One of the finest of 

 the trees to be seen was the Norway 

 maple; about 10,000 were observed in 

 a strong, healthy condition. It is hardy 

 and especially adapted to planting by 

 the seashore. Among other kinds were 

 box elder {Negundo aceroides, Mani- 

 toba maple), many species of maple, 

 elm, birch, beech, oak, poplar, catalpa, 

 wiUow, ash, and so forth. 



All kinds of hedge plants also are 

 handled. According to the experience 

 of the firm, Berberis Thunbergii, a 

 shrub similar to tree box, is supplant- 

 ing most other kinds, such as privet, 

 thorns and evergreens for making 

 hedges. It is prized particularly for 

 its gorgeous color of foliage in fall; 

 the berries are bright red. 



EVERGREENS 

 Conifers, or what are ordinarily 

 termed "evergreens," form a distinct 



feature in Canadian gardens; some 

 species are to be found almost every- 

 where. Brown Brothers Company grow 

 large quantities. Before offering them 

 for sale, they are transplanted twice, 

 so that an abundance of fibrous roots 

 will be produced. When preparing 

 evergreens for shipment, the rgots are 

 imbedded in moss, and the whole is 

 wrapped with burlap to prevent them 

 being dried out and thereby injured. 

 Large numbers of evergreens are im- 

 ported from Holland. They arrive 

 with the roots in a ball of earth; thus, 

 they are suitable for planting for im- 

 mediate effect. 



HIGH-CLASS PERENNIALS 



The fundamental feature of gardens, 

 particularly those of amateurs, is the 

 perennial border. The class of plants 

 to be found in such are hardy, durable, 

 beautiful and, at the same time, in- 

 expensive. There is a charm about 

 old-fashioned herbaceous plants all 

 their own. Perennials are grown ex- 

 tensively at Browns' Nurseries. "The 

 demand for this class of plants is grow- 

 ing rapidly," said Mr. .Morris. "The 

 demand is enormous. Canadians seem 

 to be going back to the gardens of the 

 old time. They are planting more and 

 more each year the plants that their 

 grandmothers grew, such as bleeding 

 heart, iris, phlox, Canterbury bells, 

 peony, hly-of-the-valley, pinks, and 

 scores of others." 



Perennials constitute the backbone 

 of all well-planned gardens. Peonies 

 in particular are becoming great fav- 

 orites. The collection of new peonies 

 to be seen growing at these nurseries, 

 embraces the choicest varieties, nm- 

 ning through all the favorite shades 

 of pink, crimson, yellow and so forth. 

 In hollyhocks, there is on hand a large 

 assortment of the most exquisite shades 

 imaginable. 



INDOOR PROPAG.\TION 



To aid in the propagation of the best 

 class of ornamentals, eight greenhouses 

 are employed, with expert propagators 

 in charge. Thousands of roses and 

 clematis are started in these houses, 

 including Baby Ramblers. Some 10,- 

 000 hydrangeas are propagated indoors. 

 Many of the better varieties of grapes, 

 particularly those with wood naturally 

 light, also are started under glass. 



In addition to operations incidental 

 to the propagation of nursery stock, 

 the greenhouses are used for the pro- 

 duction of bloom for the Toronto mar- 

 ket. About 20,000 carnations and 3,- 

 000 plants of chrysanthemums are 

 grown for this purpose, and one house 

 is devoted to violets. Bedding plants 

 also are grown in large numbers. 



LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE 



In the planning of ornamental grounds 

 amateurs sometimes are at a 'oss to 



know what to do. They may know 

 what they want, but many do not know 

 how to produce the desired result. To 

 aid those who desire assistance, Brown 

 Brothers Company furnish plans and 

 estimate the cost. The plans are drawn 

 to scale. The positions of trees and 

 plants suitable to the occasion are in- 

 dicated by number. This feature of the 

 firm's business has been welcomed by 

 many home-makers in all parts of Canada. 



VEGETABLE TUBERS AND ROOTS 



A profitable vegetable to grow for 

 market is asparagus. To meet the de- 

 mand of growers for extra early and 

 extra large kinds, countless roots are 

 grown on these nurseries. That they 

 are popular is evidenced by many 

 testimonials from satisfied customers. 

 Thousands of rhubarb roots also are 

 grown. About eight varieties of pota- 

 toes are grown to the extent of about 

 3,000 bushels of seed tubers a year. 

 These are disposed of mostly in small 

 orders. 



HOW THE STOCK IS WINTERED 



For filling orders early in spring, and 

 to protect the stock in winter, storage 

 cellars are used. In the early years 

 of the company's existence a small 

 storage cellar, twelve by thirty feet, 

 sufficed to winter over the stock. In 

 a few years a larger one, 40 by 112 

 feet, was erected. By 1903, this also 

 fell short of the company's require- 

 ments, and a large brick, frost-proof 

 storage cellar, 100 x 160 feet, was built, 

 in which to handle the different kinds 

 of larger nursery stock. On being 

 shown • through this fine builcing and 

 noting the great precautions that are 

 taken to ensure the preservation of 

 the stock in the very best condition, 

 the representative of The Canadian 

 Horticulturist felt that Brown Broth- 

 ers Company are justified in claiming, 

 as they do, that probably they have 

 the best storage building for nursery 

 stock on the ccn:in:nt. 



The structure seems to be perfect 

 in every detail. It is absolutely frost- 

 ' proof, and the ventilation is such that 

 the air can be kept clean and pure at 

 all times. A driveway runs through 

 the building, and the entrances are 

 provided with double doors, which 

 may be bolted and made air-tight if 

 necessary. The temperature can be 

 held at any point desired, and its con- 

 trol, as well as that of the atmospheric 

 condition within the walls, is such 

 that trees can be kept there in a most 

 healthy and thrifty state for many 

 months when necessary. As a further 

 safeguard against loss of stock, the 

 building is supplied with an efficient 

 water system. If on examination the 

 stock shows any signs of becoming 

 dry, it is an easy matter to water it 

 thoroughly and quickly. 



