iSSp. 



POPULAR GARDENING. 



143 



Fair three years ago attracted the atten- 

 tion of prominent growers, among them E. 

 Williams, A. J. Caywood and D. David, on 

 account of lateness, size and showiness. 

 The committee awarded it a first 'prize and 

 silver medal for most promising new fruit, 

 and as a result the original tree, a chance 

 seedling in a neighboring garden, was pur- 

 chased by enterprising nurserymen, and 

 last year introduced as " Wonderful." 



This Peach Mr. Williams described as a 

 " rosy cheeked, yellow-skinned, yellow-flesh- 

 ed, free stone Peach of large size and ex- 

 cellent flavor," and was especially pleased 

 with its keeping quallity. We do not know 

 of any grower who has fruited the variety 

 since, or who has 

 been in position to 

 give us additional 

 authentic informa- 

 tion about the fruit- 

 bearing habits of the 

 tree, and other points 

 of importance. In 

 the nursery row the 

 tree resembles Beer's 

 Smock, and is seem- 

 ingly a healthy and 

 vigorous grower. 

 Should any of our 

 readers fruit the 

 Wonderful this year, 

 we would much ap- 

 preciate an early 

 report regarding the 

 outcome. 



day and night. The much increased sum- 

 mer heat of the far inland steppes, that fav- 

 ors the ripening of Dent Corn, would surely 

 hasten the maturity of the keeping Apples 

 of North France, Belgium and Bohemia, if 

 the cold winters of the steppes would permit 

 the trees to live there. Hence if we believe 

 it possible to secure a winter Apple for the 

 43d parallel in this country from South Bel- 

 gium, we can reasonably e.xpect to secure it 

 from South Russia. I am glad to report that 

 so far theory and practice appear to, go to- 

 gether. 



So far as yet fruited on the 43d parallel in 

 Iowa the Cherries, Plums, Pears and Apples 

 of the 50th parallel west of the Volga river 



Climate of Europe 

 and America. 



J. L. BUDD. STORY CO., IOWA. 



In connection with 

 Dr. Hoskins' notes in 

 your February issue 

 it may be useful to 

 trace the fiftieth par- 

 allel of latitude in 

 Europe and the same 

 line in that part of 

 North America, lying 

 to the east of the Rocky Mountain range. 



The Doctor says: "As New England lies 

 mostly on the latitude of southern Eiu-ope, 

 so Canada lies mostly on the latitudes of 

 Russia and Siberia. Not only the climate, 

 but the length of days should be considered 

 in estimating the value of fruit trees. The 

 winter Apples of Russia are many, but 

 south of 45° they are only early winter 

 or fall sorts." 



In our country the fiftieth parallel passes 

 through the British possessions a few miles 

 south of the south point of Hudson Bay, and 

 only touches Canada in the extreme nor- 

 thern part of the Province of Quebec. Its 

 whole line east of the Rockies is through a 

 semi Arctic region where fruit has never 

 been thought of, and probably never wiU be. 

 On the other hand in Europe, the .50th par- 

 allel passes through the orchards and vine- 

 yards of North France, the grand orchards 

 of South Belgium and central Bohemia, 

 thence eastward north of the Carpathians 

 on the steppes it passes through fine or- 

 chards of the Apple, Pear, Cherry, Plum, 

 Apricot, etc., and 1,000 miles inland it 

 pases through fields of Dent Corn, Maize, 

 Melons and Tomatoes. Where it strikes the 

 Volga, a few miles south of Saratov, maybe 

 seen as extensive orchards of the Apple as 

 can be found in Europe or America, 



In Belgium on this parallel the word 

 hardy is scarcely known in speaking of 

 Apple, Pear, Cherry, or Plum growing, yet 

 the summers are too cool for Com, Melons, 

 or Tomatoes in the open air. But 1200 miles 

 inland the word hardy or its equivalent is ap- 

 . plied to all trees grown, and the aggregate 

 summer heat seems to be as great as in Cen- 

 tral Iowa when taken hourly through the 



THE WONDERFUL PEACH. 



have about the same season in this cotintry. 



A single example will illustrate this point. 

 In South Central Russia the Varonesh Rosy 

 Apple is kept past mid-winter by early pick- 

 ing, storing during the mild weather of au- 

 tumn between layers of straw in a cool shed, 

 and moving into a cool cellar when cold 

 weather approaches. Without this extreme 

 care it has been shown at our winter meet- 

 ings in Iowa, as grown on the 41st parallel, 

 in quite as good condition as Grime's Golden, 

 and as grown on the 43d parallel it seems to 

 be as firm now as Roman Stem. 



In speaking of Russian Apples our people 

 forget that our first importations — which 

 are best known — were from St.Petersburg on 

 the 60th parallel. It included the coast va- 

 rieties up to that far north point, and a very 

 few sorts from the inland northern Prov- 

 inces, with now and then one from the .50th 

 parallel in South Central Russia. Among 

 the best known of these are Longfield, Repka 

 Maleuka and Winter Aport. With us the 

 Longfield is quite as firm the first of October 

 as it was at that date on the Volga in the 

 fall of 1883, and the Repke Maleuka and 

 Winter Aport were as firm with us in Janu- 

 ary of this year as Milton Twig. 



'To prevent misapprehension I will repeat 

 what I have previously written, viz.: We 

 will secure Apples of good size, fine appear- 

 ance and good quality, from South Russia 

 that will keep as well as Grime's Golden, 

 Jonathan or Fulton. We will also secure 

 later keeping sorts, but they will not be 

 higher in quality for dessert use than Wil- 

 low, Scott's Winter and Baldwin, and none 

 of these best winter sorts wUl pro ve as hardy 

 in tree as the suckers. 



These remarks will apply equally to the 



Cherries, Plums and Pears of the 50t-h par- 

 allel west of the Volga to North Silesia. 

 They will prove invaluable to great areas of 

 our country where trees are needed as hardy 

 as the Wealthy, but they will be useless 

 where the Wealthy fails to endure the win- 

 ters. At such pouits the orchard fruits of 

 interior Russia hardy 150 miles north of the 

 .50th parallel are needed. 



The Easter Lily— Lilium HarrisM. 



EMILY LOUISE TAi'LIN. 



On the occasion of a visit to the green- 

 house establishment of Peter Henderson in 

 Jersey City, about the first week in January^ 

 a house 30 x 100 feet, 

 containing 5,000 pots 

 of the Easter LUy 

 {Lilium Harrisii), 

 was then seen in bud 

 and bloom, making 

 a sea of white framed 

 in the deep green of 

 the foliage, a sight 

 worth going some dis 

 tance to see. Know- 

 ing the widespread 

 interest now taken in 

 the forcing of this 

 Lily for the winter 

 months, and especi- 

 ally for the holiday 

 trade, I asked Mr. 

 Henderson's mana- 

 ger, Mr. Davis, to 

 give me the data from 

 his diary of operations 

 which he has most 

 kindly and fully done. 

 The most minute de- 

 tails are given, Mr. 

 Henderson having 

 been most emphatic 

 in saying, from the 

 beginning of his busi- 

 ness career, that no 

 details of culture 

 would ever be held as 

 secrets in his establishment. 



Under date September 5th, 1888, the diary 

 reads: " Potted up 5,000 Lilium Harrisii, 

 size of bulbs ranging from 5 to ~ inches in 

 circumference; size of pots used 5 and 6 

 inches. Soil used composed of three parts 

 rotted sod with one-fourth well rotted cow 

 manure, to which was added about one- 

 fortieth part of pure bone meal. The pots 

 were filled loosely with soil; the bulbs 

 pressed down in the center so that their tops 

 were covered to the depth of half an Inch. 



After potting they were given one good 

 watering, placed in a cold frame, and cov- 

 ered with leaves or hay to a depth of three 

 or four inches, sashes being at hand so that 

 if continued rains occurred they could be 

 covered, it being important that before the 

 bulbs start to root they do not get too much 

 moisture. The bulbs thus potted on Sep- 

 tember 5th were bftiught into the green- 

 house on October 1st, having then started to 

 root sufliciently so as to stand the increased 

 temperature, which from this date, October 

 1st, was held at an average of 75° at night, 

 with 15° higher in the day time. 



It is found that this high temperature 

 must be kept up if flowers are wanted for 

 the Christmas holidays; at this degree of 

 heat the Lilies began to show flower buds 

 on November 34th, and about 30 days from 

 that date, or December 34th, about one- 

 fourth of the crop was in flower. 



In the month ending December 31st, 1888, 

 were cut 1,3<X) flowers, which at 35 cents 

 amounted to ?SO0; month ending Jan. 31st, 

 1889, 3,300 flowers at 30 cents, t«40; Jan. 31st 

 to Feb. 15th were cut 8.50 flowers at 18 cents, 

 $153. Gross receipts, .$1,093; all expenses, 

 $535; profit, $568. Outlay. Cost of 5,000 



