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516 



The Weekly Florists' Review. 



JANIIAHY 3, 1907. 



NURSERY NEWS. 



AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF NUBSEBTHEN. 



Pres., Orlando Harrison, Berlin, Md.; Vlce- 

 Pres., J. W. Hill, Dee Moines, la.; Sec'y, Geo. O. 

 Sealer, Rochester; Treas. C. L. Yates, Rochester. 

 The 32d annual conveniion will be held at De- 

 troit, Mich., June, 1907. 



The Eastern Nurserymen's Associa- 

 tion meets at Kochester January 25. 



Thf, Vineland Nurseries Co., Clarkston, 

 Wash., has increased its capital stock 

 from $15,000 to $35,000. 



Ellwanger & Barry are advertising 

 Eose Snow Queen with the statement that 

 it was originally known as Frau Karl 

 Druschki. 



Orlaneo Harrison, president of the 

 American Association of Nurserymen; 

 E. Albertson, of Bridgeport, Ind., and 

 Prof. John Craig, of Ithaca, N. Y., were 

 in New York last Saturday attending the 

 conference of economic entomologists. 



BREEDING AND POMOLOGY. 



The Maine Agricultural Experiment 

 Station is just sending out Bulletin No. 

 132, "Plant Breeding in its Relation to 

 American Pomology." As noted in this 

 bulletin, the whole question of plant and 

 animal breeding is in a state of transi- 

 tion. The first step in the improvement 

 of American fruits was a crude selection 

 of chance seedlings, wherever found, and 

 it is a notable fact that many of the 

 best known fruits of today were acci- 

 dental seedlings or chance discoveries of 

 valuable wild forms. 



Cross fertilization as a means of im- 

 proving plants has been generally em- 

 ployed only a little more than half a 

 century, but this has now become of 

 special importance as a means of com- 

 bining the good qualities of different 

 types. 



Among the problems which demand 

 attention at the present time is the pro- 

 duction of disease-resistant qualities in 

 fruits ; and this study is being vigor- 

 ously pushed by the Department of Agri- 

 culture. The question of the mutual 

 influence of scion and stock has long been 

 under discussion, but little accurate work 

 has been done toward solving the prob- 

 lem. The influence of certain chemicals 

 upon the color, composition and other 

 characteristics of fruits are of perennial 

 interest and this study is being con- 

 ducted at the Maine Agricultural Ex- 

 periment Station. The existence of graft 

 hybrids is freely maintained, but the 

 principles involved have been little 

 studied. The individuality of fruit trees 

 is frequently suggested, but few data 

 bearing upon the point are available. 

 These and many other problems, funda- 

 mental and far reaching in their im- 

 portance, are presented to the student of 

 plant development. It is to this class 

 of problems, more scientific but not less 

 practical in their nature than those usu- 

 ally taken up in pomological discussions, 

 that the systematic breeder of American 

 fruits is turning at the present time. 



RUDBECKIA MAXIMA. 



One of the grandest plants of the 

 autumn season is Kudbeckia maxima, a 

 stately plant which baflSes many who at- 

 tempt its cultivation, and, on the other 

 hand, thrives apart when in the right 

 position. The rough and ready methods 

 of cultivation generally satisfactory with 



most rudbeckias must find no place in 

 the treatment of E. maxima. It re- 

 quires, and is worthy of, special treat- 

 ment. It will not thrive in wet soils, 

 preferring a deep, light loam, and one 

 must wait for two years after removal 

 before the plant will show its proper 

 character. It grows to a height of two 

 or three yards, and has broad, glaucous 

 leaves in loose tufts, handsomer than 

 those of the best funkia, and is a wel- 

 come bit of bold foliage all the summer 

 long. The yellow flowers are not very 

 regular, generally lacking a petal or two 

 of their full, complement, but they are 

 finely colored, and the huge black cones 

 that occupy the centers project two 

 inches, and are very striking. 



One might examine every part of the 

 plant, and consider they all lacked some 

 measure of what florists call ' ' finish, ' ' 

 but there can be no question of their 

 great value in the plant border. I should 

 not hesitate to group it in a large bed 

 for its stately grandeur, in gardens where 

 it thrives in the plant border, but I 

 would test it fully there first. It is not 

 particular as to the quality of the soil 

 provided it is planted a little above the 

 general level. Droughts cannot harm it, 

 for the roots reach incredible depths; 

 but cold, rain-saturated soil in winter 

 will cripple it as nothing else can. Spuri- 

 ous forms are in cultivation, but are 

 readily distinguished by having greenish 

 foliage and uncommon vigor. — Garden- 

 ers* Magazine. 



NOTES FROM ENGLAND. 



It is not often the general public has 

 an opportunity to subscribe to a purely 

 horticultural venture, but in one of the 

 latest prospectuses the public is invited, 

 through the Daily Mail, to subscribe 

 £40,000 to the British Orchid & Nursery 

 Co., Ltd. This company, with a capital 

 of £50,000, is taking over the well- 

 known high-class orchid importing and 

 growing business of John Cowan & Co. 



of the Gateacre nurseries, near Liver- 

 pool. There is no doubt that orchid 

 cultivation is , annually growing with 

 rapid strides and bids fair to become 

 more popular, especially among the taid- 

 dle class or prosperous business people. 

 The company, with the three of the 

 Cowan family as directors and managers, 

 should be successful in dividend earning, 

 as these gentlemen have been well known 

 for many years to be orchid experts, 

 whether in growing, collecting or im- 

 porting. 



Each year brings results of fresh 

 experiments, more or less successful, in 

 retarded plants and bulbs. "We have 

 now quite a catalogue of these out-of- 

 season growths. In addition to the 

 well-known lily of the valley and Japan 

 liliums, we have spiraeas, lilacs. Azalea 

 mollis, dielytra and others. It can 

 hardly be said that the retarding of 

 these is a commercial success, not that 

 they cannot be flowered at the other end 

 of their natural season with perfect suc- 

 cess, as some fine exhibits of Azalea 

 mollis in grandly flowered specimens at 

 the November meeting of the Eoyal 

 Horticultural Society has shown. But 

 from a commercial standpoint the cost 

 of retarding erect, bulky subjects, com- 

 pared with the amount realized when 

 bloomed, is altogether a losing business. 

 Spiraeas, for instance, were tried for the 

 London martets in big quantities. But 

 the price realized was disappointing, 

 with the. result that most growers who 

 handle retarded stuff are again confining 

 themselves to the less bulky and more 

 profitable lily of the valley and Japan 

 liliums. 



The black currant mite may be said 

 to have practically destroyed the growth 

 of this valuable fruit in the United 

 Kingdom. Many acres have been dug 

 up and burned after the grower had 

 cultivated them for five or six years, 

 with the hope of eventually gaining the 

 mastery of the pest. B. J. 



KALMIA LATirOLIA 



MOUNTAIN LAUREL 



An almost unlimited quantity of plants absolutely perfect in make 

 up, with fine balls of earth. Positively unequalled by any others 

 in this country or Europe. Special and very low rates in car lots. 



J. T. Lovett, Little Silver, N. J. 



Mention ITie Rerlew when you write. 



Boxwood Ezhauited, no more to offer until spring importations arrive. 



fkM Vt M PTT I ^or delivery ) 3-16 to ^ inch $10.00 per 1000 



(▼l/lLnil-. I I I Janaary 1 3 >^ to 3-16 inch 7.50 per 1000 



10,000 HYDRANGEA P. G. in cellar. What size do you want ? 



HIRAM T. JONES, Union County Nursorios, ELIZABETH, N. J. 



Mention The Rerlew when yon write. 



W. & T. SMITH COMPANY 



GENEVA. N. T. 

 Wliolesale Nurserymen 



Ornamental Treee, Fruit Trees, Shrabs, Vines, Peonies. 

 61 Years. Send for our Wbolesale Price List. 600 Acres. 



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