May 28. 1008. 



The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



13 



of E. acicularis. All are completely ster- 

 ile to foreign pollen under our cultural 

 conditions. The self -fertilized seedlings 

 of E. Sayi vary considerably and su- 

 perior varieties might in time be devel- 

 oped by selection. 



E. nitida has proved the most tractable 

 of this type of rose. Very handsome 

 hybrids with single to quite double 

 blooms, of good size, ranging in color 

 from light pink to deep crimson, have 

 been secured by first crossing with dou- 

 ble flowering varieties of E. rugosa and 

 breeding the hybrids to the most robust 

 hybrid perpetuals. The habit of the 

 secondary crosses is upright, with abun- 

 dant shining rugose foliage and prickly 

 stems. They bloom abundantly in spring 

 and occasionally during summer. The 

 fruits are intermediate in size between 

 those of the parent species, but endure 

 until late autumn. 



E. setigera has been disappointing. 

 There is little difficulty in securing dense- 

 ly double-flowering hybrids of good color, 

 but the plants fall off in vigor and do 

 not maintain effective foliage. A pretty 

 cross or two was made with tea roses, 

 but the plants were tender and very sus- 

 ceptible to mildew. The species is hardy, 

 resistant and deserves further attention, 

 as it is credited with producing Prairie 

 Queen and other useful hardy climbers 

 as a result of crossing with Noisette 

 roses. 



Fordsn Species. 



E. ferruginea produced, when crossed 

 with a hybrid China variety, a beautiful 

 bright pink bloom of moderate size, so 

 dense-double that it is a veritable pom- 

 pon, borne on a stout, thornless plant 

 with reddish foliage. Unfortunately, 

 this very interesting hybrid is difficult 

 to propagate and may soon be lost. 



E. moschata, crossed with garden va- 

 rieties of the Bourbon rose, has given 

 some attractive and free-blooming dwarf 

 plants, with large single and double flow- 

 ers, deep colors of red predominating. 

 There is more tendency to stripings and 

 variegations with lighter colors than in 

 the seedlings of any other species. 



E. rubiginosa blends freely with many 

 other hardy varieties, but crosses with 

 difficulty, if at all, with roses contain- 

 ing blQod of the tea-scented kinds. Sev- 

 eral hundred seedlings have been raised, 

 most of them equal, but few superior, to 

 those produced by Lord Penzance, of 

 England. A selected rubiginosa x 

 Fisher Holmes (hybrid perpetual) grows 

 ten feet high and produces very brilliant 

 semi-double crimson flowers, followed by 

 large clusters of conspicuous orange red 

 fruits. 



(To be Continued.) 



WILLIAM H. ELLIOTT. 



The splendid Killamey roses grown 

 at Madbury, N. H., and exhibited at 

 Boston and Chicago recently, have drawn 

 attention to William H. Elliott, the pro- 

 ducer of these remarkable flowers. ^ Mr. 

 Elliott was born at Lancaster, Wis., a 

 little less than half a century ago. Leav- 

 ing there when quite young, he went 

 to New London, Conn. After leaving 

 school he made up his mind to learn the 

 florists' business and worked with the 

 late John Spaulding, of that city, for 

 several years. He next moved to Boston 

 and first worked at Dorchester for a 

 short time, going from there to the Wa- 

 ban Eose Conservatories of E. M. Wood 

 & Co. He acted as salesman for this 

 well-known firm in Boston, New York 



and Philadelphia for between tw(jf and 

 three years. 



Mr. Elliott next worked for J. Heustis, 

 whose private place was run on a com- 

 mercial basis. He was very success- 

 full while here and, on leaving, purchased 

 the W. C. Strong place in Brighton in 

 1884. His capital was small, but he had 

 skill, ^it and a determination to suc- 

 ceed. Eoses were the only flowers grown 

 at Brighton until 1893, when the horti- 

 cultural world was somewhat startled by 

 the erection of the now well-known and 

 lofty structure for the culture of As- 

 paragus plumosus, which gave the build- 

 er the title, still retained, of the "As- 

 paragus King." 



In 1902 Mr. Elliott rather amazed local 

 growers by the purchase of over 200 

 acres of land at Madbury, N. H. Their 

 astonishment increased when it was found 

 that he actually intended to erect green- 

 houses so far away from Boston. His 



William H. ElUott. 



first big house was built in 1902. Beau- 

 ties were first grown, these later being 

 discarded for Liberty, which had to give 

 way to Eichmond and Killarney, which 

 are the reigning queens in the two mam- 

 moth houses at Madbury. Splendid loam 

 and convenience to the railroad make 

 the New Hampshire establishment an 

 ideal one. At Brighton, Bride and Maid 

 are chiefly grown, also some summer 

 roses. Asparagus plumosus and A. Spren- 

 geri, with some pot chrysanthemums to 

 complete the list. 



Mr. Elliott ever has been a man of 

 few words, but whenever he has been 

 inducfid to speak on any subject it has 

 been found that his thoughts have not 

 been idle. His ideas are practical and 

 his elucidation of them always brief and 

 to the point. No better illustration of 

 his methods of thought can be found 

 than his discussion of the best size of 

 rose house at the Chicago meeting of 

 the Eose Society. 



Mr. Elliott has ever been a stalwart 

 supporter of the S. A. F., in which he has 

 been a director. He is one of the best 

 backers of the American Eose Society. 

 He is one of the trustees of the Massa- 

 chusetts Horticultural Society, of which 

 he has been a member for many years. 

 The Gardeners' and Florists' Club of 

 Boston can count him among the pioneers 

 who founded it in 1887. In 1888, 1889 



and 1890 he filled the post of financial 

 secretary in this society, being vice-presi- 

 dent in 1894 and president in 1899 and 

 1900. He is a past director in the Park 

 Street flower market JEind one of its 

 strongest men. In the way of fraternal 

 societies, Mr. Elliptt belongs only to the 

 Eoyal Arcanum, which he counts among 

 the best extant. 



The year before he purchased his 

 present Brighton plant Mr. Elliott mar- 

 ried his cousin. Miss Knight, of New 

 London. Mrs. Elliott visits many of the 

 conventions with lier husband and takes 

 a keen interest in things horticultural. 

 A family of five braw bairnies, three 

 boys and two girls, make the comfortable 

 Brighton home complete. The oldest son, 

 George, has now been associated with his 

 father at Madbury for a yeiar and prem- 

 ises to be a "chip of the old block."- 

 While a very hard working man, Mr. El- 

 liott takes occasional recreations, the 

 West Indies being his favorite objective 

 point. W. N. Cbaig. 



OBITUARY. 



William Scott. 



The funeral of the late William Scott, 

 of Buffalo, May 21, was largely attend- 

 ed by Buffalo friends, including members 

 of St. Andrew 's Scottish Society and 

 fifty florists of Buffalo; delegations from 

 Eochester and Lockport. Designs and 

 telegrams were received from Chicago 

 to New York city and also Canadian 

 cities. The honorary bearers were Wm. 

 F. Kasting, Chas. Stoddart, David Clouds- 

 ley, Peter Crowe, George W. McClure, 

 D. B. Farquhar, George Troup, Wm. 

 J. Palmer and Wm. Belsey. The active 

 bearers were Wm. Warring, Wm. Hew- 

 son, Louis H. Neubeck, David Beveridge, 

 Jas. Nielson and Chas. Sandiford. 



Both the Buffalo Florists ' Club and the 

 St. Andrew's Society held special meet- 

 ings last week and adopted suitable reso- 

 lutions. 



Reading G. Palmer. 



Beading G. Palmer died at Otis, near 

 Perkassie, Bucks county. Pa., May 20, 

 aged 39 years. Mr. Palmer first came 

 into prominence as a grower of Brides 

 and Maids at Doylestown, Pa., about 

 twelve years ago. He was an excellent 

 example of the grower-salesman. When 

 the Philadelphia Wholesale Flower Mar- 

 ket was started, about five years ago, Mr. 

 Palmer was elected treasurer. Later, 

 failing health and reverses compelled 

 him to dispose of his greenhouse busi- 

 ness, and seek employment in the whole- 

 sale commission business, where his for- 

 mer customers gladly welcomed him. He 

 was first with Eugene Bernheimer, and 

 later with Alfred M. Campbell. Mr. 

 Palmer was of a genial disposition and 

 left a host of friends. He is survived 

 by a widow, two sons and a daughter. 



George McRae. 



George McEae died May 17 at his 

 home at Cheswick, Pa. He was a mem- 

 ber of the McEae-Jenkinson Co. 



Buyers of Pacific coast products will 

 find it worth while to keep watch of the 

 Pacific Coast Department, which ia a 

 regular feature of the Eeview. 



Lincoln, Neb. — Among other improve- 

 ments in Wyuka cemetery will be the 

 erection of a greenhouse. The present 

 greenhouse will be torn down, as its loca- 

 tion is such as to interfere with the 

 general plan of improvement. 



