468 



Garden and Forest. 



[Number 456. 



will be exempt in all localities, or whether the same variety 

 will be free in one place and attacked in another, remains to be 

 seen, but, from my own observations, I judge that the former 

 is largely the case. If it should prove so, and if the disease 

 should continue as prevalent in future as it has been during 

 the past season, the comparative susceptibility of different 

 varieties will certainly have a strong influence in determining 

 their popularity among those planting orchards in the future. 



Geneva, N. Y. F. C. Scars. 



Exhibitions. 

 Chrysanthemums in Philadelphia. 



THE old building of the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, 

 destroyed by fire three years ago, is now more than re- 

 placed by a new fire-proof structure with all conveniences, 

 and here the annual exhibition of the society was held during 

 last week. Built in the style of the Italian Renaissance, the 

 interior, as the outside, is characterized by restraint and dignity. 

 While the main charm of the building is in the form and pro- 

 portions, the decorations and coloring are likewise harmonious 

 and artistic. The new Horticultural Hall is a credit to the 

 society and to the city. The space occupied is ninety by two 

 hundred feet, the front being of Pompeian brick, with three 

 arched doorways, above which are windows of stained glass, 

 where the sea-green prevails, which recurs in the interior dec- 

 orations. Beyond the spacious vestibule a grand stairway of 

 Tennessee marble divides to right and left above and leads to 

 a spacious landing and corridors, where the arches are sup- 

 ported by columns and pilasters in green. The main exhibition 

 room, to the west, is seventy by one hundred feet. The ceil- 

 ing, thirty-five feet above, is one of the most satisfying features 

 of this beautiful room ; the walls are decorated in a warm pink- 

 ish tint, gold and sage-green showing in the designs and figures. 

 The room is well lighted on two sides. Above the platform 

 at the west end are three arched recesses with balconies. 



In this hall were the Chrysanthemum plants, extending in 

 broad lines throughout its length and across the front, besides 

 a deep row set below the platform. The centre of the room 

 was occupied by two large circular groups of Orchids and 

 Crotons, and the side walls were pleasingly lined with masses 

 of Chrysanthemums and of foliage plants. A screen of yellow 

 flowering Chrysanthemums and Palms extended across the 

 front of the platform, and ended effectively at each corner in 

 standard plants eight feet high, crowned with immense blooms. 

 The arrangement was admirably simple, the dependence for 

 effect being entirely upon the plants and flowers on exhibition, 

 and the beautiful building. 



Among first-prize plants were those of the white Mrs. McK. 

 Twombley, shown by G. Wilbur Brown, gardener to George B. 

 Roberts, Esq., Bala, Pennsylvania ; an excellent specimen of 

 George W. Childs, from the same grower; Seedling No. 4, a 

 well-grown plant of this new yellow Chrysanthemum, from 

 John McCleary, gardener to William Weighiman, Esq., Ger- 

 mantown, this being a new variety not disseminated before 

 1S96 ; a plant of the variety Mrs. Frank Thompson, grown by 

 Gordon Smirl, gardener to Joseph F. Sinnott, Esq., of Rose- 

 mont, Virginia ; and in the class of a seedling plant, best 

 variety, in not over fourteen-inch pot, a good pink seedling 

 from the same grower. In the group of five plants, five varie- 

 ties, in not over fourteen-inch pots, single stems, were some 

 of the best specimens in the show, including plants of Elmer 

 D. Smith, an open flower, with petals rich deep red above and 

 silvery beneath ; Mutual Friend was the white in this class; 

 in pink, Mrs. Jos. F. Sinnott and a tall luxuriant plant of 

 Roslyn, while a plant of the yellow Georgianna Pitcher, five 

 feet high and as much across, was one of the best, carrying 

 nearly a hundred blooms. Alexander Kerr won second prize 

 in this class with smaller but evenly grown compact plants of 

 Major Bonnaffon, Mrs. P. J. Walsh, Hicks Arnold — the only 

 plant of this variety seen — Mrs. Paul, Jr., and Harry May. 

 James McCleary won third prize with creditable plants, that of 

 Georgianna Pitcher being specially good, and some of these 

 plants were as large as any on exhibition. The class of three 

 plants, three new varieties, introduced to commerce during 

 1895, included in the winning group the pink varieties William 

 Simpson and Mrs. Jos. F. Sinnott, and a yellow seedling. 



The plants of Chrysanthemums were distinctly better in 

 vigor and size and in condition of the flowers than those 

 shown last year, though the flowers lacked the extreme size 

 and often the perfect form of those exhibited in Philadelphia 

 previous to 1894. Not a few of the specimens reached five 

 feet high from the edge of the pot, and bore in some instances, 

 perhaps, as many flowers as those seen on the phenomenal 



plants grown by James Verner in earlier years. But the outline 

 of the plants was not symmetrical, and the flowers lacked 

 uniformity in size. The principal prize-takers were Gordon 

 Smirl ; John McCleary ; J. E. Krayer, gardener to W. B. Gar- 

 ett ; Alexander Kerr, gardener to Mrs. P. J. Walsh ; C. W. Cox 

 and Charles F. Evans. 



The cut chrysanthemums were mainly staged in the arched 

 corridors about the top of the grand staircase, and here the 

 best opportunity was afforded to study varieties, many of the 

 best sorts seen here not being represented among the plants. 

 Among fifty blooms of fifty distinct varieties Frank Thompson 

 was a good pink, W. Seward a good deep red, and other excel- 

 lent flowers were Silver Cloud, Pluto and Maud Dean, origi- 

 nated eight years ago by Robert Craig, and one of the best 

 varieties in the exhibition. A group of fifty blooms, not over 

 four of a kind, comprised some of the best flowers in the 

 entire show, and included perfect specimens of Eugene Daille- 

 douze, Golden Wedding, the pink U. Bloodgood, the fine- 

 petaled Iora, the globular white Mrs. U. Starin, and again 

 Silver Cloud and Maud Dean. Among twenty-five blooms, 

 twenty-five varieties, were notable flowers of the terra-cotta 

 and gold Pluto, Louis Boehmer, and Modesto, similar to 

 Eugene Dailledouze, but more yolden. Flowers of Maud 

 Dean, the largest seen in the exhibition, won first premiums 

 as the best vase of twenty-five pink blooms, and a new pink 

 seedling, Colonel Thomas Potter, of pleasing color and fair 

 size, won eecond premium for Hugh Graham. The winner 

 among white kinds in a similar class was Mayflower, and in 

 yellow, Golden Wedding. Philadelphia, the startling novelty 

 in 1894, was creditably shown by Hugh Graham and Samuel 

 J. Bunting, to whom prizes were awarded. A striking vase of 

 the deep golden yellow, Mrs. Louise D. Black, won first prize 

 for Mr. Robert Craig, and Joseph Heacock and J. E. Krayer 

 won silver cups with flowers of William Simpson. Mrs. 

 Colonel Goodman, a variety which won a national certificate 

 for commercial use, was shown by Mr. Charles A. Knapp, the 

 flowers white, globular, of medium size. A collection of sev- 

 eral hundred first-class flowers, not entered for competition, 

 from John Cullen, gardener to Percival Roberts, won a special 

 prize. Katherine Leech, Sunrise, Interocean and Charles Davis 

 were notable in this group. Joseph Heacock, Wyncote, Penn- 

 sylvania, won a number of first prizes for cut flowers. 



A large and handsome collection of Crotons, many of the 

 specimens being new varieties and distinct improvements on 

 well-known sorts, won first premiums for Robert Craig. The 

 varied display of Orchids from Hugh Graham included rare and 

 new flowers, and won first premium. Among these were the 

 fragrant Zygopetalum Mackayii, Lycaste aromatica and Odon- 

 toglossum ornithoricum ; a white variety of Dendrobium 

 Phalaenopsis, Oncidium varicosum Rogersii, the graceful 

 Vanda cerulea, Cypripedium Dibdin and Odontoglossum 

 coredina. 



The supper-room contained only Ferns and other foliage- 

 plants of medium size, and the monotone of green was 

 admirably set off by the warm terra-cotta colored walls. A 

 specially interesting display of Ferns from the establishment 

 of Henry A. Dreer included sorts of easy cultivation for the 

 house, many of them varieties of Pteris, plain and crested. 



One of the most effective exhibitions was a tank of Water- 

 lilies containing a great variety of those suitable for winter 

 flowering, from William Tricker, of Henry A. Dreer. Besides 

 the flowers of Nymphasas, there were many other choice 

 water-plants, with Bamboos and decorative marsh-plants. 

 Other displays on the first floor were of coniferous plants 

 from the W. H. Moon Company, dwarfed Japanese evergreens 

 from Henry A. Dreer, and roses, carnations, violets, pansies, 

 fruits and vegetables. 



The classes for this year's exhibition have been considerably 

 changed, the premiums, exclusive of fruits and vegetables, 

 amounting to $2,773.50. The exhibition throughout was pleas- 

 ing and creditable, although it lacked any striking advance in 

 new varieties or improved cullivation. 



Chrysanthemums in Boston. 



T N comparing the flower show held in Boston last week 

 •*• with previous autumn exhibitions of the Massachusetts 

 Horticultural Society, the first impression was that the Chrys- 

 anthemum blooms have reached their limit as to size, and if 

 any further improvement is to be made it must be in form, 

 substance and color. It may be said also that there were 

 fewer poor blooms than ever before, and therefore the cut 

 flowers, taken together, were the best ever seen here. There 

 were half a dozen competitors in the class for groups of Chrys- 

 anthemums mixed with foliage plants, and these together 



