September 27, 1893.] 



Garden and Forest. 



409 



Katzer, fine bright red, marbled with white. C. Duchartre, the 

 most gorgeous of all, has large rounded foliage with light 

 green centre and darker edging and red veins. Among flow- 

 ering plants were some of the new Gesneria and Tydoea hy- 

 brids, with handsome foliage and fine spike of drooping 

 orange-colored tiowers, beautifully spotted with yellow. 



Ixora coccinea and some of its fine varieties are evidently 

 at home here, and graphically illustrate what these almost 

 forgotten stove-plants could be made under proper cultiva- 

 tion. Their immense umbellate corymbs of orange-colored 

 Bouvardia-like Howers were singularly effective in the setting 

 of foliage-plants. On the wall of a cool-house near by are 

 planted some of the best varieties of Rex Begonias. This is 

 evidently their natural position. In light, spongy rotted moss, 

 with no other fertilizer, they have made immense specimens, 

 with leaves in many cases upward of two feet in diameter 

 and with a lustre rarely seen. This may be accounted for 

 partly by the fact that although plenty of root-moisture is 

 available, no moisture is ever allowed on the leaves. 



Wellesley, Mass. • T. D. H. 



The Columbian Exposition. 

 The Fruit Displays. 



DURING the latter part of September the autumn fruits of 

 the northern states are shown in great profusion. The 

 rear wings of the Horticultural Building have never before 

 looked so well, and the uniform excellence of the exhibits 

 must silence criticisms of the pomological displays. Many of 

 the northern states are not represented ; the fault rarely lies 

 with the fruit-growers, but is rather due to lack of funds, 

 which, upon one excuse or another, have been diverted from 

 horticultural interests. 



After the display of citrous fruits from California, the Pacific 

 north-west arrests the attention of visitors. Idaho, Oregon 

 and Washington have held a prominent place from the first, 

 although Oregon has exceeded the other two in the amount of 

 fresh fruit exhibited. The fruits of this entire region are re- 

 markable for their enormous size and high color, and partic- 

 ularly for the strange influence of climate which they show. 

 All apples which, in the east, tend to be oblong in shape, show 

 this tendency in a more pronounced degree here, and the apex 

 becomes conspicuously ribbed and the calyx is usually larger. 

 The varieties of apples which these states show are very largely 

 familiar in name to eastern pomologists, though they are 

 strange in appearance. Newtown Pippin, Blue Pearmain, 

 Chenango and other old eastern apples grow to perfection be- 

 yond the Rockies. 



The great interior region is admirably represented by Illi- 

 nois, Kentucky, Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Arkansas and 

 Colorado. Apples predominate, although pears and grapes are 

 shown in variety. This great geographical region is the area of 

 the comparatively coarser-grained apples of the Ben Davis, 

 Janet, Rome Beauty and Pippin class, although many fruits of 

 excellent quality are grown. The displays impress one with the 

 great size of the specimens, and the prommence of the green and 

 yellow under-colors. While red is prominent, it is of a coarser 

 type than that seen in the apples of the north-west Mississippi 

 valley, and, though deep, is rather dull, and is laid on in heavy 

 splashes. The coloring usually lacks the fiery brilliancy of the 

 apples of the north-eastern states and the delicate pruinose 

 tints of Wisconsin and Minnesota. Arkansas has surprised 

 visitors by the wealth of its apple display, and Kansas and Ne- 

 braska sustain their accustomed reputation. Canada is now 

 making attractive additions to its fresh fruits, although still 

 depending too much upon bottled fruits. The firm, hard, crisp 

 apples of the Provinces and of Maine are now the best part of 

 these exhibits. 



The newer classes of Russian and other hardy fruits are 

 shown in good variety by Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin, and 

 they are all remarkable for the high and delicate color of the 

 skin. This is especially true of the apples of Minnesota and 

 Wisconsin, which are among the handsomest fruit ever seen 

 in any exhibition. In these states and South Dakota crab-ap- 

 ples and native plums are particularly conspicuous. The 

 large display from South Dakota is specially gratifying, and 

 includes apples, grapes, native and other plums, and toma- 

 toes. Many of the apples in the collection are unfamiliar to 

 eastern growers ; among well-known kinds are Ben Davis, 

 Maiden's Blush, Plumb's Cider and Blue Pearmain. Most of 

 these fruits are from the extreme south-eastern portion of the 



A study of the fruit displays shows that New York makes the 

 best exhibition, and the state has held this position throughout 

 the Fair. The fruits are not only remarkably well grown, but 



are in great variety. Careful attention has been paid to nomen- 

 clature, arrangement, and to giving such incidental informa- 

 tion as the intelligent visitor desires to have. The exhibit 

 shows what is accomplished in one of the oldest states by 

 thorough, and what may be called scientific, cultivation. 

 There are many individual orchards in other states which 

 are cultivated according to the best methods, but there is 

 probably no other region of equal extent in America where 

 good cultivation and careful attention to all the newest facts 

 and discoveries are so universal as in New York state. The 

 exhibits have shown graphically the results of spraying, a prac- 

 tice now common with all the best growers of the state. High 

 fertilizing is also apparent in many of the samples, and varie- 

 ties difficult to grow are shown in perfection. There are on 

 exhibition remarkably handsome and clean specimens of Cran- 

 berry Pippin, Jonathan and Fjjmeuse.from Mr. Geo. T. Powell, 

 of Columbia County, east of the Hudson, and a conspicuous 

 placard bears this legend : "These varieties are peculiarly lia- 

 ble to attacks of apple-scab, and are often entirely unsalable. 

 These have been thoroughly sprayed with Bordeaux mixture 

 and Paris green. High fertilizing accounts for the brilliant 

 color of the fruit." The State Experiment Station at Geneva 

 shows average specimens of the old White Doyenne, or Vir- 

 galieu, and Seckel pears, both sprayed and unsprayed, and the 

 differences are remarkable. The exhibit shows that the good 

 old Virgalieu, which has all but gone out of cultivation on ac- 

 count of disease, can be grown as good as ever with the use 

 of the spraying-machine. New York excels in fruits of high 

 excellence, and many of the famous dessert fruits are shown 

 nowhere else. 



Pears and grapes'are especially conspicuous now. Of the 

 former there are over one hundred varieties of superior 

 quality, and about two hundred varieties of grapes. Of apples 

 there are over 250 varieties. Among the interesting samples 

 are seventy varieties of apples from St. Lawrence County, 

 shown by A. F. Clark and John Cline. This is the northern- 

 most county of the state and is generally thought not to be 

 adapted to fruit-culture. All the finer kinds of berries, includ- 

 ing about two hundred varieties of gooseberries, have been 

 shown in season ; and apricots, peaches, plums and other 

 fruits have been displayed in perfection. New York differs 

 from nearly every other state in having made no attempt to 

 attract attention by mere displays of quantities of fruits or of 

 unusual or conventional designs. The Michigan fruits, which 

 now command attention, are very like the New York fruits in 

 their natural features. 



New Jersey is the only state from the Atlantic slope which 

 makes a general display of autumn fruits. 

 BREVITIES. 



The potato exhibit of New York in the Agricultural Building 

 at Chicago is said to be the befet potato display ever made in 

 this couniry. More varieties have been shown at other fairs, 

 as the number in this exhibit will probably not exceed 250 ; 

 but the display shows different methods of treatment. The 

 chief interest lies in the products of different amounts of seed. 

 Many varieties were planted with one, two and three eyes in a 

 hill, and an entire hill produced under each method, showing 

 average yield, is displayed upon the tables. All the series seem 

 to agree in affording fewer and larger tubers from the single 

 eyes, and more and smaller ones from the cuttings with three 

 eyes ; yet the largest gross yield of merchantable product comes 

 from the three eyes. In other words, a single eye does not 

 give sufficient root-surface to set a large crop, and because of 

 the few tubers, each one grows very large. The reduction of 

 the number of eyes in a hill, therefore, amounts simply to a 

 thinning process. The variety which is shown from the 

 greatest number of counties, and which has given, altogether, 

 the best yields, is Rural No. 2. There are 525 different ex- 

 hibits in the entire collection. 



A most remarkable collection of fancy Caladiums is now 

 showing in the annex or propagating-house. These plants 

 come from Mr. Lizt, of Rio Janeiro, and they probably consti- 

 tute the most varied and interesting collection yet seen in this 

 country. They are remarkable for the thinness of thei'r leaves. 

 Many of these are so transparent that ordinary handwriting 

 can be read through them. In color they run from almost 

 white, through many variegations, to a deep red approaching 



maroon. r lt r> r 



Chicago, III. ^- -"• hailey. 



Notes. 



The little Daphne Cneorum is now blooming almost as 

 freely as it did in early spring, and its clusters of fragrant 

 lilac Howers are especially pleasing at this season. Some- 



