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Garden and Forest. 



(Number 368. 



Correspondence. 



The Gyps}' Moth in Massachusetts. 



To the Editor of Garden and Forest : 



Sir, — This statement relates to about thirty-tliree acre^ of 

 land in three separate parcels, all located in Medford, Massa- 

 chusetts, and in the section described by the Gypsy Moth 

 Commission as infested. It is about three-fourths woodland, 

 with the remnant well sprinkled with Apple and shade trees. 



Finding tliat all his force would be likely to be fully occu- 

 pied elsewhere, the field superintendent kindly gave me per- 

 mission, last spring, to take charge of this land myself for the 

 purpose of suppressing and preventing the multiplication of 

 the moths upon it, and, if possible, exterminating them. For 

 this purpose a good supply of burlap and creosote-oil was 

 given me. 



The work has been done at odd times by myself, my daugh- 

 ter and a hired man ; and we are satisfied with the result as 

 evidence that the gypsy moth, like most other noxious insects, 

 may be reduced to harmless proportions, at small e.xpense, by 

 all private land-owners who choose to attend to the matter for 

 themselves. Indeed, the expense and trouble is so small, and 

 the result so satisfactory, as to prove that it would seem a 

 simple waste for the state to be at further e.xpense, and cause 

 much private annoyance, by contmuing the work of the com- 

 mission with the aim of absolute extermination, instead of 

 confining its efforts to the suppression of the insect from year 

 to year on public grounds, in cooperation with their custo- 

 dians, and on neglected private premises, besides the reason- 

 able inspection of private grounds cared for by the owners, 

 with their knowledge and in their presence, or that of their 

 authorized agents. 



We destroyed from 10,000 to 12,000 caterpillars in their sea- 

 son, and have since found and painted with creosote-oil about 

 115 patches of eggs. Fully half of these were under stones on 

 the ground, and nearly all could be reached without climbing. 

 Some ground now covered with snow is yet to be searched. 

 While it is very improbable that no bunch of eggs has been 

 missed where search has been made, it is very certain that 

 those missed are too few to be a material harm. Not a tree 

 or bush on our premises was noticeably stripped of foliage by 

 the moth during the season. No trees were burned, marked 

 or marred by them, and all burlap used was taken down and 

 burned at the close of the season. We have enjoyed the 

 privilege of helping ourselves, and hope we may be allowed 

 to enjoy it in future. 



The commission, as a branch of the work of the State 

 Board of Agriculture, has a permanent use and value, espe- 

 cially if clothed with enlarged powers to cover all sorts of rap- 

 idly multiplying, and therefore noxious, insects. But we 

 believe that function ^ghould be exercised in harmony with 

 private-wishes, but never in private grounds except at private 

 cost. 



Medford, Mass. IVa/UrC. IVrig/lt. 



The Meeting of the American Carnation Society. 

 To the Editor of Garden and Forest : 



Sir, — Allow me to add some notes to your account of the 

 meeting of the Carnation Society in Boston. The first thing 

 to strike the visitor was the large proportion of recent varie- 

 ties in the exhibition and the absence of the old kinds. The 

 object of the raisers and growers seemed to be primarily a 

 stift^'stem and, by means of disbudding, large flowers, but the 

 lack of a good stem outweighs every other good quality, and, 

 therefore, many of the old sorts, no matter how beautiful they 

 may be, unless they yield abundantly and are borne on strong 

 stems, have little chance in the -race. And, really, this is a 

 proper line of selection. Objection has been made to the 

 practice of disbudding, and there are sesthetical people who 

 would rather see smaller flowers and the buds remaining as 

 they are in nature, but, after all, a Carnation cannot be made 

 ungraceful even by extreme disbudding, as a Chrysanthemum 

 can be when similarly treated. Among the whites old varie- 

 ties are practically gone. Mrs. Fisher and Lizzie McGowan are 

 comparatively recent, but they are grown only in the east and 

 in separated districts. Silver Spray is the favorite white of the 

 west. Anna Webb still holds a leading position among the 

 crimsons. Jacqueminot and the Stuart (red) were not shown 

 well, even by their introducers, but they both have the great 

 advantage of a good stem. Among the scarlets I still like 

 Portia, because of its healthy abundant bloom and its perfec- 

 tion of form. It has the demerit, however, of being small. A 

 scarlet Carnation with a flower as large as that of Hector, but 



with all the other good qualities possessed by Portia, would be 

 an acquisition. As far as simple flowers were ' concerned 

 Hector was pronounced the best scarlet exhibited, but it has 

 the great defect of a feeble stem. The striped Helen Keller, 

 unique in its class and magnificent in its form, is not only a 

 Carnation of the best type, but it stood the test of two days' 

 exhibition better than almost any variety in the exhibition. It 

 was whispered that these flowers were cut before they were 

 quite matured, and this may account, to some extent, for its 

 holding so well. If this is true, why should not exliibitors act 

 upon it ? Some may have failed because in their anxiety to 

 secure the fullest development of their flowers they allowed 

 them to remain on the plant too long. The eastern exhibits 

 went down badly on the second day. It was held by some 

 that this was caused by overfeeding. These are points cer- 

 tainly worth studying and settling. 



The old yellows are out of date, and such varieties as But- 

 tercup and Bouton d'Or are the principal ones grown. Success 

 with each of these depends much on local and special condi- 

 tions, and there are a few growers who have mastered these 

 conditions so well that they have the field almost to them- 

 selves. Many good Carnation growers find these varieties 

 hard to propagate. President Dailledouze starts his plants 

 early and gets a long season's growth, and from my experience 

 this seems a good way to treat all yellow-flowered Carnations. 

 The Buttercups exhibited by Mr. Southworth, and the Bouton 

 d'Or by Mr. Dailledouze, were certainb' remarkable. 



The seedling table, devoted to varieties not yet distributed, 

 was always surrounded by growers who came to select novel- 

 ties. Every one must agree with what was said by the Presi- 

 dent about the advantage of having plants as well as cut 

 blooms exhibited, for, otherwise, it is impossible to get at the 

 character of the varieties. Storm King was the best white, in 

 my opinion, although it is not very fragrant, but Alaska had 

 many admirers, and those who have seen it growing declare it 

 has all the qualifications of a good commercial variety. The 

 flower is good in form, with a good calyx and stem, and pure 

 in color and very fragrant. Delia Fox looked promising the 

 first day, but it folded badly on the second. It is of the most 

 delicately shaded salmon-pink in the way of Daybreak. 

 Triumph was a most promising new pink, resembling its 

 parent, William Scott, and it stood the test of two days' exhibi- 

 tion even better than that good plant, and it had a better stem. 

 Sylphide, a delicately tinted pink, also stood up well. Lena 

 Saling was the best rose-pink on the first day, but it wilted on 

 the second. Isabella Hunnewell, red-striped on a yellow 

 ground, attracted much attention on account of its distinct- 

 ness. The purest yellow shown was Henrietta Sargent. The 

 flower is slightly undersized, and so far the plant has not been 

 very productive. Eldorado, a picotee-edged pink, on a yellow 

 ground, was, to my thinking, the handsomest in this class. It 

 was finely fringed, which is an important qualification, and it 

 stood the heat well, although it has not the best of stems. If 

 a stem can be too good. Jubilee has this drawback. The 

 stems of some of the flowers were so strong as to be rigid and 

 ungraceful. It is an exceedingly bright scarlet, although the 

 flower has not the best of forms. Perhaps the most distinct 

 seedling of all was Maud Dean, which is quite a new de- 

 parture, the petals being suffused with a color which may be 

 called violet, deepening to the base. The form is perfect, and 

 it lasts well. 



By the way, the second prize for the best hundred white 

 flowers was won by a seedling of Mr. Nicholson, and not of 

 Mr. Chitty, as stated in your last week's report. 

 Boston. R. A. 



The West Coast Spring. 

 To the Editor of Garden and Forest : 



Sir, — While the days are growing longer and February is 

 relaxing its icy hold on the Atlantic states, the West Coast is in 

 the full tide of its growth and beauty. Broad fields of grain 

 stretch away in billows of green — not the dark blue green of 

 New England grain-fields, but a bright sunny green born of a 

 kinder climate. The uplands are wrapped in varying shades, 

 from the almost golden-green of the pastures and wheat-fields 

 through the 'deeper tones of the Laurels and Bays, the still 

 darker ones of the Live Oaks, up to the dusk of the thickets on 

 the mountain sides. The deciduous trees are putting forth 

 their tender leaves, wild flowers are everywhere and in every 

 color, and give tint to the whole landscape. In the orchards 

 the Almond-trees are all shimmering with a mauve-colored 

 veil of blossoms, the Peach-trees are beginning to open, and 

 brown buds of Plum, Prune, Cherry and Pear trees are swollen 

 to bursting, while among the trees the ranchmen are turning up 



