April 3, 1895.] 



Garden and Forest. 



139 



irrigated groves. If freezing temperature comes, these exposed 

 roots freeze with the tree, and yet he claims that tlieir dormant 

 condition and lacl^ of sappiness protects them from harm. As 

 to tlie correctness of liis theory I am not aljle to pass judg- 

 ment. I only know that liis trees stand with bared roots all 

 winter until there are signs of spring and returning vitality and 

 Howing sap, when he applies his fertilizers and throws back 

 the soil and begins to irrigate. I should add that he does not 

 give his fertilizers all at once, but in moderate amounts every 

 few weeks as the tree needs it. As he waters the trees and 

 fertilizes them as they need feeding, so he keeps down all 

 grass and weeds during the spring and early summer, so that 

 they cannot rob the grove and prevent the trees from securing 

 the full benefit of the food. The one tree lost stood in the 

 rear of his house where the waste water from the kitchen 

 reached its roots. This tree was in growing condition in the 

 autumn and the frost killed it. My attention was called to the 

 fact that after the first frost every Orange-tree in his grove cast 

 its leaves, which their proprietor noted as a sign of life, for 

 trees struck by lightning or otherwise deadened hold their 

 dead foliage apparently without the power to cast it off. 



Pass Christian, Miss. G. T. DreniiaiK 



A Large Grapevine. 

 To the Editor of Garden and Forest : 



Sir, — Some time ago Garden and Forest suggested that it 

 would be of interest if observers in different sections of the 

 country should make a note of the size of the Grapevines in 

 their several neighborhoods. The largest one I have ever 

 seen is growing at Rose Dhu plantation, en the May River, 

 South Carolina. This vine, supposed to be Vitis aestivalis, 

 grows on the edge of a bluff three or four feet high, at the 

 base of a large Live Oak, and measures, at three feet from the 

 ground, forty-eight inches in girth, and at one foot from the 

 ground fifty-four inches in girth ; this lowest portion of the 

 stem, however, is protuberant and nodose. One of the large 

 cable-like limbs extends out near the adjacent marsh, then dips 

 down into the mud, in which it is somewhat buried, doubtless 

 deriving some sustenance and growth from the salt water 

 which laves it at every tide. Other portions of the vine 

 clamber out and clasp the large limbs of the Oak in innu- 

 merable folds of cordage, covering the Oak from top to 

 bottom, then extending out to and covering two other Live 

 Oaks, one to the right and the other to the left of the central 

 tree, the distance between which measures at least twenty 

 paces — thus making the finest picture of a true " Forest Lao- 

 coon " which I ever saw on the Carolina coast. 



Biuffton, S,. C. J- H. Mcllichamp. 



Exhibitions. 

 Spring Flower Show in Boston. 



THE exhibition of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society, 

 held here last week was as good, at least, as any of its 

 predecessors, and many thought it better than usual, owing to 

 the fact that the mild weather which prevailed early in the week 

 enabled the growers to transport their plants in fine condition. 

 The most striking feature of the show was the Orchid exhi- 

 bition, and probably its excellence was partially due to the 

 premiums offered for the tasteful arrangement of these flowers 

 with other plants. The difficulties of arranging a table of 

 Orchids for effect are well known, and yet Mr. William Rob- 

 inson, gardener to Mrs. F. L. Ames, did his work with excel- 

 lent taste and skill. He had abundance of material to begin 

 with, and the foliage of various Adiantums, and small Palms 

 like Cocos VVedelliana, were plentifully used to bring out the 

 colors of the flowers and give a finish to the groups. In the 

 collection there were very many rare Orchids, and some 

 unique ones, particularly the exquisite forms of Odontoglos- 

 sum crispum, with well-marked flowers on long sprays. The 

 wonderful pea-green and maroon-striped Cypripedium Roths- 

 childianum, with three spikes, each bearing three flowers, was 

 probably the most noteworthy single plant on exhibition, and 

 it would be hard to find a better example of high cultivation. 

 When this Cypripedium is seen in such admirable form 

 as this there is little wonder that it is so much admired. A 

 plant of Miltonia Bleui splendens with its two spikes, each 

 bearing flowers four inches across, was another striking speci- 

 men, and it recalled the beautiful pictures of the plant pub- 

 lished in Garden and Forest, vol. v. The second prize 

 group of Orchids was from the gardens of Mr. John L. Gardi- 

 ner, and in the collection of Mrs. Durant, of Wellesley, was a 

 remarkable specimen of Dendrobium nobile, in the cultivation 



of which the gardener of the establishment, Mr. Butler, is a 

 recognized master. This plant was grown in a fourteen-incli 

 pan ; it was nearly three feet in diameter and carried between 

 nine hundred and a thousand flowers. It was an excellent 

 object-lesson in the way of pruning Dendrobiums, since all 

 the growths that had flowered the previous year had been 

 cut out, leaving only those of the present year with few of 

 last year's pseudo-bulbs, nearly all of which were bearing. 

 Mr. Butler showed a plant similar to this two or three weeks 

 ago, and these are two, we believe, of several that he has 

 grown on from small plants. 



Of course, there was a large display of forced bulbous plants, 

 the best being those shown by Mr. ICenneth Finlayson, gar- 

 dener of Dr. Weld, and the Bussey Institute. It is a pity that 

 there was no full collection of Narcissi. Our gardens show 

 no more attractive flowers than these, and there are numer- 

 ous species and varieties, with new forms of distinct merit, 

 appearing every year. The best Tulips were Prince of Orange, 

 Thomas Moore, Duchess of Parma, Kaiser Kroon.and some 

 of the best Hyacinths were Queen of the Blues, Lord Derby, 

 King of the Blues, Gigantea, Macaulay and Leviathan. Cycla- 

 mens are always well shown at this exhibition, and the contest 

 for first honors between well-known exhibitors has always 

 been close. This yeara new competitor appeared in Mr. John 

 Barr, gardener to Mrs. B. P. Cheney, of Dover. He received 

 the prize for the best ten plants, which, although they were 

 not larger than those of his closest competitor, seemed to 

 excel in color, size of flowers and neatness of habit. The 

 Cinerarias made a fine display, although the efforts in the way 

 of recent improvements with difterent strains have been mostly 

 directed to the increased size of the flowers, and, to make a 

 gain in this direction, compactness of habit has been some- 

 what sacrificed. These large-flowered varieties mostly bloom 

 early, and before the plants have made a good foundation of 

 growth, so that the relatively small-flowered plants make the 

 best specimens. The first honors in this class went to Mr. 

 James Carthly, of Fairhaven, who showed some magnificent 

 specimens, although the individual flowers were somewhat 

 lacking in size. 



The forced shrubs exhibited by the Bussey Institute in- 

 cluded Forsythias, Lilacs, Philadelphuses, Spiraea Van Houttei, 

 several Ericas and Ghent Azaleas. The new white Snap- 

 dragon which Mre. Wood, of West Newton, exhibited at the 

 meeting of the Carnation Society a few weeks ago, was shown 

 again ; and since it has been proved that this showy biennial 

 can be forced, it is likely to be extensively grown for decora- 

 tion wherever bold displays are required. 



Among the cut Roses were splendid flowers of Paul Neyron, 

 Magna Charta, General Jacqueminot and other Hybrid Per- 

 petuals, shown by David Nevins, Esq., of Framingham, Massa- 

 chusetts. Mr. A. Mackay, his gardener, can be congratulated 

 on having grown as fine Roses of this class as were ever seen 

 in a Boston exhibition. The flowers of Catherine Merniet, 

 shown by Mr. Meade, of Dorchester, were exceedingly well 

 done, and gave a new proof that this remarkable Rose was 

 still holding, as it has done for almost a century, a leading 

 place among the pink Tea Roses. Its one defect, that of a 

 loss of color on maturing, does not appear in Bridesmaid, 

 which is a sport from it, and some magnificent blooms of this 

 flower were exhibited by Mr. Frank Pierson, of Tarrytown, 

 New York, while some flowers of another sport from Catherine 

 Mermet, The Bride, were shown in first-rate condition by Mr. 

 Elliot, of Brighton, Massachusetts. It is to be observed that 

 this variety has also the defect of turning yellowish as it comes 

 to maturity, which accounts tor the fact that is yielding to some 

 extent to the Kaiserin Augusta Victoria. This last Rose, how- 

 ever, is a hybrid Tea, and, therefore, can hardly compete with 

 The Bride tor all-ihe-year blooming. 



Mr. Nicholson, of Framingham, carried off the honors for a 

 display of Carnations, while Storm King, Uncle John and 

 Stuart, all of which failed, to some extent, to meet the expecta- 

 tions of their friends at the meeting of the Carnation Society, 

 were here shown in remarkably fine condition by the Cottage 

 Gardens, Long Island. 



It was a pleasure tb see such a fine display of hard-wooded 

 plants. Dr. Weld's specimen of Acacia Drummondii, some 

 seven feet high, with its long pendent racemes of bright yellow 

 flowers, made a charming picture. In the same collection was 

 the Heath-like Diosma capitata, with its heads of lavender-blue 

 flowers; Eriostomon nerifolia, with its star-shaped bluish 

 white flowers; the elegant Boronia heterophylla, with globular 

 pink flowers, as well as Corneas and others. Two small plants 

 of Boronia megastigma, from the gardens of Mr. John L. Gar- 

 dener, filled the hall with their perfume, and from the same 

 collecfion there was a magnificent standard plant of Acacia 



