November 20, 1895.] 



Garden and Forest. 



469 



There were the usual eccentricities in the way of grafted 

 plants'and those with stems intertwined. On the same stocl-c 

 were the Mutual Friend and The Bard, white and crimson. 

 More pleasing were William R. Smith, a pinlc, and The Bard. 

 Some neat etfects may be produced in this way when harmony 

 of color and form is secured, but to make such treatment 

 most effective those who arrange colors need to bear in mind 

 a principle of optics long ago enunciated by Thomas Young, 

 that the colors which produce the most agreeable effect when 

 placed beside each other are those which approach nearest 

 to white when combined. 



Of the tested seedlings, the most approved, Mrs. W. C. Egan, 

 came from Fred Dorner & Sons, Lafayette, Indiana, and ob- 

 tained the silver medal. It opens as a light pink, and changes 

 gradually from the centre outward to a light creamy yellow. 

 Some of the oldest heads looked almost white. They are 

 semi-compact, flattened hemispherical and six to eight inches 

 across. It is of the exhibition type, with broad incurved petals, 

 and of fairly good form as an ideal Chrysanthemum. Its keep- 

 ing properties will commend it to florists, for a label stated that 

 the oldest flower had been cut two weeks before, and it was 

 still looking fresh and had but a trace of brown on the edges 

 of some of the lower petals. 



The exhibit, as a whole, showed a tendency to breed and 

 cultivate the more compact or even ball-like forms instead of 

 the wider or more open heads, which give to the Chrysanthe- 

 mum one of its most distinctive characteristics. As one 

 expressed it, they are too Dahlia-Iike. It is the commercial or 

 transporting qualities which are in the ascendant. This is 

 commendaljle from the florist's point of view, for he must 

 make the most of his investment. But it is a question how far 

 the artistic should give way to utilitarian features. No doubt, 

 the bizarre, unkempt heads offend by excessive irregularity; 

 it is well to shun, on the other hand, those in which each petal 

 looks as though it had been combed into its place and all irregu- 

 larities clipped off with shears. 



The largest contribution of Carnations came from H. Weber 

 & Sons, Oakland, Maryland, but they were too late to be en- 

 tered for competition. They were exceptionally well-grown 

 plants, some of them introductions of 1895. Several seedlings, 

 tested and first year, were entered for competition. The one 

 taking the prize was from F. Dorner & Son, a tested seedling, 

 Mrs. George M. Bradt. It is similar to Helen Keller, the red 

 flakes broader and more showy, but not flushing. Some of 

 the blooms slightly exceeded three inches in diameter. The 

 calyx was not as deep as in some varieties, but about like that 

 of Helen Keller, of strength enough to hold the petals firmly. 



One of our native plants was shown, the Blue Violet. There 

 were single and double flowered forms. The latter, when the 

 petals were much multiplied, could hardly be considered an 

 improvement. It was interesting to compare them with their 

 field representatives. The flowers were of a deep purple-blue. 

 The leaves had gained in thickness, and were of a rich green 

 color. They were of two types, broad-leaved, as in the Cucul- 

 late Violet, and a longer form so heart-shaped as to suggest a 

 derivation from cordate-leaved forms of Viola sagittata. They 

 showed how soon cultivation may change species so as to 

 make it difficult to determine their parentage. 



The usual display v/as made of decorative plants, like 

 Palms, Orchids, Nepenthes, etc., and one Stag-horn Fern 

 which deserves mention. This specimen came originally 

 from the World's Fair collection, and was shown by the gar- 

 dener of George M. Pullman. It had grown considerably, 

 being now about four feet across, and was a splendid example 

 of what can be made of this Australasian species, Platyce- 

 rium alcicorne. 

 Chicago, 111. E. J. H. 



American Institute Ciirysanthemum Show. 



THE flower show provided by the American Institute last 

 week was an excellent illustration of the fact that the inter- 

 est of such an occasion does not depend upon mere size. The 

 hall of the Institute is only of moderate size, but the collection 

 included flowers which represent the choicest varieties of the 

 season raised by the best growers of this section. Since there 

 were no money prizes the stranger might have wondered what 

 inducements led growers to send their newest and best flowers 

 to a small exhibition in a comparatively out-of-the-way place ; 

 but the reason was plain when one saw the class of visitors. 

 These seemed all to be not only devoted, but intelligent and 

 discriminating, lovers of flowers, and the growers of Roses, 

 Chrysanthemums and Carnations had sent the products of 

 their highest skill where they knew they would be properly 

 appreciated. While the judges were passing judgment on the 

 flowers, Dr. Hexamer, in an adjoining room, presided over an 



animated symposium on the Chrysanthemum, in which brief 

 addresses were made by H. W. Hales, of Ridgewood, New 

 York ; C. L. Allen, of Floral Park, New York ; Leonard Barron, 

 editor of The Florists' Exchange, and Mr. J. N. Gerard, of 

 Elizabeth, New Jersey. Mr. Hales' address gave an account 

 of the introduction of the Chrysanthemum from the east, and 

 advocated the more extensive growing of Pompon varieties. 

 Mr. Gerard advocated the growing of outdoor plants. Mr. 

 Allen said that in old Long Island places there were many 

 very hardy varieties growing, and one of the most interesting 

 floral spectacles of the year was the masses of these plants in 

 late October. He advised a thick mulch of tobacco-stems and 

 situations where no water could settle at the roots of the 

 plants. Mr. Barron gave a lecture on the geographical distri- 

 bution of the Chrysanthemum in Asia, explaining that the 

 so-called Japanese and Chinese forms were only different divi- 

 sions of the same family. Mr. Barron exhibited some beautiful 

 varieties of Pompons grown by himself. 



It is hardly worth while to specify particular flowers or 

 varieties at the exhibition where all were of such even finish 

 and purity of color. The admiration attracted by Mr. Spaul- 

 ding's seventy-two blooms on boards proves that there is 

 more than one satisfactory way of exhibiting flowers, and that 

 while single blooms in small vases and great masses of flow- 

 ers in large ones are certainly valuable, nevertheless the old 

 way is useful as a supplement to the modern plan of showing 

 the stems and foliage. There was not room for a large dis- 

 play of plants, but specimens of William H. Lincoln and Cul- 

 lingfordii by Mr. A. M. Flagler, of Mamaroneck, New York 

 (W. Cowen, gardener), were both worthy of mention in a good 

 collection of twenty-one plants. Cultural certificates were 

 awarded to Jos. E. Brown, Esq., for vases of twenty-four and of 

 twelve blooms, and for twenty-four vases with fifteen blooms 

 each. George H. Hale, of Bellport, Long Island, grew these 

 fine exhibits, and there was not a poor bloom in the entire lot. 

 lora, the broad-petaled English variety Rose Wynne, Mrs. 

 W. A. Bryant, a riotous yellow, Niveum, the bronze Charles 

 Davis and Mrs. A. J. Drexel, and unusually good blooms of 

 Pitcher & Manda were among the stars of this constellation. 

 In the exhibit of fifty single blooms, and in sixteen vases of 

 twelve blooms each, for which Dailledouze Brothers received 

 a well-merited certificate, G. W. Childs, Major Bonnalt'on, Dean 

 Hole, Viviand Morel. Colonel W. B. Smith and the large yellow 

 Georgiana Bramhall were conspicuous, while Eugene Daille- 

 douze, Ivory and President Smith were probably the best in 

 the seven vases exhibited by Mr. John Lewis Childs, a collec- 

 tion which also won a cultural certificate. Twelve flowers of 

 Golden Wedding, exhibited by Messrs. Garrett & Rose, of Jer- 

 sey City, and enormous blooms of Mrs. Jerome Jones, Phila- 

 delphia and Mayflower, exhibited by John N. May, were also 

 features among the cut Chrysanthemums. A well-deserved 

 certificate was given to Mr. Leonard Barron for an assortment 

 ot hardy Pompons, which showed how it is possible to deco- 

 rate the outdoor garden in this climate in early November. 

 Pitcher & Manda also displayed thirty varieties of Pompon 

 Chrysanthemums, v/hich were well worthy of the attention 

 they received. For seedlings the awards were given to Mr. 

 Spaulding for his pure white Japanese Chrysanthemum, Mrs. 

 W. P. Raymond, and to Mr. John N. May for the new fancy 

 Carnation, Lily Dean, a flesh-white flower delicately margined 

 with pink. The salmon-pink Carnation, Fred Weir, was also 

 certificated ; this is a fragrant self-colored flower of good size, 

 shown by Dailledouze Brothers. A vase of Bridesmaid, Mr. 

 Dorner's new variety, made a striking show. These Carna- 

 tions were exhibited by Mr. C. W. Ward, Queens, Long Island, 

 and showed successful cultivation. The color is a brilliant 

 pink, deeper than that of William Scott. The same grower 

 also made a good display of Meteors. 



Notes. 



An interesting exhibition of Palms, Orchids and tropical 

 plants by William A. Manda is now in progress at the Grand 

 Central P'alace, and w^ll continue until the first of December. 



A week ago the committee of the New York Florists' Club, 

 acting for tlie National Chrysanthemum Society, awarded a 

 certificate to one out of four varieties on exhibition. This was 

 shown by Mr. T. H. Spaulding, and was named Golden Won- 

 der. The flower is a deep yellow, with a centre of still deeper 

 orange color, fading toward the tips to a sulphur-yellow. 



In an editorial note of this issue the tenderness of the leaves 

 of the Japanese Maple is spoken of. Much of the foliage of 

 these trees was killed this year by severe early frosts before it 



