96 



Garden and Forest. 



[April i8, i8 



abroad, where the American people is too often believed to be 

 wholly given over to money-making industries, and as entirely 

 devoid of the contemplative as of the poetic gift. There is one 

 author, however^ whom one regrets to find missing from M. 

 Bentzon's list — Miss Murfree (Charles Egbert Craddock), 

 whose pictures of nature in the mountains of the south-west 

 deserve to be ranked with our best out-door poems in prose. 



An article on " An Old-Fashioned Garden" by Mrs. A. M. 

 Crompton in Harper's Young People io\' March 27th, is of just 

 the sort which should frequently be written for youthful read- 

 ers. Not often will any one be able to realize just "The gar- 

 den of my dreams" as this author describes it — for it is de- 

 scribed as one " which must be at least a hundred years old," 

 and in which, though successive owners may have worked 

 many alterations, at least " the trees and turf must have the 

 beauty of age." But a garden where beauty means growing 

 things in natural development and not an assemblage of statues 

 and fountains and stift' showy pattern beds, where "old-fash- 

 ioned" sweet-scented flowers bloom in abundance and birds 

 delight to gather, where vines and creeping plants are trained 

 with "an art that conceals art," where fruit-trees, shade-trees, 

 shrubs and annuals all have their place and purpose, and 

 where winter may seem almost as beautiful as summer — such 

 a garden as this very many more people might have than is 

 to-day the case. And it is difficult to believe that a strong de- 

 sire for it will not be inspired by this charming little article. 



Notes. 



Plants bearing exclusively what purport to be four-leaved 

 Clovers — or, as the Germans call them, " luck Clovers " — are 

 sold just now in pots in the flower markets of Germany. They 

 are said, however, not to be true Clovers {Trifoliuiii), but cer- 

 tain species of Oxalis, which regularly produce leaves with 

 four leaflets — O. occulenta, O. Deppei, or O. tetraphylla. 



Herr Max Leichtlin has commissioned Paul Tintenis 

 to travel for him in Armenia in order to collect bulbs and 

 seeds for cultivation in the famous Leichtlin gardens at Baden. 

 An herbarium will also be collected, illustrative of the Flora of 

 Armenia. 



A great Fruit Exhibition will be held in Vienna during the 

 coming autumn, with the object not only of displaying the 

 pomological products of Austria, but of increasing, among 

 cultivators and the public, a knowledge of the newest meth- 

 ods of cultivating, preserving and utilizing fruits. 



The Royal Society of Agriculture and Botany will hold its 

 twelfth annual international exhibition during the latter part 

 of this month. 



A Horticultural Congress will be held in Paris in May, in 

 conjunction with the annual flower show of the National Hor- 

 ticultural Society. 



The fiftieth anniversary of the founding of the Horticul- 

 tural Society " Hortensia " will be celebrated in Munich in 

 July. 



The Philadelphia Flower Show. 

 T^HE Spring Exhibition at Philadelphia last week fully sus- 

 tained, in the quality of the collection, the high reputation 

 won by the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society during its long 

 and successful career. The number of plants and flowers dis- 

 played was smaller than usual, but this relieved the managers 

 from any temptation to crowd them, and the arrangement 

 throughout was admirable. The centre piece, with a cone of 

 Asparagus tenuissimus rising from a bank of rich flowers and 

 foliage to the high ceiling, was tastefully conceived, and no 

 single feature of it was more pleasing than the immense 

 Fuchsia, six feet high, with its wealth of bloom. It was a gen- 

 eral remark that exhibitors could in no way do more to render 

 flower shows attractive than by displaying finely-developed 

 specimens of plants that are well known and "common," For 

 some reason Orchids have not been cultivated as largely in 

 the neighborhood of Philadelphia as they have been in other 

 parts of the country. The fine display of these plants was 

 therefore a surprise. The group of fifty plants from the col- 

 lection of Mr. W. S. Kimball, of Rochester, New York, was 

 especially noteworthy, every plant being well grown and in 

 fine flower. Good collections were also shown by Siebrecht 

 & Wadley, of New York, and Charles Dissel, of Philadel- 

 phia. Of course the spring flowering bulbs were abundantly 

 displayed, and the hall was bright with Rhododendrons and 

 Azaleas. But Roses, next to the Orchids, attracted the most 

 attention. The flowers of Mrs. John Laing were uousually fine, 

 and this variety did not suffer by comparison with Madame 



Gabriel Luizet as they were seen together. No better Brides 

 were ever exhibited, and Niphetos was almost as good. A 

 cluster of General Jacqueminots from Boston were admired 

 for their unusual size and the loxuriance of their foliage. Be- 

 sides the old favorites, a prize was awarded to a Tea Rose 

 called, provisionally. The Gem. No one was able to tell 

 whether it was an old variety, revived by chance, or a sport. 

 But its size, form and solidity give it great value. It is not a 

 pure white, but has a pleasing suggestion of the faintest cream 

 color, and the growers present agreed that it was a Rose of 

 the greatest promise. 



Retail Flower Markets. 



New York, April i^tk. 



Tile stock of cut flowers is very heavy ; so heavy indeed that only 

 the choicest blossoms bring anytliing like a satisfactory price. Trade 

 is good on the chief thurouglifares, but is generally dull on East-side 

 avenues. A few large weddings have brought orders for handsome 

 designs for gifts, but the average demand is for flowers not selected. 

 Paul Neyron and Baroness Rothschild Roses are particularly hand- 

 some. They bring 75 cts. each. Other hybrids of good quality cost 

 50cts. Some very large La France Roses bring 6octs. each. Catherine 

 Meimets are poor, and Brides are showing considerable color on the 

 outer petals. There is a glut of Callas and Harris's Lilies ; the former 

 are offered for 15 and 20cts., and the latter for 25 and 30 cts. Lilac 

 from New Jersey is very well grown and holds its price at 50 cts. a 

 spray. Poet's Narcissus is scarce, and costs 50 cts. a dozen. Hya- 

 cinths, Tulips and Lilies-of-the- Valley cost from 60 to 75 cts. a dozen, 

 according to cjuality. Very choice Lilies-of-the-Valley selected for 

 bridal bunches, are sold for %\ a dozen. Daffodils cost from 60 to 75 

 cts. a dozen. White Carnations are scarce, but those of other colors 

 are plentiful and 50 cts. a dozen. Short-stemmed Carnations are sold 

 for 30 cts. a dozen. Small Mignonette costs 25 cts. a dozen spikes. 

 The large Spiral brings 10 cts., and the Giant holds at 15 cts. a spike. 

 Forget-me-not of excellent quality appears, and costs 50 cts. a dozen 

 sprays. Some Heliotrope of great beauty is in market, bringing 25 

 cts. a bunch. Other flowers, if of good quality, remain as last quoted. 

 There is no price set upon the indifferent stock which gluts the market. 

 It may be bought for any sum offered. 



Philadelphia, April i3tli. 



Roses are quite plentiful now, and the Hybrids are generally very 

 fine. Magna Charta and Baroness Rothschilds are selling freely at 

 from $4 to $6 per dozen. Mrs. John Laing is improving very much in 

 quality, as also is Puritan and American Beauty. Amongst the Tea 

 varieties, Madame Cuisin was in remarkable demand this week ; one of 

 the leading florists had difficulty in getting sufficient stock to fill 

 his orders. It is a beautiful Rose, and not the least of its good quali- 

 ties is the length of time it keeps in good condition. With brighter 

 sunshine it becomes higher in color. Lilacs are still scarce, and much 

 called for ; very little is forced for cut blooms in the vicinity 

 of this city. The beautiful single Daffodil is becoming more abun- 

 dant, many coming from the warmer counties of New Jersey and 

 Delaware. Some varieties of Carnations are improving in quality, 

 notably Grace Wilder, a gi'eat favorite here. The delicate pink color- 

 ing is more decided than it is in the dark days of winter. It sells 

 readily at from 50 cts. to 75 cts. per dozen. Buttercup is also very 

 good, and in demand, selling at from 35 cts. to 50 cts. per dozen. 

 Wedding breakfasts are growing in favor. Flowers are used on such,, 

 occasions in great abundance, 



Boston, April ijtli. 



On Monday last one of the leading dry goods firms created a sensa- 

 tion in the flower market by buying up all the Violets that could be 

 obtained for that day and presenting them to their customers. The stock 

 of Violets lasted only till noon, however, and the merchants were then 

 obliged to fall back on Roses as a substitute, and the market was 

 completely cleaned for once. A general adoption of this plan 

 would not be unacceptable to the flower growers and flower 

 dealers at present, for there is an overstock of flowers in almost every 

 variety. Roses are particularly abundant yet, in spite of the low 

 prices. Specially fine specimens of any popular variety still com- 

 mand customers at high figures. Some remarkable Jacqueminots 

 bring $4 to $5 per dozen, and at the same time those of ordinary 

 quality can be bought as low as $1.50 per dozen, and a still lower 

 grade is eagerly bought from the street boys at " three for a quarter." 

 Catherine Mermet3, Perles, Bennetts and Brides are all of first quality, 

 and well worth the low price — about $1.50 per dozen — asked for them. 

 There is an abundance of Lilies-of-the-Valley, Tulips and Poet's Nar- 

 cissus at $1 per dozen. The yellow varieties of Narcissus are about 

 gone for this season. Violets are 50 cts. per bunch and long-stemmed 

 Carnations 50 cts. per dozen. White Lilies are still abundant in the 

 market and they are used largely in the making up of funeral designs. 

 Heath has disappeared completely, and but few Orchids are seen. 

 Smilax continues very scarce and brings 50 cts. per yard readily. 

 Some superb Hydrangea plants are to be seen in the florists' windows. 

 These, with Canary Broom, "Longiflorum" Lilies and Cinerarias, are 

 very popular as window plants this season. The Amaryllis is also 

 growing in favor, and deservedly so, for it is easily grown and 

 makes a striking display. 



