o 



24 



Garden and Forest. 



[August 29, 



this after an experience of fifty years." Mr. J. N. May 

 added, that in a recent test, lie had propagated 300 plants — 

 Catharine Mermet Roses — from blooming shoots, which were 

 the finest and strongest he could find in his house, and also 

 300 plants from what is usually termed "blind wood." He 

 continued : " Do not understand that this wood was taken from 

 little weak shoots. It was taken from good, firm wood, with 

 healthy foliage. As a result, I have failed to see a particle of 

 difference in the produce of these plants. I am convinced 

 that, so long as we propagate from good, sound wood, 

 whether it be blind or blooming, we will get as good a plant 

 in the one instance as in tlie other." 



Here are a few sentences from the address of Mr. Battles 

 which florists should remember : "When a gentleman wishes 

 to send a very large and expensive Ijouquet, the salesman 

 should advise sending the flowers loose in a box (which can 

 be arranged prettily), that the lady may select the ones she 

 wishes to wear A practice which is not quite ex- 

 tinct, is that of making handles on corsage bouquets, and 

 covering them with tin foil; the sooner this is done away with, 



the better How many people have very unhappy 



recollections of funerals where tliey have been surrounded by 



ghastly designs and stifling odors Lettering" on 



designs has been greatly overdone. I would advise strongly 

 against it; often customers insist, but, if left to your taste, de- 

 cide against it." 



"Three years ago," said Mr. Robert Craig, "the Latania Bor- 

 boiiica, in six-inch pots, fovmd tardy sale, in New York and 

 Philadelphia, at 75 cents each. The increased demand for 

 that class of plants is such that now they readily bring about 

 twice that amount, and the supply is not nearly equal to the 

 demand. In fact, the demand for these plants has alreadv 

 influenced the price in Europe. In several recent importa- 

 tions at least twenty per cent, has been added to the price. 

 This is an indication that the increased use of Palms here 

 has been felt abroad, even with vast quantities there grown. 

 I am sure that this price and demand will continue to grow, 

 because we cannot get these grand effects from anv other 

 class of plants." 



Mr. M. A. Hunt, of Terre Haute, Ind., in rei:ilying to tlie 

 question, " What varieties of Roses introduced within the last 

 two years are wortli growing for winter forcing ?" said that 

 "Almost without an exception those which gave great prom- 

 ise have proven failures for this purpose." He had foimd an 

 exception in the case of a little Rose not very generally 

 known, but which can be highly recommended to those 

 who are in a position to make up their own work, though 

 not, perhaps, for shipping for any distance. He referred to the 

 Primrose Dame. Although not a strong grower, it is a very 

 productive Rose, finely shaped and, either in the bud or open 

 Rose-form, is one which is very desirable. 



Halls for exhiljifing plants, flowers and fruits are lietter, as 

 well as more cheaply constructed, without board floors. 

 Plants can then be arranged in groups on raised banks or in 

 depressions of various forms best adapted to the character of 

 the different objects to be displayed. Where green sod or 

 moss can be easily procured a better eftect can be produced than 

 when plants are staged on tables. Besides this, water, which 

 is always needed in abundance in such exhibitions, can be 

 used to much better advantage with such an arrangement. 

 For fruits and cut flowers, sicle tables in most halls can be 

 neatly arranged just under the windows, in which light such 

 things are best displayed. 



Mr. Ernest Asmus, of West Hoboken, N. J., said, that among 

 Hybrid Perpetuals for early forcing, say from December 

 until February, light colored varieties are the most suital:)le. 

 His choice of six was Anna Alexieff, Anna de Diesbach, 

 Mrs. John Laing, Magna Charta, Achilles, Gounod and Madame 

 Gabriel Luizet. For late forcing, the best among light colored 

 Roses are Paul Neyron, Baroness de Rothschild, Merveille de 

 Lyon, Mabel Morrison, Captain Christv, Victor Verdier, Mar- 

 quis de Castellaine, Henry Schulthers and Ulrich Brunner ; 

 and, among dark ones. Gen. Jacqueminot, Prince Camille de 

 Rohan, Louis Van Houtte and Baron de Bonstetten. 



A good market Chrysanthemum must have a strong, vigor- 

 ous habit, with branches able to sustain the flowers erect, and 

 fine, healthy foliage. The flowers should be large and well- 

 developed, and not more than two or three on a spray. The 

 colors should be distinct and unique. There is a strong de- 

 mand for the finest possible flowers, as compared with the 

 smaller pompon varieties. This suggests that growers would 

 do well to pay more attention to quality than to quantity. 



A prize of $500 was offered by Mr. Peter Henderson for the 

 best herbarium, to consist of not less than 5oospecies of native 

 plants, arranged according to their natural orders. This prize 

 is to be open for competition to gardeners or the sons of gar- 

 deners, or to any one engaged in the trade as a grower or seller 

 of plants, who is also a member of the Society. Mr. Hender- 

 son's offer was accepted unanimously with a vote of thanks. 



Mr. John Smith, of Yonkers, gave it as his experience that 

 slate, when used for benches, exercised no deleterious in- 

 fluence on plants. Indeed, plants on slate benches were 

 much less liable to attacks from various pests than plants on 

 benches of wood, which afl'orded harbor for insects and ver- 

 min, besides encouraging the growth of harmful fungi as they 

 decayed. 



Mr. Thomas Cartledge, of Philadelphia, said that only 

 Roses with long stems.and good foliage could be sold to ad- 

 vantage. A large and perfect flower with a short stem and 

 poor foliage did not satisfy customers, and would not sell as 

 readily or for as good a price as a fair or ordinary flower, well 

 furnished with good leaves and a long stem. 



"To keep down the ravages of snails among Ferns no better 

 means can be employed than Lettuce leaves. Potatoes, or 

 Turnips liollowed ovit. Perliaps Lettuce leaves are the best. 

 The snails creep inside the leaves during the night, and remain 

 there until morning, when they can be gathered up and 

 destroyed." 



The following officers were elected for the next year ; Presi- 

 dent, John N. May, Summit, New Jersey; Vice-President, W. 

 J. Palmer, Buffalo, New York; Treasurer, M. A. Hunt, Terre 

 Haute, Indiana ; Secretary, William J. Stewart, Boston, 

 Massachusetts. 



"The American Florist is a power that deserves our hearty 

 support. It helps us, and the gentlemen connected witli it 

 deserve great credit." 



The moment of spontaneous and genuine enthusiasm 

 came when John Thorpe, the founder of the Society, was led 

 upon the platform. 



Notes. 



At the meeting of the Massachusetts I-forticultural Societv, 

 August nth, Mr. B. G. .Smith, exhibited a basket of fruit of the 

 Wilson Jr. Blackberry, a variety raised by the late Judge Parrv, 

 of New Jersey, by crossing the Wilson with the Dorchester. 

 The fruit is very large, handsome and regular, and of good 

 fla\'or, although lacking somewhat the delicacy of the Wflson, 

 which was also shown in great perfection. 



The flowering of Stiiartia pseudo-camellia, a Japanese 

 species, in the Veitcli nursery in England, referred to in 

 our London Letter, seems to have been one of the horticul- 

 tural events of the London season. This plant was distrib- 

 uted in this country many years ago by the Messrs. Parsons, 

 and flowered profusely this season in the garden of Mr. 

 Charles A. Dana, at Glen Cove, N. Y. A drawing of the 

 flowers of this plant has been made, and will appear in a 

 future issue. 



Mr. Walter E, Coburn exhibited before the Massachusetts 

 Horticultural Society, on the nth of August, a collection of 

 no less than 200 species and varieties of wild flowers, includ- 

 ing thirty-seven species of gTasses and sedges in twenty genera. 

 These collections of wild flowers are exceedingly interesting 

 and instructive features of the weekly free exhibition of the 

 Massachusetts Society. 



Hybrid Gladioli of the Gandavensis race are grown ni great 

 quantities, and generally in considerable perfection, in the 

 neig'hborhood of Boston, where there are some large com- 

 mercial collections. The weekly exhibition of the Massachu- 

 setts Horticultural Society (August i8th) was largely devoted 

 to these flowers. The wet season, however, has not been 

 favorable to them, and the exhibition fell short of those of 

 several other years, lioth in the beauty of the varieties shown 

 and in the excellence of individual specimens. The rare and 

 lovely yellow-fringed Orchis {Habenaria ciliaris) was shown 

 in great profusion and in excellent condition in Mr. Hitchin's 

 collection of wild flowers. Another interesting feature of 

 this exhibition was great masses of Sahba/ia chloroides, one 

 of the handsomest of American plants. It is common at 

 Plymouth, Massachusetts, and at other points along the At- 

 lantic coast, and is seen sometimes in the windows of 

 the enterprising Boston florists. It should find a ready sale, 

 as the beautiful pink flowers are delightfully fragrant, and re- 

 main fresh for some time when cut, while unexpanded flower 

 buds will open in water after the plants have been gathered. 



