March io, 1897] 



Garden and Forest. 



97 



pot-bound, and do not start so well when set in the open 

 ground. A good list for outdoor flowering is the following: 

 Mrs. Fisher, white, still the best of the whole section ; Ferdi- 

 nand Mangold and Sebec, crimson, the latter a seedling raised 

 by Mr. Nicholson, of Framingham ; William Scott, Nicholson 

 and Abundance, pink ; Daybreak, shrimp-pink, and two scarlet 

 seedlings. We have not found any striped or yellow varieties 

 which will bloom profitably, but purpose trying a few of the 

 newer sorts this summer again. 



Plants in the benches are now requiring more liberal water- 

 ings and more frequent applications of fertilizers. We prefer 

 to allow the soil to become moderately dry before watering, 

 and then give it a thorough soaking. Our plants were recently 

 picked over and all decaying toliage and useless growth re- 

 moved, after which a mulch of well-pulverized, but rich, 

 manure was given, and a further and heavier mulching will be 

 given before hot weather sets in. Every year we find some- 

 thing new in Carnation-culture, and one important point is 

 that these plants will thrive on more frequent and richer appli- 

 cations of liquid foods than they usually receive. We must 

 bear in mind that they have but a few inches of compost to 

 grow in to begin with, and having already been in the benches 

 nearly six months they have extracted most of the available 

 nourishment from the soil. To keep them growing and 

 flowering vigorously it is absolutely necessary to feed them 

 well. At present 1 am giving liquid fertilizers once a week, 

 using sheep manure, sulphate of ammonia and cow manure, 

 alternately, of moderate strength. We use some soot with the 

 manure. As the season progresses the strength of the nutri- 

 ment will be increased. 



Rust, which attacked one or two varieties quite badly earlier 

 in the winter, has now almost disappeared. Diseased plants 

 are sprayed regularly with the arsenical solution, and badly 

 affected or decaying toliage is picked off. At this season ven- 

 tilation can be treely given on most days. Carnations detest 

 coddling, and if they enjoy a tree circulation of air stouter 

 stems and fewer burst calyces will be seen. It pays to disbud 

 all varieties, and this practice is almost universally adopted 

 now. Some sorts, like Jubilee, Eldorado and Daybreak, need 

 little disbudding, but, on the other hand, McGowan, William 

 Scott, Portia and Hector make a large quantity of side-buds, 

 the last-named being, perhaps, the worst to handle. The 

 flowers of some sorts, particularly those of pink shades, fade 

 quickly when exposed to strong sunlight. Blooms of William 

 Scott should be picked before they fully expand, or they will 

 not hold their color, and Daybreak blooms lose their lovely 

 shrimp-pink shade if left on the plant a day too long. All Car- 

 nations should be gathered and placed in water in a cool room 

 some hours before being used. Florists now adopt this plan, 

 and the blooms swell out half as large again, the stems be- 

 come more rigid, and the flowers after long shipment are 

 found in a much fresher condition than if they had been 

 picked, packed and dispatched at once. 



Complaints are heard this season from various flower mar- 

 kets that the popular William Scott has to some extent lost its 

 favor with the public, and the prices realized on this variety 

 are lower than on almost any other sort marketed. It has 

 proved such a money-maker tor the past two or three years 

 that every florist has been tempted to grow it largely, and the 

 markets have at times been glutted with it. Before we can 

 afford to dispense with it, however, some superior new variety 

 must be introduced to take its place. It is the most persistent 

 bloomer we grow ; its one drawback is that the flower fades if 

 not picked before becoming tully expanded. It yields three 

 times as many flowers as any other pink variety we have grown, 

 and we do not expect to see it discarded or relegated to an inte- 

 rior place for a year or two. Madame Diaz Albertini is only grown 

 to a limited extent, and it does not bloom freely enough to be 

 profitable. Neither does Bridesmaid, although it produces an 

 excellent flower on a first-class stem and holds its color well. 

 Where quality rather than quantity is desired it is worth retain- 

 ing. Triumph, certificated at the Carnation Show in Boston in 

 1895, proves rather disappointing and does not bloom freely. 

 Abundance has short, stiff, wiry stems ; the flowers are of fair 

 size and good color, and it is a more persistent bloomer than 

 any other new sort I have tested. Delia Fox was very rusty 

 earlier in the season, but is now almost clean. It is not popu- 

 lar in this section as its color is not fancied so much as the 

 paler and more reliable Daybreak. Its general habit is better 

 than that of Daybreak, but it is not likely to attain anything 

 like the popularity of that kind. In dark shades Thomas Cart- 

 ledge proves reliable, but we still retain a few plants of the 

 good old variety Tidal Wave, which, as a general rule, is rather 

 a dwarf grower, although our plants this year yield stout stems 

 eighteen inches long, in clayey soil. Some promising new 



pinks, such as Victor, Mrs. McBurney, C. A. Dana and one or 

 two others, are offered for the first time this season. Some 

 good scarlets appear to have been exhibited in the seedling 

 classes at the Cincinnati Show, and a reliable scarlet sort of 

 good size is much needed. We grow Hector chiefly, a variety 

 raised by Mr. I. Wright, of Wellesley Hills. In color and size 

 of flower it is all that could be desired, but it produces far too 

 much grass and lacks strength of stem. Its flower mounted 

 on a stem like that of Jubilee would be superb. Jubilee has 

 proved the premier scarlet at the great Carnation Show. The 

 flowers shown at Boston in 1895 by the raiser, Mr. E. G. Hill, 

 had the finest stems of any variety exhibited, and at Cincinnati it 

 has eclipsed all others of its color. We grew a few plants of 

 it this season, which were very small when housed and did not 

 flower until Christmas. They have produced some first-rate 

 blooms on perfect stems and with an exquisite odor. The 

 plants were rusty early in the season, but are now clean, ami 

 we hope to secure better results next winter from cuttings 

 rooted earlier. Every shoot produces a flower, and after one 

 crop is picked the plants look like stumps, but soon throw up 

 another set of flowers. There will be no use for such small 

 varieties as Portia and E. G. Hill where Jubilee will succeed. 



Eldorado has proved the most reliable yellow variegated 

 sort we have ever grown, and we consider it the best of its 

 class sent out up to date. It is a very free bloomer and we 

 have not been troubled with any burst calyces. It quite eclipses 

 Bouton d'Or, which was one of the star yellows in 1895-6. 

 Buttercup occasionally gives a superb flower, but it is not a 

 persistent bloomer like Eldorado. The blooms hold fresh on 

 the plant longer than any other sort we know ; a flower kept 

 in good condition over three weeks in February. The new 

 variety, Mayor Pingree, raised by John Breitmeyer & Sons, 

 Detroit, will make a strong bid for public favor next year, 

 judging from flowers we have seen. Helen Keller this sea- 

 son has done the best of any of the white variegated section 

 with us, from plants grown in heavy clay loam. Armazindy, 

 sent out by E. G. Hill & Co. last year, has a superb stem and 

 gives occasional exceptionally fine flowers, although the plant 

 has rather a sprawly habit. One or two promising new sorts 

 in this class are now being put on the market, but I do not 

 know enough of them to venture any judgment. 



Lizzie McGowan has been more widely and largely grown 

 than any other white the past season, and the flower markets 

 have suffered from a glut of it, as in the case of William Scott. 

 Though inferior to some of the newer sorts in size and form, 

 it is still an admirable all-round kind. Alaska is also good and 

 popular, although care must be taken in propagating it to se- 

 lect cuttings from the cleanest and most robust plants, or 

 there will be danger of leaf disease. Crystal, raised by Mr. 

 Fisher, of Framingham, has a huge flower, but it bursts badly 

 here in winter and does not prove a very free bloomer. Edith 

 Foster, sent out by Peter Fisher & Co., Ellis, Massachusetts, is 

 well liked where grown ; the flower is not very full, but is pro- 

 duced on a good stem and it is quite prolific. Mrs. Fisher is 

 still clung to by some growers, and for outdoor blooming it is 

 indispensable. Occasionally it is seen well grown, as at Mr. 

 Tailby's, of Wellesley, who finds it the best money-maker on 

 his place still. Flora Hill, the champion white at Cincinnati, 

 and Harrison's White, said to be a sport from William Scott, 

 are two novelties likely to be tried in many places next winter. 

 Nothing in crimsons yet beats F. Mangold with us. Meteor 

 we will discard after two years' trial. 



Taunton, Mass. W. N. Craig. 



Hardy Ferns. — Every one who has a garden, however small. 

 can find a place for a few hardy Ferns, particularly of our 

 common native sorts. What they require first and above 

 everything else is shade, and this means that they will thrive 

 best on the eastern or northern side of a dwelling or wall, or 

 in any other situation where the afternoon sun does not strike 

 them fully. It is not usually best to plant them under trees, 

 for the roots of trees rob the soil of the moisture which is 

 needed by the Ferns, and besides this, streams of water after 

 rains will flow down from the branches on some of the fronds 

 much to their injury. I have an interesting and thrifty collec- 

 tion of native Ferns which are planted on the eastern side of a 

 house, where they have the sunshine until noon, but after 

 that they are in shade. Among twenty-five species and varie- 

 ties which can be collected in the vicinity of Philadelphia, hall 

 a dozen are evergreen, and all of these should be planted. The 

 best time to collect is in the late summer. They can all be 

 found at that time, and their fronds being fully matured the 

 height which they attain is shown, and when their size is 

 known the proper place for them in the garden can be deter- 

 mined, and the room they require can be set apart for them. 



