November io, 1897.] 



Garden and Forest. 



447 



the £.ound. The diameter at the ground was .50 inches. 

 The sixth tree was dead, two feet high, and .25 inches in 

 diameter at the ground. 



The areas of young forest here spoken of offer splendid 

 opportunities for the spread of fires when once started, and 

 there is abundant evidence that many such tracts have 

 been entirely destroyed. Timber bodies that have been 

 partially burned are common, and in a few places I have 

 noted evidences, living or dead, of three generations. In 

 one locality examined, the ground under the new growth 

 was thickly covered with the rotting trunks of young trees, 

 and the average of several counts made of the rings of 

 these dead sticks indicated an age of thirty-two years at 

 the time of burning. This would point to 187S as the 

 probable year when the last fire occurred there. The new 

 growth averaged twelve years, so that in this case six 

 years would appear to have elapsed between the burning 

 and the germination of the seeds in the ground. Four speci- 

 mens, chosen as being the smallest cone-bearing trees 

 present, gave figures as follows : 





Height. 

 Inches. 



Diameter 



at ground. 



Indies. 



Annual rings. 



No. 1 



iS 



14 

 17 

 17 



■35 

 .40 



•35 



•35 



12 

 12 





IO 



No. 4 



12 



The starting of new growth has here been tardy and 

 scanty. The scattering living trees are from twelve to 

 fifteen years old, and I should place the date of burning as 

 at least twenty-five years ago. 



Natural processes for reclothing these denuded areas 

 appear from our observations to be very slow ; but, unmo- 

 lested, the task would in time be accomplished. The 

 trouble seems to be that the destructive agency of fire, let 

 loose by the carelessness or viciousness of man, tears down 

 rather faster than Nature can build up, so that, instead of 

 advancing toward a more extended forest area there is a 

 constant retrograde movement. Fires of greater or less 

 magnitude occur every year, and it seems likely to be a 

 matter of a comparatively few years when the whole region, 

 except in much-favored spots, will be stripped of its forests. 



Colorado Agricultural College. Charles S. Craildall. 



Exhibitions. 



Chrysanthemums in Boston. 



UNFAVORABLE weather during the early part of last 

 week, at the time of the opening of the Chrysanthemum 

 Show in Boston, somewhat lessened the number of exhibits. 

 The two halls were well filled, however, without the usual 

 crowding, and the exhibits were thus placed to good advan- 

 tage. The size of pots for specimen plants was limited to 

 ten inches, and the specimens were smaller than in former 

 years. This is a step in the right direction, and all plants were 

 uniformly well grown, more even in size than heretofore, and 

 none were of abnormal size. The prizes for plants in pots 

 were about equally divided between Mrs. B. P. Cheney and 

 N. T. Kidder, Esq., and in some instances it was difficult to 

 decide which really excelled. Mr. Kidder secured first prize 

 in the class of twelve plants, and Mrs. Cheney was awarded 

 first honors in most of the other classes. Prizes for plants 

 were also awarded to Mrs. A. W. Blake, for twelve different 

 varieties grown to one stem and one bloom ; to James L. 

 Little, Esq., and to Dr. C. G. Weld. 



The class of plants with a single flower, grown in a six-inch 

 pot, was well contested this year. A number of exhibitors 

 showed excellent flowers on dwarf plants, such as are specially 

 useful for decorative purposes ; all the leading varieties were 

 grown in this way, and were much admired. 



The circular groups of Chrysanthemums, arranged for 

 effect, attracted general attention. The group shown by Mrs. 

 A. W. Blake was declared the best, and other exhibitors were 

 Dr. C. G. Weld and J. L. Gardner, Esq. Foliage plants were 

 used among the Chrysanthemums with admirable effect. 



Messrs. E. M. Wood & Co., of Natick, had a striking exhibit 

 of cut flowers in vases, ten blooms of one variety. The new 

 Evangeline, white, was conspicuous, not only in this class, but 

 was one of the most admired of all exhibits. The flowers 

 were remarkable for purity of color and solid texture. Mrs. 

 Perrine also showed to advantage. This is, without doubt, 

 the purest pink chrysanthemum in commerce and was notably 

 good in most collections in the exhibition. Messrs. Wood & Co. 

 were also winners in the class of twenty-five blooms. David 

 Nevins, a comparatively recent exhibitor, was among the win- 

 ners in many classes, and his exhibits this year showed 

 remarkable advance over those in former seasons. Cornelius 

 Vanderbilt, Esq. (Mr. Robert Laurie, gardener), sent some 

 remarkably good flowers from the gardens at Newport. The 

 vase of Peter Kay, a new yellow incurved Chrysanthemum, 

 similar to Major Bonnafon, won first premium as the best new 

 yellow now in commerce. It was recently accorded 87 points 

 in New York by the Chrysanthemum Society of America. A 

 vase of Inter-Ocean, alsoshown by Mr. Laurie, won first honors 

 among pink flowers. Joseph H. White, Esq., exhibited a new 

 pink incurved flower which resembles Ada Spaulding, but is 

 larger and of deeper color. It has been named Mrs. Gertrude 

 Brydon. This was declared the best incurved Chrysanthemum 

 not in commerce. H. McKay Twombley, Esq., Madison, New 

 Jersey (Mr. A. Herrington, gardener), sent two fine vases of 

 flowers. One of these contained blooms of Frank Hardy, the 

 most sensational flower in the show ; these are very deep, the 

 petals being creamy white and somewhat twisted. This novelty 

 is of English origin, and, unlike most English Chrysanthe- 

 mums, seems well adapted for cultivation here. Another good 

 novelty was Pennsylvania, apparently a sport from Philadel- 

 phia, it being identical with that variety in shape, but a beau- 

 tiful shade of clear yellow. It won a first-class certificate for 

 the exhibitors, Hugh Graham & Son, of Philadelphia. Another 

 notable seedling was a pink incurved Japanese flower shown 

 by Mr. Frederick Cole, gardener to Arthur Hunnewell, Esq. A 

 new primrose-yellow sport from Mrs. H. Robinson was shown 

 by E. M. Wood & Co., of Natick ; this has been named Mrs. 

 O. P. Bassett. But few incurved or anemone-flowered kinds 

 were shown. Other winners of prizes for cut flowers were 

 John Simpkins, Esq., Mrs. Cheney, E. S. Converse, Esq., 

 James L. Little and Charles H. Souther. 



A table of Orchids, tastefully arranged, was exhibited by Mr. 

 J. S. Bailey. This comprised well-grown examples of Cattleya 

 labiata, Oncidium Rogersii and a superb variety of Miltonia 

 Morehana, called atro-rubens. The latter was awarded a cer- 

 tificate for its unusual depth and richness of color. 



A creditable display of early-flowering Carnations was made 

 by Mr. Nicholson, of Framingham, his vase of Mrs. George 

 M. Bradt being the finest fancy variety shown ; it is similar to 

 Helen Kellar, but superior to that fickle sort, and is, no doubt, 

 the best fancy Carnation of that color. Mr. Peter Fisher also 

 showed a new variety called Mrs. T. W. Lawson, a bright rose- 

 pink. This is not yet in commerce, but has been tried for 

 three years, and has proved its good qualities. It is altogether 

 the brightest carnation in this color. Better names are 

 needed for new Carnations ; the commemorative and descrip- 

 tive titles are apt to be cumbersome, are soon abbreviated, 

 and lose their original significance. 



Gratuities were awarded for flowers to Mrs. E. M. Gill for 

 chrysanthemums ; to William Nicholson for chrysanthemums 

 and carnations. J. J. Van Alan, Esq. (Arthur Griffin, gar- 

 dener), received a silver medal for the hybrid Begonia semper- 

 florens. A first-class certificate was awarded to Peter Fisher 

 for carnations. A. Roper received Honorable Mention for 

 carnation Mayor Ouincy, and Joseph Hilbert, Nyack, New 

 York, for a sport of Swainsonia. 



Notes. 



Ben Davis apples, considered inferior here, seem to have 

 won favor in Germany through their showy color and good- 

 keeping qualities, and a sale of American fruit of this variety 

 is reported to have realized $6.01 a barrel, wholesale, on 

 November 2d, in Hamburg. 



Among the plants which assume brilliant coloring late in 

 the autumn none equals, perhaps, our common high-bush 

 Blueberry, Vaccinium corymbosum, which early in November 

 lights up many northern swamp borders with its flaming 

 foliage. The value of this Blueberry as a garden plant 1ms 

 been often insisted on in the columns of Garden and Forest, 

 but we cannot refrain from repeating that it is one of the most 

 beautiful of all hardy shrubs. Beautiful in early spring with 



