November iS, 1S91.] 



Garden and Forest. 



55i 



the exhibition in the first-prize group, showed that it is a vig- 

 orous grower and well suited for exhibition purposes. 



Besides die Chrvsanthemums there were splendid displays 

 of Roses from F." R. Pierson, of Tarrytown-on-the-Hudson, 

 New York ; from F. C. Cutts, and the "W aban Rose Conservato- 

 ries. There were Carnations from H. E. Chitty, of Patterson, 

 New Jersev ; Edward Swayne, of Kenneth Square, Pennsyl- 

 vania, and'others. Special collections of cut Chrysanthemums 

 in competition for the special prizes offered by the Boston 

 Gardeners' and Florists' Club were remarkably fine. 



Besides the awards already mentioned, the principal prizes 

 for plants were given to Francis B. Haves, Dr. C. G. Weld N. 

 T. Kidder, John L. Gardner, Dr. H. P. Wolcott and Joseph H. 

 White. For cut flowers the leading prizes were awarded to 

 S. J. Coleman, Charles V. Whitten, Pitcher & Manda. E. A. 

 Wood, John SimDkins, A. H. Fewkes, Dr. C. G. Weld, Joseph 

 H. White. " 



Chrysanthemums in Philadelphia. 



IT would be hardlv fair to make a comparison between the 

 exhibition last week at Philadelphia and die one the week 

 before in New York. The entire collection at Horticultural 

 Hall could have been almost hidden away in some corner of 

 the vast floor-space of Madison Square Garden, and yet the 

 displav lacked neither size nor variety, and it was pervaded by 

 a certain air of finish and refinement which is rarely seen. 

 It would be fortunate for New York if die treasures of the 

 private greenhouses in its neighborhood could be displayed 

 on occasion to the delight and instruction of the public just 

 as those of Miss Baldwin, Mr. A. J. Drexel and Mr. George W. 

 Childs can always be counted on to add to the interest of an 

 exhibition in Philadelphia. Enough plants were sent from the 

 greenhouses of Miss Baldwin and Mr. Drexel to fill two long 

 fables, and every one of them showed the skill of William 

 Joyce and James Long, the well-known gardeners of these 

 establishments. To mention the noteworthy specimens 

 would be to give a catalogue of the entire list. Every plant 

 was clean, thrifty and perfect after its kind. These collec- 

 tions, with some magnificent Palms which Mr. Hughes 

 brought from die garden of Mr. G. W. Childs, together with 

 the admirable collections of commercial greenhouse plants, 

 sent by H. A. Dreer and William Ball, helped to form from 

 different points of view an admirable background to the bright 

 flowers, and softened the glare of color which would other- 

 wise have been unpleasant. The stage was very beautifully 

 arranged with masses of well-grown yellow Chrysanthemums, 

 with Abundant foliage banked against a line of Palms and 

 Dracaenas and other greenhouse plants, while in front was a 

 stage of rare and beautiful Cacti, such as Mr. A. Blanc alone 

 can furnish. 



The Philadelphia exhibitions have always been strong in 

 specimen plants. This year's collection hardly seemed to us 

 equal to the one of last year ; but, as usual, Mr. James Yerner, 

 gardener to A. J. Drexel, easily won the first prize for the best 

 collection of ten plants of ten varieties. These were strong 

 and svmmetrical specimens, each one filled with flowers that 

 were almost uniformly at their best The plants of this col- 

 lection were Mrs. Irving Clarke, Frank Thompson, Kioto, 

 Robert Bottomley, President Harrison, Mrs. M. Wheeler, Lilian 

 Bird, Puritan and Cullingfordii. Fine specimen plants were 

 also shown by W. K. Harris, H. G. Standen, J. W. Colflesh, 

 John McCIeary, H. B. Surman, Gebhard Huster and Thomas 

 Monahan. Mr. Yerner took many prizes in other classes be- 

 sides the principal one for ten varieties. It was noted by many 

 of the experts present that the variety President Harrison, al- 

 though the single flowers were not of the most attractive kind, 

 showed admirably in specimen plants. Plants of Ruthven 

 were also notewordiy for quality. 



The cut flowers were never excelled ; and, indeed, we have 

 come to expect every- year that they will be an improvement 

 on those of the year before. All the old kinds were done so 

 well that there is hardly any reason for selecting any of them 

 for especial mention, aldiough the vase which contained a 

 group of the blooms of Frank Thompson could hardly escape 

 notice in any company. For cut flowers the chief prizes were 

 taken by James Heacock, Hugh Graham, Daiiledouze Brothers, 

 George Craig, J. W. Colflesh, Fred. R. Sykes. Silver medals 

 were awarded to Hugh Graham for die Chrysanthemum 

 Roselyn, an immense pink incurved flower, which had only 

 one rival in its class, and that was Maude Dean, which seems 

 to have a litde more decided color ; to T. H. Spaulding for 

 Emily Ladenburg, the dark velvety red variety, which has 

 already been described in our report of the New York show ; 

 to Robert Craig for Lewis Childs' Madeira, a bright yellow 



plant of perfect form, and probably the best Chinese incurved 

 flower of the year ; to Robert Craig for Mrs. Robert Craig, a 

 flower of great depth and substance ; to Peter Henderson & 

 Co. for the Golden Wedding, an importation from Japan and 

 a flower of the largest size, high in the centre, witii die petals 

 rather incurved and loosely twisted, while the outer ones are 

 reflexed and somewhat drooping — a bold flower, of uncom- 

 mon form and great sturdiness in stem and foliage ; to the 

 same firm for Good Gracious, a flower imported in the same 

 lot, and which may be described as a large pink Kioto ; to 

 H. B. Surman for an immense yellow incurved flower of the 

 very largest size. Certificates of merit were awarded to Hugh 

 Graham" T. H. Spaulding, Robert Craig, Peter Henderson & 

 Co. and Harry Surman for new Chrvsantiiemums. 



The display of Roses was admirable for the season, and so 

 were die Carnations of Mr. Thomas Butler, H. E. Chitty, Dr. 

 Williams, Edwin Lonsdale and others. 



Recent Publications. 



Glimpses at the Plant World. By Fanny D. Bergen. Illus- 

 trated. Lee & Shepard, Boston. 



It is amusing for older persons to look through a little book 

 like diis and see the pleasant ingenuity displayed in its treat- 

 ment of facts which they have learned through dry scientific 

 statements. But it is a question, perhaps, whether books of 

 its sort do much of the good they are intended to accomplish. 

 For tiiev are evidendy intended not merely to amuse children 

 or to interest them in a broad way in die vegetable products 

 which surround dieir summer steps, but to give them some 

 definite knowledge of fundamental botanical facts. " Knowl- 

 edge made easy" may be discussed, we think, in a general way 

 as regards its beneficial effects upon youthful minds. It does 

 not seem certain that such knowledge does more good than it 

 does harm by vitiating a child's conception of what education 

 means. Real knowledge can be gained only by real study, and 

 real study is hard work, though good teaching may make it 

 delightful work as well. To accustom a child to the idea that 

 in swallowing bits of information sugared and gilded into the 

 likeness of amusing literature is, we think, to labor against the 

 formation of those truly studious habits of mind which early 

 education should chiefly address itself to nurturing. Aside 

 from the mastering of the three Rs the chief thing a child 

 can learn in its first school years is simply how to learn. Not 

 until its mind is better developed can it amass much informa- 

 tion that will be profitable through life, while if right habits of 

 study and a right conception with regard to what study means 

 are not formed before the mind is developed the chances are 

 great that they will not be formed later on. Of course, it will 

 do a child no harm to peruse a few books like Miss Bergen's 

 " Glimpses at the Plant World," for die information it gives 

 seems to be accurate. All we intend is to protest against the 

 idea that books of its class are in the true sense educational, 

 to point out the danger that teachers and parents may come 

 to trust too largely to their efficacy, and children may be per- 

 suaded to believe that when they have easily picked up a few 

 scattered fragments of information they know something 

 about the subject in question. Left to themselves, however, 

 children are not likely to make too much of such fragments, 

 for they are very likely to pass them wholly by. Instead of 

 picking out, as they were expected to do, the kernels from the 

 sugary mass, they will most often throw away the kernels and 

 delight themselves simply in the sugar that surrounds them. 



Every time, therefore, that we see a book of this sort we 

 wish the enthusiasm and conscientious labor that had been 

 put into its making had been a litde differently exercised. 

 Simple books about natural phenomena can play a wholesome 

 and important part in the development of infantile intelligence, 

 and tiiis in two different ways. They can describe the pretty 

 or amusing or odd or interesting things that a child sees in its 

 walks so as to awaken the imagination, excite curiosity and 

 quicken powers of observation. This service is performed by 

 many passages of Miss Bergen's book. But we think its ex- 

 cellence would have been greater had she contented herself 

 with this and not attempted to explain the scientific signifi- 

 cance of this fact and that, or to give names to such things as 

 the parts of a flower. A littie mind will be only confused or 

 repelled by the addition of such nuggets of fact, and even were 

 they all to be assimilated its stock of information would not be 

 enlarged to any valuable extent. The right effect of a series 

 of informal talks about plants ought to be the impression that 

 interesting tilings can be learned about them at the proper 

 time and in the proper place. It ought not to assume any part 

 of the office of an elementary botany ; it ought simply to prove 



