The Garden Magazine, January, 1920 



227 



American Seed Trade Association in Chicago last June, when 

 Mr. Carl Cropp of Chicago surprised even the "initiated" 

 by a report that the past season saw approximately 3,600 

 acres devoted to the growing of flower seeds in this country! 

 More than fifty distinct and important classes of annuals 

 are now demanded in such quantities as to require acres to 

 produce sufficient seeds for home needs. Among the more 

 important items are: nearly 1,500 acres of Sweet Peas, each 

 yielding 200 to 500 pounds, according to varieties; nearly a 

 thousand acres of Tropaeolum; 300 acres of Asters; from 20 

 to 50 acres each of Candytuft, Centaurea, Dianthus, Esch- 

 scholtzia, Larkspur, Mignonette, Phlox, Poppy, Verbena, 

 Zinnia, etc., etc. The only reason why we do not produce 

 enough, as yet, of the finer seeds, like Cineraria, Begonia, 

 and the rarer of the hardy perennials is that the growers have 

 not yet gotten around to it, lacking in most cases sufficiently 

 skilled help. Ultimately, this will be remedied of course 



and then indeed will the Old World pay further tribute to 

 the New. 



DURING 1920 Flower Shows, abandoned for the duration 

 of the war, will come back. The preliminary schedule 

 of the International at New York, March 15th to 21st, is 

 before us. Mr. T. A. Havemeyer is chairman. A few days 

 later, March 24th to 28th, Boston will see a remarkable exhi- 

 bition in which Orchids will be specially featured. One prize 

 of $500 is offered for a group of Orchids; and some sensa- 

 tional new Azaleas brought from Japan by Mr. E. H. Wilson 

 are promised. 



Increased building activity in suburban districts means 

 more homes and therefore more gardens. Bettered living 

 conditions and a keener desire for the higher things of life 

 all combine to open up a new era of increased activity in the 

 grounds that surround the home. 



THE OPE^C OLUM ^C 



Readers' Interchange of Experience and Comment 



o • £ "IPHAT was an excellent article on 



T7 . TTr-ii £ 1 "Taking the Vegetable Garden into 



Forced Witloof .. n „ f, - ■ - x , 6 , , t , 



p, . the Cellar, in November issue, but 1 



y want to say that the author made a mistake. 



in throwing away his witloof chicory roots after the first cutting. 



If he will be careful not to injure the crowns, he can replant them 



eight or ten times, and each crop will be just as good as the first! 



In fact, we think the latter ones are the more delicate in flavor 



although toward the end the leaves are likely to become somewhat 



smaller. I do not find that it takes more than two or three weeks 



to force the roots, but my furnace room is quite warm, and I water 



freely. — H. M. Pomeroy, Mishawaka, Indiana. 



New Varieties 

 For Personal Use 



THE hope that private growers would 

 be able to import novelties for per- 

 sonal use seems to be overruled by a notice 

 recently issued by the chairman of the 

 Federal Horticultural Board in a "supplement" to the "explana- 

 tion" of the Board's ruling concerning the clause of Regulation 

 14 as amended, providing that " In exceptional cases the importation 

 of novelties (i. e. new varieties) may be made for personal use but 

 not for sale. "This," states Doctor Marlatt on the later notice, 

 "is intended to provide for the importation of such new varieties 

 by directors of botanical gardens, collectors, and growers of special 

 collections of plants of recognized standing, but was not intended to 

 apply to importations which may be desired for personal use other 

 than as indicated or for the adornment of private estates." 



We Too Would \V E N ATU RALLY wish to enlar § e our 



Like to Know Why 

 They Don't 



acquaintance with plants by trying 

 out some of the good things mentioned 

 by your contributors, but how few of them 

 can be found in the usual catalogues! I believe that a great service 

 would be rendered if writers on plants would tell frankly where 

 they may be bought. Will you not at least try to stimulate your 

 advertisers to mention the new varieties or odd sorts which are so 

 frequently spoken of, that we may get more of them growing? — 

 E. L. Cabot, Boston, Mass. 



a p 11 -c> t ]T IS an old species mentioned commonly 



T . j & 1 enough in many lists; but I have found 



that few people who see Iris graminea in 

 my garden have ever heard of it before. 

 It is one of the small representatives of the spuria group, with 

 tough, dark green, grassy foliage about a foot high and smaller 

 stalks of curiously shaped flowers which appear throughout the 

 clump half hidden among the leaves. The coloring is difficult to 

 describe. As the buds develop it seems as though it were to be a 

 dark blue Iris with white blotched throat, but when the blooms open 

 the style arms and standards 

 show a warm rose color, 

 which makes a strong con- 

 trast with the tips of the falls. 

 But it is not color or form 

 that is the chief attraction of 

 this small Iris, but perfume. 

 This is rich and fruity recal- 

 ling the odor of Freesias, 

 though not so abun- 

 dant. Because o f 

 this, I have had the 

 greatest pleasure 

 from the cut blooms 

 of this Iris arranged -J" 

 with its own foliage 

 in one of the Jap- 

 anese flower leads, in 



AN UNFAMILIAR IRIS 



Conspicuous because of most un- 

 usual coloring and still more 

 unusual fragrance Iris graminea 

 is still a stranger to most gardens 



