442 



LIGHT FROM THE SOCIETIES. 



the Atlantic. Great Britain has done much for the evo- 

 lution of the garden. Public grounds and the houses of 

 royalty have been subjected to a high standard of land- 

 scape and architecture. The walks and drives are 

 superb, the ornamental trees most happily chosen, the 

 fruit-trees and vines made fruitful, and the lawns made 

 velvety and regular. France has probably led in the 

 culture of the vine, in variety and richness of flowers, 

 and possibly in architecture. While Germany, too, has 

 done much for garden beauty, the economic has usually 

 overbalanced the ornamental there Their cabbage- 

 plants have often held the place which we would give to 

 the lawn. In our own country there has been a like 

 gradual development. We have excellent soil and 

 climate, and they are, in different latitudes and altitudes, 

 well adapted to a wide variety of vegetables, fruits and 

 flowers. Cities, states and the general government 

 have done a great deal to advance the standard of the 

 garden. Public parks, country-seats, school grounds and 

 public cemeteries have embodied much of landscape- 

 art. Many of our schools and colleges are devoting 

 liberal sums of money to the improvement of ornamental 

 and fruit-bearing trees, small-fruits, grasses and grains. 

 Our government botanical garden has been of great ser- 

 vice in introducing new fruits and flowers, while our ex- 

 periment stations have given us new and better ideas of 

 the kitchen-garden. But not connected with the palaces 

 of the rich or the grounds of public parks do we find 

 the best examples of the garden. These are represented 

 near villages and cities, or even in the country. Large 

 farms are being broken up into small ones, and these in 

 turn into gardens of from 3 to 12 acres. The best ex- 

 amples of the possibilities of our climate and soil are 

 shown in these gardens. More money is made from 

 them than was made from the large farms, and there is 

 far more attention given to scientific investigation and 

 methods. Our ideas have expanded as to what our gar- 

 dens may contain. The bad dirt roads of the farm are 

 replaced by the good, smooth, well-drained drives of the 

 garden. The long grass of the old-time front yard, on 

 which we used to wipe the mud off our shoes, is now the 

 smooth, close-cut lawn, while good and beautiful walks 

 preclude the necessity of having muddy shoes. Vege- 

 tables, fruits and flowers occupy the greater part of the 

 garden, but it need not be limited to these forms. It is 

 the proper place for the bee-house, the fish-pond, the 

 fountain, and the houses for ice and cold-storage. Doubt- 

 less the garden is to reach its completed development in 

 this country. Our taste is improving, our population 

 rapidly increasing, and its knowledge of nature grows 

 apace, but the number of our acres is not increasing. 

 This means that farms will be constantly broken into 

 sections. These smaller tracts will of necessity become 

 more fertile, fruitful and beautiful. Such tracts under 

 such conditions are gardens. — Pres. W. T. Slot/ , before 

 the Indiana Ilort. Society. 



Notes From the Florida Horticultural Society. — The 

 fifth annual meeting was held at Ormond May 2, 3 and 4. 

 The president in his address said the chief work of 



the society is to learn (i) how to grow fruit ; (2) how to 

 transport fruit ; (3) how to sell fruit. The unnatural 

 conditions with wbich we surround our fruit-trees, and 

 unnatural method in pruning, etc., are the first cause of 

 our trouble with insects and diseases. As advanced hor- 

 ticulturalists, we should direct more of our study to pre- 

 vent disease instead of causing it, to prevent the propa- 

 gation of insects and fungus as more effectual and 

 cheaper than killing them. After we have grown our 

 fruit, it must be sold in the market. The production of 

 fruit is a legitimate industry and should have a fair re- 

 ward. The transportation of fruit to market is also a 

 legitimate industry and should have a fair reward. That 

 one of these should take more than a fair proportion of 

 the proceeds of a crop of fruit is a clear injustice. At 

 present a grower does not get a fair proportion of the 

 money his fruit sells for. 



Von Luttichan gave his method of trimming the for- 

 eign grape-vine: "Any manner of trimming which in- 

 volves canes or lateral canes of more than two eyes will 

 result in a barren piece of wood, the terminal eye alone 

 sprouting. All fruiting wood should be close to the 

 main cane, allowing only for space, and new wood should 

 be raised from time to time. Too much wood, or too 

 much fruit, will prove injurious. The vine, trimmed to 

 two good eyes and its roots to about six inches, is set out 

 with the roots two inches below the surface of the ground 

 and covered with some light mulch. So planted, an early 

 growth is prevented and the young shoots have a better 

 chance to escape late freezes in March. When all danger 

 of a killing freeze is over I remove mulch and some little 

 soil, and permit but one eye to grow. When of 

 sufficient size this young shoot is fastened by means of a 

 one-inch copper staple to a stake ; I used to have wire 

 for all my vines, but I now prefer stakes for all foreign 

 varieties. The first summer will establish the vine, and 

 is perhaps the most important. Good culture, such as 

 is given to Delaware, is essential. Now the young vine 

 may grow satisfactorily, but it may happen, after a time 

 of promise, that a change from health to a most sickly ap- 

 pearance is apparent. At first anthracncse seems to be 

 the destructive agent, but such is not the case. Close 

 examination will reveal the presence of a small yellow 

 insect of lively disposition, provided with the best of 

 locomotion in the shape of plenty of legs, a good pair of 

 wings, and a sharp pick. This insect, which belongs to 

 the thrips family, does much more harm to every kind 

 of plant than it receives credit for. An old vine will 

 recover from its attack, but a young vine of but one 

 shoot is so hurt that, in the majority of cases, if left 

 alone it will die. A solution of whale-oil soap should be 

 applied and followed by a dusting of air-slacked lime, 

 and in a few days the vine will look as thrifty as before. 

 The vine should grow up on the stake unchecked ; I prac- 

 tice no pinching whatever. In December I prune the vine 

 to a length of about one foot, if it be strong enough, and 

 fasten it to a stake in a somewhat twisted position, the 

 better to insure the start of two eyes, as two canes are 

 grown the second summer. December next, one cane is 



