92 



THE AMERICAN GARDEN. 



patliies and high moral character, as a gentle- 

 man in the fullest sense of the word, he was 

 held in the highest esteem by those who 

 knew him best. 



Mr.Vickwas born at Portsmouth, England, 

 in 1818, and came to this country when fif- 

 teen years old. He learned the printer's trade, 

 and was employed in the office of the Knick- 

 erbocker Magazine, setting type with Horace 

 Greeley. After several years' work in New 

 York, he came to Eochester, where he worked 

 as compositor in several newspaper offices, 

 contributing meanwhile to the Genesee 

 Farmer, of which he became editor in 1850. 

 Three years later he purchased the Horticult- 

 urist. From 1857 to 1862, he edited the 

 horticultural department of Moore's Rural 

 New-Yorker, and it was while engaged on 

 this that he began the seed enterprise which 

 was destined to give him a world-wide repu- 

 tation'. 



His illness was of short duration. He con- 

 tracted a severe cold, which he did not regard 

 as anything serious until he was prostrated 

 by a severe attack of pneumonia, which 

 proved fatal. He died on the 1 6th of May, 

 in his sixty-fourth year. He leaves a widow 

 and seven children. His four sons, who have 

 been trained and educated for the business, 

 will carry on the establishment. 



GEORGE A, STONE, 



With the death of George A. Stone the 

 nursery trade loses one of its most esteemed 

 and enterprising members, and all those who 

 enjoyed his personal acquaintance an open- 

 hearted, sincere, and true friend. "We recol- 

 lect well when we first met him, at the last 

 meeting of the Pomologieal Society at Bos- 

 ton, how his manly features and noble, gentle- 

 manly bearing made him befriended with 

 everyone. 



Mr. Stone, although a young man, being 

 not quite thirty-four years of age at the time 

 of his death, was possessed of remarkable 

 business talent and enterprise, and had 

 already built up a business of gigantic dimen- 

 sions. In his early youth, he lived in Oshawa, 

 Canada, where he grew up in the dry goods 

 business. Subsequently he became connected 

 with Chase Brothers as salesman and after- 

 wards partner. But not finding sufficient 

 scope for his ambition, he commenced busi- 

 ness for himself, and through his marvelous 

 energy and ability has built up, within the 

 short period of six years, a business employ- 

 ing four hundred salesmen, with nine branch 

 offices in successful operation in various sec- 

 tions of the country. 



"We are informed that the business will be 

 continued under the conduct of those hereto- 

 fore associated with him, and in whom he 

 had the fullest confidence. 



BOOKS AND PAMPHLETS RECEIVED, 

 Farm Library No. 3, The Flower Garden, 

 Part 2. By E. E. Rexford.— Herbaceous Plants, 

 Shrubs, The Rose, Vines, Native Ornamental 

 Plants, Arranging Yards, are treated in successive 

 chapters, in the usual pleasant and instructive 

 style of our esteemed correspondent. Published 

 by E. H. Libby, Chicago. 



Report of the Fruit Growers' Association of 

 tlie Province of Ontario for the year 1881. — A 

 fine octavo volume, ably prepared by the secre- 

 tary, Mr. D. W. Beadle, editor of the Canadian 

 Horticulturist. The book contains the president's 

 address, several interesting district reports, and 

 the discussions of the meetings during which 

 many valuable papers were read, prominent 



among which are those on Grapes, by Mr. Beadle ; 

 Vegetables, by W. P. Page; Roses, by Mr. Buckle; 

 Hardy Climbing Plants, by Mr. Wellington ; New 

 Fruits, by A. McD. Allan; Ornamental Planting, 

 by W. C. Barry ; Cranberries, by F. Trowbridge ; 

 Small Fruit Culture, by B. Gott. The Report of 

 the Entomological Society is bound together with 

 this, making the whole a convenient volume for 

 reference. 



To the Hills and Homes of Berkshire. By 



Clark If. Bryan.— A revised and considerably en- 

 larged edition of a similar work published last 

 year. In this very neat and beautifully printed 

 pamphlet the author describes a trip through the 

 Housatonie Valley. All the most beautiful and 

 attractive points and sceneries are so vividly and 

 charmingly portrayed that, in perusing the pages, 

 one imagines the bright panoramic landscapes to 

 pass before one's vision, which is made still more 

 life-like by the excellent and artistic illustrations 

 copiously interspersed throughout the pamphlet. 

 To all intending a visit to that region, and to those 

 even who do not contemplate a trip up the Housa- 

 tonie, the reading of the work will afford much 

 pleasure and instruction. Copies are sent free by 

 mail upon application to H. D. Averill, General 

 Ticket Agent, Housatonie R. R. Co., Bridgeport, 

 Conn. 



Experimental "Work of the Agricultural De- 

 partment of the University of Tennessee.— 



This Report of Prof. J. M. McBryde forms one of 

 the most important contributions to scientific 

 agriculture, published during the year. The 

 larger part of the volume is devoted to experi- 

 ments in Wheat culture, testing of different 

 amounts of seed per acre, time for sowing, test- 

 ing varieties, modes of seeding, preparation, 

 modes of culture, commercial fertilizers, and 

 farm-yard manures. These are followed by ex- 

 periments in Oat culture; top-dressing on Clover 

 and Grass; Indian Corn, Dhurra, Sorghum and 

 other crops. This is but the second of these re- 

 ports, and, of course, the conclusions arrived at 

 are as yet not to be accepted as fixed facts, but 

 every step in this direction, every judiciously 

 planned and carefully carried out experiment is 

 sure to bear its rich fruit in the not very distant 

 future. 



Michigan Horticultural Society; Eleventh 

 Annual Report of the Secretary. Clias. TF. Gar- 

 field. This handsome, volume of nearly 400 pages 

 is one of the most valuable and most carefully 

 edited State Reports that have come to our table, 

 and reflects deserved credit upon the society as 

 well as its able secretary. It contains in addi- 

 tion to the proceedings of the meetings and exhi- 

 bitions of the society, an interesting report of 

 the State Commission to the last session of the 

 American Pomological Society at Boston, and 

 other valuable papers and essays on various hor- 

 ticultural topics. The " Secretary's Portfolio " 

 forms a leading and distinctive feature. In this 

 chapter a great many short communications and 

 extracts from leading publications are given, all 

 systematically arranged under various classi- 

 fied headings, constituting in themselves a good 

 resume of the horticultural development and 

 progress during the year. The fruit catalogue is 

 compiled with much care and exactness and 

 cannot but prove of great value to every fruit- 

 grower in the State. 



Report of the Connecticut Board of Agricult- 

 ure and of the Experiment Station, both bound 

 in one handsome volume. Secretary T. S. Gold's 

 Reports are always valuable and highly accept- 

 able ; this last one is especially interesting, and in 

 appearance as well as contents second to none of 

 its predecessors. The plan of holding Farmers' 

 Conventions in different parts of the State, as 

 adopted by the Board, seems to work satisfacto- 

 rily, and cannot fail to exert an excellent influence 

 upon farmers and farming generally. This vol- 

 ume contains the transactions of the last meeting, 

 held at Newtown, which was fully attended by 

 farmers and others interested in agriculture, many 

 of whom participated in the discussions. The 

 principal papers read were by Dr. E. L. Sturte- 

 vant, on Agricultural Experiments: What we 

 Want to Know, and Why We Want to Know It ; 

 Dr. E. H. Jenkins, on Commercial Fertilizers: 

 Sources of Supply, and History of the Trade ; W 

 R. Hurd, ou Ensilage; J. M. Hubbard, on Com 

 mercial Fertilizers : A Farmer's View of the Sub- 



ject; Dr. Byron D. Halsted, on Fungi Injurious 

 to Vegetation ; J. B. Olcott, on Home Manufact- 

 ures ; Hon. B. G. Northrop, on Farmers' Homes ; 

 Edward Norton, on Associated Dairies; F. L. 

 Scott, on Farm Life as it Was, As it Is, and As it 

 Should Be ; Prof. W. II. Brewer, on the Adapta- 

 tion of Agriculture to the Improvements in Imple- 

 ments, Machinery, and Transportation. The 

 Reports of the Pomologist, Mr. P. M. Augur, and 

 the Account of Field Experiments, by Prof. W.O. 

 Atwater, are replete with valuable information. 



Tke Germination and Vitality of Seeds. By 



Richard E. Kunzc, M.J). A paper read before the 

 Torrey Botanical Club of New York. Accepting 

 heat, air, and moisture as the factors in the germi- 

 nation of seeds, the author quotes a great many 

 experiments to show that the period of the vital- 

 ity of seeds depends upon the quantity of carbon 

 contained in them. Thus it appears to be a fact 

 that some seeds having an abundance of carbon, 

 are capable of being preserved for ages, while 

 others in which this element exists in but a small 

 proportion require to be sown as soon almost as 

 ripe, and others still more deficient in carbon lose 

 their vitality before separating from the pericarp. 

 A list of the average time of the germination of 

 the principal horticultural and agricultural seeds 

 is given, also the best means for hastening the 

 germination of seeds otherwise tardy, and experi- 

 ments about the germination of unripe seeds. 

 Considerable space is devoted to the "Mummy 

 Wheat " question, and several cases are quoted 

 to demonstrate that seeds of great antiquity have 

 germinated. Although these experiences are not 

 admitted as conclusive proofs by botanists gener- 

 ally, it seems not impossible that under certain 

 conditions, and in a climate in which pyramids, 

 obelisks, and other monuments continue in per- 

 fect preservation for thousands of years, while 

 under less favorable conditions they would long- 

 since have crumbled to pieces, seeds may like- 

 wise retain their vitality longer than elsewhere. 

 The Pamphlet is published by the Club, and 

 copies may be obtained from N. L. Britton, 

 School of Mines, New York. 



ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. 

 Apple-tree Borers.— (?. O. M., New York.— 

 There is no surer way to destroy the borers than 

 to dig for them with a pointed Icnife and kill 

 them when found. If they are high up they may 

 be crushed with a wire pushed up into the holes. 

 Coal ashes spread around the trees are beneficial. 

 The wounded parts may be covered with a mix- 

 ture of fresh cow-dung and clay. 



Superphosphate of Lime for Cabbages.— 



H. M., TTpj>er Bedford, Province of Quebec.— If 

 the soil is in good condition and well worked, 

 superphosphate at two dollars per hundred will 

 pay, especially when used in connection with 

 yard manure. It should be scattered broadcast 

 at the rate of from five hundred to one thousand 

 pounds per acre, and harrowed in before plant- 

 ing. 



Floral Inquiries.— E. S., Albany, N~. Y. — Varie- 

 gated Leaved Varieties of plants, which, in the 

 normal state, have green leaves, are generally 

 chance sports which, by carefully continued 

 selection, have become permanent. 



Dwarf Form s of annuals originate generally in 

 the same way, and also through crossing or hy- 

 bridization. 



The Tricolor Geraniums are not derived from 

 the green leaved species, or Scarlet Geranium, but 

 are either sports or descendants produced by 

 cross fertilization of varieties of the Zonal or 

 Horse-shoe Geranium which has originally a dark 

 or discolored zone on the surface of its leaves. 



Flower Seeds of several kinds are grown, to 

 some extent, in this country, but, as with other 

 crops, not all plants arc equally adapted to every 

 locality, and so is the moist atmosphere of Europe 

 more favorable to the perfection and ripening of 

 certain classes of flower seeds than our hot, dry 

 climate. Another important consideration is the 

 difference in the price of labor. Wages for this 

 kind of work are so much lower in Europe than 

 here that most seeds can be procured from there 

 for considerably less than they could be produced 

 here. 



