T HAT people generally are showing a greater interest 
than ever before in gardens — or at all events, in the 
things that come out of gardens or have to do with 
the garden, is clearly demonstrated by the remark- 
able success that attended both the recent Flower 
Shows, held in New York and Boston. In the first case 50,000 
people or more paid for admission, and in the second case about 
10,000; which attendance may be taken as proportionate to the 
size of the display in each case and also to the community. 
Judged from the standpoint of the horticulturist, the two dis- 
plays were developed along entirely different lines. That in 
New York was the rehabilitation of an effort that had been well 
established before the war and merely needed to be set going 
again, whereas the spring show of the Massachusetts Horticul- 
tural Society was quite different, was indeed an entirely new 
venture. That both were received by the public with enthusi- 
asm is a splendid indication (if one were needed) of the growing, 
wider spreading interest in plants and ornamental horticulture. 
With the momentum of an established event the greater 
metropolis naturally drew attendance and support from all over 
the country. Meetings in New York of the Garden Club of 
America, the American Rose Society, the American Dahlia 
Society, and other similar organizations, held in conjunction 
with the exhibition all contributed to make a most successful 
gathering. 
Turning to the display itself, certain criticisms are heard; and 
it may be well that the management give these careful considera- 
tion. There is a danger — a very apparent danger — of the New 
York affair being overwhelmed by a certain monotony of char- 
acter. The “War of the Roses” as fought out by the two con- 
peting Piersons has largely usurped all other spectacular dis- 
plays, with the result that there is a growing similitude as both 
competitors approach the ideal which seems to be most pleasing 
to the judges; and this is leading to the dead-level monotony 
of repetition which begins to pall. 
T HE immensity of space to be filled in the Grand Central 
Palace is of course somewhat of a handicap. The building 
occupies an entire city block; and this year the fag end of winter 
was still sitting heavily in the lap of spring, and had its effect 
in lessening the number of exhibits. Railway freight embargoes, 
too made it impossible for certain exhibitors of the New England 
States to bring their displays; and the exhibition on the whole 
suffered from lack of novelty. 
The most interesting features were the marvelous Acacias 
from Mrs. F. A. Constable and the display of fifty kinds of 
Camellias from the unique collection of Mr. W. R. Coe. Of 
course, the restrictions on plant importation, due to the opera- 
tion of Quarantine 37, had a startling effect on the exhibit as 
a whole— as had already been intimated in these pages would be 
the case. The absence of fine specimen plants of Azaleas and 
such like of former years was indeed very marked. But it is 
not altogether owing to these circumstances that the New York 
Show becomes essentially a spectacular display of floral decora- 
tive art, with its make-believe Rose gardens already mentioned, 
bulb gardens by Scheepers and the spring-flowering greenhouse 
material from the ample conservatories of Mr. Adolph Lewisohn 
and others, brought in at an almost incredible effort in over- 
coming transportation problems. 
There is criticism in some quarters that a horticultural dis- 
play should be supported by the accessories of the garden — tools, 
insecticides, structures, mowers, tractors, and such like — but 
this hardly seems warranted. For to a large proportion of the 
visiting and supporting public these features are of an absorbing 
interest. In our opinion they should therefore receive every 
encouragement; for everything that helps toward the spread of 
interest and an increased facility in gardening surely finds ap- 
propriate place in an annual festival display to which thousands 
of people are drawn from all parts of the country. 
T HE feature of the Boston exhibition, announced in advance 
as the Orchid display, was indeed fully half that. Filling the 
entire lecture hall, which had been temporarily converted into a 
“tropical jungle,” Mr. A. C. Burrage’s marvelous showing of 
Orchids was probably the greatest and most remarkable single 
exhibit ever made at any gathering of this kind, anywhere. 
This was accompanied and supported by a remarkable biblio- 
graphy of the Orchid. The Boston show as a whole differed from 
that of New York in being essentially a display of unusual plants 
and fine specimens of cultural skill. The Roehrs display of 
Orchids was second only in size to that coming from Pride’s 
Crossing. But interest in novelties and unusual features was not 
by any means confined to the species and hybrids of Orchids. 
The Kurume Azaleas, described in detail in last month’s 
Garden Magazine were brought into the hall in perfection of 
condition, and their ethereal quality of coloring vindicated every- 
thing that had been said about them. Their best analogy was 
perhaps given by a lady standing beside them who asked, 
“Where are the Kurume Azaleas?” “Madam, you are stand- 
ing right beside them.” “My goodness, I thought they were 
huge bunches of Sweet Peas set in vases!” That is exactly 
the effect ! The colorings of these Azaleas, in the fifty varieties, 
practically duplicated the colorings of the Sweet Pea exhibit 
of Burpee as seen in New York. 
Horticultural connoisseurs of remote parts who came to 
Boston to view these Azaleas, saw for once and all (at all events 
for an indefinite time, so long as the restrictive Quarantine 37 
is in force), this group of marvelous plants, an even hundred, all 
gathered together in one place. The collection has now been 
broken up, one-half remaining with Professor Sargent the 
remainder being divided between the plant collections of Mr. 
Jack Ames, Mr. W. R. Coe and Mr. J. E. Aldred. And 
so while an opportunity will in due time undoubtedly be given 
horticulturists in the neighborhoods of the two large cities to 
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