April, 1919 
the region of our experience, it seems 
to lose caste and be cheapened.” 
Nature and man — What a partner- 
ship ! What marvelous strides for- 
ward when they toil harmoniously 
together ; but let either work alone and 
progress stops at once. Man takes a 
plant from nature’s garden and im- 
proves it by scientific breeding. As 
long as he follows up his labors or be- 
stows attention, it responds, and its 
evolution seems to take on amazing 
bounds. But let him neglect this high 
product of the partnership and hand 
it back to nature, she does not have 
the power to hold the improvement, 
and there is a quick reversion to the 
former type. It is reasonable, how- 
ever, to suppose that the reversion has 
stopped a little short of its former posi- 
tion, and that every such experience is 
causative to the sure, if necessarily 
slow, advancement in the onward 
march of evolution. 
Man can improve the Rose and the 
Lily, that nature, alone and unaided, 
created and evolved ; but he cannot 
create a speck of the protoplasm from 
which even the lowest type of moss or 
lichen originated. So in this agreeable 
partnership of Nature and Man, man 
must ever be content to remain the 
junior partner. 
The Glad Philosopher. 
William J. Stewart. 
William J. Stewart, founder and edi- 
tor of Horticulture, published at Boston, 
Mass., died on Sunday, February 23rd, 
at the age of 70 years. 
Mr. Stewart was born in Cambridge, 
Mass., and his entire life work was 
devoted to botanical and horticultural 
pursuits. At his beautiful home at 
Winchester, Mass., he had a fine col- 
lection of rare and beautiful trees, 
shrubs and flowers which he was con- 
stantly enlarging with novelties con- 
tributed by his many friends. 
Horticulture, to which Mr. Stewart 
gave his life work since it was founded 
in 1904 gave him the opportunity for 
expression through the printed page 
and he appealed to a wide circle of 
friends and acquaintances. 
Mr. Stewart was secretary and presi- 
dent of the Society of American Florists 
and his acquaintance with the various 
horticultural bodies throughout the 
East and West was extensive. He was a 
forceful and extremely lucid writer and 
the efforts for the good of the trade 
which he was so free in giving will be 
greatly missed. 
We hear much complaint this year 
as to quality of stock received from 
some of the larger growers. This, we 
presume, is owing to inadequate and 
unskilled help at digging time, but 
partially doubtless owing to inferior 
culture, inadequate fertilizing and pos- 
sibly to lack of attention to details. 
Xb be Slower (Brower 
Photographing Flowers 
Out of Doors. 
Almost any camera can be used for mak- 
ing photos of flowers. First study the in- 
struction book which comes with the camera 
until you know the camera ; next remember 
that for detail a tripod or some rigid support 
for the camera is an absolute necessity, as 
you cannot hold a camera still for a time 
exposure, and by a “time” exposure is meant 
an exposure where the shutter is open for 
one-tenth of a second or more. 
If a camera without a focusing glass is 
used, then place the camera where you can 
see in the view-finder just what you wish to 
see in the photo, measure the distance from 
the lens to the part of the flower or plant 
which you wish to be the most perfect, and 
set the distance indicator on the camera at 
that point. 
Now, time and patience are the most im- 
portant factors to success, as it will be neces- 
sary to wait till the wind is not moving that 
part of the subject which you most desire 
to be perfect ; with the shutter set, prefer- 
ably on “B” or bulb, you wait for the proper 
moment. 
39 
use as small a “stop” as the wind will permit 
of, and you will find that the only difference 
between a photo made with No. 8 at one- 
half second, another with No. 16 at one 
second, or another with No. 32 at two 
seconds, will be the amount of fine detail, 
because, as said before, each smaller “stop” 
needs twice as much time as the next larger 
one. 
Most films nowadays have some color 
sensitiveness, but not so with plates, as the 
cheaper plates as a rule are not color sensi- 
tive, so it is absolutely necessary to use 
“orthochromatic” or “isochromatic” plates 
and sometimes a “color screen” on the lens, 
and the ordinary “screen” will make the 
exposure three times as long as it would be 
without it. The color screen helps to keep 
the blues from showing too white in the 
photo, and the yellows from showing too 
black, and also has a tendency to keep the 
greens from coming too black as well. 
When you have gone far enough to under- 
stand what the films and plates will do, then 
you can improve your work sometimes by 
the use of “polychromatic” plates, and red 
and blue and green screens. — C. J. Hibbard, 
Minneapolis, (in Minnesota Horticulturist .) 
Gardens of S. A. Stevens, Great Diamond Island, Portland, Maine. There are about 
300 varieties of Dahlias and about 5000 Gladioli in the garden, all of them choice varie- 
ties. A more artistic setting for a garden could hardly be chosen. 
If the subject is a single flower, or several 
flowers that are about the same distance 
from the lens, then a rather large opening 
or stop can be used, say eight (or Fll), but 
if there are a number of flowers at different 
distances from the lens, then a smaller stop 
must be used, say thirty-two (or F22) and 
sometimes even smaller. Speaking of “stops” 
brings up the subject of time, or length of 
exposure. A person will save time and 
money in the long run to make at least three 
exposures ; first, by setting the camera with 
stop eight, make an exposure with the 
shutter set at one-half second ; next, with 
the shutter at one second; and third, 
with the shutter set at two seconds. In order 
to know the plates apart when developed, 
put a small paper number “two” where it 
will show in exposure No. 2, and a “three” in 
No. 3, and by noting the time of day, and 
selecting the one which makes the best 
print, you will have a good guide for future 
work. 
If you have read the instructions you 
know that as you turn in each smaller “stop” 
you double the time. If you are working 
for fine detail over the plate, then you must 
Removing Mulch. 
Do not be in too great a hurry about re- 
moving the mulch from perennials, pansies, 
bulbs and other outdoor plants. The weather 
in early April is notoriously treacherous. 
The morning may be suggestive of the 
tropics and the afternoon and evening of the 
arctics. When we are getting stinging night 
frosts, followed by clear, sunny skies is the 
time when mulch is really more needed 
than through the winter, so go slowly about 
removing it. A good time to take coverings 
away is on a dark, gloomy day when rain 
threatens. A good soaking from the skies 
right after the covering is removed will do 
them lots of good and help to settle the soil 
about any plants the frost has heaved. Press 
any into the soil which are badly lifted by 
the action of the frost. — Florists’ Review. 
Can anyone give us information 
about the use of charcoal as a purifier 
or fertilizer in the growing of any kind 
of flowers ? How is it used, how does 
it benefit and is it expensive ? 
