826 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
CHRYSANTHEMUMS AT MADISON 
SQUARE GARDEN. 
That good management goes a long way 
toward success, the great New York Chrys¬ 
anthemum Show fully testified. A varied 
programme, with new attractions dally, 
and the duplicating of about 40 premiums. 
Insuring fresh plants and flowers for the 
latter part of the week, held a constant 
drawing power over the crowds whose at¬ 
tendance meant both financial and horti¬ 
cultural success. Messrs. Slebrecht & Wad- 
ley,.Pitcher & Manda and T. H. Spaulding 
were among the largest exhibitors, but 
nearly every florist and grower of note near 
New York aided In creating the admirable 
display. In addition, F. R. PJerson, of Tar- 
rytown, H. A. Dreer, of Philadelphia, E. 
G. Hill & Co., of Richmond, Ind., and John 
H. Dunlop, a rose specialist of Toronto, 
Canada, added their quota to the exhibit. 
Chrysanthemums, the great feature, were 
supported by roses, carnations, orchids and 
greenery, all of which attracted about as 
much attention and admiration as the 
gorgeous chrysanthemums themselves. 
A noticeable feature of the exhibition 
was Pitcher & Manda’s display of specimen 
plants, standards, trellis forms and low 
bushes. Much was due to the varieties se¬ 
lected, mainly two seedlings, both of which 
were awarded special certificates of merit. 
One of these, Mr. Hicks Arnold, an ex¬ 
quisite bronze having gold-backed petals 
lightly lined with red, showed a proportion 
of its flowers pure gold in color, giving the 
plant a rarely beautiful appearance. Be¬ 
sides many specimen plants, a mass of this 
variety covering 50 square feet was shown. 
The other was a fine, broad-petaled sort, 
cream white shaded to palest yellow at the 
base of the petals, with some blooms show¬ 
ing the petals loosely whorled, and others 
a large, yellow center. Three other fine 
seedlings of this firm were Harry May, 
Annie Manda—a Mrs. A. Hardy improved 
in habit and depth, and covered more 
heavily with the glistening, plush-like sur¬ 
face pile, and that desire of every florist’s 
heart, a yellow variety of the hairy type, 
in which the pride of the firm exhibits it¬ 
self by giving it the name of W. A Manda. 
Once the furore over Mrs. Hardy had quieted 
somewhat, it became apparent that our 
growers would feel no satisfaction until 
they had reproduced the beautiful type in 
the favorite colors. Louis Boehmer, 
although gushed over to a considerable 
degree, was an alien, and was never, satis¬ 
factory in color, the tinge of purple spoiling 
the pink; but the new yellow is of the pur¬ 
est color and of good form, although not 
very full. 
The great attraction to growers lay in the 
classes for new seedlings; this was a special 
for Wednesday. Thursday was the day for 
the dinner table decorations, in the interests 
of the city florists, and Friday for the 
seedling carnations not before exhibited. 
The chrysanthemum seedling exhibit was 
large, and space forbids even the mention 
of many fine sorts which carried off certifi¬ 
cates of merit. The silver cups donated by 
Mrs. Astor and others were awarded as 
follows: that for the best new white seed¬ 
ling to a medium sized high rounded ball 
of pure white, named Miss Mabel Simpkins; 
for the best pink, to a huge, white-hearted 
sort with pink-tipped petals lined with 
purplish red, christened Edward Hatch; 
for the best yellow, to a-pure lemon yellow 
named E. Hitzeroth; for the best red, to a 
medium-sized deep velvet maroon sort, so 
high as to be almost pointed, known as 
Emily Laden burg; for the best bronze, to 
the magnificent Harry May, of the largest 
size, and finest form, dull gold at the back 
of the petals and reddish within, full of 
broad petals to the very center, and of lusty 
habit—indeed the originators say the best 
in habit of all varieties they have ever been 
permitted to see; for the best in “ any other 
color,” to a grand bloom shading from 
pinkish fawn through yellowish fawn to 
pale gold at the heart to be known as H. 
F. Spaulding; for a new variety shown 
previous to 1891, but not yet in commerce, 
to a huge bronze with yellow reverse of 
petals, thinly lined with red resembling 
Harry May, although not so good as that 
variety, and named Col. R. Smith. 
Strange to say, the seedling which at¬ 
tracted the most attention and admiring 
comment was none of these, but a sort 
named Brydon, Jr., almost the exact coun¬ 
terpart of E. Hitzeroth in every point ex¬ 
cept color. This was nearly the shade of 
Harry E. Widener. It was really more 
beautiful than either Hitzeroth or Widener, 
but it lacked the well built up, rounded 
form so dear to the heart of the chyrysan- 
themum grower, as did Hitzeroth also, 
for that matter. A sort that received a 
certificate of especial beauty was Miss 
Grace Brown, a pure yellow with twisted 
and drooping petals, of large size and very 
artistic form. 
Just as our poultry friends are going back 
to the old method of comparison, the talk 
about a scale of points for judging chrys¬ 
anthemums is crystallizing in the florists’ 
camp. Some claim that such a scale was 
really used during the exhibition just past; 
others assert that the “ scale ” amounted 
to no more than a resort to the recognized 
points of comparison: distinctiveness from 
all known varieties, form and size and gen¬ 
eral make up. 
Cut blooms of chrysanthemums were 
largely staged with the use of “ Bunyard’s 
Standard Exhibitor.” This is a new and 
good thing. To those who saw it used by 
the side of various older devices, Mr. 
Thorpe’s testimonial that it is the most 
complete combination of all that pertains 
to the correct staging of cut blooms and 
that it is far superior to anything prev¬ 
iously used, merely confirmed their own 
judgment. A disc for sustaining the flower 
wired above a tube for holding water—a 
tube which, being movable, allows the 
specimen to be raised or lowered at will 
above the foundation japanned “board,” 
and an adjustable bracket to hold the 12 
label cards in their proper order, are some 
of the features of this new Invention. 
A fine mass of dwarf white potted chrys¬ 
anthemums which secured the premium 
for the best group of white, not less than 
50 feet square, looked more like the every¬ 
day flower that amateurs might attain 
unto than was usually the case; but, un¬ 
fortunately, the name of the variety was 
not made known. This, it may be said, 
was a rare defect, nearly everything shown 
being so plainly labeled that all might read. 
F. R. Pierson showed, side by side, some 
fine cut spikes of the two dwarf cannas; 
the French seedling, Mad. Crozy, and the 
American seedling, Star of ’91. The ground 
color in the two Is almost identical. The 
latter has possibly the more brilliance, be¬ 
ing lightly flaked with a lighter shade, 
almost orange; Mad. Crozy has, however, 
a more rounded form, with petals not so 
pointed and of better substance, apparently. 
Either forms a fine color mass, if thickly 
set, and at a short distance it is almost im¬ 
possible to distinguish between them. A 
close observer felt pretty sure that the 50 
foot mass of “ French” cannas was French 
mostly by antecedents, and that Star of ’91 
helped largely in its make-up. 
But one entry was seen in the class of new 
roses of American origin, and this not of a 
sort to call out much enthusiasm at sight. 
In size, the rose was equal to American 
Beauty ; in color more pleasiDg, a good, 
clear pink, some shades paler than the 
Beauty; in shape flatter; in fragrance 
fine. It might be said that it is distinctly 
inferior to the old Cabbage Rose, if appear¬ 
ance only were considered; yet, should it 
prove to have vigor, freedom and contin¬ 
uity of bloom, it would, no doubt, be a good 
addition to our present list. John Burton, 
of Philadelphia, was the exhibitor. The 
sore was thought worthy of a silver cup, 
but not of a name, as would appear from 
its lack of a label. 
In the interests of private gardening It 
might not be amiss to note that two of the 
chrysanthemum cups went to private gar¬ 
deners : James Brydon, gardener to Mr. 
John Simpkins, of Yarmouthport, Mass., 
and James Griffon, gardener to Mrs. A. 
Ladenburg. 
A “new and rare’’plant in flower that 
attracted attention was a Cuphea larvae, 
from Pitcher & Manda’s houses, having 
two deep red petals, a downy, violet center 
and a hairy tube, shading from a brownish- 
red to green. 
Boldly asking admiration among the or¬ 
chids were two plants, from Slebrecht & 
Wadley, of the lovely Cattleya Dowiana, 
the one carrying three, the other four 
blooms. This plant, though not new, is 
somewhat rare, on account of the difficulty 
of importing it; its color combination is 
fine, the upper petals being fawn-yellow 
splashed with red, and the lip velvety, vio¬ 
let purple, heavily striped with almost 
orange yellow. Slebrecht & Wadley had 
almost a monopoly of orchids, and the 
collections of which these formed a part 
were highly decorated with the coveted 
blue cards as an addition to the color 
scheme. This firm also received the mag¬ 
nificent $50 Cutting silver cup for the best 
basket of orchids arranged for effect. 
At the carnation table the interest was 
great, the duplication of the prizes adding 
to its duration, and many sorts carried off 
special certificates. Orange Blossom, a 
lovely shell-white, shaded pink at base of 
petals; May Queen, shown by John Taylor, 
of Bayside; Indiana, a pale-pink ground 
color, striped with white; Iago, a dark but 
bright, long-stemmed maroon shown by 
John McGowan; Daybreak, an exquisite 
shell pink; Hoosier, a very large and well- 
formed clear red, and an unnamed seedling 
of fawn yellow with red splashing, all called 
for attention. The real queen of the exhibit, 
however, was rightly named Salmon Queen, 
a delightful pale salmon pink in color, with 
almost invisible darker flecks, large, of 
fine shape, and well fringed. Among varie¬ 
ties lately introduced, Ohio, Edna Craig, 
Lizzie McGowan and Louise Porsch, a pale 
yellow, showed up well. 
Among growers’ houses erected at the 
Garden, Hitchings & Co., showed a com¬ 
mercial rose-house, with large-size glass 
and light purlines, which hardly seemed to 
lose any sunshine through obstructing 
mediums. Under the class for the best 
working model of a greenhouse for ama¬ 
teur use, the only entry seen was a com¬ 
plete house, strictly portable, with double 
slope of roof and glass also in sides, with a 
tiny potting room at the end. If the price 
could be put down, this would prove 
irresistible to thousands of plant lovers; 
but with the price for the 8x16 size at $230, 
aside from the heating apparatus, it will 
hardly capture the masses, although it did 
gain the gold medal and was a beauty. 
The new system of bench drainage invent¬ 
ed by W. P. Wright, of Madison, N. J., 
having to do with the very existence of the 
flowers, and promising great things for the 
future, was possibly of more Interest to the 
growers than even the flowers themselves 
Being porous, perforated, and corrugated 
on the under surface, it promises to prove 
far in advance of anything now in use. 
The tiles intended to compose the bottom 
of the bench are flat, six inches wide and 
10 to 12 in length, and are to be laid closely 
upon a bench frame formed of T and angle 
iron. They can, however, be used upon the 
old bench floors if so desired. One advant¬ 
age claimed is a saving of labor, as the 
sodding and whitewashing are completely 
done away with. This is, of course, the 
testimony of the father of the system, who 
may have a natural prej udice In favor of 
his bantling; yet a system that could at 
first sight so impress growers with a belief 
in its merits that they at once declared 
their intention of putting it in for trial, cer¬ 
tainly deserves investigation. As late as 
August of this year, florists in convention 
were assured by one of their number that 
nothing in known use could equal slate, yet 
the advantage of a bottom porous and per¬ 
forated, over the flat slate slabs, needs but 
a glance to carry assurance. Probably the 
cost will be the greatest deterrent to its 
general use in the near future. 
In connection with the “exhibitor” should 
have been mentioned a frost-proof case for 
shipping the cut blooms in their several 
tubes. Five shelves receive the tubes from 
two “ exhibitors,” and the case is lined with 
thick felt, and lettered at the top: “ Cut 
flowers in water; this side up, with care.” 
c. v. 
AMERICAN INSTITUTE FAIR. 
The American Institute Fair is now hold¬ 
ing its 60fcb session in this city. This ful¬ 
fills more nearly the ancient idea of a fair 
than do our modern agricultural exhibi¬ 
tions. It is a vast aggregation of a great 
variety of articles for exhibition and sale. 
Large numbers of orders for goods are taken 
and, judging from the persistence with 
which the visitor’s attention is directed 
towards the exhibits, the chief object is to 
make sales. The exhibits of interest par¬ 
ticular to agriculturists, are few. During 
one week a flower show was a special at¬ 
traction. During another an exhibit of 
fruit was advertised as a drawing card, but 
was neither large in quantity nor superior 
in quality. Ellwanger & Barry led with 
an exhibit of 108 varieties of ]>ears and a 
less number of other kinds of fruits. Two 
or three nearby nurserymen had exhibits 
of grapes embracing several new kinds, 
but the fruit was covered with dust 
and was extremely unattractive. Among 
potatoes the R. N.-Y. No. 2 was con¬ 
spicuous for its fine appearance. Numerous 
carriages were exhibited, one which by a 
little legerdemain could be transformed 
from a single to a double-seated affair and 
by another turned into a three-seated rig, 
sufficiently large to carry a small-sized 
family. Four-wheeled dump wagons in 
variety were shown, both light and heavy, 
with and without springs. New kinds of 
building materials, improved systems of 
ventilating, heating and plumbing, food 
products, pictures, and all sorts of miscel¬ 
laneous articles go to make up a collection 
NOV. 21 
that attracts many visitors and has come 
to be one of the features of the city. F. H. v. 
WHY DO BOYS LEAVE THE FARM ? 
I have read, with a great deal of interest, 
articles from a number of writers upon 
boys leaving the farm for other pursuits. I 
was a boy once, and have not forgotten the 
time yet; therefore I think I can give a few 
Ideas why “ this is thus.” Very many boys 
have a hard time of it at home, being 
driven and hurried up as soon as thev are 
old enough to run errands, and never get¬ 
ting even a smile of approval for what 
they do, if done ever so well. 
Where that course is pursued to the ex¬ 
tent that has come under my notice, is it 
any wonder that the boy with few, if any 
privileges, tied down to long hours and all 
the drudgery he is able to do, is dissatisfied 
with the life he is leading ? Other kinds of 
business and trade, from his point of view, 
seem something far ahead of a farmer’s life, 
and he naturally thinks that as soon as he 
can get clear away and in some other busi¬ 
ness. he will ba all right. But many find, 
when too late, that they have made a sad 
mistake. There is also a class of boys who 
have a very easy time on the farm if they 
only knew it. They have horses and car¬ 
riages when they want them. They work 
in a busy time, and when the hurry is over, 
" take it easy.” There Is nothing to hinder 
them from dawdling, and this state of 
affairs often unsettles their minds and in 
many instances leads to a shiftless life. 
I believe in boys having a fair share of 
recreation, for “ all work and no play” is 
very injurious; but I do not believe it is 
well for them to go and come as they please. 
Now there are many of this class of boys 
who are just as much dissatisfied with the 
farm as the first, because they are very apt 
to get above any kiud of business that re¬ 
quires much exertion; therefore they get 
the Idea that almost any other business 
would be easier and higher-toned than 
farming. But let me tell the boys that it 
doesn’t matter what business or trade they 
are in, to make it a success work is es¬ 
sential and in many cases for longer hours 
and less pay than on the farm. So they 
should look before they leap. B. 
Suffolk Co., L. T. 
Foreign Butter in England.— At a 
recent English dairy show a Mr. Punchard 
said that in 1867 the English nation im¬ 
ported $20,000,000 worth of butter, or four 
pounds for each inhabitant. Now they 
import $52,500,000 worth or 9>£ pounds per 
head. Then he went on to say: “ If they 
went to the house of a rich family in Lon¬ 
don or Manchester or any large towns, and 
asked where they got their butter, they 
would invariably receive the answer that 
it was foreign butter—that it came from 
Norway or Denmark, or somewhere else, 
anywhere but from English towns or coun¬ 
try places. If they went to a large hotel, 
where people were accustomed to be charged 
very dear for every mouthful they pur¬ 
chased, they would get the same answer— 
it was foreign butter that was used. How 
was it that foreign butter had turned the 
English sorts out of such places? It was 
not because It was elaborately advertised, 
nor because the walls of our railway sta¬ 
tions were covered with placards proclaim¬ 
ing that foreign butter was the best, and 
that it was worth a guinea a box. The 
reason was that the foreign article was the 
better and would keep better than the 
English.” The English hope, by means of 
dairy schools and colleges, to encourage the 
people to make a better article that will 
compete with foreign made. In 1890 this 
country sent England 29,748.042 pounds of 
butter and 95,376,053 pounds of cheese. 
The Farmers’ General-Purpose Fowl. 
—The general-purpose animal is held in bad 
repute by many specialists who would boom 
their special breeds; nevertheless the gen¬ 
eral-purpose animal is what is wanted by 
the general farmer. After trying a great 
many breeds and varieties and types, etc., 
of fowls, I have come to the decision that 
the Rose-comb White Leghorn is as near as 
we can get to a general-purpose fowl for 
the general farmer. Its good points are as 
follows: 1. It is a very prolific layer, espec¬ 
ially if bred for an egg tpye. 2. It matures 
very early. May hatched pullets will lay 
in October and November and continue to 
do so the whole winter. 3. Its comb does 
not become frost-bitten so as to ruin it, as 
is the case with single-combed varieties. 4. 
It is a beautiful market fowl, with yellow 
legs and skin, and makes a fine appearance. 
5. It is good to eat. 6. It has a beautiful 
color and is a very active and proud bird. 
York Co., Pa. L. w. light Y. 
