§75 
vest, and I have never failed to grow enough to 
be of great benefit in fertiziling the soil. 
Oar wheat was cut this year between the 21st 
an 1 21't'i of Juue: at this date (Aug. 2,) the 
clover has entirely overtopped the stubble aud 
is blooming freely and on the richer parts of 
the field it is laborious to walk through it, the 
growth is so rauk and tall. 
Have I made my rotation clear ? Half of 
this land is in wheat every year, and the other 
half in corn or potatoes. Then the part in 
corn or potatoes is sown in wheat, and that 
which was in wheat has a heavy growth of 
clover which is plowed down, and this part is 
planted in corn or potatoes. Thus you will 
see that I grow three crops in two years, two 
grain or root crops, uud one fertilizing crop. 
When I take a man out to show him what a 
growth of clover there is on my stubble fields 
I am usually asked, “Can you afford to use all 
this clover for the laud ! Why don't you cut 
it ?” I smile as I reply, “Before I adopted 
this plan I put twelve loads of mauure on an 
acre, which cost me *9 iu tuouey aud three 
days of hard work with a team, while this 
clover has cost me only the outlay for seed and 
sowing, which is rarely $1 per acre. My land 
is cleaner and more easily worked than if I 
used manure, and I believe that under this 
plan I get $15 for one, for I value my clover 
crop at. that for fertilizing. By this plan I 
cau fertilize as many acres as I choose each 
year, while if I depend on manure It is often 
impossible for me to get half what I need, or 
to find time to draw it if I could get it. In a 
wet time, when the fields ure soft, 1 cannot 
wagon over them at all ; but that is just the 
weather when my clover makes the most rapid 
growth. Understand, I do not depreciate the 
value of the manure we save, and 1 apply all I 
can get at home ; but I no longer buy aud 
draw it from the village. 
“But what do you do when you fail to get a 
staud of clover ?” I hear some old fanner ask. 
H ell, to tell the truth, that would seriously 
interfere with my rotation ; but I don’t have 
failures. “How do I avoid them ?” First_I 
make sure that I have good fresh seed, by 
either growing it at home or buying it of a 
neighbor (usually the latter) • but if I buy 
from the stores I tost it. Second—I sow early 
on a bi igbt, clear morning, when the ground 
is frozeD sharp aud I am sure of a rapid thaw 
before noon. This covers the seed thoroughly 
aud it is sure to grow, aud not till the right 
time. It will not sprout as quickly when cov¬ 
ered in this way as it. would if lying on the 
surface, and if it. does sprout, the earth pro¬ 
tects it when another freeze comes, and if the 
weather is dry aud the suu hot it does not 
perish as it would if lying on the sur¬ 
face. “But you lose the fall pasture?” 
\es; aud it is a loss greatly to my gain. A 
large percentage of the clover of the couutry 
is permanently injured by pasturing after 
hai vest, when the plants are tender aud much 
of the laud sowu in clover receives little or no 
benefit because of this, and turning on it too 
early in Spring. One great benefit clover 
imparts to the soil is by its dense shade, 
under which chemical action is induced 
and nitrates are formed, and plant food in 
the soil is rendered available, aud fields 
which are closely pastured fail to get this 
benefit. My plan of utilizing clover also 
saves all injury by tramping, which, ou day 
lands is considerable and cannot be avoided 
if the clover is fed off. Incidentally also you 
will notice the saving of fences, for I have 
done away with division fences on 60 acres of 
my 90-acre farm. 
_ Six > val ^ I sowed the Mammoth or 
Sapling Clover, on four acres as an ex¬ 
periment, and every year since I have had 
a field of it. I think it more profitable for 
most, if not for all purposes, than the com¬ 
mon Red Clover, and think that hereafter 
1 shall sow nothing but the Mammoth. It 
makes a much larger growth and shades the 
laud more thoroughly. It is about a month 
later, aud usually the weather is hotter and 
the land drier, so that, it is more easily cured 
it’ cut for hay. It yields more seed, and as it 
seeds iu the first crop and can be cut aud 
thrashed in August, there is less risk in curing 
and thrashing it than with the common vari- 
ety which must staud later. For hay it out- 
yields any variety of grass or other clover I 
have ever seen, aud stock do well on it. I 
can from six years’ experience heartily rec¬ 
ommend farmers to give it a trial. 
fUmniUuvul 
THE ROSE, MARSHALL P. WILDER. 
Among Hybrid Perpetual or, to use a better 
name. Hybrid Remoutauts, we have always 
regarded Alfred Coloinb as one of the very 
best of its class. Two or three years ago 
Ell wauger & Barry, at the writer’s request, 
sent us amoug others, one of their own seed¬ 
lings which they had named Marshall P. 
Wilder. It has bloomed with us for two 
seasons, growiug within a few feet of Alfred 
Colomb which it in many respects closely re¬ 
sembles. Both are seedlings of General Jac¬ 
queminot. Both are vigorous growers aud, so 
far as cau be judged, hardy aud equally so. 
The buds and flowers are closely alike, the 
buds being round and slightly conical, the 
flower very double, level-topped aud very 
fragrant, though Wilder was thought to be 
the more fragrant. The buds are large, the 
outer petals of a dull, dark red, like those of 
Comtesse do Sereuye, Caroline de Sausal, 
Colomb and others: but. those recurve as the 
buds unfold and are of course concealed. The 
flower is of a fresh, rich crimson. Alfred Col¬ 
omb is a shade lighter. Both roses oftou bear 
five to seven buds ou a peduncle, the pedicels 
often being short—not over two inches long— 
smooth and slender. Wherein do the two 
roses differ materially? We can not say except 
that Wilder has given us more roses aud has 
bloomed later. Iu fact siuce its first abun¬ 
dant offering of June roses, the bush has not 
at any time been without buds in one or 
another stage of development, while Alfred 
Colomb has not bloomed iu two weeks. 
Alfred Colomb is thought to be oue of the 
best roses for general cultivation; but we 
must prefer its American sister, or brother 
rather, Marshall P. Wilder. Our reasons as 
intimated are <t) that it blooms more freely 
and during a longer period; (2) the flowers are 
more fragrant; (:.J) the plant is more vigorous. 
Our illustration, Fig. 345, is from a rose 
carried to the office aud sketched not until the 
petals were somewhat withered. 
best exhibit you can,but again let me advise you 
to give preference to quality rather than quan¬ 
tity. Have some style about your collection. 
Let every blossom you exhibit be a first-class 
flower or buuch of flowers of its kind. Don’t 
mix them up helter-skelter as if you had dump¬ 
ed them into au ash barrel. Make as large a 
display as you please, have as big bunches as 
you please, but don’t have dahlias scattered 
all over the lot, or geramiums, asters, mar¬ 
igolds, petunias or other flowers, but have all 
your dahlias near together, the same with your 
phloxes, zinnias, salvias and other flowers. 
Use rose- geraniums, wood ferns, or other 
“greens” to tastefully set off your flowers. 
Have some get-up about your arrangement. 
Cut blooms ok one sort of plants, as 
for instance, asters, or roses, or dahlias, or 
gladioli. Take dahlias for example : keep 
all the whites by themselves, aud so on with 
the reds, crimson, mottled, and the like, and 
grade them so that the large blossoms shall be 
at the back and the smaller ones to the front. 
Mixing them up in size or color is contemp¬ 
tible taste in exhibition, home or any other 
kind of decoration. If your notion in mixing 
is to make the judges think you have a greater 
variety than you actually have, please unde¬ 
ceive yourself. The judges have something 
else to do than unravel the intricacy of any 
nasty muddle. 
Bouquets. —Use a few rather than many 
kinds of flowers, and arrange them so that 
every blossom shall appear unruffled and in 
perfection. Don’t use wires, sticks, or other 
unnatural stems. Let the bouquets be small 
rather than large. Let white be the prevailing 
color, and avoid incongruous and violent 
THE ROSE, MARSHALL P. WILDER. From Nature. Fig. 345. 
FLOWERS FOR THE FAIR. 
September is the month of fairs: let us 
prepare accordingly. 
Plants in pots. —Get them ready at once. 
If they are planted out, lift aud put them into 
the smallest pots you can get them into with¬ 
out injuring their roots. Have them estab¬ 
lished iu their pots before the fair time; they 
will look lletter and keep up better. 
The pots, —So far as the judges shall dis¬ 
criminate. an old teapot or tomato can is just 
as good in their eyes as the tiuest flower pot, 
only let the pots be in proportion to the sizes 
of the plants, neat and clean. A dirty pot is 
an abomination, aud should weigh heavily 
against the exhibitor. 
Collections ok plants.—L et every plant 
be good and of its kmd a creditable speeimeu. 
If you have any little, weak, sickly, trashy or 
scraggy things, don’t take them to the fair, 
^\im at quality, not at numbers. Don’t think 
that the premiums will be awarded for a largo 
number of poor plants rather than a much 
smaller number of good ones. Poor stuff 
doesn’t count at all in your favor so you may 
just as well leave it at. homo. 
Arranging the plants.— Take some pains 
to arrange them prettily. It. will couut in 
your favor. Keep the large ones to the back 
of the table, and grade the others according to 
their size. Keep the kinds together as much 
as you can—the begonias together, the ger¬ 
aniums together, the fuchsias together, and so 
on. Have the best side face to the front, and 
do all you can to make your collection look 
well and to the best advantage. 
Collections ok cut flowers.—M ake the 
mixtures. Dou’t have a conglomerate mass of 
little and big blossoms. Use the very best 
material you can command, aud arrange it 
with all the elegance and loveliness your 
mind can devise. Be very particular about 
the stem of the bouquet ; see to it that it is 
neatly tied and finished off. Don’t think be¬ 
cause the bouquets are stuck into little vases 
tilled with water that the stems are hidden. 
Oh, no ; the judges lift them out of these 
vases, aud examine the stems as well as the 
tops ; and don't think that the little greenery 
you stick into the vases arouud the bouquets 
will be overlooked, for nothing except what 
is tied up in the bouquet is reckoned any part 
or parcel of it. 
3ntmst’l Socutus, 
THE FLORISTS’ CONVENTION. 
(rural special REPORT.) 
Blending of business with pleasure; the floral 
display; lively “experience meetinga 
l rip to the ocean ; election of officers ; a 
florieultural circus; luncheon at Wootton; 
organization of a hail insurance company; 
the ladies; a good time all around. 
The Society of American Florists held their 
second annual convention in Philadelphia Au¬ 
gust 18 to 21, both days inclusive. The affair 
was a tremendous success, both professionally 
aud socially. Indeed, the social part of the 
affair was so liberal aud extensive that there 
were some murmurs from the ferociously in¬ 
dustrious members, who feared that this 
would interfere with business. However, the 
business part of the programme was fully fol¬ 
lowed out, resulting in the ventilation of many 
new ideas and new methods in floriculture, 
while the social gayety removed any danger 
of overtaxed brain power on the part of the 
members. 
The meetings were held in Horticultural 
Hall, on Broad Street. The upper hall, de¬ 
voted to business sessions, was tastefully deco¬ 
rated, the balcony being draped with laurel 
aud the stage arranged with foliage plants, 
while over the speaker’s desk hung the word 
“Welcome” in immortelles. The lower ball 
was devoted to the exhibition. This, though 
not very large, comprised some excellent feat¬ 
ures. Two tanks filled with aquatics were of 
much interest. One contained cut specimens 
of the Sacred Lotus (Nelumbium speciosum). 
The superb rosy-pink blosssoms were mingled 
with leaves and seed-stalks, making a most 
artistic group. The other tank contained 
nymplucas, white, blush-pink, rose, and blue, 
of most delicious perfume. There were also 
leaves of the giant lily. Victoria Regia— 
great saucer-tike shields that are often eight 
feet across, borne ou cable-like steins set 
thickly with cruel spines. 
A quantity of gloxinias and tuberous- 
rooted begonias made a fine show, backed by 
fragrant white lilacs, grown in pots. Some 
new ferns were exceptionally fine, and a large 
collection of very spiky cacti grinned cheer¬ 
fully at the passer-by. 
Seeds, bulbs aud florists’ appliances made 
another useful and comprehensive exhibit, 
the display of baskets being very large. But 
here let me make a plaintive protest against 
those awful decorations (?i—dyed Pampas 
Plumes! Nothing can be more graceful than 
this grass in its soft, native hue, but when 
ruthless man dyes it an aniline green or ma¬ 
genta, or purple, it is a sight to make angels 
weep. 
The convention was opened with an address 
by Mi - . Mitchell, of the Pennsylvania Horti¬ 
cultural Society. He introduced the Mayor 
of Philadelphia, who welcomed the society in 
a very happy speech. 
Next Nr. Peter Henderson told “ What the 
Craft Has Been Doing the Past Forty Years.” 
His essay was both instructive and amusing, 
and at its close some of his contemporaries 
were requested to give their experiences, 
which were another source of amusement to 
the audience. 
At the afternoon and evening sessions es¬ 
says were read on Treatment of Tea Roses 
During the Summer, by Antoine Wintzer, 
West Grove, Pa.; H. P. Roses for Out-door 
Summer Blossom, John Henderson, Flushing, 
L. I.; Pot-grown Roses for Market Purposes; 
Robert Craig, Philadelphia; Fungoid Diseases 
of the Rose; H. J. Sackeredorff, Bayside, L. I.; 
aud Pot-grown Foliage Plants for General Pur¬ 
poses, by James Taplin, Maywood, N. J. 
These essays were followed by very lively dis¬ 
cussions. and the evening session had the ex¬ 
citement of keenly-contested debates on sub¬ 
jects drawn hap hazard from the “Question 
Box.” Perhaps nothing provoked such close 
debate as the subject of great plant auctions 
and their effect on small florists. It is the 
guneral opinion, even amoug the great florists 
who supply these auctions, that they cripple 
the local trade of smaller growers to an alarm¬ 
ing extout, and what are we going to do about 
it ? 
On Thursday there was no business session, 
the entire convention goiug in a body to spend 
the day at Atlantic City. A special train was 
chartered by the Florists’ Club of Philadelphia, 
and a fine dinner was given the excursionists 
at the 1 nited States Hotel, the number of 
guests being nearly fi50. 
On Friday morning the Convention met 
with great promptitude, and devoted them¬ 
selves to business so as to prepare for the 
afteruoou, when G. W. Childs, Esq, gave 
them a reception at Wootton, his beautiful 
country seat at Bryn Mawr. The first busi¬ 
ness iu the morning was the election of officers 
for the ensuing year. These were elected 
unanimously: Robt. Craig, Philadelphia, 
President; Edwin Lonsdale, Philadelphia; Sec¬ 
retary; Myron A. Hunt, Chicago, Treasurer; 
J. C. Vaughn, Chicago, First Vice-President. 
After the election Mr. Le Moult gave his 
exhibition of floral designs. He marshalled a 
number of employes, both men and girls, ou to 
the stage, whore they started on the formation 
of a Wheel of Fortune. While they were at 
work. Mr. Le Moult exhibited designs iu im¬ 
mortelles. The first was: a life-size Shetland 
pony; this was followed by the steamer Amer¬ 
igo, the yacht Galatea, a Venetian gondola, 
a life-size lion, and several others. Mr. Le 
Moult’s remarks were often amusing, and so 
were the comments of the audience, who for 
the most part seemed to regard this part of 
the exhibition as a florieultural circus. The 
fabrication on the stage, though plain enough 
to professionals, would give very little infor- 
