200 
THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN 
THE CLIMBING POLYGONUM 
Why is the climbing Polygonum so little known? A 
vine that is extremely rapid growing, attractive in foliage, 
hears long feathery panicles of pinkish or whitish flow¬ 
ers in profusion seems to have all the qualities that 
would make a sepcialty or leader for any nursery. 
The assortment of plants effective for climbing over 
porches and arbors is not large and one would think 
such a plant would be in demand as soon as discovered. 
Polygonum Baldscliuanicum, according to Bailey’s 
Cyclopedia was first discovered in 1884 by Regal. It 
comes from Bokhara, in Central x\sia and as hardy in 
the Northern States and worthy of greater attention. 
Polygonum Auberti a similar plant apparently freer 
growing and perhaps a little hardier, is a more recent in¬ 
troduction from Thibit, China. 
This plant bears panicles of flowers 6 to 8 inches long, 
has reddish stems and the young growth is also of a sim¬ 
ilar color. The writer failed in an attempt to grow a 
plant of Baldscliuanicum, but the past year had all the 
success that could be desired in propagating and grow¬ 
ing Polygonum Auberti plants from cuttings, made 6 
feet of growth in three months and look as if they would 
make 20 feet by the end of the summer. 
* 
EDWARD HICKS 
Edward Hicks, one of the oldest residents of West- 
bury, died July 17th, in the homestead where he was 
born 80 years ago. He was the son of Isaac Hicks, who 
Edward Hicks 
founded the Hicks Nurseries about 1854. As a young 
man Mr. Hicks taught mathematics in the Brooklyn 
Polytechnic Institute after bis graduation at Albany Nor¬ 
mal College. Later he joined his father and brother in 
the nursery business, under the firm name of Isaac 
Hicks and Sons. He was the inventor of numerous de¬ 
vices useful in farm operations and with his son Henry 
Hicks developed and patented several machines for 
transplanting very large trees. Mr. Hicks was deeply in¬ 
terested in education and has been a member of the 
Westbury School Board since 1865. Four years ago Mr. 
and Mrs. Hicks celebrated the 50th anniversary of their 
marriage. Mr. Hicks is survived by bis wife, four child¬ 
ren—Henry Hicks, Mrs. Harold T. Patterson and the 
Misses Grace and Marietta Hicks—six grandchildren, 
and bis elder brother, Gilbert Hicks. 
In a previous issue, we published the death of Mr. 
Joseph Davis, of Franklin Davis Nurseries, Baltimore, 
Md. Mr. Davis was General Manager of the company 
and died very suddenly on May 31st. He was fifty-five 
years old anji was born in Staunton, Va., in 1863 and 
moved with his parents to Richmond in 1868 and to 
Baltimore in 1877. He was a son of the late Franklin 
Davis, founder of the Franklin Davis Nurseries of that 
city. 11 is many friends in the nursery business w ill 
sympathize with the bereaved family. 
Obituary. 
The late Mr. Joseph Davis . 
of the Franklin Davis Nurseries, Inc. Baltimore, Md 
