Journal of the New York Botanical Garden

              JOURNAL
OF
THE NEW YORK BOTANICAL GARDEN
AUGUST
1950
IN T H I S ISSUE:
THE ROSE IN
ARTS AND CRAFTS
( DEN RED CURRANTS AND
1ITE PINE BLISTER- RUST
\ TATER RELATION OF
PLANTS
HORTICULTURAL
rECHNIQUES IMPROVE
> E ('. ROWERS' DAY — 1950
REVIEWS AND NEWS
PAGES 181— 204
VOL. 51 No. 608
ENTS Si. 50 A YEAR
HARDY WATER- LILIES
in the pool at the New York Botanical Garden
THE ROYAL WATER- LILY
Victoria regia is a member of the extensive aquatic family, Nymphaeaceae, to which the
hardy water- lily, Nymphaea marliacea rosea, illustrated on the front cover, belongs. But
the former is many times the size of the latter.
The flower of the royal water- lily, similar in shape to that of the hardy water- lily, is
one or more feet in diameter. The leaves are gigantic, some measuring six to seven feet
in diameter, but their texture is delicate. It is the peculiar structure of the under side
which makes the leaves so strong and bouyant, sufficiently bouyant to support more than
one hundred pounds— provided that the weight is evenly distributed. The lower surface
is ribbed from the point at which the stalk is attached to the circumference, and also
cross- ribbed, parallel to the circumference. These stout ribs are made up of hollow,
air- filled compartments.
Victoria regia is now being grown again at the New York Botanical Garden and may
be seen in house No. 9 of the Conservatory,
A REMINDER— that throughout the year the keen plantsman, amateur or professional,
will always find something of interest at the New York Botanical Garden
TABLE OF CONTENTS
AUGUST 1950
THE ROSE AS A MOTIF IN THE DECORATIVE ARTS
GARDEN RED CURRANTS AND THE WHITE PINE BLISTER- RUST Walter H. Snell
WATER RELATION OF PLANTS P. W. Zimmerman
PROGRESS IN HORTICULTURAL TECHNIQUES R. R. Fenska
ROSE- GROWERS' DAY— JUNE 1950
REVIEWS OF RECENT BOOKS
NOTES, NEWS, AND COMMENTS
fohn Kent niton 181
187
191
193
196
199
203
The Journal is published monthly by The New York Botanical Garden, Bronx Park, New York 58,
N. Y. Printed in U. S. A. Entered as Second Class Matter, January 28, 1936, at the Post Office
at New York, N. Y., under the Act of August 24, 1912. Annual subscription $ 1.50. Single copies
15 cents.
JOURNAL
of
THE NEW YORK BOTANICAL GARDEN
DOROTHY EBEL HANSELL, Editor
VOL. 51 AUGUST 1950 No. 608
The Rose as a z^ fCotif in the ' Decorative oArts
John Kent Tilton, Director
Scalamandre Museum of Textiles
THOUGH little is known of the very early history of the rose and
who were the first people to cultivate it, it is generally accepted that
the rose is one of the oldest of all plants to have been held in high esteem
and to have been given symbolic significance.
France and England fell under the enchantment of the rose when cru­saders
brought it from Asia during the middle ages. It was grown in
royal gardens for its beauty and fragrance and in the monastery gardens
for its medicinal and culinary properties. It attained importance in sacred
and secular ceremonies becoming, for instance, the ecclesiastical emblem
of perfection and being worn as a cherished ornament by women on festive
occasions.
The rose also achieved fame as the heraldic bearings of opposing armies
in a civil war that nearly rent a nation asunder. During the Wars of The
Roses in the 15th century, when the House of York with its insignia of a
white rose fought with the House of Lancaster which carried the red
rose on its shield, the flower became firmly established in English heraldry.
The succeeding House of Tudor consolidated the two colors by adopting
both for its coat- of- arms, and it became known as the " Tudor Rose". It
was made the national flower of England.
When the early Christians appropriated it as one of the symbols of their
faith, the rose was assured an everlasting place in the decorative arts. The
followers of Christianity, in order to escape persecution and death, hid
themselves in the labyrinth catacombs of Rome. There on the stone walls
they expressed in crude mural decoration, carving or painting, the symbolic
emblems of their religion. They did not dare actually to depict in realistic
forms their teachings. Instead, they adopted a secret code in which the
rose was a featured symbol, signifying charity and Christian love among
fellow men as well as being the symbol of the Garden of Heaven and
God's Heavenly Grace.
181
182
Throughout the Gothic era, the rose flourished in both ecclesiastical and
secular art as a highly stylized floral motif. The Italians preferred the
trefoil or quatrefoil rose in both carved and painted ornament, while the
English selected the cinquefoil. This discrimination in the usage of the
number of petals is a point well worth remembering. The very name,
" rose window", in Gothic church architecture is significant of the deriva-
Flowers are realistically portrayed in
this lampas, with brocaded satin insert,
which was woven by Philippe de la Salle
in France in the third quarter of the 18th
century. ( From the collection of Scala-mandre
Museum of Textiles).
Wallpaper " Les Deux Pigeons" was
made by Jean Baptiste Re'veillon and
printed from woodblocks in France, circa
1785. ( Courtesy of the Cooper Union
Museum of Arts and Decoration).
183
" Courtiers with Roses" — a tapestry presumably woven for Charles VII of France.
The rose was his emblem and the red, white and green of the striped background,
his colors. Franco- Flemish ( Tournai), 15th century. ( Courtesy of the Metropolitan
Museum of Art.)
tion of the term, because of its circular form in which the intricate mullions
simulate floral petals radiating out to the perimeter.
The " rosette" was another popular treatment of the rose as a motif in
which it was stylized in geometric formations of circles, squares and oct­agons.
The " rosette" first appeared in the weaving of Chinese silk textiles
during the Yuan or Mongol dynasty of the 14th century.
Roses were among the multitude of flowers represented in the " mille
fleurs" tapestries of the Middle Ages. They were woven in the far- famed
Unicorn tapestries, made for Anne of Brittany to celebrate her marriage
to Louis XII of France in 1499. The Aubusson and Gobelins tapestries
of the 18th century were profusely embellished with roses.
Artists during the long period of the Italian Renaissance broke away
from the traditional symbolism of the Gothic, and their floral motifs
assumed naturalistic forms. We find in their treatment of design in tex-
184
tiles a symmetrical and triple arrangement of roses in classic urns.
The great artists of the period, Botticelli and Leonardo da Vinci among
others, often portrayed the rose in their paintings. When the Renaissance
evolved into the Baroque of the 17th century, the floral motifs assumed
forms considerably larger than found in nature.
In France, the 18th century produced designers, painters and weavers
who have never been surpassed. Such famous men as LeBrun, Berain,
Marot, Boucher and Meissonier created designs for furniture, textiles,
wall decoration and the accessories in art. Watteau and Fragonard depicted
romantic garden scenes in their paintings. Revel and La Salle excelled
in textile designing and weaving. In all the decorative arts created by
these talented men, roses were predominant. The religious significance of
the rose had long been discarded and the poets and painters acclaimed it
as the symbol of romance, wisdom and beauty.
The floral designs were woven in textiles in a naturalistic manner that
had not previously been achieved. The polychrome brocades and lampases
gave the semblance of having the flowers painted upon their surfaces rather
than woven into them. The era, while elaborate in its decoration, was
always graceful.
Wallpaper came into fashion during the latter part of the 18th century,
and it is to France that the
credit is largely due, although
the English printed excellent
wallpaper in the same period.
As far back as the end of the
17th century, Jean Papillon
Pere was printing paper. He
was the first to make the pat­terns,
printed from carved
wood- blocks, match in repeat­ing
units when the sheets of
paper were joined. Jean Bap-
* ~ ^ B S K I S E J .' i^ CEaff'sAHOKS t'ste Reveillon, however, ex­celled
him. It was he who first
joined his sheets in one con­tinuous
length before printing
his designs. This he accom-t
C y V j W B i w ^ ' ife||- 3v'"' C£ SBiMBB plished just prior to the French
•^ m^ ftSKifW. wtaMT^ Hr SEW Revolution. Paper was not
A monochrome rose design print­ed
in red on chintz from wood
blocks, in England during the third
quarter of the 18th century. ( From
the collection of Scalamandre Mu­seum
of Textiles.)
185
Roses and other flowers decorate a
tole tray. Hand painted in England,
circa 1820. ( Courtesy of the Cooper Un­ion
Museum of Arts and Decoration.)
manufactured in continuous length
until the 19th century. Reveillon
was as important in printing
" papier peints" as Oberkampf was
in printing " loiles du Jouy". Only
the most talented artists were em­ployed.
In fact, Huet designed for
both. The wallpapers resembled
paintings of still life, and roses
were the prime favorites of the
flowers delineated.
Roses lavishly adorned the gay
English chintzes and the French
toiles of the 18th and 19th centu­ries.
Every conceivable variety of
flower was utilized in the design.
The highly decorative japanned
metalware, better known by its French name, " tole", was another medium
for floral decoration. Thomas Allgood who lived in Pontypool, England,
in the second half of the 17th century, conceived the idea of molding thin
metal plates into such useful and ornamental household utensils as trays,
tea and coffee urns, vases and cache- pots. The decorations were all hand
painted with an enamel made from coal by- products which, when fired,
became impervious to heat and moisture. The artists were often those
who had worked in porcelain potteries and this accounts for the similarity
of the tole decoration to that of chinaware. Nosegays and delicate swags
of roses were the motifs most copied. Tole ware was introduced in France
during the Directoire period, when it was substituted for their silverware
which had been melted down in the Revolution. The vogue reached America
in the early 19th century.
The rose motifs are
needlepoint in this piece
of Belgium lace, probably
Bruges, 19th century. It is
a combination of needle­point
and bobbin. ( Cour­tesy
of the Metropolitan
Museum of Art.)
186
Stencil- work, while popular in Europe, was especially so in America,
because of its inexpensiveness and the little skill required in cutting the
stencils and applying the colors. Housewives and their daughters stenciled
tables, chairs, boxes and trays. Itinerant artists traveled about the country­side.
For their board and a nominal fee, they would stencil the walls of
the parlour and, perhaps, the master bedroom. The decoration was usually
in the form of borders in which the rose was entwined with other garden
flowers or stylized in rosettes.
Lambert Hitchcock, New England's rush bottom chair manufacturer,
opened his factory in 1826 at what is now Riverton, Connecticut. His
family applied the paint, usually black, and stenciled gold decoration on the
splats. Swags, festoons and cornucopias of flowers abundant with roses
were the preferred figures of ornamentation. When spring came, Hitchcock
would set out with a wagon load of " fancy chairs" to sell to the farmers'
wives. At that time, they were considered inexpensive, but today an original
Hitchcock chair brings a good price in the antique shops.
The making of delicate needlepoint or bobbin laces required skill and
infinite patience. Each country developed various types of lace distinctive
to itself. The name " rosepoint" has always been misleading, since originally
the patterns contained no roses. However, among the lace authorities of
today, there is a tendency to include the 19th century Brussel laces, in
which the rose is featured, with the " rosepoint". The French call it " point
de gaze".
Wrought iron is another medium in which infinite skill is required in
modeling the delicate tracery of its designs. The elaborate wrought iron
grills and gates of the 18th century were frequently ornamented with
floral motifs, and the rose was represented by a naturalistic portrayal.
Good huswifes in sommer will save their owne seedes,
against the next yeere, as occasion needes.
One seede for another, to make an exchange,
with fellowlie neighbourhood seemeth not strange.
In harvest time, harvest folke, servants and all,
should make all togither good cheere in the hall:
And fill out the black boule of bleith to their song,
and let them be merie all harvest time long.
Now looke up to Godward, let tong never cease
in thanking of him for his mightie encrease:
Accept my good will, for a proofe go and trie :
the better thou thrivest, the gladder am I.
August Husbandrie, from " Five Hundred Points of
Good Husbandry" by Thomas Tusser
187
Qarden Red Qurrants and
White ' Pine " Blister- Rust
Spare cultivated red currants— they are sufficiently
resistant to this fungus
By Walter H. Snell
COMPARED with the chestnut blight, the control of the blister- rust of
white pine is a simple matter because the fungus causing the disease
of pine cannot be spread from pine to pine but must pass a part of its life
history upon currants and gooseberries ( Ribes) before reinfecting the pine.
As demonstrated in an earlier article by the writer*, the spores formed on
the pine can be carried by the wind at least 300 miles to Ribes, but the
spores on the Ribes which reinfect the pine are the weak link in the chain
in that they can be carried only relatively short distances. Therefore, the
removal of Ribes from the vicinity of white pines provides a comparatively
simple means of control of the disease.
Paying no attention to precise biological details, it may be said that the
different kinds of Ribes vary in their infectability or what has been called
the " hitting power" with regard to the pine. From the very beginning, it
has been recognized that cultivated English black currants are dangerous to
pine at least up to a mile and a quarter and consequently they have been
removed from gardens in all the eastern states where white pine is grown.
All other species of currants and gooseberries, wild or cultivated, have for
the most part been considered able to jeopardize pines only at distances
inside of 1,000 feet, except under unusual conditions of terrain, etc. Over
the past 35 years, the public has cooperated willingly in the protection of
the pine by the removal of the cultivated black currants and the wild Ribes
of all sorts, but it has never become reconciled to the compulsory removal
of even a small row of measley, uncared for, garden red currants.
This writer has never believed that cultivated currants and gooseberries
were a source of danger to white pine. Here's how. One day, in my
earliest blister- rust work in 1916, ahead of me up a road in Swansea,
Mass., I saw a blotch of foliage decidedly bright orange in color. It was
a half- acre of English black currants with the leaves completely infected
with the blister- rust fungus from diseased pines across the road. Next to
this patch was a half- acre of cultivated red currants, upon which I could
find only scattered blister- rust infection spots— a violent contrast with the
condition of the English blacks, bright green against orange. Next to these
was a half- acre of cultivated gooseberries, upon which I could find no
blister- rust infection at all. Therefore, even considering the known varia-
* See May 1950 issue of the Journal of the New York Botanical Garden.
188
bility within certain limits of the susceptibility of garden red currants to
the blister- rust fungus, I have always insisted that these currants consti­tuted
no danger to white pine, at any distance from them. It was not,
however, until a third eradication of red currants in the Lake George area
of New York about 1935 raised a violent storm of protest that I was able
to attempt to prove my thesis.
My first approach was to try to find pines that could be considered in­fected
by spores from cultivated red currants. I looked up every situation
of which I could learn in the Adirondack region, where there were red
currants within a reasonable distance of the pines. I located 29 cases, in
most of which the red currants were within 200 feet. In 28 of these cases,
pines were infected. Red currants were nearby but so were wild goose­berries—
the red currants, therefore, clearly not with certainty culpable. In
one case, I found red currants within 100 feet of cankered pines and no
wild Ribes upon which I could place the blame.
Of the 29 cases, one was shown me definitely for the purpose of con­founding
me. Upon casual inspection, it certainly appeared able to blow
my ideas sky high! This was Case 47, the old " Ab Wrisley Place" near
Lewis in Essex County, New York, an abandoned farm with 7j4 acres of
planted pines surrounding an old row of 12 large red currant bushes.
These pines were certainly heavily infected, nearly 45% out of the total
of about 8,000 trees. It looked as if the red currants had me. Careful
analysis of the situation proved interesting, however.
Studying the infection conditions by 15- foot quadrats, I found a strange
situation— that the percentage of infection was lowest near the red currants
and became increasingly higher as one proceeded in any direction to the
periphery of the plantation. Conversely, the percentage of infection of the
pines was highest in the northern corner of the plot and decreased regularly
from that point to the other portions of the plot. I then noticed a few small
wild gooseberries about 6 inches high right at the edge of this northern
corner. By digging around in the ground, I found that these small bushes
were sprouts from roots many years old and then later learned, from the
blister- rust personnel in the county, that large bushes had been removed
from this precise spot two or three years before. I was happy, again!
My next approach was to study similar white pine- red currant associa­tions
in the hardwood region of western New York, where the pines were
planted ones and not native. In 9 of the 38 cases studied, the red currants
were within 6 inches to 100 feet and the pines were not infected. In one
case, a planting of 1,000 trees 350 feet to 800 feet from a block of over
2,700 red currants was entirely uninfected. In 12 more cases, blocks of
pine, mostly of 500 to 2,000 trees 50 to 900 feet from red currants, were
entirely uninfected. The remaining cases of this group were similar but
not quite so spectacular.
In many of the 72 cases of pines near red currants, 5 cases studied in the
189
southern New England states and 67 cases in New York State, the pines
were not infected at all. In all but one case where the pines were infected,
wild gooseberries were found to be as near as or nearer than the currants.
As mentioned previously, in this one case where the pines were infected,
no wild gooseberries could be found anywhere around. It should be added
that a few cases have been reported by others in various parts of the coun­try,
in which the infection of the pines was supposed to have come from
red currants, but if these few infestations were as reported, it is an ex­ceedingly
small number out of the hundreds of thousands of associations
of white pine and red currants that have existed over the eastern United
States during the past 40 years. Consequently, it has long been the writer's
contention that red currants constitute no threat to white pine and that
there is no need of eradicating them to any distance from white pine.
Over the entire period of study of the white pine blister- rust, there has
been the question as to why cultivated black currants threaten pine from a
distance of a mile and a quarter, wild gooseberries up to less than 1,000
feet in most circumstances, and garden currants not at all. With the idea
that it might possibly be the volume of the spores produced on the Ribes
that infect the pine and a question of a minimum volume of spores to bring
about one canker on pine, a series of rather intricate studies was made
along these lines and on three groups of Ribes: ( 1) the generally heavily-infected
cultivated black currants; ( 2) wild gooseberries; ( 3) cultivated
red currants.
On hundreds of bushes of each kind, the total number of leaves was
counted, the areas measured, and the total leaf- area per bush calculated.
While it was found that large red and black currant bushes would have
20,000 leaves and wild gooseberries 50,000 leaves, a good average for all
of them would be 4,000 or 5,000. The figures obtained were calculated for
the common unit of a row of 6 cultivated red currants and a comparable
pasture grouping of wild gooseberries.
A study was then made of the pathological conditions of the three kinds
of Ribes in order to get a representative situation. This involved the meas­urement
of the areas of thousands and thousands of infection spots. For
future calculations, a figure of 77%, which is low, was taken for the black
currants, 20% as a good average for a wild gooseberry bush, and 2.3%
for the red currants, the highest found in any case and much higher than
the average infection of any red currant.
Next, in a long and laborious study of infected leaves under low- power
microscopes, the numerical production of telia and sporidia on the three
kinds of Ribes was obtained. Then, using all the data of total areas of
leaves on the three groups of Ribes, the percentages of infection, and the
number of sporidia typically produced per unit of infection, a possible
total number of sporidia for the various lots of Ribes was obtained. These
figures came out approximately as follows: over two million millions for
190
the black currants, over 260 thousand millions for the wild gooseberries,
and over 33 thousand millions for the red currants— a ratio of roughly
70: 8: 1.
Whether or not these figures are a valid basis of judgment, it just so
happens that if black currants are dangerous to white pine up to a distance
of 6,600 feet, and wild gooseberries are dangerous to a distance of 750
feet, then these figures and this ratio suggest a dangerous distance for cul­tivated
red currants of something under 100 feet. And all this, mind you,
with the entire series of calculations " loaded" in favor of the red currants,
because of the low percentage of infection assigned for the black currants
and a much higher percentage of infection used for the red currants than
I ever found to be the case.
The final study made of the relation of red currants to the blister- rust
of pine was to attempt to obtain a threshold or what I called the " quantum"
relationship between the spore production on the red currants and the
infection of the pine— in other words, some idea of the number of sporidia
produced to result in a single canker on a pine tree. Fortunately, from my
earliest studies of a large number of infested pine stands in the Adiron-dacks,
I had data for every area upon the Ribes population— kinds, number
and sizes of bushes within and without the plots— as well as data upon the
pathological conditions of the pine. By combining these quantitative Ribes
data with the figures and calculations of the study just discussed, I was
able to make approximations of a threshold or quantum relationship. As
would be expected from the normal variability of conditions in nature,
there was a wide range in the threshold figures obtained. They ran from
a low of 580 million to a maximum of 79 billion sporidia to effectuate a
single canker on pine. It can be seen by the simplest sort of mathematics
that even if one chooses to disregard the highest figures obtained, there is
not much latitude to allow for infection of pines in any area from the really
meagre production of pine- infecting spores on the red currants. It would
appear that red currants cannot be considered dangerous to white pines for
the simple reason that they are so resistant to the blister- rust fungus that
they cannot produce a sufficient number of spores under any conditions.
I started out young with the idea that red currants are never sufficiently
heavily infected to need to be pulled out of gardens. For 20 years more,
my casual observations only strengthened this conclusion. And these studies
discussed here, whatever may be said of their completeness of coverage,
their finality or their scientific validity, certainly substantiate my conten­tions
in the direction of sparing the cultivated red currants.
• * • « = »
191
Water Relation of ( Plants
And Factors Affecting Conservation of Moisture
By P. W. Zimmerman
Boyce Thompson Institute of Plant Research, Inc.
SOIL moisture is probably the most important single factor which regu­lates
the growth of plants. There are many other factors which may
cause failures— insect pests, diseases, frost damage, and fertilizers. From
the personal standpoint, there is no substitute for experience; from the
standpoint of the plant, there is no substitute for water.
The amount of water available for plants is regulated by soil type, depth
of soil, soil management and rainfall or artificial watering.
Sandy soils have low water- holding capacity. Such soils are adapted
for rose growing only where rainfall is plentiful or can be supplemented
by watering.
Soils which contain clay are relatively retentive to moisture. This may,
under certain conditions, work to the disadvantage of the plants. Sandy
soil can give up more than 80 per cent of its moisture to growing plants,
whereas clay may hold back as much as 40 per cent of its total moisture.
That is, plants may wilt in clay soil while considerable moisture is present.
The ideal type of soil for most plants is loam, which is a mixture con­taining
sufficient sand to provide good drainage, sufficient clay to insure
adequate water- holding capacity, organic matter and ample reserve supplies
of nutrient elements. We should not ignore the importance of organic
matter within the soil. This material plays an important role in plant
nutrition, increases water- holding capacity of the soil and improves the
physical condition of all types of soil. In farm practice, organic matter
resulting from cover crops helps to prevent erosion.
Approximately one inch of rainfall a week is necessary to satisfy
shallow- rooted crops. Shrubs and trees can get along on slightly less.
This rainfall is most beneficial if it comes between May and September.
In 1949 we experienced a near drought during those months. In fact, the
drought was serious enough to restrict the use of water in the New York
City area throughout the winter.
That brings us to the question of how to conserve moisture in the
garden. Mulching of the soil is one of the most effective means for hold­ing
moisture, and it can be accomplished in a number of ways. Perhaps
the simplest method is to maintain a well cultivated, loose layer of soil on
the surface of the ground. This layer can be repeatedly renewed by cul­tivation
after each rain. If the soil is well supplied with organic matter,
a loose layer will be particularly effective for preventing evaporation of
moisture.
There are many mulching materials available, for example, sawdust,
192
ground coconut shells, buckwheat hulls, straw, and coffee grounds. In recent
years, I have had a number of favorable reports from the use of sawdust
for mulching purposes. It must be remembered, however, that when cellu­lose
material is added to the soil, bacteria working thereon will rob the
plants of nitrates. It is advisable to use additional fertilizer when straw,
sawdust or buckwheat hulls are worked into the soil. As soon as the
mulching material begins to decay, it adds to the organic matter in the
soil and eventually improves the fertility and water- holding power.
Plants absorb and then transpire water. Transpiration is essentially
evaporation of water from leaves and other organs and is the most gen­erally
recognized of all processes in plants. Many common practices are
based on this recognition as, for example, watering of house plants, use of
irrigation systems, wrapping of cut flowers and waxing or placing nursery
stock in wet sphagnum moss.
Transpiration is by no means limited to leaves but may occur from the
surface of any organ. Loss of water from fruit, tubers and roots is due
to transpiration. The leaves, however, have the largest evaporating surface
and from them occurs the greatest amount of transpiration in the growing
plant.
Water composes the bulk of growing plants. Young tissues may con­tain
95 per cent or more of water by weight. Older tissues usually contain
60 to 75 per cent water. Transpiration rates also vary with the species.
On record we find that a sunflower plant four feet high lost one quart of
water on a hot day. The same plant lost 123 gallons for the growing
season. A ragweed lost 140 gallons for the season. One acre of corn
( 6,000 plants) lost 324,000 gallons for the season.
The rate of transpiration is influenced by both internal and external
factors. The principal internal factors are: ( 1) the opening and closing
of stomates; ( 2) the concentration of water vapor in the internal air spaces
in comparison with that of the atmosphere; ( 3) the temperature of the
leaf; ( 4) the water content of plant tissue; ( 5 the occurrence of colloidal
gels which have high water- holding capacity; and ( 6) the cutinized epider­mal
walls in some plants.
Some of the most important external factors influencing the rate of
transpiration are: ( 1) the energy of the sunlight as it affects the internal
temperature of the leaf in relation to external temperature and also the
opening and closing of stomates; ( 2) the temperature of the atmosphere
and the soil; ( 3) the relative humidity of the atmosphere; ( 4) the water
conditions in the soil; and ( 5) the wind or movement of air. Wind pre­vents
the accumulation of moist air around the surface of the leaf.
Evaporation of moisture from the leaf exerts a pull on the water column
in the veins of the leaves, stems and roots. It tends to create a partial
vacuum and that, together with root pressure, aids the plant in taking water
from the soil.
193
Excessive transpiration causes wilting, if the water lost exceeds that
taken in by the roots. This frequently occurs when the aerial parts of the
plant are out of balance with the root system. Top pruning of transplants
is practiced in order to bring about a balance with the reduced root system.
Tissue development in the growing regions of plants depends on an
adequate water supply in the cells. Enlargement of cells ceases when trans­piration
exceeds the water supply. Wilted plants either cannot manufac­ture
food or the rate of photosynthesis is greatly reduced. If such retarda­tion
of processes takes place during the early life of many species of
annual plants, they may not fully recover when subsequently supplied with
an abundance of water. Similar results may be expected also with roses,
though the effects may not be so pronounced. Therefore, a sufficient supply
of water to prevent wilting is essential in the management of rose gardens.
' Progress in Horticultural Techniques
R. R. Fenska
J UST how much the early horticulturists of Asia Minor knew about the
technique of hybridization and cross- breeding of plants, we do not
know. Early man kept much of his knowledge secret. Botanists were
linked with the medicine- man! Linnaeus, the Swedish scientist, was of the
opinion that the different kinds of plants never changed. It was not until
the latter half of the 19th century that Charles Darwin ( 1809- 82) and
Gregor Mendel ( 1822- 84) gave us the doctrine respecting the origin of
species from more primitive forms and the Mendelian law of heredity in
plants. Both men supported their theories with a great mass of facts from
nature.
While these investigators gave us some fundamental principles of plant
development, they did not complete the job. For instance, the well known
Macintosh apple first appeared on a single seedling in Alberta, Canada,
and had little resemblance to the fruit from the parent tree of the seedling.
The Dutch botanist, Hugo DeVries ( 1848- 1935) called this mutation, or
the sudden appearance of startling new properties or functions in the off­spring
from the parent plant. He changed the study of evolution from
observation to experimental work. The true explanation of the origin and
development of new varieties of plants lies possibly in some combination
of facts of these different theories. Man has not reached the peak of devel­opment
in this field.
Luther Burbank ( 1849- 1926) carried on extensive experiments in plant
breeding by selection, crossing and grafting and produced among other new
and desirable varieties the spineless cactus, the Shasta daisy and the seed­less
apple. Right now scientists are trying to develop, through cross­breeding,
plants which are immune to certain insects and plant diseases.
194
They want to rid the world of inferior species and develop a superior and
better plant kingdom. It may be the beginning of " plant eugenics".
Experiments with poplar hybrids have demonstrated that certain strains
vary from practical immunity to complete susceptibility of defoliation by
Japanese beetle. This has justified experiments to hybridize spruce species
in the hope that they may produce strains resistant to budworm attacks.
Also, successful hybridization between maple species and crosses between
species of ash have recently been reported by the United States Forest
Service. The rapid dying off of our native paper birch throughout its
range, due to a combination of factors known as " die- back", has led to
cross- breeding of our white or paper birch with gray birch in the hope of
producing an improved birch resistant to " die- back". The hybrids produced
so far are intermediate in growth rate, that is, faster than paper birch but
not as fast as gray birch. It is interesting to note that hybrids often show
more sustained growth than parent species. The production of fast grow­ing,
as well as insect immune and disease resistant varieties, is not only of
great importance to the forest industries but also to the arborist and the
horticulturist as well.
The greatest problem facing the gardener, arborist and horticulturist
today is the control of insects and diseases on crops and desirable shade
and orchard trees. During the past seven or eight years, many new spray
materials have been developed for the control of our insect pests and plant
diseases. Some were hailed as miracle bug- killers. Unfortunately, most
of them were placed on the market faster than experimental results war­ranted.
Too much was expected of them. When the so- called DDT
( dichloro- diphenyl- trichloro- ethane) insecticide became available for civil­ian
use after World War II, it brought a new concept of insect control to
the gardener and horticulturist. They were told that one spraying would
last for weeks, or even months, and would eliminate practically all pests.
The insect merely had to walk over foliage sprayed with this material and
in a matter of minutes it would be paralyzed!
It was soon discovered, however, that while it would kill insects that
were undesirable, it would also eliminate some predatory varieties that
were desirable. In other words, it had the tendency to upset the " balance
in nature" with disastrous results. Today, we are leaning more to the
opinion that we shall have specific sprays for each insect pest or plant
disease rather than an all- purpose spray material. We must learn to con­trol
our ever increasing insect problem or, as one prominent entomologist
once predicted, " The bugs will inherit the earth".
This is a real challenge and involves the work of the entomologist, the
chemist and the botanist. The entomologist must determine the most vul­nerable
link in the life cycle of each insect, the chemist must find a suitable
compound that will destroy the insect, and the botanist must experiment
with foliage and plant tissues to find the insecticide that will not injure the
195
plant. Thus, it is apparent that the " dream spray" of every amateur, one
that will do the job for all insects and different plants, will always be just
that— a dream.
Hormone compounds have been developed for use in the garden or
orchard to assure a satisfactory fruit- set, to prevent premature drop of the
fruit or, in the case of transplanting, to hasten the re- establishment of the
plant by stimulation of root growth. When these materials have been per­fected,
they will be a boon to gardeners and horticulturists.
On the other hand, there are instances where suppression or regulation
of abnormal growth is desirable. For example, when nursery stock has
been held in cold storage for a long period and then exposed to high tem­peratures
the following spring, it may readily develop undesirable soft
shoots. Recent experiments have indicated that this can be avoided, if the
plants are kept dormant by spraying them in the fall or early spring with
maleic- hydrazide.
Another current development is the application of a nutrient element in
the form of a spray solution directly to the foliage of the plant. This is
revolutionary. If present experiments prove feasible, it will be possible to
invigorate an ailing plant with a " shot in the air" instead of the ground.
However, the cost of supplying nutrients to plants by this method will,
doubtless, limit to special treatment under certain conditions rather than
make it a substitute for the accepted practice of fertilization of the soil.
The development of tree surgery is also noteworthy. In 1790, William
Forsyth ( 1737- 1804), gardener to King George III, published his treatise
of the treatment of wounds in fruit and forest trees. It was, indeed, a
crude method compared with our present- day materials and technique.
The so- called " Bartlett heal collar" has been one of the most important
factors in the success of our modern treatment of cavities in trees. This
" heal collar" serves to seal the cavity against air and moisture and protects
the cambium cells from drying out, and thus promotes continuous callous
growth at the edge of the wound.
The new technique, or chemotherapy, for control of certain tree diseases
is probably the most fascinating recent development. By this method,
special chemicals are injected into the sap stream of a tree to counteract
the toxic agents produced by such diseases as " bleeding canker", which
attacks some of our most desirable shade trees. Experiments in chemo­therapy
for the control of the Dutch elm disease indicate that it is possible
to condition trees to resist the disease by employing certain chemical com­binations.
The future development of this method of treating plants holds
great possibilities.
It is for the future scientists to give us the final answer to many of our
present horticultural problems, if there is a final answer. You are on the
first rung of the ladder. As you climb higher up, you will find many
frontiers in the basic sciences still waiting to be explored. We still, for
196
instance, do not have the answer to the greatest mystery of all, namely,
what is the nature and character of the green chlorophyl in plants. All
living matter depends on it. What makes it " tick"? If you can find the
answer to that question, you will have solved the age old riddle of life
itself. There are those who say it is beyond the ken of man. Nevertheless,
our best known amateur botanist, Charles Kettering, Director of Research
for General Motors, who calls himself a " monkey wrench scientist", is
working on this problem. He does not agree with those who claim this
mystery cannot be solved by mortal man.
Mr. Fenska, who is Secretary- Treasurer of the Westchester County Tree Protective
Association, delivered the above address at the graduation exercises, on June 22, 1950,
for students in the Two- Year Courses at the New York Botanical Garden.
Rose- Qrowers' ( Day — June 1950
IN spite of disagreeable weather, more than three hundred visitors at­tended
Rose- Growers' Day, June 15, 1950, at the New York Botanical
Garden. This was the eighth annual event of such nature, arranged in
co- operation with the American Rose Society. The theme of the day's
program was the amateur's rose garden.
While not everyone risked a drenching, a surprising number inspected
the rose garden under the guidance of Lambertus C. Bobbink, of Ruther­ford,
N. J. All were favorably impressed with the attractive layout and
excellent condition of the plants.
Among the notable varieties given to the rose garden this year by
Bobbink & Atkins, Rutherford, N. J., were Mission Bells, Souv. de Jean
Soupert, Golden Scepter, Golden Jubilee, and two weeping tree roses,
Sanders' White and Minnehaha. The number of bushes now totals ap­proximately
7,000.
Dr. William J. Robbins, Director, welcomed the visitors when they
gathered in the lecture hall for the morning session. Dr. P. P. Pirone,
Plant Pathologist, then assumed the duties of presiding officer, introduc­ing
Floyd F. Eldred*, of Old Greenwich, Conn., and Dr. Charles Glen
King, of Scarsdale, N. Y.
Experiences in a Hillside Garden
Dr. King gave a delightful talk about growing roses in his hillside garden.
He said, in part: " In 1942, we moved to Scarsdale, N. Y., and found a
new home to our liking, but the half acre lot had not been improved.
Among the rather hurriedly planted trees and shrubs, we bought a few
roses just as an experiment. Good luck with a dozen hybrid teas started
us on our hobby which, apparently, has no limit.
* See the July number of the Journal of the New York Botanical Garden for
Mr. Eldred's talk on " An' I Learned about Roses from Them".
197
" Our rose garden now contains about 345 roses, in 52 varieties, most of
which are hybrid teas. There are a few polyanthas and floribundas with
only one rugosa and seven climbers on columns.
" The roses which have given the most gratifying results are not always
in the same relative position each year, but the following have been con­sistently
exhilarating for a rank amateur.
" Peace is right at the top of the list, for it does everything to perfection.
It blooms continuously and generously, has richness of color both in foliage
and flower, is vigorous in growth. Crimson Glory stands second in line as
an all- round garden rose; a heavy bloomer in a velvety, rich, deep red.
Eclipse is also a vigorous grower, a profuse bloomer, and has golden buds
of striking form.
" Other teas which we rate highly for their garden performance are
Hector Deane, Lowell Thomas, Neige Parfum ( an exquisite white with
a delightful perfume), Mme. Chiang Kai- shek ( of almost classic beauty
as it opens), Charlotte Armstrong, Mary Margaret McBride, Betty Up-richard,
Pedralbes and Sunset Glory.
" Donald Prior we find one of the most satisfactory of the polyanthas
A section of the extensive rose garden at the New York Botanical Garden, showing
the shelter house under construction.
for background material, for it bears its deep red flowers against clean,
healthy leaves over a long period. Pinocchio is charming— the blooms
profuse and dainty in form and color. The climber, New Dawn, produces
its delicate pink flowers almost continuously, grows lustily and resists
winterkill.
" Just a word or two about mulching which is an important phase of
growing good roses. My experience indicates that buckwheat hulls are the
most satisfactory medium for this purpose. They are heavy enough to stay
in place; furnish a uniformly soft, aesthetic background; provide complete
protection against weeds, if applied an inch to an inch and a half thick;
reduce the loss of ground moisture, for rain penetrates them; and prevent
baking of the soil. Also, buckwheat hulls may be hilled up around the base
of the rose bushes in winter and in spring raked level again."
Rose Varieties for the Small Home Garden
At the afternoon session, Roderick N. Crocket, of Hartford, Conn.,
President of the National Association of Gardeners, presided. Harry L.
Erdman, Superintendent of the rose garden at Hershey, Pa., discussed
" Rose Varieties for the Small Home Garden." Mr. Erdman stated that his
subject was a controversial one in that personal likes and dislikes, different
locations, different layouts and other conditions naturally affected the
selection of varieties. Using " The Guide for Buying Rose Plants", dis­tributed
by the American Rose Society, Mr. Erdman named leading varie­ties
in the various color groups for gardens small, medium and large. He
ended his remarks with the recommendation that anyone contemplating a
new rose garden— or even revising a present one— should visit the rose
garden of the New York Botanical Garden and carefully study the differ­ent
varieties, noting the habit of growth, the foliage, the shape and color
of the flower. If three visits are made, said Mr. Erdman, in June, mid-season
and September, then by the process of elimination one will be able
to select the varieties of roses appealing most to him and most suitable to
the conditions on his own place.
Dr. P. W. Zimmerman, of the Boyce Thompson Institute, concluded the
day's program with a very interesting talk on " Water Relations of Plants
and Factors Affecting Conservation of Moisture", an abstract of which
appears on page 191 of this issue.
Conard- Pyle Co., West Grove, Pa., displayed the new miniature roses
Pixie, Tom Thumb, Sweet Fairy, Red Elf, Bo- Peep and Midget. These
tiny, hardy roses may be used in rock gardens, for edgings and for novelty
display. They grow only six inches high and bloom all season.
Bobbink & Atkins exhibited Autumn Bouquet ( new everblooming shrub
rose), Baroness Rothschild and Felbergs Rosa Druschki ( hybrid per-petuals),
Oskar Cordel ( hybrid perpetual, remontant) and Reichprasident
von Hindenberg ( pillar shrub, remontant).
199
REVIEWS OF RECENT BOOKS
An Aid to the Understanding
Of Plant Life
BOTANY. An inrtoduction to Plant
Science. W. W. Robbins & T. E.
Weier. 480 pages, illustrated, indexed.
John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York.
1950. $ 5.00.
" Botany" by W. W. Robbins and T.
E. Weier is more than an elementary
text book for college students. It is a
novel, stimulating and most interesting
introduction to plant life. Over 500 il­lustrations
aid in interpreting the descrip­tions
and functions of tissues and organs
of the plant body.
The use of Phyllum in place of Divi­sion
for the major classes o£ the plant
kingdom is arbitrary and acceptable by
some authorities. However, to designate
the slime molds or Phyllum 9. Myxomy-cophyta
as higher than the green, brown
and red algae is subject to serious criti­cism.
The tendency today is to class the
slime molds as primitive forms of animal
life. If accepted as plants the slime molds
are usually placed after Phyllum 1. Scbi-zophyta
( fission plants). Mycologists
would hesitate to consider slime molds
as primitive forms of fungi.
Under Chapter 4, headed: " The Plant
Body of Seed Plants", there appear illus­trations
of blue- green algae; these are
certainly misplaced under a chapter on
seed plants.
The text book, however, is excellent
and recommended as good and easy read­ing
for anyone interested in obtaining a
clear and comprehensive understanding
of the phenomena of plant life.
G. L. WITTROCK.
Well Known Scientists Capably
Handle a Complex Subject
AGRICULTURAL CHEMISTRY— Vol. 1:
Principles of Agricultural Chemistry.
Edited by Donald E. H. Frear. 812
pages, indexed. D. Van Nostrand Co.
Inc., New York, 1950. $ 9.
Principles of Agricultural Chemistry
is the first of two volumes planned to
meet the needs of those interested in
agricultural chemistry. This book is de­signed
as a text book for the advanced
student and as a general reference text
for that host of workers in the field of
agricultural chemistry and its closely
related fields.
In this volume the field of agricultural
chemistry is divided into five parts and
treated in twenty- four chapters. Each
chapter is written by a specialist on that
particular subject. Although there are
many specialists in the various phases
of agricultural chemistry, the editor has
selected a group of exceedingly capable
and well known scientists in the prepara­tion
of the volume. Despite the seemingly
unrelated nature of many phases of
agricultural chemistry, the authors have
grouped their material into an orderly
fashion under these five major divisions.
For those individuals who are interested
in going beyond the text book, each
Chapter is well documented with refer­ences
to the literature.
Doubtless the specialists will find fault
with certain portions of this book; how­ever,
as a general reference and text it
will find wide use. The style of writing
in several chapters is invigorating,
STACY B. RANDLE,
State Chemist
N. J. Agricultural Experiment Sta.
New Brunswick, N. J.
Antibiotics Adequately Covered
In This Volume
ADVANCES IN ENZYMOLOGY, and
Related Subjects of Biochemistry. Vol.
X. Edited by F. F. Nord. 533 pages,
indexed. Interscience Publishers, Inc.,
New York, London, 1950. $ 7.50.
The tenth volume maintains the usual
fine standards of this series. The enzyme
chapters are uniformly written in a flow­ing,
readable style, without sacrifice of
ample bibliographic reference. The sub­jects
covered are " Blood Clotting and
Related Processes" by Tage Astrup
" Tryptophanase- Tryptophan Reaction" by
Frank C. Happold, " Phosphatase Alcal-ine"
by Jean Roche and Nguyen- Van
200
Thoai, " Synthesis of Disaccharides with
Bacterial Enzymes" by W. Z. Hassid
and M. Doudoroff, " Probleme des Citron-ensaurecyklus"
by C. Martius and F.
Lynen, " die Phytochemie des Schefels"
by Theodor Bersin, and " Chemical
Changes in the Harvested Tobacco Leaf."
Part II. Chemical and Enzymic Conver­sion
during Fermentation and Aging"
by Walter G. Frankenburg. One of the
" related subjects" is " Some Aspects of
Streptomycin and Other Streptomyces
Antibiotics", by Norman Brink and Karl
Folkers, written as a compact summary
of the chemistry of streptomycin, with
only brief mention of Chloromycetin,
aureomycin, and neomycin. The last
chapter, by Claude Zobell, deals with
assimilation of hydrocarbons by micro­organisms.
MABJORIE ANCHEL.
Anthropocentric Emphasis in a
Biological Textbook
BIOLOGY. ITS HUMAN IMPLICA­TIONS.
Garrett Hardin. 635 pages,
illustrations, index. W. H. Freeman
and Company, San Francisco, 1950.
$ 5.00.
Designed for the college student who
will " never again be exposed to formal
instruction" in biology, this text frankly
stresses man rather than the amoeba.
The section on The Measure of Man, a
detailed treatment of anatomy and physi­ology,
covers more than twice as much
space as the following section on The
Variety of Living Things in which all
other forms, plant and animal, are
crowded. The remainder of the book is
given over to processes and characteris­tics
integrating all life. This makes for
a rather unconventional but nonetheless
effective arrangement, particularly for the
general student.
The clear open style, humor rare in a
textbook, and the almost cartoon- like il­lustrations
make the work " readable"
despite its high concentration of facts.
The uninitiated student will be glad to
find key technical terms clearly defined,
with their derivations. But he may also
find occasional rough going, if he has no
more than an elementary knowledge of
chemistry. Some biologists might object
to the anthropocentric tenor of the entire
book but, in view of its stated purpose,
the emphasis seems justified. That there
is no lack of humility is evident from
the author's final statement: " The mag­nitude
and immediacy of the problems
facing us make an admiring backward
glance at our progress seem indecent.
In this uncertain world, the only honest
glory we may hope to gain is that which
may be ours if we attack our problems
with clarity and high spirit."
MARJORIE E. SWIFT,
Heyden Chemical Corporation,
Princeton, N. J.
Histological Technique
PRACTICAL SECTION CUTTING AND
STAINING. E. C. Clayden. 129 pages,
illustrated, indexed. Chemical Publish­ing
Co., Inc., Brooklyn, N. Y. 1948.
$ 2.75.
Essentially a manual of methods for
the hospital technician, this concisely
written volume is divided into three
parts: paraffin sections, frozen sections,
and celloidin sections. Under each head­ing
the author outlines the details of
fixation, embedding and cutting, followed
by schedules of staining procedures ap­propriate
to each technique. The various
steps are explained, so that a beginner
may have some idea of why each step
is necessary and how to avoid mistakes.
VIRGINIA C. LITTAU.
For Neophyte Foresters
FOREST PRODUCTS. A. J. Panshin,
E. S. Harrar, W. J. Baker & P. B.
Proctor. 549 pages, illustrated, index­ed,
McGraw- Hill Book Co., New York.
1950. $ 6.
The preface of " Forest Products"
states: " A textbook may be likened to a
pair of crutches; it assists the tyro until
he can walk alone in his chosen field".
Thus the authors have tacitly stated
their objective and in compiling and con­densing
the subject matter of this broad
field, they have adhered admirably to
their goal. " Forest Products" should
prove a valuable addition to the book
shelf of all neophyte foresters. As a
textbook it is unexcelled in its field.
Coverage of the economics of forest
utilization is adequate for a book of this
type which introduces such a multiplicity
of topics. Few, if any, important prod­ucts
of the forest are neglected.
Throughout the book basic concepts
are developed without indulging in de­tailed
statistical studies. This fact makes
201
The World's Finest NEW Varieties
Glorious color and thrilling new beauty
for your garden may be found in the pages
of Wayside Gardens' splendid catalog for
autumn planting.
• EXCITING NEW LILIES
• OUTSTANDING NEW ROSES
• BEAUTIFUL NEW PERENNIALS t'
• HARDY FLOWERING SHRUBS
as well as the world's largest
selection of tulips, daffodils and
other fall planting bulbs.
DAFFODIL COLLECTION
of JOHN EVELYN HYBRIDS
The finest daffodils ever introduced. Huge
white petaled beauties with deeply ruffled
and widely flaring cups of soft canary
yellow to deep gold. Perfectly hardy, these
big, double- nosed bulbs bloom freely year
after year, unaffected by the elements. For
complete descriptions and true color illus-
IS, see our new Fall Catalog.
JOHN EVELYN HYBRID COLLECTION
1 EACH OF 6 VARIETIES ( 8 ) . . . . $ 3.75
3 EACH OF 8 VARIETIES ( 24) $ 10.00
N e w ROSES
Planning a new rose garden — then by all
means get our 1950 Fall Catalog. Among
the more than 150 outstanding varieties
offered are several " Special Collections"
of choice roses at really attractive savings.
Also described and illustrated are all the
celebrated new roses as well as the " 1950
All- America Rose Selections."
N e w SHRUBS
In our Fall Catalog is a splendid array of
handsome all purpose shrubs. There are
exquisite flowering crabs, superior rho­dodendron
hybrids, new 7' high scarlet
flowered cydonia and many other worth­while
new shrubs. See Clarke's Giant,
the largest and best lilac in existence and
Esther Staley, the only true pink lilac.
WAYSIDE'S " 1950 TULIP MIXTURE"
Our famous " Tulip Mixture" contains
only the very finest, top size, bloom filled,
. imported tulips. This outstanding annual
offer that cannot be duplicated elsewhere
at double the prices shown, is designed to
give you all the best varieties at unbeliev­ably
low cost.
SUPERIOR BULBS
Order these prize bulbs with confidence,
they come to you with Wayside's iron­clad
guarantee of superior quality.
WAYSIDE GARDENS' TULIP MIXTURE
50 bulbs...$ 6.50 1 250 bulbs.$ 28.00
100 bulbs...$ 12.00 11000 bulbs.$ 100.00
SEND FOR THE WORLD'S FINEST
HORTICULTURAL BOOK- CATALOG
140 pages of true color illustrations and com­plete
descriptions of the world's finest flowers,
shrubs and hardy plants. Gardeners every­where
have come to rely on this valuable book
as their source of ideas and the most worth-white
garden subjects. Explicit cultural direc­tions
for each item. To be sure you get your
copy, it is necessary to enclose with your re­quest
504, coin or stamps, for postage and
handling.
51 MENTOR AVE. MENTOR, OHIO
IDEAL DARWIN ML1P Wttoricle IM Gajxlervr
202
the book very desirable for classroom
use.
It is the reviewer's opinion that the
maximum amount of pertinent informa­tion
has been crammed into the five hun­dred
and twenty- six pages of " Forest
Products". The excellent reference list
at the end of each chapter facilitates com­plete
pursuit of any selected field.
DAVID P. THOMAS,
University of Washington.
Of Interest to Entomologists
A CENTURY OF ENTOMOLOGY IN
THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST. Melville
H. Hatch. 43 pages. Illustrated, in­dexed.
University of Washington Press.
Seattle, Wash. 1949. $ 1.50.
This short treatise on the rise and
growth of Entomology in the Pacific
Northwest includes a description of the
outstanding men and the more important
books and insect collections prepared by
them. Of greatest interest to most en­tomologists,
perhaps, is the chapter deal­ing
with the present status of entomology
in the region comprising British Colum­bia,
Washington, Oregon and Idaho.
P. P. PIRONE,
Floriculture Brought Up To Date
FLORICULTURE. Alex Laurie & Victor
H. Ries. 525 pages, illustrated, index­ed.
McGraw- Hill Book Co., New York.
2nd edition 1950. $ 5.
The second edition of Floriculture—
Principles and Practices, by Laurie and
Ries, is essentially the first edition with a
few revisions. The largest revisions oc­cur
in the sections on insect and fungus
pest control, which have been rewritten
to include newer control measures with
organic pesticides such as benzenehexa-chloride,
chlordane, DDT, Parathion,
Fermate, Parzate, Ceresan, and others.
There have been some additions to the
chapter on soils to include newer methods
of watering and the use of corn cob
mulches. The discussion of green man­ures
has also been completely revised.
Information on vermiculite, chemical
control of lawn weeds and pests, propa­gation
by leaf bud cuttings, starting an­nuals,
propagation and use of perennials,
and gravel culture has also been added.
Also, to bring the first edition UD to date,
some minor changes have been made in
the sections on chrysanthemums, broad
leafed evergreens, hardiness, pH, African
violets, and soil preparation.
This book is general in its coverage
and is, therefore, less subject to the
general revisions necessary in a more
technical book that goes deeper into a
specific field.
ARTHUR BING,
N. Y. State College of Agriculture.
A First- Class Reference
On Annuals
ANNUALS. Roy Hay. 240 pages, illus­trated,
indexed. Macmillan, New York.
Revised edition 1950. $ 2.50.
" Annuals" by Roy Hay is an interest­ing
book, being a revision of the author's
first published edition of 1937. It is di­vided
into two sections.
The first chapter is devoted to " defini­tions,
distribution and development". Mr.
Roy here points out that many of the
plants described in his book are biennial
or perennial in nature but are recom­mended
to be grown as annuals.
Another chapter is devoted to annuals
that have been lost to cultivation and
apparently there are many of merit. Me­thods
of growing and the many ways in
which these garden favorites may be put
to use complete part one of this work.
Part two comprises a comprehensive
list of all the worthwhile kinds. It gives
the common names of all those described,
the botanical names and their derivation.
Useful information of a cultural charac­ter
is also included.
The book is well illustrated with nu­merous
black and white and colored
plates. I consider " Annuals" an excellent
reference work.
EDWIN BECKETT,
Berkshire Garden Center,
Stockbridge, Mass.
Conventional Text
PLANT ECOLOGY. W. B. McDougall.
234 pages, 118 illustrations. Indexed.
Lea & Febiger, Philadelphia. Fourth
edition, 1949. $ 4.
As a fourth edition, this volume, even
though stated on the title page to be
" thoroughly revised," contains no sig­nificant
improvements over the third edi­tion.
In addition, there are no fundamen­tal
differences in organization or content,
other than literature references, from the
first edition of two decades ago.
As a textbook of university plant
ecology, this work will probably hold its
place in conventional courses where a
relatively brief text is needed.
203
Notes, News and Comment
Dr. Merrill Honored. At a special cere­mony
in Paris, on May 7, the Societe
Nationale d' Acclimatation de France
conferred its Geoffroy Saint Hilaire
medal on Dr. E. D. Merrill, member of
the Board of Managers of the New York
Botanical Garden.
Graduation Excercises. Graduation ex­ercises
for students in the Two- Year
Courses at the New York Botanical
Garden were held on Thursday evening,
June 22, 1950, with G. L. Wittrock,
Assistant Curator of Education, in charge
of the program. Henry De la Montagne,
Assistant Director of the Garden, pre­sented
certificates in the Science Course
to Ferdinand A. Czwaczka, Clifford H.
Howell, Frank M. Wright, Edna May
Wright, Dominic Ziccardi; in the Prac­tical
Gardening Course to John J. Blum,
Howard L. Campion, Walter Jamroga,
also to Mr. Czwaczka and Mr. & Mrs.
Wright. R. R. Fenska, Secretary- Treas­urer
of the Westchester County Tree
Protective Association, delivered the ad­dress
of the evening. It appears elsewhere
on page 193 of this issue of the Journal
of the New York Botanical Garden.
T. H. Everett Continues as Horticulturist,
Louis Politi Named Head Gardener. To
expand the horticultural activities of the
New York Botanical Garden and render
greater horticultural service to members,
students and the general public, it was
found expedient to create again two dis­tinct
positions, that of Horticulturist and
that of Head Gardener. Acccordingly,
on July 1, 1950, T. H. Everett was re­lieved
of his responsibilities as Head
Gardener, these being assumed by Louis
P. Politi. Mr. Everett continues as Hor­ticulturist.
Under the new arrangement, Mr. Ever­ett
is responsible for the planning of the
general landscape effects and for the
scope and character of the living plant
collections. He will interpret horticulture
to the general public and will develop the
horticultural displays and activities of
the New York Botanical Garden. Mr.
Everett will also supervise the student
gardeners' program which has recently
been resumed at the New York Botanical
Garden.
Mr. Politi has full charge of the prop­agation
and cultivation of the living plant
collections and the supervision of the
work of all the gardeners.
Lectures. On June 13, Dr. P. P. Pirone
lectured on " Tree Care" before the mem­bers
of the Garden Club of Great
Barrington, Mass., at the home of Wil­liam
Felton Barrett. On June 19th, Mr.
E. J. Alexander spoke to the Gardeners
of New Canaan, an affiliate garden club,
on " Wild Flowers for our Gardens"
Dr. Bassett Maguire presented the film,
" Rediscovery of Arundinaria Schomburg-hii"
to the guests of Mr. H. R. Kunhardt,
Jr., at the Indian Harbor Yacht Club,
Greenwich, Conn., on June 29.
Meetings. Dr. William J. Robbins lec­tured
on " Hybrid Nutritional Require­ments"
before the Conference on Heer-osis
at Iowa State College, Ames, Iowa,
on the 19th of the month. Dr. P. P.
Pirone attended the Arboricultural Field
Day held at Rutgers University, New
Brunswick, N. J. on June 21.
Bobbink & Atkins
" GARDEN GEMS"
for your Garden Library
Build your garden with the help of this out­standing
catalog. In it are described and il­lustrated
in color the best of the New and
Old- fashioned Roses; Unusual Evergreen
Shrubs and Vines; Azaleas and Rhododen­drons;
Magnolias; Lilacs and many other
Flowering Shrubs; all the novelty and old
favorite Perennial Flowers and Ground Cov­ers,
and a host of other rare and unusual
" Garden Gems"; designed to help you plan
and plant your garden.
Free east of the Mississippi; 35 cents
elsewhere. Customers of record receive
their copies automatically.
Visitors are always welcome at our nur­series
located about nine miles from the
New Jersey side of the Lincoln and Holland
Tunnels and George Washington Bridge.
Less than thirty minutes from central New
York.
Bobbink & Atkins
Rose Growers and Nurserymen
401 Paterson Ave., East Rutherford, N. J.
204
Representation at VII International
Botanical Congress: Dr. Donald P. Rog­ers
represented the New York Botanical
Garden and Oberlin College and served
as alternate of the Mycological Society
of America. Dr. H. W. Rickett repre­sented
the Torrey Botanical Club, Ameri­can
Society of Plant Taxonomists, served
as alternate for the Dept. of Botany,
University of Pennsylvania, and Soc-iedad
Botanica de Mexico, and cast the
votes of the Botanical Society of Amer­ica.
Dr. H. N. Moldenke, in addition to
being the official delegate of the American
Plant Life Society and the New York
Academy of Science, represented four­teen
institutions and special groups from
Mexico, Central and South American
countries. These included Jardin Botan-ico
de Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Institute
de Biologia, both of Mexico City, Mex­ico,
and Concepcion, Chile; Estacion
Experimental Agronomica, Santiago de
las Vegas, and Ministerio de Agricultura,
Cuba; Instituto de Ciencias Naturales,
Ecuador ; Universidad de Narino, Colum­bia;
and Museo Botanico de la Faculta
de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Na-cional
de Cordoba, Argentina.
Just as the August issue was going to
press, air mail from Stockholm brought
word that Dr. Rogers was made Secre­tary
of the Special Committee for Fungi,
and that Dr. Rickett served as a member
of the General Committee on Nomen­clature,
of the Editorial Committee of the
International Rules, and of the Special
Committee for Nomenclature of Plants
in Cultivation.
Dr. W. H. Camp, until recently a
member of the Garden's staff, was made
Secretary of the last named committee.
Modernization of the parts of the rules
dealing with hybrid plants and with plants
in cultivation are among the real accom­plishments
of the Section in Nomencla­ture
of the Seventh International Botani­cal
Congress.
Visitors. Dr. H. B. Woodruff and Dr.
Dale Harris, of Merck & Company,
Rahway, N. J., and Dr. H. M. McGuire
of the Lily Research Laboratories visited
Dr. Robbins and toured the laboratories
on June 14. The following week Dr.
Ismael Velez, professor of botany of
Polytechnic Institute, San German, Puer­to
Rico, paid his respects to Dr. Robbins.
On June 27, Dr. E. C. T. Holsinger,
botanist, of Columbo, Ceylon, called on
Dr. Robbins and visited the laboratories.
The same day, Mr. Edwin T. de Bechtel,
Mrs. J. Henry Harper, Mrs. Ira Haupt
and Mrs. Frederick S. Moseley, Jr., had
luncheon with Dr. Robbins.
Other visitors to the New York Botan­ical
Garden during June included: Leon­ard
Buck and C. Austin Buck, Far Hills,
N. J.; W. E. Th. Ingwerson, East Grins-ted,
Sussex, England; R. E. Bottomley,
Milf ord, Conn.; G. F. Woerner, Stumpp
& Walter Co., New York City; Mar­guerite
Palmer, Garden Editor, Houston
Press, Houston, Texas; J. E. Gunckel,
Rutgers University, New Brunswick,
N. J.; B. Schwartz, Library of Congress
Washington, D. C.; Florence E. Day,
Metropolitan Museum; Monroe Bricker,
University of Miami; Werner & Lillie
Fayet Hunsche, Porto Alegre, Brazil;
Marguerite Ste. Marie and Louise Allard
of the Jardin Botanique, Montreal;
Marie Helene Goutreau, Canadian Horti­cultural
Society; A. C. Smith, Smith­sonian
Institute; L. R. Freese, University
of Houston; Herman Silva, Michigan
State College; Dr. Margaret Fulford,
University of Cincinnati; Maxwell S.
Doty, Woods Hole, Mass.
Thirty- two members of the Maplewood
Garden Club, of which Mrs. Hugh T.
Morgan is president, were conducted
through the greenhouse and rock garden
by Mr. G. L. Wittrock.
Population and Plants
The population of the United States
has already reached the figure of 150,-
000,000 that had been expected by demog­raphers
about 25 years later, according
to Joseph S. Davis, Director of the Re­search
Staff of the Food Research Insti­tute
at Stanford University. His statistics
showing how all predictions and theories
of the earlier part of the century have
been upset are given in the Institute's
War- Peace Pamphlet No. 12, " The Popu­lation
Upsurge in the United States"
($ 1). By ignoring the actual trend, the
nation is not prepared to take care of a
continuing increase of this magnitude,
he contends. Since all food is derived
ultimately from plants, the food alone
for the unpredicted extra millions is a
problem of concern to botanists as well
as producers.
THE NEW YORK BOTANICAL GARDEN
Officers
JOSEPH R. SWAN, Chairman
CHARLES B. HARDING, President FREDERICK S. MOSELEY, JR., Vice- President
ARTHUR M. ANDERSON, Treasurer HENRY DE LA MONTAGNE, Secretary
Elective Managers
REV. R. I. GANNON, S J . ROBERT H. MONTGOMERY
MRS. ELON HUNTINGTON FRANCIS E. POWELL, JR.
HOOKER MRS. HAROLD I. PRATT
SIDNEY LANIER WILLIAM J. ROBBINS
MRS. ALBERT D. LASKER EDMUND W. SINNOTT
CLARENCE MCK. LEWIS CHAUNCEY STILLMAN
THOMAS LEWIS OAKLEIGH L. THORNE
E. D. MERRILL
Ex- Officio Managers
WILLIAM O'DWYER, Mayor of the City of New York
MAXIMILIAN MOSS, President of the Board of Education
ROBERT MOSES, Park Commissioner
DOUGLAS H. ALLEN
SHERMAN BALDWIN
WILLIAM FELTON BARRETT
HOWARD BAYNE
EDWIN DE T. BECHTEL
LEONARD J. BUCK
HENRY F. DU PONT
Appointive Managers
By the Torrey Botanical Club: RUTHERFORD PLATT. By Columbia University:
MARSTON T. BOGERT, CHARLES W. BALLARD, SAM F. TRELEASE.
THE STAFF
WILLIAM J. ROBBINS, P H . D . , SC. D.
HENRY DE LA MONTAGNE
J. MARK KERANS, LL. B.
H. A. GLEASON, P H . D.
P. P. PIRONE, P H . D .
THOMAS H. EVERETT, N. D. HORT.
H. W. RICKETT, P H . D.
HAROLD N. MOLDENKE, P H . D.
BASSETT MAGUIRE, P H . D .
DONALD PHILIP ROGERS, P H . D .
E. J. ALEXANDER, B. S.
G. L. WITTROCK, A. M.
F. W. KAVANAGH, P H . D .
IGOR NICHOLAS ASHESHOV, M. D.
ROBERT S. DE ROPP, P H . D . , D. I. C
MARJORIE ANCHEL, P H . D .
ROSALIE WEIKERT
MARY STEBBINS, M. A.
RICHARD S. COWAN, M. S.
JOHN J. WURDACK, B. S.
ELIZABETH C. HALL, A. B., B. S.
DOROTHY EBEL HANSELL
FRANK C. MACKEEVER, B. S.
JOSEPH MONACHINO, B. S.
OTTO DEGENER, M. S.
ELMER N. MITCHELL
BERNARD 0. DODGE, P H . D .
A. B. STOUT, P H . D.
FRED J. SEAVER, P H . D . , S C D .
INEZ M. HARING
JOSEPH F. BURKE
Director
Assistant Director
Administrator
Head Curator
Plant Pathologist
Horticulturist
Bibliographer
Curator and Administrator of Herbarium
Curator
Curator
Associate Curator
Assistant Curator of Education
Associate Curator of Laboratories
Bacteriologist
Assistant Curator
Research Associate
Technical Assistant
Technical Assistant
Technical Assistant
Technical Assistant
Librarian
Editor of the Journal
Custodian of the Herbarium
Associate Custodian of the Herbarium
Collaborator in Hawaiian Botany
Photographer
Plant Pathologist Emeritus
Curator Emeritus
Curator Emeritus
Assistant Honorary Curator of Mosses
Honorary Curator of the Diatomaceae
ETHEL ANSON S. PECKHAM Honorary Curator, Iris and Narcissus Collections
A. C. PFANDER Superintendent of Buildings and Grounds
LOUIS P. POLITI Head Gardener
To reach the Botanical Garden, take the Independent Subway to Bedford Park Boulevard
station, use the Bedford Park Boulevard exit and walk east. Or take the Third Avenue
Elevated to the Botanical Garden or the 200th Street station, the New York Central to the
Botanical Garden station, or the Webster Avenue bus No. 41 to Bedford Park Boulevard.
tanical Garden station, or the Webster Avenue
PUBLICATIONS OF THE NEW YORK BOTANICAL GARDEN
Books, Booklets, and Special Numbers of the Journal
An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States and Canada, by Nathaniel
Lord Britton and Addison Brown. Three volumes, giving descriptions and illustra­tions
of 4,666 species. Second edition, reprinted. $ 15.
Flora of the Prairies and Plains of Central North America, by P. A. Rydberg.
969 pages and 601 figures. 1932. $ 6.
Plants of the Vicinity of Neiv York, by H. A. Gleason. 284 pages, illustrated.
A handbook especially compiled for the beginner. 1935. Second edition 1947. $ 2.
The Bahama Flora, by Nathaniel Lord Britton and Charles Frederick Millspaugh.
695 pages. Descriptions of the spermatophytes, pteridophytes, bryophytes, and
thallophytes of the Bahamas, with keys, notes on explorations and collections,
bibliography, and index. 1920. $ 6.25.
North American Cariceae, by Kenneth K. Mackenzie, containing 539 plates
of Carex and related plants by Harry C. Creutzburg, with a description of each
species. Indexed. 1940. Two volumes, 10% x 13J4 inches; bound $ 17.50. Foreign
postage extra.
Keys to the North American Species of Carex by K. K. Mackenzie. From
Vol. 19, Part 1, of North American Flora. $ 1.25.
Plants of the Holy Scriptures, by Eleanor King, with a check- list of plants
that are mentioned in the Bible, each one accompanied by a quotation. Revised from
the Journal of March 1941. 23 pages, illustrated. 1948. 25 cents.
Food and Drug Plants of the North American Indian. Two illustrated articles
by Marion A. & G. L. Wittrock in the Journal for March 1942. 15 cents.
Vegetables and Fruits for the Home Garden. Four authoritative articles reprinted
from the Journal, 21 pages, illustrated. Edited by Carol H. Woodward. 1941. 15 cents.
The Flora of the Unicorn Tapestries by E. J. Alexander and Carol H. Wood­ward.
28 pages, illustrated with photographs and drawings; bound with paper. 1941.
Second edition 1947, reprinted. 25 cents.
Catalog of Hardy Trees and Shrubs. A list of the woody plants being grown
outdoors at the New York Botanical Garden in 1942, in 127 pages with notes, a
map, and 20 illustrations. 75 cents.
Succulent Plants of New and Old World Deserts by E. J. Alexander. 64 pages,
indexed. 350 species treated, 100 illustrated. Bound in paper. 1942. Second
edition 1944. Third edition 1950. 50 cents.
Review of Juniperus chinensis, et at by P. J. van Melle. A study of the many
varieties and forms of Juniperus which have been commonly included in the concept
of /. chinensis. 108 pages, illustrated, bound in paper. 1947. $ 2.
Periodicals
Journal of The New York Botanical Garden, monthly, containing news, book
reviews, and non- technical articles on botany, exploration, and horticulture. $ 1.50 a
year; single copies 15 cents. Free to members of the Garden. Now in its 51st volume.
The Garden, a quarterly, designed to stimulate the laymen's interest in the world
of plants and the science of plant life through articles written in popular vein. $ 2 a
year in the United States; all other countries, $ 2.50. Published by the Garden's Man­hattan
office at 801 Madison Avenue, New York 21, N. Y. Now in its second volume.
Addisonia, devoted exclusively to colored plates accompanied by popular descrip­tions
of flowering plants; eight plates in each number, thirty- two in each volume.
Now in its twenty- second volume. Published irregularly. Subscription price, $ 10 a
volume. Not offered in exchange. Free to members of the Garden.
Mycologia, bimonthly, illustrated in color and otherwise; devoted to fungi,
including lichens, containing technical articles and news and notes of general in­terest.
$ 7 a year; single copies $ 1.50 each. Now in its forty- second volume.
Brittonia. A series of botanical papers published in co- operation with the
American Society of Plant Taxonomists. Subscription price of volumes 1 through
5, $ 5 a volume ($ 4 to members of the Society). Now in its seventh volume. Price,
$ 7.50 ($ 5 to members of the Society).
North American Flora. Descriptions of the wild plants of North America,
including Greenland, the West Indies, and Central America. 97 parts now issued.
Not offered in exchange. Prices of the separate parts on request.
Contributions from The New York Botanical Garden. A series of technical
papers reprinted from journals other than the above, 1899- 1933. 25 cents each, $ 5
a volume. List of separate titles on request.
Memoirs of The New York Botanical Garden. A collection of scientific
papers, 1900- 1927. Contents and prices on request.