Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-06-30

beauty. The Caroline Testout variety
known locally as the Portland rose, was
to be seen almost everywhere in the
parkings lawn beds and gardens. Caro-
line Testout plants attained the proper
lions of small shrubs and were literally
covered with large pink blooms 1t
certainly would be fine If roses thrived
as we'll in our locality but apparently
Portland and its vicinity provides a
combination of moderate temperature,
fertile soil and abundant moisture that
peculiarly suits the rose. Winter injury,
which does so much harm here to the
less hardy varieties, Is apparently I'M
known in Portland.
Opportunity again favored in Mime
apoliS. There the peony season was at
its height and the garden editor had
! the privilege of attending the annual
peony and garden flower show sponsored
by the Minnesota State Horticultural
Society and the Northwest Peony and
Iris Society. The peonies were truly
wonderful, seeming to have found ideal
growing conditions in this comparatively
cool climate. However, in iris nothing
was seen that could even compare with
that grown In our own community. Iris
was, however, at the end of its season
and perhaps comparison Is not fair.
Yet it is quite evident that each section
of the country has certain flowers which
may be grown quite easily in excellent
quality.
The care with which Western fruit
growers prepare their fruit for sale on
Eastern markets Is shown in their elab-
crate thinning operations. Only one
apple or pear is allowed to remain In
any single cluster and even then not
closer than 6 inches from another fruit.
In regions where the coddling moth Is a
serious menace the isolation of each
fruit helps to prevent the rapid move
ment Of worms from fruit to fruit. The
extent to which fruit thinning is carried
is shown in the fact that some of the
better grape growers remove part of
the berries from the cluster of table
grapes. Total yields are not cut seri-
ouSly by such treatments and the re-
sulting fruits are more attractive and
salable. In cooperative packing plants.
the fruit of each grower is graded sep
arately and he Is paid according to size
This makes for further incentive to
careful growing. If Eastern growers
would exercise comparable care they
might compete more successfully with
Western fruit.
Some weeks ago news item appeared
in a certain journal concerning the
development in Russia of a hybrid be-
tween the cabbage and radish with the
suggestion that this was asstartling phe-
nomenon. A little study of old records
shows that such a combination was
known many years ago. Twice during
the past month the garden editor has
seen such hybrids and was assured that
there was nothing especially difficult in
the origin. None of the plant breeders
could see any practical value in such
combination.
There is such thing as the coat of
certain seeds becoming so hard that GER
mination Is very slow and irregular
Beans have been found to suffer from
this trouble, which probably accounts
for some plants breaking through the
soil much more quickly than others.
What Eastern gardener would think
of maintaining strawberry bed five
successive years? In this vicinity not
even the most industrious gardener cares
to keep q single bed more than two
years. Yet in the Northwest States
Oregon and Washington. it is not un-
common to retain beds five or six years.