68 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 
GATHERING FLOWERS FOR THE SHOW 
Despite the fact that the continuous rain the night preced- 
ing the opening day may have kept out some of the entries, 
the 1923 flower show was a remarkably good one. It is net 
only in the management of the show that experience is gained 
every year, but the exhibitors also gain in knowledge as to 
the proper way to treat the flowers and plants they hope to 
display. 
Commercial growers who exhibit at flower shows have most 
of the growing conditions under control, but the amateurs are 
entirely dependent upon natural conditions. Prospective ex- 
hibitors are apt to have their choice blooms destroyed by wind, 
rain, heat, insects, and diseases. All of these conditions must 
be guarded against as the time of the show draws near, as a 
poorly developed or disfigured bloom will always disqualify 
an exhibit in the eyes of the judges. Rain injures all flowers, 
but those of delicate texture, such as the iris, suffer to a greater 
extent. To guard against injury of flowers by rain the blooms 
should be cut one or two days previous to the time of exhihbi- 
tion. Some flowers may be cut sooner than this. For instance, 
the peony may be picked at the time the first petals begin 
to unfold, and it gains in size and beauty by being kept in a 
dark cool place to take up as much water as possible. The 
iris open very rapidly, and on this account should not be eut 
until the evening before the show. In examining the buds 
one can see readily which will open the following day. 
When gathering flowers for exhibition purposes it is well 
to carry along a pail half filled with water and to piace the 
flowers in the pail immediately upon cutting them. It is bet- 
ter not to crowd too many flowers in the pail, but rather to 
make several trips to the house and carefully place them 
in deep containers full of ecol water. The gathered flowers 
should be kept in a cool dark place free from draughts in or- 
der to reduce transpiration and to enable the stems to take 
up as much water as possible. 
Light-colored flowers lose much of their beauty if allowed 
to open in the strong sunlight. If the flowers are of such a 
nature that they cannot be cut until just before the show, it 
is well to construct some temporary shading of cheese-cloth. 
