116 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



some years later that the center stick was used to steady the structure. The 

 wire design man did not pat in an appearance until nearly twenty years after, 

 and when a cross or wreath of flowers had to he made, the one was usually 

 constructed on pieces of lath, to which the flowers were tied, and the floral 

 wreath had the ground-work of a piece of old barrel-hoop or a willow twig. 

 The bouquet was usually a one-sided affair, the ground work being a flat bunch 

 of arbor vita? through which the flowers were drawn. Occasionally a round 

 bouquet was attempted by some artist of local fame, but with a result that 

 must have done violence to the feelings of the poor flowers used in the struc- 

 ture. 



The afternoon session was given up to the rose; from the proceedings we 

 take the article on 



POT-GROWN ROSES FOR MARKET PURPOSES. 

 BY ROBERT CRAIG, PHILADELPHIA. 



Roses in pots will always be of great importance to the market gardener, as 

 they are one of the main sources of his revenue, and it is well worth while to 

 consider which are the best varieties to grow, and what are the methods by 

 which they can be best developed at the minimum cost ; not forgetting that 

 first quality is the prime consideration, and must always be kept in view- 

 Nothing is easier than to waste time and material in the production of plants, 

 so that although the result is a good article, the cost has been too great. It is- 

 related of Horace Greeley that when he was farming he raised the best turnips 

 that had ever been grown in'his section, but when he estimated the value of 

 the labor and materials expended upon them he found they had cost him ex- 

 actly $1.12 apiece. He could not sell them at a profit. 



The problem, from a commercial point of view, is to produce good plants, 

 by the best and quickest methods. 



Most of the varieties, especially the teas, hybrid teas, and hybrids, can be 

 grown more profitably under glass in summer than when planted out-doors, 

 especially in this section of the country. As market gardeners usually have 

 their houses empty in summer, this use of them will not be costly, and when 

 the difficulties of out-door culture are considered, the plan proposed is the bet- 

 ter one. 



I am aware that many good growers still plant in open ground most of the 

 varieties, but how frequently are they disappointed in the size of the plants in 

 the fall! A few strong-growing kinds, such as Magna Charta, Jacqueminot, 

 Hermosa, Agrippina, and Madame Plantier may, on new ground, in favorable 

 seasons, grow to a sufficient size, but this is not the case with such valuable 

 kinds as La France, Madame Charles Wood, Baroness Rothschild, and many 

 others ; but all sorts worth growiug at all, will, under glass, with suitable treat- 

 ment, grow to a large size. 



I am informed on good authority that in some sections of the country (par- 

 ticularly in parts of the south), roses can be grown to extremely large size in 

 one season. Of course the above remarks do not apply to such favored local- 

 ities. It certainly cannot now be done in the neighborhood of Philadelphia 

 and New York, and many other sections, as we all know. Flatbush, L. I., and 

 Union Hill, N. J., where roses are extensively grown for market, are cases in 

 point; in both these places, ten or twelve years ago, roses would grow in one 

 season large enough for six-inch and seven-inch pots; now they do not attain 



