The Weekly Florists' Review, 



J 77 



white carnation Bon Homme Richard at the establishment of the 

 Chicago Carnation Co., Joliet, III. 



giving som'e eneouiagemeut to the grow- 

 er to produce that class of goods. If 

 the supply of all the common varieties 

 is shortened the retailer will soon drive 

 the street fakir out of business. Very- 

 few of the retail florists are fully aware 

 of the fact that there is as much dif- 

 ference between carnations as there is 

 between common tea roses and long 

 stemmed Beauties, but such is the case. 

 If he could see the seedling benches in 

 the various hybridizers' establishments it 

 would be well for him and the carnation 

 man. 



There are hundreds of fin'e carnations 

 discarded by the hybridizer every year, 

 some of which would cause a most agree- 

 able surprise to flower buyers and car- 

 nation lovers in gen'eral could they only 

 be marketed at a little profit. But this 

 is the way the grower sizes up the situ- 

 ation, as he strokes back the petals of 

 his pet: This is a grand thing, but the 

 trouble is it will only produce about ten 

 blooms to a plant during th'e season, and 

 figuring on a basis of 8 cents per bloom 

 at Christmas will only average about 5 

 cents each for the entire season. He 

 turns around to the more inferior varie- 

 ties and goes musing on : This is giving 

 me twenty-five blooms to a plant at an 

 average of 3 cents each and takes up no 

 more bench space. He takes his label 

 nut of his pocket and marks his pet for 

 the rubbish heap, thus turning more 

 money into the fakir's pocket and less 

 for himself and the retailer. Had that 

 variety been introduced and tlio blooms 

 marketed at an average of 8 cents each 

 there would not be enough flowers pro- 

 duced to cause a glut in the market at 

 any time, providing we can accustom 

 ourselves to produce this class of carna- 

 tions in all colors. Tliey are in exist- 

 ence, if you are willing to pay tin' ]iricc 

 for them. It is all up to the retailer 

 himself to rid himself of the fakir by 

 introducing these extra fancy shy bloom- 

 ers to the public. Of course, he cannot 

 handle very many of them at first, but 

 I am sure if he sent to the hybridizer's 

 'establishment for a few dozen of these 

 on his best days in the week and leave 

 it to the grower's discretion what to send 

 he would find it a profitable venture for 



his business and a goofl starter for ele- 

 vating our business to the level where 

 it belongs among the arts and sciences. 



The growers have certainly done their 

 part and are still going on with the good 

 work of growing varieties of carnations 

 that do not bloom freely enough to make 

 them as profitable as they should b'e. 

 Take for instance the money expended 

 every year for new varieties; to satisfy 

 the whims of the retailer who has seen 

 such and such a carnation at the exhi- 

 bition, you should get some of it, and 

 the loss of hundreds of plants each year, 

 costing $10.00 per 100, occurring from 

 stem rot and other diseases. It strikes 

 me very forcibly that this is th'e only 

 feasible plan to follow for the retailer to 

 rid himself of the crepe chaser and that 

 other most tantalizing competitor, the 

 street fakir. 



CARNATIONS IN NEW ENGLAND. 



Being interested as ever in the carna- 

 tion as grown by different growers, and 

 having a little more leisure than usual, 

 we took a trip with several friends to the 

 noted establishments of Messrs. Patten 

 & Co. and A. Eoper, in Tewksbury, Mass. 

 At Mr. Roper's we w'ere surprised at the 

 quantity and quality of seedlings grown, 

 three or four of them promising to be- 

 come first class commercial varieties, 

 most prominent of all being a very hand- 

 some one of light salmon color, and a 

 very large flower. W'e understand that 

 several good offers have been made to 

 Mr. Koper for the stock of that variety'. 



Our next visit was to the well ap- 

 pointed plant of Mr. Patten, a truly com- 

 mercial place, where none but reliable 

 varieties are grown in the best manner 

 and their best points developed. His 

 Marquis, Crane and White Cloud espe- 

 cially were the best we have seen this 

 season and all high grade flowers. Mr. 

 Patten grows rarnul inn- cmly and does 

 it well. He li.i^ 1h i n \m\ Iiioky in get- 

 ting good stock ol tlir ,\l:n.|ui3 SCut to 



him as we saw but few plants that were 

 propagated from bottom shoots, as we 

 and many others have had, and which 

 will bloom late. 



A few days later, in good company 



I- ., we visited Mr. Peter Fisher at the 

 liMiiie of the peerless Lawson, which nev- 

 (•]■ looked better. A more even, healthy 

 lot of carnations we never saw, and if 

 the croakers, especially in our market, 

 who never wanted to see any merit in 

 the I.-awson, will but open their eyes they 

 can easily be convinced now. Three 

 years ago we pronounced the Lawson the 

 best commercial carnation to date, and 

 now, as wc grow it we are more positive 

 about it. Of course, some allowance 

 must be made for changes of soils and 

 bications. There is, however, since its 

 appcaiance in our markets, quite a re- 

 V. r>iiin of opinion to its value and con- 

 sequently quite a scramble for the plantj 

 also. 



A very important part of Mr. Fisher's 

 growing are his seedlings, and we may 

 just as" well admit that they are the most 

 remarkable lot we ever saw (and we have 

 seen many). We have always been rath- 

 er skeptical about so much improvement 

 in carnations, as we have been caught 

 so often, but in these seedlings, we have 

 been surprised ; such a wealth of colors, 

 forms and sizes. Mr. Fisher is if any- 

 thing, most critical in his selection of 

 seedlings, in a commercial point of view, 

 and the least blemish in an otherwise 

 splendid variety will cause it to be cast 

 off unmercifully. (Raisers of new seed- 

 ling carnations please take notice.) 



Our visit to Mr. Fisher's place was, 

 as it always is, a perfect treat, and no 

 florist who has a pretension to that name 

 ought to neglect to see where some of 

 our best carnations are raised. 



Denys Zibngiebel. 



Needham, Mass. 



TYING CARNATIONS. 



One more word about my method of 

 tying up carnations. I said in mj last 

 communication that having your string 

 on a spool enables you "to' work the 





One of Mr. A. Roper's Sf edling Carnations. 



quickest. I fasten the string to the 

 support closest to me and by taking the 

 spool between the thumb and first fin- 

 ger (letting it roll just as on an axle), 

 wind around second support, and so oir 

 until I am back again where I started. 

 On a narrow bench I reach clear across 



