22S 



The Weekly Florists' Review* 



FEBRUARY 2. 1899. 



averaged 1% inches across, with stems 

 C to 8 inclies long, color fully as dark 

 as Marie Louise, even after the thou- 

 sand mile ride, and form all that could 

 be wished. 



The dozen or more Chicago florists 

 who saw them all agreed that they had 

 never before seen anything to equal 

 these violets. They were frosted when 

 received, but half an hour in cold 

 water brought them up smiling. The 

 "Imperial" is certainly well named. 



Mr. Minor also sends us a pamphlet 

 on violet culture. And a glimpse of 



the superb violets he grows warrants 

 a lively interest in his methods of cul- 

 ture. His pamphlet is copyrighted, but 

 we think there can be no objection to 

 stating that a leading feature of his 

 culture is the sterilizing of the soil, 

 which is accomplished by heating the 

 soil in the beds to 212 degrees by 

 means of steam carried into it. This 

 destroys all insect life and fungous 

 germs as well as seeds of weeds. The 

 pamphlet will be read with interest by 

 all growers of violets. 



RUST. 



The specimens sent show rust in 

 luxuriant growth, and when advanced 

 to such a state there will be trouble 

 to keep it even in check. I answered 

 the same question a short time ago, 

 and F. R. H. S. will find in No. 54, 

 December S, 1898, of the Florists' Re- 

 view my views about rust, how I look 

 at it, and how my experience has 

 taught me to treat this disease. At 

 no time or place has the proverb, "a 

 stitch in time saves nine," a more fit- 

 ting bearing than in this rust question. 

 When noticed in time and attended to 

 at once, much can be done to eradicate 

 it, or at least to keep it in check, so 

 there will be no serious injury to the 

 plants, thus retarding and diminishing 

 their blooming quality. That F. R. H. 

 S. finds rust to such a large extent on 

 his Daybreak and none on his Scott 

 growing next to it, only shows the 

 greater susceptibility of one variety to 

 this disease, and is nothing new. 



AS often as rust has been discussed, 

 and the spread it has assumed, and 

 how it has been feared and looked 

 upon as the destroyer of carnation cul- 

 ture, one would come to the conclu- 

 sion that every grower by this time 

 would be familiar with this disease, 

 but still we find localities where it 

 has not yet appeared, and the grow- 

 ers are in blessed ignorance of this 

 disease, considered in former years as 

 a dreadful destroyer. I remember our 

 late friend, Myron A. Hunt, coming 

 from a tour through the East, making 

 the remark that rust will kill carna- 

 tion culture in this country. How 

 many have entertained the same idea, 

 and how do we look at it now? I en- 

 tertained the same view and was very 

 careful to keep this disease from our 

 place, avoiding any contact that might 

 become the source of a spread, and 

 when, about three vears ae;o, through 

 some source or other, rust appeared, 

 it only served to draw us from a par- 

 tial seclusion and increased our busi- 

 ness more than double. 



Now, while it has proved a blessing 

 in disguise to us, I still think it a 

 greater blessing to be exempt from it, 

 and I do not wish to lull anybody into 

 security and carelessness. Watchful- 

 ness may avoid much care and extra 

 work. This should especially be exer- 

 cised in the growing of new varieties. 

 A new variety is not born with the 

 rust, although it may prove very sus- 

 ceptible to it, but there is no excuse in 

 sending out a new variety diseased 

 with rust, as has been the case with 

 some the past and other seasons, for 

 with some care it certainly can be 

 kept clean. Of all the carnation dis- 

 eases, rust is the least injurious when 

 held in check, and to my experience 

 this can be done. At the same time, 

 none has been more feared and re- 

 ceived so much attention and discus- 

 sion through the trade papers and 

 otherwise. FRED DORNER. 



THE LAWSON CARNATION. 



During the last two weeks there has 

 been quite a collection of contradictory 

 statements made regarding this car- 

 nation, in both the trade papers and 

 the leading dailies of this and other 

 cities, but now the story can be told 

 which is in all probability the true 

 version of the whole transaction. 



The pink in question is now the sole 

 property of the gentleman after whose 

 estimable wife it was named, and it is 

 claimed that the actual price, as pub- 

 lished, $30,000, had been paid over to 

 the originator, and to the enterpris- 

 ing retailer through whose efforts the 

 transaction was made possible. 



The Mrs. Thos. W. Lawson carna- 

 tion is of a bright cerise color, of very 

 pleasing shade, and the flower Is of 

 very large size, with a fine, stout 

 stem. It is a favorite among the bon- 

 ton of Boston, owing to the vividness 

 of its color under artificial light, and 

 the demand has for the last few weeks 

 far exceeded the supply. 



Mr. Peter Fisher, the originator, is 

 an enthusiastic carnationist, and has 

 already sent out some good carna- 

 tions, one of which, Edith Foster, a 



white one, is grown to a considerable 

 extent around Boston, as is also Free- 

 dom, a grand white for home trade 

 purposes. 



The Lawson is a seedling of Van 

 Leeuwen and Daybreak, the latter be- 

 ing the seed parent, and it first at- 

 tracted attention during the season 

 of 1896 and 1897, and by its immense 

 size and keeping qualities came to the 

 personal notice of Mr. Thos. F. Gal- 

 vin, Boston's noted retailer, who at 

 once made overtures to the originator, 

 with the result that in February, 1898, 

 he became part owner of the flowers 

 and stock, and has made such good 

 use of his ownership that the whole 

 thing has realized a good, round sum. 



The carnation will still be grown 

 by Mr. Fisher, and the flowers handled 

 by Mr. Galvin, both being authorized 

 agents of Mr. Lawson. P. 



TRADE AND TRADE INTERESTS. 



From the Commission Man's Standpoint. 



This has been an odd season as re- 

 gards violets. In the early fall, when 

 a few bunches put in their appearance, 

 the trade would look at them and ex- 

 claim, "Oh, violets," but would not 

 buy them. They might add, "It is too 

 early for violets," but they passed 

 them. A few weeks later, when the 

 single violets got a fair color, every 

 florist wanted them and seemed to 

 want them bad, but as quick as the 

 price went over 75 cents a hundred 

 they passed them by. In the month 

 of November the Jewish Charity Fair 

 made a special demand for violets and 

 neither price nor quality cut any fig- 

 ure, the florists simply had to have 

 them, and the grower was much elat- 

 ed. 



Then came the first frost, and when 

 the weather turns cold violets stop 

 selling and down goes the price. The 

 next day that is warm enough to allow 

 ladies to wear violets on the street the 

 price recovers, and the florist who has 

 seen violets offered in quantity at low 

 figures only a few days before is so 

 surprised that he is ready to accuse 

 the dealer of wanting to rob him. 



Now the grower says, "Hold violets 

 for Christmas," and even if the dealer 

 wires for stock he will not ship, for 

 he will reply, "I can get more next 

 week for Christmas." To the commis- 

 sion man's inquiry as to how many the 

 grower will be able to cut for Christ- 

 mas, the repl.v v.'ill be so vague and 

 indefinite as to be of no practical 

 value. The dealer gets what informa- 

 tion he can through other channels, 

 such as people who have visited the 

 various places on other business, 

 studying the reports in the trade pa- 

 pers, etc., and on this bases his Christ- 

 mas price. This season every one 

 thought we were going to have a glut 

 of everything and a $2 price was made 

 on violets for all orders placed up to 

 and including December 23. Then 

 came the surprise — everything turned 

 scarce, with violets among the scarc- 

 est; the grower made his kick, and in 

 some cases stopped shipping. If it had 



