FEBRUARY 2, 1899. 



The Weekly Florists' Review* 



229 



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No. .31. Ventilator Rod and Fastener. 

 [The slots in tiie rod at the left should be connected by a shallow cliannel.] 



turned out as every one anticipated 

 and the sales at $2 had brought up 

 the average, all would have been 0. 

 K. 



At New Year's, violets having been 

 cut out so close there was but a limit- 

 ed supply, and though but a few were 

 wanted, prices were maintained fairly 

 well. But the buyer was quick to call 

 attention to the quality. Soon large 

 receipts of poor grade violets (that 

 seemed to be good stock only a few 

 days back) caused the first drop, then 

 came a cold snap (and. as mentioned 

 above, cold weather cuts off demand), 

 and double receipts next day. which 

 caused another slump. 



This season has so far varied from 

 previous years in that while such gluts 

 have been looked for in the past, they 

 have rarely lasted more than a day or 

 two at a time, and a stiff reaction 

 has always followed, while this has not 

 been the case this year, for where 7-5 

 cents to $1 a hundred has been top 

 price on superior grades of fine dark 

 color, with long stems and well 

 bunched, such flowers as Lady Camp- 

 bell, the singles and all poor grades 

 and poorly bunched violets haven't 

 seemed to find any bottom figure. 

 Prices have ranged from $2.50 to $4 

 a thousand, and the commission man 

 has considered himself in luck if he 

 got the ?4 end of it. or near it. 



Still, we think the producer has had 

 on the whole a better season than in 

 many years past, for all kinds of flow- 

 ers seem to sell, carnations, roses and 

 bulb stock doing much better than 

 usual. Light colors seem to have had 



the advantage as regards prices. Beau- 

 ties, Meteors and all red flowers seem 

 to beg for a market, except when of 

 very superior grade. But that is no 

 news — good stock always sells, and at 

 a good price. CHARLIE'S AUNT. 

 Chicago. 



OUR PRIZE COMPETITION. 



Following are additional entries in 

 our prize competition in labor-saving 

 devices or methods useful to florists: 



No. 31. There are still florists whose 

 places are so small, or whose finances 

 are so contracted that they feel they 

 cannot afford the manufactured venti- 

 lating apparatus. Such will find the 

 ventilator rod illustrated cheap, safe 

 and effectual, especially for fastening 

 the ventilators. 



The rod is made of a strip of wood 

 two inches wide and three-eighths of 

 an inch thick when dressed. To one 

 end the slot end of a common hinge 

 hasp is attached by either rivets or 

 screws. The strap end of the hinge 

 is scre\yed to the ventilator as shown 

 in the cut. Slots are cut in the strip 

 or rod according to the requirements 

 of the ventilator and a staple fastened 

 to or driven into the ventilator frame 

 to fit the slots. A slight groove or 

 channel on the underside of the rod 

 connecting the slots is necessary as a 

 guide or track for the staple to run in 

 when raising or lowering the venti- 

 lator. Curved rods or strips such as 

 may be made from barrel or hogshead 



staves usually fit better than straight 

 ones. 



If the ventilators are hard to reach 

 and long rods would be inconvenient, 

 short ones may be easily worked by 

 means of a pole with a socket on the 

 end to receive the pointed end of the 

 rod. These rods can also be made of 

 iron and of much smaller dimensions, 

 being particular to have the groove 

 on tha under side connecting the 

 slots. T or strap hinges can also be 

 used instead of the hasp, but of course 

 the slot will have to be made and the 

 staple fitted. 



This simple fastening can be made 

 and put up by any handy man, such 

 as a florist always is. R. 



ORCHIDS SOME CURIOUS CROSSES. 



In company with the solid and sen- 

 sible W. J. Palmer, Sr.. we visited one 

 day last week the domain of Prof. 

 Cowell, South Park, and our Botanic 

 Garden. The stately range of glass 

 that is going up will some day be a 

 great attraction to that distant part 

 of our city: and it is going up per- 

 haps slowly, but most substantially. 

 I like its appearance better than any 

 other range of glass that I have had 

 the good fortune to see. It is stone, 

 brick, iron, cement and glass. 'Wood 

 is only used for the sash bars, and we 

 all know that a well seasoned cypress 

 bar will outlast many generations of 

 our race. When it is finished will be 

 time enough for a full description of 

 the architecture and its many admir- 

 able qualities of plan, construction, 

 and grand appearance. 



There is just now a very large and 

 beautiful display of orchids in bloom, 

 which no florist of this locality should 

 miss seeing. It is a veritable blaze of 

 these floral gems. The largest quan- 

 tity is Cattleya Trianae and Laelia an- 

 ceps. The latter are splendidly flow- 

 ed, some of them as large as cattleyas 

 and a great variation of color, some 

 of the palest pink and a few rich, rosy 

 crimson. Then there are fine clumps 

 of Odontoglossum Rossii, a modest 

 gem: some splendid spikes of Pha- 

 laenopsis Schilleriana. Coelogvne cris- 

 tata, old Phaius grandifolius. and a 

 few others of less commercial value. 

 "^Vhoever could see these fine laelias 

 and cattleyas hanging in a light house 

 and occupying no bench room, fiower- 

 ing like a geranium, would hardly say 

 there was no money in them. 



A young batch of seedling cypripe- 

 diums showing their tiny leaves above 

 some fresh sphagnum is very inter- 

 esting, but what is to us still more 

 interesting are the several crosses that 

 have been attempted and effected at 

 this young establishment. The seed 

 pods are their evidence of the success 

 attained, the fruit of the cattleyas re- 

 minding you of a fair sized green plum 

 with a few wrinkles. Here are some 

 of the crosses from which some seed 

 will be certain to be procured: 



Coelogyne cristata x Cattleya Perci- 

 vallianum, both ways. 



Coelogyne cristata x Oncidium tigri- 

 num, both ways. 



