302 



The Weekly Rorists^ Review* 



FEBRUARY 23, 1899. 



it was found to pay, and the progres- 

 sive growers soon had a large follow- 

 ing, until finally the plan was adopted 

 by all. 



I only make mention of these early 

 days to show how we have progressed. 

 As for the past few years the cutting, 

 handling, packing and shipping of 

 ilowers have been reduced to a science 

 and there is little to be desired. 



Contrast the old system with the 

 neat pasteboard boxes containing fifty 

 to one hundred select flowere of this 

 or that variety, laid in carefully, with 

 all the foliage, now seen coming in 

 from our best growers, and who will 

 say that we have not made great 

 strides in the right direction? Carna- 

 tions of the present day. with but few 

 exceptions, are one hundred percent 

 better than those of ten yeare ago, and 

 probably, judging from a look about 

 the present exhibition, in five years 

 from now the same statement will 

 hold good of this time, and John 

 Thorpe's ideal of the four-inch flower 

 will be a reality. 



It is needless to say that we retail- 

 ers are glad to see this improvement 

 in the carnation. Good flowers make 

 a market for themselves. It is the ex- 

 treme finish put on a fiower that sells 

 it. The good ordinary carnation sells 

 well to persons that have use for them, 

 but the extra fine stock tempts people 

 to buy who, until they saw the fiowers, 

 had no thought of purchasing. It is 

 the medium and poor grade stock that 

 remain unsold. "Consignments of 

 first-class stock only solicited" is the 

 cry of the commission men. The re- 

 tail florist has to be very vigilant as 

 ofttimes ten to twenty-five per cent 

 of high graded stock turns out to be 

 fit for a grade or two lower. A grower 

 would immediately protest it some bad 

 dimes or quarters were found in his 

 receipts, and demand sound money in 

 exchange at once, but the flower mer- 

 chant is called a kicker and told he 

 ought to be glad to get them as they 

 are as they were saved for him from 

 people who were anxious to have paid 

 more. 



The flower buying people are becom- 

 ing educated up to a higher standard, 

 and we will venture to say that better 

 retail prices have been realized dur- 

 ing the present season than ever be- 

 fore. 



No Divine fiower is worthy the name 

 that does not have a stem strong 

 enough to support itself. The weak 

 stock that habitually holds its head 

 down is the cause of many remarks 

 anything but Divine in character. 

 Growers should aim in new varieties 

 to get stout stems, and I would sug- 

 gest that in judging by points fifty 

 should be minimum for stem, as a 

 carnation good in every other respect 

 is worthless without a self-supporting 

 stem. 



Next to roses carnations are most 

 necessary to the stock of the retailer. 

 Without a good assortment, he is con- 

 tinually in trouble. Carnations can 



often be substituted for roses, but it is 

 not often that roses will take their 

 place. In most cases, when a lady is 

 ordering something for home adorn- 

 ment, carnations are chosen. If the 

 fiowers are to be sent as a present or 

 remembrance to a friend, roses are al- 

 most invariably selected. We may ex- 

 cept, however, the one to ten dollar 

 per dozen carnations,- which are be- 

 coming popular w'ith the best buyers 

 and do occasionally take the place of 

 roses. 



Carnations are also popular for table 

 decoration and are preferred by many, 

 as they are not. as a rule, so expensive 

 as roses and do not seem so preten- 

 tious. Very artistic arrangements can 

 be made with carnations quite as ef- 

 fectively and, in fact, to my mind, with 

 better color effects. 



The carnation, like all other flowers 

 is most beautiful when it is scarce. In 

 the fall, witli the market full of chrys- 

 anthemums, and again in the late 

 winter and early spring, when that 

 fearful disease, so damaging to tlie 

 welfare of all branches of the busines.s, 

 called the "glut," makes its appear- 

 ance, then does the Divine flower fall 

 from grace and become only an ordi- 

 nary pink. It is then a case of two 

 much of a good thing. It is very ag- 



gravating to a storekeeper to pay one 

 dollar to one dollar and fifty cents per 

 hundred for carnations, and see fakirs 

 marching up and down past his door 

 carrying great baskets, piled high with 

 good flowers at two dozen for a quar- 

 ter and even less. I am not one who 

 thinks the fakir is an unmitigated 

 evil and has no right to exist. He has 

 of late years become a necessary ad- 

 junct to the business, and given fine 

 weather and plenty of stock, the fakir 

 element probably handles more flowers 

 daily than the storekeeper. The in- 

 justice exists in the fakir being able 

 to buy from fifty to seventy-flve per 

 cent cheaper than the retailer. Of 

 course the storekeepers could buy all 

 the stock and keep the fakirs out, but 

 they would have great difficulty in 

 handling it at a profit, and the encour- 

 aged growers would soon be seen run- 

 ning around looking up boilers, glass 

 and other iteims of greenhouse archi- 

 tecture. 



The whole business is one of ex- 

 tremes — too many flowers at one sea- 

 son and a hustle to get enough at an- 

 other — ^and so we suppose this state of 

 affairs will remain, with the shrewd 

 men taking advantage of the situation 

 as it presents itself. 



PROPAGATING. 



As the days grow longer and the 

 sun warmer we are admonished that 

 it is time to overlook our stock plants 

 and get them into condition from 

 which to propagate. Too often are 

 they thrown under a bench and left 

 there to come along as best they can, 

 just because room is limited and the 

 Mum has gained for itself a reputa- 

 tion for hardiness and thriving under 

 adverse conditions. 



Put the old stools up on the bench 

 in a cool house, the carnation house 

 or violet house will suit admirably as 

 regardsi temperatuie, and commence to 

 give them more water than they have 

 been getting. They will soon push up 

 their young growths and propagation 

 can commence immediately with the 

 early kinds and such others as you 

 may wish to increase to any great ex- 

 tent. During February and March all 

 the early varieties should be propa- 

 gated if possible then they have lots 

 of time to grow and make a good stem 

 and flower. It is no use to expect a 

 good flower and a three feet stem from 

 a plant, of, say Glory of the Pacific, 

 that is not rooted till June. Very slow 

 growers should also be rooted as soon 

 as good cuttings can be obtained. Bon- 

 naffon, Mrs. Jerome Jones and Solar 



Queen are varieties that we class as 

 slow growers, and are benefitted by 

 getting a good early start. 



One important thing to remember 

 is that it is better to wait a month if 

 need be to get good, healthy, vigor- 

 ous cuttings than to put in a batch of 

 small measly stuff that needs half a 

 year in which to make good plants. 

 The start is everything in successful 

 chrysanthemum culture. Give your 

 plants a chance and they will repay 

 you with interest. 



When the cuttings are made they 

 should always be dipped into tobacco 

 water or some other insecticide to kill 

 off any black fly that may be around. 

 This little pest sticks to the mum 

 closer than a brother and rarely in- 

 deed are plants entirely free from it. 

 Black fly. however, is not so bad a.' 

 some of the other ills the mum is heir 

 to and the worst of all unless signs 

 fail will be the rust this summer. Eng- 

 land had a bad attack last year and 

 1 venture to predict that at the pres- 

 ent time not half a dozen big growers 

 in this country could swear their 

 stock was free from rust. Where 

 large numbers of plants are bought 

 rust is sure to make its appearance 

 and the way it spreads is a caution to 

 snakes. If your own collection is 



