566 



The Weekly Florists' Review. 



MAY 4, 1S99. 



which he cut about 19,000 flowers that 

 netted him an average of about $10 a 

 hundred. He went into lilies rather 

 heavier than usual, feeling that as 

 Easter was early he would make a 

 fair strike, if he succeeded in getting 

 them all in on time. He will grow- 

 only half as many for next Easter, 

 which will be later (April 15), feeling 

 that more crops will be in on time 

 and that consequently he will have 

 more competition in the market. 



Last year he had half 7x9 and half 

 9x11 Japanese longiflorum. Next year 

 he will have all 9x11 bulbs. This size 

 will produce C to S flowers while the 

 7x9 produce only 4 to 5 and the plants 

 require the same space and expense 

 in handling. And when there are 

 splits among the large bulbs the indi- 

 vidual parts are strong enough to 

 produce something which is not apt to 

 be the case with splits among the 

 smaller bulbs. 



He notes five distinct varieties 

 among the Japanese longiflorum. One 

 known as Takesima is very distinct. 

 The foliage is narrow, stem brown 



and not quite so tall as that of the 

 type and flowers borne in a circle. It 

 forces very readily, produces more 

 flowers from a bulb of equal size and 

 the bulbs seldom split. 



He had only 1.000 Harrisii the past 

 season and lost half of these from 

 disease. He has not yet succeeded in 

 finding a remedy for the disease 

 though he has tried a number of 

 things that were recommended. He 

 believes that even should the mites be 

 killed after the bulbs are received it 

 is too late to prevent the disease as 

 the damage has been done before the 

 bulbs arrive. And killing the mites 

 is exceedingly difficult for they bur- 

 row into the tissues of the plant in 

 such a way that it is practically im- 

 possible to reach them all without 

 destroying the bulb. The grower of the 

 bulbs must eradicate the mites from 

 the soil of his fields in order to insure 

 bulbs free from the pest. If he could 

 obtain Harrisii free from disease he 

 would have no use for the longi- 

 florum, as the Harrisii produces much 

 more freely. .■ ■ '.. .' 



For Decoration Day.) 



Decoration Day will soon be here 

 and we think a few words about the 

 occasion will be most appropriate. 

 Now, dear friends. Decoration Day, 

 both from a sentimental as well as a 

 business point of view, should mean 

 more than it does to the florist; the 

 purpose of the event is most essential- 

 ly floricultural. It is a day upon which 

 the nation turns to us for the wreaths 

 to place on the graves of its heroic 

 dead, and it must be admitted that we 

 very often — yes, too often— only feebly 

 respond to the call. We are too prone 

 to look upon the sublime custom of 

 decorating the graves of the brave and 

 the true in a sordid light; we demand 

 full payment for all we do. We de- 

 pend upon the sentiment of the people 

 for a living, yet we hate to be con- 

 sidered sentimental. We cannot help 

 thinking how much the florists could 

 do to make the Day and the Act more 

 glorious by merely devoting a little 

 thought to it, and, my friends, there 

 is no reason why we should neglect it. 



We have noticed with a good deal of 

 regret, too, that the custom of deco- 



rating the public monuments is yearly 

 decreasing; there are two possible rea- 

 sons responsible for this — bad taste in 

 decorating and over-charging; both 

 could easily be avoided. We have oft- 

 en seen garlands of laurel twisted 

 around the body and head of a statue 

 of Washington, making the most ri- 

 diculous picture; again, potted plants 

 would be put under Lincoln's arm, tin- 

 foiled anchors on Farragut's sword, 

 and wreaths of flowers 'round Grant's 

 neck; and, mind you, these things 

 were done by men who called them- 

 selves florists. When we think of these 

 desecrations we are inclined to for- 

 give, nay, to thank, the Grand Army 

 Posts and other societies for stopping 

 it. 



Now, how nice it would be, and how 

 little it would cost, if the Florists' 

 Club in each city would artistically 

 decorate Washingiton's monument on 

 Decoration Day; it would be a grateful 

 act; it would educate the public; it 

 would induce other societies to deco- 

 rate other monuments — yes, it would 

 remind even individuals that they had 

 a duty to perform, and in numerous 



other ways tend to increase the de- 

 mand for flowers and greens that day. 

 The materials for the decoration 

 would be gladly given by the members 

 and the best artists in your city should 

 be asked to arrange them. 



Again, we will see G. A. R. Posts 

 march to cemeteries with all manner 

 of artificial stuff; this could be 

 changed, for the sentiment expressed 

 in natural and beautiful flowers will 

 always win where grateful hearts are 

 appealed to. See if you cannot get the 

 Grand Army Post or Sons of Veterans 

 in your district to each carry a small 

 wreath when they go to decorate the 

 graves. You can make the wreaths 

 cheaply and act generously with them; 

 they will not be inclined to forget it; 

 their trade will lepay you for what- 

 ever degree of generosity you show, 

 though I believe there are very many 

 that would be willing to pay you well 

 for the suggestion and satisfactory 

 execution of it. 



Now, let us consider what these 

 wreaths should be; in size they should 

 be from 9 to 12 inches, and they must 

 be made on one strong wire, not the 

 usual frame. Suppose they want a 

 cheap one; well, we can make that 

 very pretty, indeed, by tying Leu- 

 cothoe sprays around the wire, ar- 

 ranging the sprays to meet at the top 

 in laureate style; at the bottom, where 

 the sterna meet, we can place two 

 miniature flags or a bow of flag-rib- 

 bon; be particular about the finish; 

 for a few cents you can make a beau- 

 tiful little wreath of this material. If 

 something choicer is wanted, then 

 make the wreaths of laurel, either 

 common laurel or bay leaves; you 

 must wire the leaves separately and 

 arrange them on the wire ring, hav- 

 ing them face one way from both 

 sides; a few red roses or a small silk 

 or cotton flag should be attached to 

 the bottom of the wreath. If small 

 wreaths of flowere are desired, you can 

 first green the rings with some cheap 

 green like Princess Pine or retino- 

 spora (smilax may be too expensive), 

 then get blue corn flowers, red carna- 

 tions and white sweet peas; don't mix 

 these flowers, but make one third of 

 the front of the wreath one color; 

 then you will have the national colors 

 and there will be some meaning to 

 your design. 



Perhaps sprays or boutonnieres may 

 be adopted; if so. make them either 

 one color or of the national colors. 

 Avoid dried and dyed flowers and any 

 artificial effects, as they do not convey 

 the same meaning as natural flowers 

 do, and, more important still, they 

 degrade true art and otherwise injure 

 our trade. 



Of course, we will have some monu- 

 ments to decorate, and there is a prin- 

 ciple we should always recognize; it is 

 not necessary that we should demean 

 the sculptor's work by ours. No, no; 

 we should always study out how we 

 can enhance the beauty of the whole 

 by a proper application of our art; we 

 should never decorate the figure on a 

 monument; our work should be con- 

 fined to the pedestal, and the name of 



