JUNE 28, 1900. 



The Weekly Florists' Review^ 



129 



*s. .:-.,'.i,^,^^3i 



An American Bulb Field. 



about two-thirds developed than at 

 any other stage. 



The reason why there are so many 

 complaints nowadays of the calycan- 

 thiis is because perhaps not one plant 

 in a thousand is the true C. tloridus. 

 This species rarely or never seeds. If 

 I have ever seen seeds on it, I have 

 forgotten. Propagation of it is mainly 

 by offsets and not one nursery in a 

 hundred could supply many plants 

 of it. 



Some years ago a dealer in tree 

 seeds living in the region where Caly- 

 canthus laevigatus grows wild gath- 

 ered and sold the seed as C. floridus, 

 and still does, the mistake being quite 

 unintentional, I am satisfied. The 

 seeds were bought in good faith by 

 most all the nurserymen in the coun- 

 try and plants from them scattered 

 far and wide, the nurserymen glad to 

 be able to offer plants of what they be- 

 lieved to be C. floridus and their pa- 

 trons glad to purchase them. Your 

 correspondent has C. laevigatus, with- 

 out much doubt. . 



The fact that C. laevigatus is not 

 sweet scented led recently to investi- 

 gations, resulting in the discovery that 

 it was not floridus, and I am sure 

 many are still selling it, believing it 

 correctly named. 



-It cannot be said the flowers of 

 laevigatus are not scented. In my own 

 garden is one of them, and picking the 

 flowers at the right stage there is to 

 me an agreeable scent to them, but it 

 is not the delightful odor of the flori- 

 dus. But it remains to be said that to 

 many the odor of the laevigatus is not 

 agreeable. 



The true sweet shrub, C. floridus, is 

 of a spreading, rather straggling 

 growth, quite a different looking shrub 

 to the upright C. laevigatus. 



JOSEPH MEEHAN. 



May not the difference in perfume 

 of individual plants of calycanthus re- 

 sult from observation of different spe- 

 cies? C. floridus is very fragi-ant, 

 while laevigatus and glaucus are not 

 so fragrant. Individuals, too, vary. I 

 have no doubt, in intensity of frag- 

 rance as they vary in other character- 

 istics. The species I have mentioned 

 are natives. J. A. PETTIGREW. 



AN AMERICAN BULB FIELD. 



We present herewith an engraving 

 from a photograph showing a part of 

 the bulb fields of Mr. Geo. Gibbs, New 

 Whatcom, state of Washington, who 

 has undoubtedly laid the foundation of 

 an industry of great importance to 

 American florists. The success of Mr. 

 Gibbs' experiments in the growing of 

 Dutch bulbs in the state of Washing- 

 ton, which were begun in 18S7, show 

 that these bulbs can be grown com- 

 mercially on American soil and indi- 

 cate that it will not be long before the 

 bulk of our supply of hyacinth, tulip 

 and similar bulbs will come from the 

 Pacific coast. 



We congratulate Mr. Gibbs upon his 

 success and trust that his efforts will 

 meet with substantial rewards. 



With Washington supplying us with 

 our Dutch bulbs and Porto Rico sup- 

 plying our Harrisii lily bulbs (as it 

 undoubtedly will), the duty on bulbs 



will become really protective instead 

 of simply a tax on American florists. 



As to lily of the valley pips, we pre- 

 dict that within ten years the importa- 

 tions from Europe will have dropped 

 to almost zero. Home grown pips are 

 produced already in large quantities 

 more cheaply than they can be im- 

 ported and the quality is superior. 



NAME OF BEGONIA. 



Sam De Graw is at present in the 

 far west, trying to determine the char- 

 acter of a refiactory fossil, and will 

 not see the Review for several weeks; 

 but if he was here I doubt if he could 

 settle authoritatively the name of the 

 begonia Mr. Scott inquires about. 



If Nicholson is recognized as au- 

 thority, it is not incarnata, as he de- 

 scribes that variety as shrubby, a 

 condition I have never seen this attain 

 as we grow it. and having cordate 

 leaves and large, handsome flowers, 

 while the leaves of the kind in ques- 

 tion are lanceolate, somewhat falcate 

 in outline, and the flowers are small or 

 medium sized. 



Several years ago we grew a begonia 

 called carnea, and this is simply the 

 same thing improved and with more 

 vigor. We know it as carnea robusta, 

 and will retain that name until some- 

 one provides a better, properly au- 

 thenticated. 



One of the most beautifully marked 

 begonias, and one that few florists 

 seem to know, is imperialis, similar in 

 habit to smaragdina, but with the light 

 green of that sort deepened in color 

 and elegantly brocaded with a darker 

 shade. W. T. BELL. 



