300 



The Weekly Florists' Review. 



AUGUST 16, 1900. 



there will be a big demand for it. 

 Very few growers seem to be able to 

 produce this finest of all the ferns; 

 there's money in it for a good special- 

 ist near each of the large cities. We 

 wonder why adiantums intended for 

 store use are not grown in pans? 

 Every window-dresser knows how hard 

 it is to hide pots. Try some terns in 

 pans, all sizes; they come in handy 

 for a hurry-up job, and are better for 

 your window or general decorative 

 work. You know how difficult it is to 

 fix up a mantel board and such de- 

 signs with pot stuff, whereas with 

 small pans the plants need not be dis- 

 turbed and the work can be done in 

 one-fifth the time. 



There will be a big demand for Bos- 

 ton ferns all through the season, and 

 you needn't be in a hurry to get rid 

 of your stock unless it is poor; same 

 with hanging baskets or pans of As- 

 paragus Sprengeri. 



The demand for bay trees has fallen 

 away considerably, as many know to 

 their sorrow. There are two possible 

 reasons; one is that topiary class of 

 decorative material is unpopular in 

 this country, the other that the price 

 Is too high. We feel sorry for those 

 who tried to corner the market on 

 this class of goods, or those who have 



lost in any investment in them, but 

 we are pleased to note the increasing 

 use of palms instead of bay trees for 

 all manner of exterior and interior 

 decorations; it means more demand for 

 home-grown stock and more beautiful 

 and beneficial effects. 



Japanese maples of varieties such as 

 A. atropurpureum dissectum and A. 

 sanguineum in pots will come in very 

 useful for decorations or window work 

 during October and November; if you 

 are not growing any in pots, try a few 

 next year; they can be plunged out of 

 doors and taken in before the frost 

 cuts them. 



You may notice that tubs or vases 

 of Hydrangea Otaksa are very beau- 

 tiful and quite plentiful at most of the 

 summer resorts. They come in very 

 handy for almost all classes of deco- 

 rations, either cut or in tubs, which 

 need not be so large. 



There is nothing prettier out in the 

 garden at present than Tamarix indica, 

 the flower and foliage combine to 

 make it splendid; try it on a mirror 

 in connection with white, or use it in 

 vase work with light colors. 



Silk tasseled cords of small size and 

 fine quality will prol)abIy be much used 

 for bunches of violets the coming sea- 

 son. IVERA. 



MISCELLANEOUS 

 SEASONABLE HINTS. 



Roman Hyacinths. 



The arrival of Roman hyacinths and 

 lilies makes us think that the cam- 

 paign has commenced again. Romans 

 are less expensive than they were and 

 are most useful. It is not fair to the 

 bulbs to let them lay around in warm 

 sheds. Box at once all that you will 

 use up to New Year's. Those that are 

 wanted later can be planted later. 

 They should be unpacked, placed in 

 flats not over three or four inches 

 deep and covered with some perfectly 

 dry soil or sand and kept in the cool- 

 est place you can find. I prefer mod- 

 erate sized flats for forcing; 1 foot by 

 2 feet and 3 inches deep is a conveni- 

 ent size and will hold sixty bulbs. 



Place the flats out of doors, give 

 them a thorough soaking and then 

 cover with three or four inches of soil 

 or tan bark. This is all the covering 

 they need till very hard freezing. 

 Don't forget that during this month, 

 September and perhaps October, we 

 may get long dry spells, and it takes 

 a heavy rain to penetrate the covering, 

 and unless they are kept moist they 

 will root very slowly. This applies 

 particularly to those you want to bring 

 in by the end of September or early 

 in October. So in hot weather give 

 the bed a soaking tv/ice a week; re- 



member they are in boxes and get no 

 moisture from the ground. 



I might mention here that I have 

 seen Romans frozen severely after they 

 had grown a few inches, and if allowed 

 to thaw out very slowly they were not 

 much the worse, but they are better 

 never frozen. 



Paper White Narcissus. 

 Handle the Paper White narcissus 

 just the same as to planting and water- 

 ing and care of those you want for 

 later forcing. The Paper White should 

 never be exposed to any frost. I be- 

 lieve in getting in these bulbs early; 

 getting them well rooted and forcing 

 slowly you can afford to do it, and 

 they are much more satisfactory to the 

 purchaser. 



Lilies. 



From most reliable sources I hear 

 that the supply of Bermuda lilies is 

 going to be sftort of the orders. If 

 the quality is only good it will not be 

 a calamity should the quantity be cut 

 down. And the short supply is doubt- 

 less caused by the growers being more 

 conscientious about the quality of 

 bulbs. There is nothing gained by 

 letting the bulbs lay around and get 

 dry. If it is impossibje to pot them, 

 then lay them in flats and cover with 

 sand or dry sphagnum. 



There seems no difference in their 

 growth whether the large bulbs are 

 put first into four-inch and later 

 shitted into six or seven inch or started 

 at once in the flowering pot. The 

 former plan certainly saves space and 

 material. Before there is need of shift- 

 ing into the larger pots the diseased 

 growth has shown itself. We have 

 done this with the seven to nine bulbs 

 for the past three years, and have no 

 reason to change. The five to seven 

 we pot into five-inch at once, and those 

 we want early we put at once on the 

 benches and cover the surface with an 

 inch of sphagnum, just to keep the 

 soil from drying out so rapidly. The 

 seven to nine that are wanted for 

 Easter we place in frames and cover 

 with an inch of straw for the same 

 purpose as we placed sphagnum on 

 those inside. 



Easter is early next year, and the 

 Japan longiflorum that will arrive 

 later will want lots of forcing; but 

 there are men who know how to do 

 it. Your big Bermuda bulbs will do 

 better in a frame for three months yet. 



There seems to be one opinion now, 

 and the right one, that changing the 

 temperature when the lilies are ad- 

 vanced in growth is by no means de- 

 .sirable. When once placed in heat 

 they want to be steadily kept there. 

 We have frequently noticed that a lily 

 taken out of 65 degrees and put into 

 00 degrees with the object of retarding 

 has given it such a set-back that it 

 scarcely opened up its buds at all in 

 perfect shape. We will have more to 

 say about this part of the business 

 later. 



Coleus. 



While this warm weather is here 

 you should select a few hundred cut- 

 tings of each of the desirable coleus 

 and put them in flats of sand or your 

 propagating bed. Before chilly weather 

 comes they will be strong plants in 

 three-inch pots and what you want 

 for your stock. It's a good opportu- 

 nity to start without mealy bugs, 

 which are so troublesome to these 

 heat-loving plants. Don't forget when 

 putting in the cuttings that in every 

 thousand you want 450 Verschaffeltii 

 and 450 Golden Bedder; the other 

 hundred whatever you like best. 



Achillea The Pearl. 



It is very noticeable now and for 

 several weeks past what a splendid 

 little flower for the commercial florist 

 is Achillea The Pearl. It is well 

 known, and if there are any florists 

 without it they should plant a row of 

 it this fall. Perfectly hardy and last- 

 ing long in flower, its small white 

 clusters of flowers are most useful, and 

 it has just the right stem for a cheap 

 bunch of flowers. There are some 

 other beautiful achilleas, fine plants 

 for rockeries, some grand yellow spe- 

 cies, but "The Pearl" is the florist's 

 flower. 



Bouvardias. 



The last week of August is the most 

 favorable time to lift and bench the 



