302 



The Weekly Florists' Review. 



AUGUST IG, VMI). 



growing and nourishing in tlie cre- 

 vices of roclis. Contrary to this, in 

 the forests of a low, flat country 

 abounding in decayed wood, we find 

 ferns of a stronger, coarser variety 

 luxuriantly developed. 



In the solid brick walls of the old- 

 fashioned, half-span greenhouses of 

 European countries, where the mortar 

 has fallen out, I have found the finest 

 variety of the adiantuni family grow- 

 ing. This fact, coupled with the close 

 resemblance to the porous nature of 

 rock, confirmed my belief that the 

 cultivation of ferns on brick would 

 be both possible and practical. 



After several successful trials I sub- 

 mit this article, in which I will en- 

 deavor to give a lucid explanation of 

 the methods which I have found prac- 

 tical in this particular mode of culti- 

 vation, with the hope that it may 

 prove of interest to some of your 

 readers. 



Take a galvanized iron or tin pan 

 50 inches long, 10 inches wide and 1 

 inch deep. Thoroughly cleanse one 

 dozen common brick, 8x4x2. and place 

 in pan. Cover them entirely with a 

 thin layer of soil procured from the 

 decayed trunks of hardwood trees, 

 sifted through a fine wire sieve. Sow 

 the seeds very thinly on top of this 

 and fill pan with rainwater. I am 

 particular about the water, since hard 

 water contains mineral matter which 

 would close pores of brick. Place pan 

 on the north side of a rose or palm 

 house, close to a wall, and entirely 

 enclose with glass plates set on an 

 incline. Keep the pan constantly 

 filled with water, in the shade. In a 

 temperature of 60 to 70 degrees. 



In closing my article I wish to call 

 the attention of busy fiorists especi- 

 ally to two points: Dirt cannot be 

 swept off by syringing, nor plants 

 damaged by overwatering. Plants 

 grown in this thin layer of soil can 

 be easily and readily peeled off and re- 

 moved without injury to roots. I 

 have found the adiantuni family espe- 

 cially adapted to this manner of grow- 

 ing- C. M. H. 



FRITZ RECREATE". 



Shaumburg. August 12. 1900. 

 Tear Prient: No doubt dot you 

 dought py dis dime I vas shofing 

 glouds mit de anchels or. keeping de 

 fire hot in de Oder blace. not hafing 

 heart from me for such a long dime. 

 Bropably dis woult haf been de gase 

 hat I kept on mit my exberimenda- 

 tions, but I hat to let up for a vile 

 as my gonstitution needed a liddle 

 regreation. und so I hied myself to a 

 bleasure "retort." Some beople call 

 it bleasure resort, but "retort" is 

 nearer right, as de heat at dis blace 

 was worser dan a hot night in a roll- 

 ing mill. 



I hat some opjects in view in going 

 to dis retort, as I could gombine biss- 

 ness mit bleasure to a cerdain eggs- 

 dent, because one off my gustomora for 

 whom I hat mate some wetting decora- 



tions was sizzling at dis blace during 

 de heated term. So 1 packed up my 

 garpet bags mit some new shirt waists 

 und duck drousers und Oder dings 

 wich are necessary on such a drip 

 und skipped oud, away from bissness 

 worry an gare. I arrifed at de blace 

 in goot time, und after arraying ray- 

 self in some off my new splentor went 

 oud to see de sights und incidentally 

 to see dat gustomer off mine who hat 

 gifen me de go-by for a huntert-dollar 

 decorations. I hat not broceedet very 

 far wen some pody soaked me on de 

 pack und salt: "Hello! Mr. Blumen- 

 schneider! How are you? Wen dit 

 you arrife? You are chust de man 

 I want to see. I was chust now on 

 my way to de host office to mail you 

 dis check for de work you mate for 

 my wettings, but now dat you are 

 here I may as well give it to you in 

 berson." Und mit dose words he 

 hantet me de money. 



I was almost ofergome mit choy at 

 my great luck, und to show dat I 

 abbreciated his kindness I asked him 

 und his frients to choin me at dinner 

 dat efening. too wich dey all agreet. 

 So I went back to de hotel und mate 

 arranchments mit de manacher for a 

 nice spreat. I left it all to him. saying 

 dat I hat not much exberience in mad- 

 ders off dis kint, und hoped he would 

 do dings up in nice shape, wich he 

 certainly did. Nefer in all my life did I 

 exbect to see anyding like it. We hat 

 eferyding in und out off season — soft- 

 shell grabs and hart-shell grabs, lop- 

 sters und derrapius, ganvas-pack duck 

 und reet birts. wine by de basket .full, 

 ices und icecicles und ice gream. 



Wen I saw wat I was up against I 

 was almost scaredet to deat; in fact. I 

 lost my appetite dinking off de pill 

 wich I would hat to bay. Well, I tried 

 to ofergome my emodions de pest I 

 coult und tried to keep up my gourage 

 und make my guests dink dot I was 

 used to dese liddle affairs; I dried to 

 imbress dem mit de idee dot dese liddle 

 Imbromdu dinner barties were an 

 effery day oggurence mit me. I don't 

 know how well I sugseeded, but it 

 seemed to me dat all drough de din- 

 ner dere was a sort off subbressed 

 shmiling und shnickering on de bart 

 of my gompany, exbecciall.v wen I mate 

 de misdake off putting sugar in de 

 bullion, dinking it was tea, as I nefer 

 drank soup out off a cup in my life 

 before. 



Well, all dings come to him who 

 waits, und I did not haf to wait long 

 for my pill. Wen der manacher handet 

 me my pill for de dinner you could 

 haf knocked me ofer mit a straw. I 

 was lucky dot I hat a redurn ticket 

 for Shaumburg or I woult haf walked 

 home. Nefer again will I try to gom- 

 bine bissness mit bleasure; once was 

 enough for me. und de next time I ask 

 anybody to choin me at dinner it will 

 be a gaiition. 



Good bye to my fond dreams oft 

 addenting de Florits' Gonwention; 

 good bye to de new dress for my 

 wife; de liquid air experimenda- 

 tions, and good' bye also to dese new 



shirt waists und duck drousers wich 

 were de gause off all my droubles. 

 "Summer Retorts"? Schwindels! Gon- 

 fidence games! Robbers! Tiefs! Too 

 dink dot de safings of a whole year 

 shoult be shpent for one meal. But 

 I was a deat game shport wile it 

 lasted, and now to go pack to work 

 und to forget dot dere efer was such 

 a blace as a summer "retort." Ach! 

 Why did I efer puy dose shirt waists? 

 Yours, 



PUITZ BLUMENSCHNEIDER. 



DICTIONARY OF GARDENING. 



We have received from Mr. Geo. T. 

 King, Hyde Park, Mass., American 

 agent for Nicholson's Dictionary of 

 Gardening, a copy of volume cue of 

 the "1900 supplement" recently Is- 

 sued. The supplement is to be com- 

 pleted in two volumes and the sec- 

 ond volume is promised by the end 

 of the present year. The volume now 

 received contains 376 pages, size ajid 

 binding uniform with the original 

 dictionary. It contains an immense 

 amount of fresh information, the sub- 

 jects arranged alphabetically and In 

 style uniform with the old work. A 

 notable departui-e is the free use of 

 half tone engravings, which are in 

 many cases a great improvement over 

 wood cuts or drawings. The price of 

 the supplement is *5.0l» a volume. The 

 following extracts from the publish- 

 er's preface explain fully the scope 

 and purpose of the supplement. 



Nearly twenty years have passed since Nichol- 

 son's "Dictionary of Gardening" first saw the 

 light. Naturally, in the interval whicij has elapsed 

 since that time great changes have been brought 

 about, changes wliich demand to be recognized in 

 a work such as this aims to lie. In nomenclature 

 alone they have been exceedingly numerous, and 

 plant names which had become almost household 

 words have now been usurped by others unknown 

 to any but botanists. Familiar examples of such 

 changes may be cited in the Pampas Grass, for- 

 merly Gynerium argenteum, but now Cortaderia 

 argentea, and in Ampelopsis Veitchii, now known 

 as Vitis inconstans. 



In Iiorticultural practice a more extended ex- 

 perience with certain plants has resulted in the 

 overtiirow of some of the long-cherished notions 

 entertained in regard to their treatment, necessi- 

 tating some considerable modifications. And in 

 no section perhaps is this more clearly shown than 

 in (irchids on the one band, or in Fruit Culture, 

 both out of doors and under glass, on the other. 



Considerable progress has been made in what 

 are termed florists' flowers— Dahlias, Roses, Vio- 

 las, Carnations, Gladioli, Narcissi. &c.— and these 

 plants today are \astly different from those of the 

 time of the first publication of the " Dictionary of 

 Gardening:" and life histories of insects and 

 mites, as well as of parasitic fungi, have been so 

 accurately worked out by entomologists and plant- 

 patliologists that the methods of dealing witn foes 

 generally have been considerably improved upon. 



The above are suggestive of some of the many 

 and great changes wtiich have taken place in the 

 last two decades. How best to adequately deal 

 with them, in a manner at once consistent with 

 the reputation of the " Dictionary of Gardening'' 

 for thoroughness, and fair to subscribers, has 

 been the earnest consideration of the publisher. 

 Eventually it was decided that the best way of 

 meeting tlie ditticulty was to issue a supplemental 

 volume, to include all additions and modifications 

 that time has rendered necessary, thus bringing 

 the entire work right up to the present time, with- 

 out decreasing, but, on the contrary, increasing, 

 the value of the volumes already in the hands of 

 subscribers; for it must be remembered that the 

 great bulk of the subscribers are working garden- 

 ers, to many of whom the purchase of the work 

 has represented great personal sacrifice, and to 

 whom its supersession by the issue of a new edi- 

 tion would have been a very grievous loss. 



