OCTOBER 25. 1000. 



The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



6J5 



Avenue of American Beauties at the Cleveland Floral Festival. 



too small to be caught by an nrdinaiy 

 rake are drawn up and blown into the 

 receiver. The rotary action, by the way, 

 is the reverse of that of the lawn mower, 

 the clippings being picked up in front 

 and blown back over the top of th'e turn- 

 ing rakes. 



Tlie owner of the machine we were 

 experimenting with recklessly threw 

 small stones, bones and other similar 

 missil'es in the way of the rake, and 

 they disappeared into the receiver as 

 rapidly as the grass, though hardlj' as 

 noiselessly. 



The rake in question was supplied 

 with a large duck cloth receiver on a 

 wire frame, to b'e used in place of the 

 ordinary sheet iron one when raking 

 leaves, holding about three times as 

 much as the latter, and we tried it on a 

 leafy stretch of lawn with most gratify- 

 ing results. Tlie duck cloth receiver is 

 a decided improvement, as it is surpris- 

 ing what a hulk the leaves on a small 

 surface of lawn make when gathered to- 

 gether. 



But, to our mind, this rake will be 

 most valuable in fighting crab grass and 

 similar objectionable grasses and weeds 

 in the lawn. The teeth pull these pests 

 up so that a second trip with the lawn 

 mower enables you to cut them off close 

 to the ground. And if this treatment is 

 followed up it surely ought to get the 

 best of them. 



The price of this rake ($12) seems 

 rather high, but it is well made of good 

 material and probablj' could not be 

 profitably sold for less. It is certainly 

 fully worth the price to anj' one with a 

 good-sized lawn, and will no doubt soon 



become as much of a necessity as the 

 lawn mower (o all who enjoy the beauty 

 of a fine lawn. 



THE COMPOST HEAP. 



To nuiny florists the matter of having 

 good soil for potting and bench purposes 

 presents no difficulty, but a large num- 

 ber arc not so favored and are often at 

 a loss where to get a supply of the right 

 thing, being where we can obtain nothing 

 but a sandy soil or sod and need a heav- 

 ier compost and have nothing but tlie 

 other extreme, a harsh clay. This latter 

 is much improved before mixing by being 

 spread out and fully exposed to the win- 

 ter's frosts. An addition of old mortar 

 lime greatly improves it also. 



Cow manure gathered from well-fed 

 aninuils and mixed with one-third soil 

 and freqiiently turned during the winter 

 gets just right to mulch with or mix with 

 the compost at planting time, and if un- 

 der shelter, so much the better. 



Good leaf mould is used for many 

 plants, and it would pay to take advan- 

 tage of piling up a supply of leaves each 

 fall instead of seeing them burned, as 

 we often do. 



There is always a danger in using 

 fresh manure mixed with newly dug sod 

 and soil very late in the spring. If we 

 escape the larvae of insects we may have 

 plenty of fungus as well as too much 

 rankness in stock planted and frequently 

 watered in too fresh manures. What we 

 want to approach is a soil rich, friable 

 and sweet without any larva;, fungoids 

 or undue manurial properties to promote 

 rankness at the expense of the after crop. 



In the matter of artificial fertilizers, 



good bone meal is valuable to the florist 

 for most plants, whether mixed with the 

 soil or used as a top dressing, and should 

 not be us'ed indiscriminately mixed with 

 lime or wood ashes, as these set free too 

 soon its properties, though they are them- 

 selves valuable as manures. 



Nitrate of soda and other agencies, as 

 carbonate of ammonia, sulphate of am- 

 monia, etc., need time and experience in 

 handling, and are best left alone by those 

 wlio are unfamiliar with them. 



JOS. REEVE. 



PHILADELPHIA. 



Business Conditions. 



Business continues to improve, both 

 in cut flowers and plants; growers, r'e- 

 tailers and wholesalers are all very busy 

 and hopeful. 



The improvement in the quality of cut 

 (lowers has been marked. The bright, 

 sunny days and cool nights have had 

 their effect; roses are firmer and better 

 colored, carnations are larger. Violets, 

 real violets, with fragrance and deep 

 color have appeared, and a gen- 

 eral assortment headed by ehrysanthe- 

 nuims, have a livelier and more at- 

 tractive air than a week ago. Prices havie 

 advanced a trifle. Good Beauties bring 

 .$2.50 and arc worth it. Brides and ilaids, 

 .f4. with a general stifl'ening all along 

 the line. 



Plants are moving well. There is still 

 nuich shipping of stock out of town be- 

 sides the home trade which has set in in 

 caiiiest. 



Marketing Stock. 



Now a paragraph in answer to those 

 who say we are sleepy because some of 

 our best stock is carried by the growers 

 direct to the retailers and not sold 

 through wholesalers as in New York, or 

 in a nuirket as in Boston. 



Have you ever considered the differ- 

 ent conditions in the three cities, gen- 

 tlemen? New York is largely supplied 

 with cut flowers by growers who are too 

 distant from the business Center to de- 

 liver their stock in person, therefore the 

 mediiun of an express company and a 

 • wholesaler is a necessity. Boston is 

 largely supplied with cut flowers by 

 small growers who find their combined 

 stock attracts buyers and keeps up 

 prices which singly they could not do. 



I'liiladelphia presents some of the con- 

 ditions found in both the other cities. 

 Her distant growers, as in New York, 

 rely on the express company and on the 

 wholesaler. The nearby growers, as in 

 Boston, come to town. With this differ- 

 ence: Her nearby grow'ers are chiefly 

 men witli large places, whose regular 

 cut throughout the season is practically 

 engaged in advance. The cost of selling 

 their stuft' is not equal to th'e commission 

 asked by a wholesaler so it certainly is 

 not worth while for these growers to 

 consign their product as in New York. 

 As the stock is practically all sold it ia 

 hardly worth while for these growers to 

 go to a market as in Boston, for the 

 grower who goes to a market has to de- 



