74 



The Weekly Florists' Review^ 



JUNE 23, 1898. 



water over the open flowers, which 

 causes them to decay and turn black. 



In white, La Favorite takes the lead 

 at present with Mr. Jurgens, though 

 he is very favorably impressed with 

 Mme. Buchner and Fleur de Neige. 

 which have more flowers to the truss. 



He has had trouble with Bruant and 

 may have to discard it. With him. 

 Mary Hill is taking the place of Emile 

 de Girardin. The former is about 

 the same shade, and the latter has been 

 liadly diseased. 



For a hot situation against a south 

 facing wall he finds nothing equal to 

 the two old sorts. Gen. Phil. Sheridan 

 and Queen of the West. 



He considers J. J. Harrison the best 

 semi-double scarlet. It is similar to 

 Bruant but more vigorous. For a bril- 

 liant crimson. Rev. A. Atkinson still 

 holds the fort with him. 



Alphonse Ricard has impressed him 

 as favorably as it has Mr. Scott, and 

 he believes it will take its place as a 

 standard sort. Mme. Thibaut has a 

 beautiful flower of a dark wine color, 

 but it burns in the sun. Beaute de 

 Poitevine has been a very satisfactory 



semi-double salmon pink sort with 

 him. James Vick, of similar color, 

 has bloomed very well when planted 

 in a partially shaded place, and is val- 

 uable on this account. He has a num- 

 ber of the newer sorts on trial about 

 which we hope to report later. 



To show the ascendency of the ger- 

 anium in a stock of plants for general 

 retail trade, we print the number of 

 other plants he grows to each 1,000 

 geraniums: 700 alternantheras, 400 

 echeverias, 150 coleus, 100 verbenas, 

 8 fuchsias, 8 heliotropes, 30 pansies, 

 75 lobelias, 75 Vinca rosa, 200 varie- 

 gated vincas, 100 English ivy. 



Although the pansies show up so 

 small in the above proportion, he 

 grows a good many. He carries them 

 over winter in frames, hardens them 

 off well and aims to have his custom- 

 ers plant out their pansies early in 

 April. In this way they get some 

 benefit from them, whereas if not bed- 

 ded till May, warm weather soon fol- 

 lows and the flowers become small 

 very soon. It is in the cool, early 

 spring months that pansy beds produce 

 the most satisfactory flowers. 



CHRYSANTHEMUM NOTES, 



Insects, 



Caterpillars are beginning to get in 

 their fine work in the houses, and it 

 behooves the grow'er to keep watch of 

 them from the first or they will soon 

 become a nusiance. In looking over 

 the plants, the tiny yellow eggs will be 

 found deposited generally on the under 

 side of the leaves in a circle, and if 

 they are crushed between the thumb 

 and finger, that will be the last of 

 them. If a leaf be noticed with the 

 tissue eaten out, a newly hatched col- 

 ony will always be found there, busily 

 feeding. If caught in time they 

 are not much trouble, but once they 

 set out to travel in search of fresh 

 fields, and pastures new, they soon do 

 lots of damage. 



I make it a rule to kill all butterflies 

 that I flnd in the houses, if I can catch 

 them. I don't know if they all deposit 

 their eggs on the plants, but one can't 

 afford to draw the line too fine these 

 days. There is a little dirty white 

 butterfly, very plentiful during July 

 and August that is the worst offender; 

 the cabbage butterfly I believe some 

 people call it. The young brood of 

 this insect will eat up the foliage of 

 a plant quicker than anything of 

 which I know. Life from now on will 

 be no sinecure for the grower. Almost 

 every day some new insect will pay 



him a visit, and the length of its stay 

 will be gauged by the reception it re- 

 ceives. The only bug so far as I know, 

 which is beneficial instead of harmful, 

 is the lady bug. She is a blessing in 

 disguise, for she helps keep down the 

 black fly. 



Late Varieties. 



There is plenty of time yet to root 

 cuttings for late planting. If they are 

 put in now, they will be in good shape 

 for planting the first week in August, 

 or possibly a little sooner. Varieties 

 that are naturally late, should be se- 

 lected for this work. Yanoma is 

 spoken of as a fine late white, but I am 

 not acquainted with It. Bonnaffon, 

 Liberty. H. W. Rieman. Golden Wed- 

 ding, Maud Dean and lora, are all 

 good for late work if treated properly. 



I think Bonnaffon, all things con- 

 sidered, has the longest season of any 

 variety. Crown buds taken on August 

 15, have with us been in fine shape for 

 cutting by October 15, while if struck 

 late and is kept growing it can by 

 using the terminal bud, be kept till 

 Thanksgiving. Crown buds on Bon- 

 naffon make a deeper flower, though 

 hardly so refined in appearance as the 

 strictly Chinese type which the ter- 

 minal bud produces. 



Terminal buds only should be taken 

 for late work, as the terminal bud will 

 open in a temperature anywhere above 

 freezing, while the crown bud requires 



a minimum of 45 degrees. A separate 

 house should be used for late work, 

 must be used in fact to produce any 

 kind of results, because every effort 

 should be exercised to keep them 

 growing as long as possible before 

 showing bud, and this cannot be done 

 when the earlier buds are swelling and 

 need a little heat and a considerably 

 drier atmosphere. C. TOTTY. 



HEATHS. 



I called on Mr. Anton Schultheis, 

 College Point, L. I., the other day to 

 have a little chat on the erica question. 

 Mr. Schultheis has made a specialty 

 of this class of plants and has been 

 very successful with them in spite of 

 the supposition that it was or seemed 

 impossible to handle this class of hard 

 wooded plants on this side of the At-, 

 lantic. Hard work, combined with a 

 good deal of experimenting, has been 

 crowned with well deserved success, 

 and in response to a few vital ques- 

 tons, Mr. Schultheis willingly impart- 

 ed what may prove interesting to the 

 readers of The Review, so with pencil 

 and pad in hand, I jotted down the 

 following questions and answers: 



How long have you been growing 

 heaths in this country. Mr. Schultheis? 



About five years. 



Do you think they can be grown suc- 

 cessfully in any other section outside 

 of Long Island? 



Yes. they can be grown anywhere, 

 if the man who handles them knows a 

 few of their characteristics; in fact 

 knows how to grow them properly. 



What are the principal points to be 

 noted in heath growing? 



Careful watering is the main and 

 all essential one. the balance comes 

 easy. Care should also be taken in 

 the mixing of the compost, about 

 which I will speak later. 



With regard to propagating, do you 

 use hard or soft wood for your cut- 

 tings? 



Soft, the softer the better. 



When should they be taken? 



In February and March is the best, 

 though several varieties can be propa- 

 gated at any time; experience alone 

 can teach you. 



What are your methods? 



I usually set them in pans filled with 

 good drainage and sharp sand, and 

 cover with a bell glass, keeping the 

 temperature as near 50 degi'ees as pos- 

 sible. 



How long does it take a rooted cut- 

 ting to make a plant in a 5-lnch pot? 



Two, three and four years according 

 to variety. 



When do you place your plants out- 

 side? 



About the end of May in pots, and 

 plunge them to the rim of the pot. The 

 variety Erica persoluta alba andE. per- 

 soluta rosea, also Erica fragrans, do 

 better planted out, and make fine 

 plants. It is better for beginners how- 

 ever, to keep them in pots, as you can 

 control the watering much better. 



When you plant them out. do you 

 use any special soil? 



