258 



The Weekly Florists^ Review. 



AUGUST n. 1IS9S. 



majority of growers succeed in get- 

 ting them in. A difference of weeks 

 in time of sowing in autumn will only 

 make a difference of days i:i time of 

 flowering, but a few days count a great 

 deal in value of crop. If a hous? is to 

 be devoted to the sweet pea you can 

 sow them early in September. Five 

 inches of soil on a benc'i i? much bet- 

 ter than a solid bed. for if the roors 

 are given too much room you will have 

 much vine and litt'e flower. 



If you are not ready to sow them in 

 the house in September yovi can sow 

 half a dozen sseds in a 4-inch pot and 

 keep them in a frame till November 

 and then plant them in the house. A 

 high temperature in the winter is no 

 good. They would simply grow weak 

 and be useless. About .">o degrees at 

 night is as warm as they .=hould be. 

 They will not flower till the bright 

 sun of spring appears. If gjown on a 

 bench entirely devoted to them the 

 rows should not be nearer than :'. feet 

 apart and a plant every (i inches is 

 close enough. If you grow them to a 

 pillar or post of a carnation hou.se 

 three plants to a post is thick enough. 



No need of growing many varieties: 

 four distinct colo:s are enough on 

 new and fancy shades. Experiment in 

 the field. The following varieties will 

 fill the bill: Emily Henderoon, a fine 

 white: Blanche Ferry, rosy pink: 

 Countess of Radnor. lavender: Prima 

 Donna, light, soft pink. 



WM. SCOTT. 



AMONG PHILADELPHIA GRO\^ER5. 



Robert Craig & Son. Con i lued. 



Chrysanthemums are largely grown. 

 The early varieties did not prove very 

 satisfactory last year, the demand be- 

 ing less than the supply, late varie- 

 ties, such as Liberty, of which a house 

 was grown, being far more profitable. 

 After chrysanthemums an immense 

 quantity of bulbous stock and flower- 

 ing plants are forced for Easter, lilies, 

 tulips, hyacinths. Dutch and Roman, 

 narcissus and spiraea are brought in, 

 besides azaleas and hydrangeas. 

 Her.ry A. Drecr. 



Henry A, Dreer Company have a 

 modem plant of over 2(mi,(MI0 feet of 

 glass, situated on the banks of the Del- 

 aware at Riverton. The houses are 

 even span devoted chiefly to the grow- 

 ing of palms and ferns. Two new 

 ranges added within the past few years 

 have an acre of glass in each. Bach of 

 these ranges of houses is practically 

 one vast house, the walks being under 

 the gutters and no partitions between. 

 The system of heating is hot water un- 

 der pressure, I'-inch pipe being used. 

 Mr. Eisele has found this system the 

 most economical and satisfactory. The 

 benches are of slate, with iron sup- 

 ports, the tables rather narrow, easily 

 reached, with wide walks between. 



Kentias are evidently their best 

 palm. The quantity is simply enor- 

 mous, one of the acre ranges being de- 

 voted entirely to Kentias, and there 

 are more besides. Belmoreana and 

 Forsteriana are the varieties grown. 



Canterburyana has been discarded as 

 unsuitable for commercial purposes. 

 All sizes are grown from two's up to 

 specimens in li>-inch pots. The most 

 noticeable feature is the large quan- 

 tity of "made up" plants. This making 

 up has been done successfully with 

 arecas for some years and rather un- 

 successfully with latanias moie recent- 

 ly, but is only just becoming popular 

 with Kentias. Four plants are used, 

 one more than in making up arecas. a 

 -1-inch in the center and three M-inch 

 around it: the effect especially in the 

 larger sizes was C3rtainly pleasing. 



Latanias are probably second in 

 point of numbers, the novelty being 

 some golden colored plant.s (called La- 

 tania aurea. Arecas come next with 

 cocos. These latter are sown in pans. 

 The Dreer Co. do not believe it neces- 

 sary to sow cocos seed singly in 2x'.i- 

 inch pots, preferring to start the seed 

 in pans and transplant into pots care- 

 fully at the proper time, that is, before 

 the roots get too long. Phoenix rupi- 

 cola is highly praised for its grace and 

 beauty. Then comes Cycas revoluta. 

 which is being started in quantity. The 

 plants are said to make fine house, as 

 well as garden, plants: for this pur- 

 pose there is a good demand. The var- 

 nished southern cycas leaves have 

 somewhat restricted the sale of plants 

 for cutting. 



Araucaria exeelsa is outside under 

 neatly made lath slat protection, ele- 

 vated high enough to walk under. A. 

 robusta compacta. a rather taking va- 

 riety, dwarf habit and broad foliage, 

 and A. exeelsa glauca are al.^o grown. 



Ferns are here in enormous quanti- 

 ties, both in the houses and in frames. 

 There are upwards of half a million of 

 the hardy varieties for ferneries, in 

 thumb pots. Then there are i>.".OrM) Adi- 

 antum cuneatum. which some florists 

 may not consder one of i;he hardy 

 sorts. Much attention is given to spec- 

 imen ferns since the advent of the Bos- 

 ton fern has shown the possibilities in 

 this direction. Cibotium Schiedei, Mi- 

 crolepia hirta cristata and Asplenium 

 nidus avis are leaders in this class. 

 The first is said to be durable and is 

 certainly graceful and of that pale 

 shade of green fashionable two years 

 or so ago. The second I was told about, 

 but somehow missed seeing. The third 

 will be more feelingly described by 

 some other pen. It never did appeal to 

 me even in the old days at the hall. 

 Nephrolepis cordata compacta, so pop- 

 ular with Messrs. Pierson, AVard and 

 Siebrecht, is being grown, also several 

 new adiantums of promise. 



There were two beautiful sights out- 

 doors: the first, the far-famed water- 

 lily ponds which Mr. Scott has so ably 

 described that I can only add that they 

 must indeed be seen to be appreciated. 

 The second, a full acre of petunias, 

 single and double in full bloom. The 

 best sorts are being selected and care- 

 fully marked for hybridizing, double 

 or single. There ts a rockery planted 

 with hardy stock, a burlap shaded 

 frame of tuberous begonias, prominent 



among them Duke Zappelin, an Intense 

 scarlet. 



A range of eight old houses, each 

 about liHixlL', is to be pulled down and 

 rebuilt this season, the eight being re- 

 built as four. Coal oil and white lead, 

 also turpentine and white lead, are 

 used for shading. Rose leaf extract of 

 tobacco and sulpho-tobaccc soap al- 

 ternately are the insecticides favored. 

 They are applied systematically with a 

 barrel force pump. The stock is 

 shipped all over the country. 



Cbas. F. Evans. 



Charles F. Evans has 37,.j(Xl feet of 

 glass at Rowlandville, near Frankford. 

 There are two houses each of Maids 

 ar.d Kaiserins. one each of Brides and 

 I-a France, and one house of Wootton, 

 Cusin, Hoste and Carnot. The stock is 

 about two-thirds grafted on Manetti. 



Carnations are grown extensively. 

 Scott. McGowan, Victor and 2,l«Xl seed- 

 lings in their second year will be tried. 

 Adiantum cuneatum is grown in pots 

 for cutting. Smilax and Asparagus plu- 

 mosus are grown in quantity. A house 

 each is devoted to stock plants of Fi- 

 cus elastica and to their rooted cut- 

 tings just started. Mr. Evans also 

 grows Pandanus Veitchii, Cattleya 

 Trianae and Coelogyne cristata. Chrys- 

 anthemums have been dropped. The 

 stock is all dispo.sed of locally. 



The Floral Exchange. 



The Floral Exchange, the name 

 given to a business enterprise of Jo- 

 seph Morwitz, has "o.tKXi feet of glass, 

 two miles above Bristol. Half of this 

 glass is in even span north and south 

 houses: the other half, more recently 

 built (lo.oix) feet this season) is in 

 three-quarter span to the south houses. 

 Meteor is the most profitable lose, and 

 this variety has been largely planted in 

 the new addition. The other varieties 

 grown are Beauty. Perle, Bride and 

 Maid, with a few side issues, Watte- 

 ville having done well here. The roses 

 are planted partly in solid beds and 

 partly on benches. Liquid roainire is 

 found beneficial, and for this purpose 

 a manure tank placed on an elevation 

 is used, the rain being depended on for 

 washing through the manure: failing 

 this, a sprinkler is brought into serv- 

 ice. The Floral Exchange has a retail 

 store on Chestnut street, where part 

 of the cut is sold, the balance being 

 wholesaled mostly to regulai' custom- 

 ers. 



Hugh Graham. 



Hugh Graham has l(K»,(MHt feet of 

 glass at Logan devoted to the growing 

 of stock required by his retail busi- 

 ness in the city. This business is un- 

 doubtedly the largest decorative busi- 

 ness in Philadelphia. Mr. Graham does 

 the Assembly and many of the fash- 

 ionable balls. These fine palms of great 

 size are here in numbers: also much 

 Acacia pubescens. 



About 40,(KK»feet is devoted to roses. 

 One-half of this is in Beauties and one- 

 quarter each in Brides and Maids. 

 Some early Brunners are grown suc- 

 cessfully. In carnations. Victor, named 



