292 



The Weekly Florists^ Review. 



AUGUST IS, 189S. 



Dahlia Society will be officially repre- 

 sented and I think it would be a good 

 thing if it could work in conjunction 

 with the Society of American Florists. 



IMPROVEMENT IN VARIETIES AND 

 IMPROVEMENT IN CULTURAL 

 METHODS AS EXEMPLIFIED 

 IN HIGH GRADE FLOW- 

 ERS. 



Bv E. G. Hill. 



an Florists 



The subject assigned to me is one 

 involving questions that lie at the 

 root of all real progress in our pro- 

 fession. 



The pessimist declares that there 

 has been no real progress either in the 

 production of new varieties or in the 

 origination of better methods, that old 

 things are the best things. 



That there are numbers of florists, 

 good men and fair growers, who hold 

 this view, is unquestionably true. It 

 is unfortunate that such an opinion 

 should hold sway over any consider- 

 able number of gardeners and plants- 

 men, but one has only to look about 

 with his eyes and listen with his 

 ears to be convinced that such a con- 

 dition of mind exists among a great 

 many florists both East and West, and 

 the position taken by them, and their 

 utterances of such views, have a re- 

 tarding and clogging influence upon 

 our trade life, much as we dislike to 

 acknowledge it. 



The point of view may make a great 

 difference with our conception of the 

 relative progress or lack of progress of 

 our craft. 



The indifferent florist, the florist 

 lacking in energy, the florist only par- 

 tially interested in his work, these are 

 the men who measure the efforts of 

 their fellow craftsmen by their own 

 short yardstick and defective scales. 



Nothwithstanding their assertions, 

 we claim that there has been progress 

 in the production of new varieties of 

 plants and this can be proven by a re- 

 ference to the revised lists. Take the 

 carnation; note what advance has 

 been made since American growers 

 have taken hold of this Winter flow- 

 ering plant. Yet. palpable as has been 

 the gain, there are still grumblers who 

 claim that we have only added size 

 and at the expense of quantity, and 

 the gain is only superficial — nothing 

 that can be computed in dollars and 

 cents. 



This line of argument can be refuted 

 by the reply that second and third 

 quality flowers remain unsold, while 

 flowers of large size and perfect form 

 find a ready market. 



It is true that the production Of new 

 varieties and the improved culture of 

 plants must go hand in hand, and we 

 make the claim that they have very 

 nearly kept pace together, although 

 there are certain lines of plants of 

 "Which this cannot yet be asserted; 

 but take the rose, this is the flower 

 upon the production and sale of which 



the florist is, perhaps, most dependent. 

 It can hardly be asserted that the ori- 

 gination of new varieties has kept 

 pace with the improved culture as ex- 

 emplified by a large number of our 

 best growers both East and West. We 

 can count on the fingers of one hand 

 the varieties of forcing roses which 

 are necessary for the trade of the pre- 

 sent day: Bridesmaid, Bride. Ameri- 

 can Beauty, Meteor and Kaiserin Au- 

 gusta Victoria, Perle, Sunset, Mme 

 Cusin. La France, Testout, Gontier, 

 Mrs. Pierpont Morgan have all de- 

 clined in favor, as did Bon Silene, Isa- 

 bella Sprunt. Safrano, and Cornelia 

 Cook in a former decade; we have not 

 been favored with new sorts that can 

 take the place of those named above. 

 Kaiserin is the only late addition, and 

 this is not as productive as could be 

 desired in mid-winter under our pre- 

 sent conditions of rose forcing. 



Dame Fashion desires and insists 

 upon having novelty and change in 

 bonnet and gown, in house and furni- 

 ture, in nearly everything which min- 

 isters to our sense of pleasure. 



A cit.v lady speaking recently of her 

 floral decorations said: "I am very 

 tired of seeing on my table Scott car- 

 nations and Bridesmaid roses, flowers 

 which have become so common that 

 they are flaunted in one's face at every 

 street corner and ferry crossing; yet 

 often there is little else to choose in 

 this color." 



One reason for the complaint of the 

 lack of profit in rose growing heard 

 at many of the large rose growing cen- 

 ters, comes from the fact that there is 

 not variety enough in our roses, hence 

 the increased sale of other kinds of 

 cut flowers, and the greatly increased 

 demand for fine plants. If the propor- 

 tion of cut roses is to keep up to the 

 volume sold in previous .vears. it is 

 manifestly evident that new varieties 

 amenable to our present growing con- 

 ditions must be forthcoming; roses for 

 blooming in pots, for home and gar- 

 den adornment, have been produced 

 and have proven very popular as will 

 be noted further in this paper. 



The efforts of Mr. Jackson Dawson 

 and of Mr. W. A. Manda are to be 

 commended, for, if they continue in 

 their line of improvements, we shall 

 soon possess garden and climbing ro- 

 ses which shall combine fine decora- 

 tive qualities with hardiness to with- 

 stand our severe Winters and trying 

 Spring weather. 



To revert again to carnations; from 

 the best attainable data, it is fair to 

 conclude that the art of producing fine 

 fiowers has kept pace, in measure at 

 least, with the finer varieties of carna- 

 tions introduced in recent years. The 

 time of lifting the plants from the 

 field, benching, preparation of the soil, 

 feeding, staking, watering, and other 

 details carefully looked after, have to 

 a great extent revolutionized the me- 

 thod in vogue but a few years ago. If 

 one wishes to be convinced that supe- 

 rior methods of culture prevail, and 

 that the new varieties are finer in size 

 and form, with better stems, and more 



variety in color, he has only to attend 

 the annual exhibition of the American 

 Carnation Society. This Society is 

 doing a commendable work in diffus- 

 ing knowledge tending toward better 

 culture, and especially is its work val- 

 uable for the wise, fair and cautious 

 methods of bestowing certificates and 

 honorable mention upon new varieties. 

 It is only fair to say that the greatest 

 advance has been made in carnations 

 as compared with other flowers, and 

 that the equality between the im- 

 proved methods of culture, and the im- 

 provement in varieties is very marked. 



In chrysanthemums, the production 

 of new varieties and the steady im- 

 provement in the form and finish of 

 the cut blooms has been marked each 

 year, despite the high grade flowers 

 produced and exhibited the year of the 

 World's Fair. Among the newer sorts 

 are varieties more suitable for hand- 

 ling as cut flowers, varieties that 

 bloom earlier, choicer sorts for very 

 late growth, together with new colors. 



The general production of finer flow- 

 ers both for sale and exhibition as 

 well as for decorative purposes, has 

 been very marked. 



In orchids, great strides have been 

 made in cultural methods; the old 

 coddling process has given way to a 

 common-sense and economical system 

 of management. This genus of plants 

 will grow in favor with the public as 

 people become better acquainted with 

 its charming colors, unique forms, and 

 simple requirements. Prediction is 

 made that they will become an impor- 

 tant factor in the cut flower market as 

 soon as the new methods of culture 

 are more generally known and prac- 

 tised. 



To decorative and bedding plants 

 there are constant additions of valua- 

 ble varieties; some of the notable 

 things are to be found among the new 

 Brazilian caladiums; these are mar- 

 vels of color combination. 



Among the newer crotons are many 

 brilliant and valuable additions to 

 standard sorts; crotons grown under 

 the new conditions prevailing, with 

 artificial heat in Summer, and suitable 

 soil, are destined to perform an im- 

 portant part in all decorative plant 

 work. 



Asparagus Sprengerii will prove one 

 of the most valuable plants of recent 

 introduction when once its diversified 

 usefulness becomes known. 



Everything indicates a marked im- 

 provement in all cultural methods as 

 applied to the development of plants 

 for the production of cut flowers; pro- 

 gress is the watchword; every wide- 

 awake fiorist questions. "Is there a 

 better way than the method I am 

 using?" 



Plants and their requirements are 

 being studied and understood as never 

 before, and we in America are stand- 

 ing on the threshold of a new era in 

 their growth and production. Let us 

 be fully alive to the possibilities that 

 lie before us in Flora's grand domain, 

 and like our gallant tars and brave 

 soldiers, not be content to simply keep 



