368 



The Weekly Florists' Review. 



SEPTEMBER 1, ISSS. 



POINSETTIA PULCHERRIMA. 



(From advance sheets of the Florists' 

 Manual, by William Soott.) 



This showy plant is now botanically 

 classed with the euphorbias, but is still 

 far better known to the trade as poin- 

 settia. It is a native of Mexico and 

 that infers that at no time should it be 

 subjected to a low temperature. Sinoe 

 its introduction it has been a favorite 

 in all collections of hot house plants, 

 its brilliant scarlet bracts being un- 

 ■equaled as a decorative plant in the 

 very darkest days of winter. Of late 

 years it has grown greatly in popular 

 favor with our flower-buying patrons 

 and as the lily is now known as the 

 Easter flower, the poinsettia may and 

 is known as the Christmas flower. 



They are often used for decorations 

 when cut with two or three feet of 

 stem, but are more satisfactory in 

 every way when it is possible to use 

 them in the pots. Although their fine 

 leaves soon drop in a dry room, the 

 showy 'bracts remain on for several 

 weeks, always giving the purchaser 

 good value for the cost, and as it is 

 one of those plants which we never get 

 returned "to keep for another season" 

 it is satisfactory and profitable to 

 grow, more so than the majority of 

 plants we handle. 



Old plants that have rested from 

 January to April or May should be 

 shaken out clean of any old soil, pot- 

 ted into 4, 5 or 6-inch pots as their 

 size may require, the shoot or shoots 

 shortened back only to the sound 

 wood. Place in a warm, light house 

 and syringe daily. In four or five 

 weeks there will be a crop of cuttings. 

 In taking off the cuttings leave one 

 young eye at the old stem so that an- 

 other break will give you another lot 

 of cuttings. As most of your cuttings 

 will go into the sand after you have 

 discontinued firing, there will be no 

 bottom heat; so the cuttings want 

 shade and the sand must have a thor- 

 ough soaking twice a day in warm 

 weather. In about three weeks the 

 cutting will be rooted. Lift carefully 

 from the sand and pot into 2io or 3- 

 inch pots. For the first few days, or 

 till the young plants begin to make 

 roots in the soil, keep shaded and 

 moist by frequent syringing. When 

 once they have got hold of the soil 

 they want the fullest light, and in the 

 warm months the greatest possible 

 amount of fresh air. 



The main object in the cultivation of 

 the poinsettia is to obtain a stocky, 

 sturdy plant, retaining all its fine foli- 

 age, as dwarf as possible, but crowned 

 with a fine head of what the public call 

 the bloom. Two shifts are enough; from 

 the 214 to a 4-inch, and from that to 

 their fiowering pot. a 6-inch or in later 

 struck plants a 5-inch. Batches of cut- 

 tings can be taken off at intervals 

 from May 1 to end of August, the very 

 latest propagated often making most 

 u.^eful little plants. 



The poinsettia is very unsightly 

 without its large handsome leaves, and 



these are too often seen drooping and 

 yellow or entirely absent at Christmas 

 time just when the plant should be at 

 its best. There are three causes for 

 this; First, a low temperature (60 de- 

 grees at night is the lowest they 

 should ever be) ; second, starvation at 

 the roots, either through an impover- 

 ished soil or insufficient root room, and 

 thirdly, as common a cause as any, 

 their roots being disturbed after they 

 begin to form their bracts. A very im- 

 portant point to remember is that they 

 should have their last shift never later 

 than middle of October and two weeks 

 earlier is better. They cannot endure 

 their roots disturbed in the least when 

 near their flowering period. 



The best soil for them is two-ithirds 

 of rather heavy turfy loam, with one- 

 third of well rotted cow manure, and 

 at the last shift add one pint of bone 

 flour to one bushel of compost. They 

 are very liable to be troubled with 

 mealy bug, which infests their flower 

 umbel proper, but if syringed daily as 

 they should be they are easily kept 

 down. Greenfly also attacks them if 

 regular fumigation is neglected. 



If very large bracts on 5 to 6-foot 

 stems are desired, you can plant out in 

 6 inches of rich soil some thrifty 

 young plants in August. In this way 

 you can get bracts 20 to 24 inches 

 across. 



Plants unsold, or those you cut for 

 the flower, should be stored away in 

 January either in a warm shed or be- 

 neath a bench where not a drop of 

 water will touch them, and allowed to 

 rest perfectly dry till started again the 

 following May. 



There is a so-called white variety 

 seen occasionally which is certainly 

 not worth growing, and there is a va- 

 riety called P. p. plenissima, or com- 

 monly called the double. It is with me 

 about ten days later than the type, but 

 is very intense in color, stands travel 

 and handling better and although not 

 making such a wide stretch of bracts 

 is most desirable in every way. 



IMPRESSIONS OF BOSTON. 



Boston was not looking her best that 

 August day. A heavy fog hung over 

 the harbor and a flne rain was falling. 

 The streets were wet and slippery, 

 the wind rushed round the corners in 

 a way that made umbrellas useful only 

 for keeping you dry above the belt. 

 The whole effect savored strongly of 

 an advance equinox. Yet the town 

 was attractive. Who could forget it 

 was the same dear old Boston that had 

 so royally entertained us all just njne 

 years ago? When nothing was too 

 good for us and every moment of our 

 too short stay was full of interest and 

 enjoyment. 



To a Philadelphian the town seemed 

 surprisingly busy for midsummer; the 

 streets were thronged with shoppers, 

 the florist stores evidently doing con- 

 siderable business. The retail places 

 on Tremont street were a good deal 

 like those at home in their general ap- 

 pearance, but there were one or two 

 on Park Square that reminded one of 



Baltimore with their snowy window 

 effects set off with a vase or two of 

 bloom and a graceful festoon of some 

 delicate green thrown over the frame 

 work at the side or trailing from some 

 tall vase on to the window seat below. 



There were quite a lot of Kaiserins 

 and Meteors to be seen, some Beauties, 

 mostly short, and an occasional bunch 

 of Brides and Maids that, as with us, 

 looked a trifle run down by the heat 

 just passed. Golden rod was beautiful, 

 very rich in some of the windows, also 

 gaillardia used in one neat arrange- 

 ment with telling effect. Asters were 

 quite plentiful and there were some 

 carnations, but sweet peas, which had 

 been superb in the August of the con- 

 vention year here, were rarely to be 

 seen. The hot, dry weather followed 

 by the rain, 'twas said, had spoiled 

 them. It was also intimated they had 

 been overdone here in the past few 

 years. 



Among plants ferns were most 

 prominent, and of these the Boston 

 fern was easily flrst. It was in the 

 stores, in the hotels, almost every- 

 where that any attempt had been made 

 at adding a touch of refinement. Gen- 

 erally speaking this drooping Nephro- 

 leois was thriving, and seemed at 

 home. There was quite an assortment 

 of other ferns, many of them maiden- 

 hairs and a goodly lot of rubbers. 



At the City Hall cut flower market 

 Welch Bros, were decidedly busy. Mr, 

 Welch said John Young, of Xew York, 

 had been there the da.v before — it is 

 always pleasant to hear news of the 

 family when away. The refrigerators 

 were large and well arranged. Roses, 

 carnations, bulbous stock, specials 

 (roses) and fakir stock each had their 

 separate ice box. Every grower's pro- 

 duct was tagged with his number. 

 Short Beauties were in active demand 

 at $1 a dozen, the few selected with 

 longer stems that were coming in 

 brought $3. Prices way ahead of what 

 they now bring at home. It was ex- 

 plained that July and Augtist are 

 fairly active months in Boston, partly 

 owing to the summer visitors, also 

 that as there is much less stock with 

 no more business prices are apt to be 

 higher now than in September and 

 early October. 



The co-operative cut flower market 

 is a very interesting place. It ought to 

 be a good thing — it is under a fine 

 church on Tremont street. Seven 

 years ago five or si.x growers organ- 

 ized this company, issuing sixty shares 

 of stock at a par value of $25 a shai-e. 

 The stock was subscribed for by grow- 

 ers only, no grower being allowed 

 more than three shares. When this 

 $1,500 was paid in a State charter was 

 secured. The market opened with 

 thirty-five growers; it now has nearly 

 one hundred and fifty. Practically all 

 the Boston cut flower producers who 

 bring their own stock into the city, 

 excepting Messrs. Wood and Cotter, 

 who sell from store to store — peddling 

 it is termed. 



Each stall in the market consists of 

 a table three feet square on which the 

 trays are laid, with corresponding 

 spaces underneath, useful for slipuing 



