SEPTEMBER 1. 1S9S. 



The Weekly Florists' Review* 



369 



the trays when empty. These stalls 

 are rented for $42 a year, less |6 if 

 prepaid. The stalls nearest the door 

 and on the middle aisle arc most de- 

 sirable, so each fall an auction is held. 

 The premiums from the sale of privi- 

 lege to rent stalls last year realizea 

 $1,200. Mr. Walsh, the manager, opens 

 the market at 6 o'clock each moi d- 

 ing. by 7 all the growers are supposed 

 to be ready for business, and by S 

 o'clock business for the day is prac- 

 tically over. What stock remains 

 unsold is put in the refrigerator, la- 

 beled by the grower, and left for the 

 manager to sell if possible on a 10 per 

 cent, commission. 



So successful has the company been 

 that the income from rents, privi- 

 leges and commissions, after deduct- 

 ing all expenses, has enabled them 

 to pay good dividends. Last year 

 it reached 40 per cent. The stock 

 is now worth $75 a share, seem- 

 ingly a low figure. The retailere at 

 first objected to the plan, but now find 

 it a great convenience. To the grow- 

 ers, especially the small ones, it is an 

 immense advantage, being practically 

 BOW on a cash basis and saving much 

 time. JOHN WELSH YOUNG. 



Germantown, August 27, 1S98. 



AMONG CHICAGO GROWERS. 



F. Calvert & Son. 



F. Calvert & Son, Lake Forest, will 

 grow only Bride and Maid in roses for 

 the coming winter, having dropped 

 the Beauty, which didn't do well with 

 them. For summer they grow Kaiser- 

 in and Testout. 



They are trying an experiment with 

 the idea of reinvigorating their rose 

 stock. A year ago last May they put 

 50 plants each of Beauty, Bride and 

 Maid in .'H-inch deep flats and these 

 were left out until there was a good 

 freeze in the fall when they were 

 placed in a cool cellar where bulbs are 

 stored and left till March. The plants 

 were then shaken out. potted up and 

 started in a cool house and later plant- 

 ed out in beds under glass to supply 

 wood for propagating. They think 

 they have put some new strength into 

 their stock by giving this complete 

 rest. 



All their carnations are now planted 

 in under glass and they find this plan 

 gives results much superior to grow- 

 ing on in the field. With them Flora 

 Hill has been first rate and the plants 

 have lifted splendidly. Daybreak is 

 standard with them and Bridesmaid is 

 fairly satisfactory. Jubilee has done 

 well and has shown very little rust. 

 McGowan is a good white yet and they 

 still gi-ow Alaska, more for spring 

 work, though may drop it soon. Scott 

 doesn't do well with them. They have 

 a very heavy soil and give their car- 

 nations a night temperature of 50 to 55 

 degrees. 



NOTE OUR department devoted to 

 the retail florist. In this department 

 Tvill appear weekly the very latest re- 



garding the arrangement of flowers in 

 the leading New York stores, with 

 handsome illustrations of arrange- 

 ments that may prove useful sugges- 

 tions to our readers. 



OUR PRIZE COMPETITION. 



We present herewith a second in- 

 stallment of entries in our prize com- 

 petition for best labor-saving or valua- 

 ble device useful to florists: 



No. 4. 

 .Support for Bedded Plants. 



No. 4 is a support for bedded plants 

 such as carnations, asters, mignonette, 

 etc. It is a wooden frame made of 

 wooden strips about one inch square, 

 made the same width as the bed. and 

 of convenient length (6 to S feet) to be 

 easily handled. Wire or string is 

 stretched both ways to make a 3-inch 

 mesh. Or 3-inch mesh wire netting 

 makes a good cover. These frames are 

 easily supported above the plants at 

 the proper height by the means of 

 stakes driven in the ground: or the 

 frames can rest on wires stretched hor- 

 izontally from the roof support pipes. 

 Well made frames of this sort will last 

 a number of years and can be used in 

 an upright position for vines. B. 



No. 5 is a most convenient wheel- 

 barrow to use in taking soil in and 

 out of the greenhouses, where the ordi- 

 nary wheelbarrow cannot be used. Al- 

 though it is about 6 feet long and wide 

 enough to hold two good sized soap 

 boxes filled with earth, it can be easily 

 run in the most narrow walks, also 

 turned at the average short turns at 

 the end of the greenhouses. B. 



No. 6 shows at a glance the proper 

 way to keep cut flowers over night in 

 the dark cellar. Make depth of troughs 



run off and stems to drain off: surplus 

 water, while you are preparing your 

 boxes. B. 



PHILADELPHIA. 



Business Conditions. 



Business is improving a little. 

 Flowers are becoming a little more 

 plentiful, especially Beauties and as- 

 ters. The plant business is showing 

 slight but unmistakable signs of awak- 

 ening. 



Girard College. 



The grounds of Girard college em- 

 brace forty-three acres, and Mr. Geo. 

 Huster is the superintendent. I was 

 not fortunate enough to find Mr. Hus- 

 ter at home and was obliged to wan- 

 der unguided thi'ough the grounds. In 

 front of the main building was a very 

 striking bit of color formed by a num- 

 ber of medium sized coleus, croton and 

 geranium beds, arranged in a geomet- 

 rical figure on each side of the ap- 

 proach to the building. The plants 

 were excellently colored. There were 

 some fine cannas and some palms out- 

 doors. 



-w 



Convenient Wheelbarrow. 



There are two ranges of glass; one, 

 the smaller, is devoted to palms and ' 

 stove plants. I was particularly inter- 

 ested in the shading, which is practi- 

 cally the same as employed for keep- 

 ing out the sun in a house. By weights 

 and pulleys, curtains of shading cloth 

 are raised or lowered easily and quick- 

 ly. The lai'ger range of glass is de- 



^^= 



.-^ 



J 



No. B. .Method ol keeping Cut Flo 



to suit length of stems of the flowers 

 you grow. For violets use a frame of 

 2-inch wire netting over trough to sup- 

 port the bunches. Have stopper at 

 lowest end. which should be opened 

 the first thing you do when you go to 

 pack, which will allow the water to 



voted chiefly to cut flowers. There is 

 a very fine house of American Beau- 

 ties, quite as fine as any about this 

 city; Brides, Maids, La France, Test- 

 out, Belle Siebrecht and Mosella are 

 the other varieties. The latter is new 

 to me; it appears a fairly vigorous 



