534 



The Weekly Florists' Review. 



OCTOBER 20, 



house stages and the coining in of the 

 new crop, and tell me the best man to 

 write to for them. 



Toronto. W. P. T. 



In answer to "W. P. T." would say 

 that almost all of the varieties that 

 are good winter bloomers would do to 

 furnish flowers in the field during the 

 months of August, September and Oc- 

 tober. The Yellows are an exception 

 and they could be dispensed with dur- 

 ing that time, although Gold Nugget 

 may prove to be valuable for this pur- 

 pose. From present outlook it prom- 

 ises to be a fine winter variety. The 

 very latest varieties have not yet been 

 tested for this purpose and there is 

 plenty of material among the older 

 sorts. Portia, which with us is about 

 useless inside, is still fine out of doors, 

 and worth growing for that purpose 



alone. The following is what I con- 

 sider the six most desirable varieties 

 for field flowering and covers all the 

 shades of color that is necessary: 

 Flora Hill, white; Portia, scarlet; Day- 

 break, light pink; Scott, deep pink; 

 Tidal Wave, deep rose pink; Mrs. 

 Bradt, variegated. 



If you expect fine flowers with a 

 good stem the plants must be tied up 

 and disbudded. Such stems and flowers 

 as we get inside during winter and 

 spring it is impossible to produce out- 

 side. We cannot recommend any one 

 firm. There are many thoroughly reli- 

 able people who advertise all of these 

 kinds. Plants for this purpose should 

 be propagated in November and grown 

 on during winter, and when planted 

 out at end of April should be in 3-inch 

 pots and be nice, branched plants. 



W. SCOTT. 



The best way to keep violets sweet: 

 Get an odorless box. line it with white 

 tissue paper, put glasses of water in 

 the box, put your violets in the water, 

 cover them over with the paper and 

 close the box; keep them airtight and 

 in a moderate temperature; the ice- 

 box is too cold for violets: leave them 

 on the counter: use the same box and 

 paper every day. Your customers would 

 sooner get violets out of such a box 

 than the window or ice-box. Shoe, soap 

 or any other such kind of boxes should 

 never be used. Violets are queer 

 flowers, even paper will extract their 

 fragrance. If your grower ships direct 

 have him use the same box and paper 

 all the time, and don't change them. 



If you make any funeral designs of 

 chrysanthemums don't forget to use 

 autumn leaves; they are very appro- 

 priate. Long, loose, flat bunches will 

 be much in demand, and sprays of as- 

 paragus look well among autumn 

 leaves. 



If you make any ivy wreaths, try a 

 spray of Japanese maple or Berberis 

 Thunbergii on the left side close to 

 where you tie the bow. 



Let's visit the potting shed of a 

 small country florist. Our friend has 

 just got an order for a wreath to be 

 made in a hurry. He has neither 

 wreath, wire, toothpicks nor moss, and 



very few flowers. He is in despair; he 

 is unused to such an emergency and 

 looks appealingly to us. We assure 

 him that everything will be all right, 

 and ask him to watch us. There are 

 some single tuberoses over in one cor- 

 ner of the garden, and a good bunch 

 of white cosmos, a few pretty white 

 cactus dahlias, and just a cluster of 

 pompon chrysanths; alongside the 

 fence there is a big tamarix bush. 



We cut a couple of willow sticks 

 from tbe side of a ditch and twist them 

 into a wreath; we get a ball of twine 

 and with the materials mentioned pro- 

 ceed to arrange the wreath, first plac- 

 ing the tamarix, then the cosmos. We 

 complete the wreath as we go on; we 

 finish one side, then we stop and start 

 where we commenced, so as the wreath 

 when finished points like a laureate 

 wreath. We make the wreath good 

 and full, and don't put our dahlias in 

 exact distances, but cluster them, and 

 we finish off with our cluster of mums. 

 This wreath can be made just as hand- 

 some as the best mossed wreath with 

 all its wires and sticks, only fasten 

 them well and cover the string with 

 greens. We gave our friend just a les- 

 son that would be useful to hundreds 

 of country florists. 



If you have flowering begonias, a few 

 carnations, some swainsona and a 



few odds and ends you are always able 

 to supply a design or bunch on short 

 notice. Don't go to the cemetery and 

 get cast away designs, for if your cus- 

 tomers hear of it they will boycott 

 you. When you make bunches arrange 

 them loosely and tie them near the 

 bottom, put your best flowers to the 

 front. 



We are back to the city again to find 

 lots of grand cattleyas on the counter, 

 and several orders for them to be ar- 

 ranged in many ways. First we take 

 up a funeral bunch, some nice sprays 

 of Asparagus tenuissimus and A. Far- 

 leyense for greens; then we start with 

 a few sprays of Dendrobium phalaen- 

 opsis, and after them the cattleyas 

 with the lips facing upwards. We make 

 the bunch loose and graceful, facing 

 both ways, and tie a bow of cattleya 

 ribbon in the center, making a semi- 

 high bow. 



The next is a dinner order, and we 

 take a plant of Farleyense, dump it out 

 of the pot. put it in the vase or bas- 

 ket, pack in round with green moss, 

 stick a few sprays of fine asparagus 

 round, and then arrange a few cattle- 

 yas amongst the fern, having the lips 

 facing the guests; a few sprays of D. 

 Phalaenopsis facing on the asparagus 

 will look well. 



The next is a box of orchids, and we 

 paper our prettiest box nicely. Put in 

 the bottom and on the sides some flne 

 ferns, then put the flowers in and Just 

 put one or two of your most delicate 

 ferns partly over the flowers. Have 

 your best boy deliver them, for they 

 are our flnest. 



You have trouble with your violets, 

 they are not bunched right. Get your 

 grower in, and show him how, or send 

 a bunch properly done to him. Get him 

 to put plenty of leaves round them. 

 IVERA. 



AMONG BOSTON GROWERS. 



F. R. Mathison, Waltham. 



Among our growers of high-grade 

 roses is F. R. Mathison, and a glimpse 

 inside of his greenhouses will con- 

 vince anyone that he knows how to 

 do it. Mr. Mathison has six houses, 

 covering about 25,000 square feet. 

 These are all planted to roses, mostly 

 Brides and Bridesmaids, with one 

 house of Kaiserins, which is. however, 

 not entirely to the liking of Mr. Math- 

 ison on account of its cropping propen- 

 sity, but he grows it on account of its 

 excellent summer quality; that is, of 

 throwing good-sized bloom. 



His roses are grown in benches, 

 built rather lower than the average, 

 and deeper, as he carries over part of 

 them two seasons, claiming that he 

 can get a greater portion of A No. 1 

 bloom from the older plants, and judg- 

 ing by the quality he brings into the 

 market, there is no doubt but his 

 views are right. He believes also in 

 early planting of young stock, getting 

 them well grown before making them 

 commence their season's work. His 



