NOVEMBER 10, 1S9 



The Weekly Florists' Review^ 



607 



ing the ventilators too wide in the 

 morning when the temperature is a 

 little high (a very common occurrence 

 with beginners), resulting in giving 

 the plants a severe chill, it will soon 

 manifest itself in the appearance of 

 mildew and kindred diseases. 



Some varieties are more susceptible 

 than others. We seldom see Perle or 

 Wootton suffering from the elTects of 

 this parasite: indeed, it may be said 

 that most strong growing varieties, 

 producing heavy, glossy foliage, are 

 not much in danger of infection. Va- 

 rieties of the Mermei type, with a 

 rather sappy growth, are much more 

 likely to suffer from an attack. The 

 high temperature necessary to keep 

 Meteor in good growing condition ren- 

 ders it an easy prey to mildew when- 

 ever conditions are favorable for its 

 appearance. 



With such an alert foe to deal with 

 It is fortunate that we have a remedy 

 that is Quick and effective in arrest- 

 ing its progress, and with proper ap- 

 plication can be used as a preventive. 

 so there is really no excuse for mildew 

 having a foothold in the greenhouse. 

 Its presence is either a sign of igno- 

 rance or neglect, neither of which is 

 excusable. 



Sulphur is a preventive or a cure, 

 and may be applied in various ways. 

 A light application with a bellows. 

 once in ten days or two weeks, is very 

 effective. During the winter months 

 we make a mixture of one-half sul- 

 phur and one-half lime, add enough 

 water to make a thin paste, and apply 

 to the steam pipes with a brush. One 

 2-incli pipe to each house is about 

 right, where steam heat is used. With 

 hot water heat it will be safe to paint 

 two 2-inch or one 4-inch pipe with the 

 mixture, as the case may be. There is 

 danger of getting it too strong, espe- 

 cially when we begin heavy firing, the 

 strong fumes of sulphur causing the 

 pink and red varieties to lose their 

 brightness and sometimes resulting in 

 the plants dropping their leaves. Be- 

 ware of these danijrrs. Remain on the 

 safe" side. Light applications attend- 

 ed to regularly are safest and most 

 satisfactory. 



With steady firing we are now pre- 

 pared to settle down to our regular 

 winter temperature, which is 56 de- 

 grees Fahrenheit at night, for such va- 

 rieties as Bride. Bridesmaid. Cusin. 

 Watteville. Gonlier and Wootton, 

 while Perle. Testout and American 

 Beauty will easily stand 58 or GO de- 

 grees, with Meteor at 65. Do not al- 

 low the temperature to vary more 

 than two degrees either way, thus giv- 

 ing four degrees to sway in. Day tem- 

 perature must be controlled by venti- 

 lation. On bright days let your fire 

 go down early. Watch your thermom- 

 eter; when it registers 68 degrees 

 raise the ventilators, say about two 

 inches, and keep on raising them 

 higher as the temperature rises, which, 

 if possible, should not go above 85 de- 



grees during the middle of the day. 

 Keep lowering the ventilators as the 

 temperature falls in the afternoon un- 

 til it again reaches 68 degrees, when 

 they may be closed for the day and 

 the fires started for the night. On 

 cloudy days, when firing is necessary, 

 a temperature of 65 to 70 degrees 

 should be steadily maintained. To 

 keep the air pure it will be well to 

 raise the ventilators a few inches for 

 an hour during the middle of the 



day, even if a little more firing is nec- 

 essary to keep up the temperature. 



These little points may seem of no 

 importance to some, but if neglected 

 they often explain the difference be- 

 tween a strong stem and bright color 

 and a weak stem crowned with a faded 

 soft petaled bud. The one always 

 finds a ready buyer; the other, while 

 in numerous company, too often finds 

 its way into the rubbish barrel. 



S. A. B. 



Handle baskets filled with mums 

 make a pretty decoration. The basket 

 must be flat and the handle very high 

 and thin. It can be twisted with rib- 

 bon, and put a few fine liowers at one 

 side and half way over the top, the 

 idea being to permit a view across the 

 basket beneath the handle. Don't use 

 much, if any, green stuff, such as smi- 

 lax, on the table with chrysanths, and 

 one law always to be remembered is, 

 leave from eighteen inches to two feet 

 of space all round for dishes and serv- 

 ice. Of course you can drop a flower or 

 a vine here and there, but be careful 

 your flowers and greens don't annoy 

 people when eating, Smilax. etc., 

 makes very bad salad. 



Bells and horseshoes are no longer 

 to be considered in connection with 

 wedding decorations, even the cano- 

 pies are being looked upon as ancient. 

 Palm bowers are the most beautiful 

 designs, and when they are made of 

 good tall arecas. ferns, etc., nothing 

 can equal them. If you have any bou- 

 gainvillea try a pot suspended, or 

 drape a mirror carelessly with it as a 

 background to your palms. Have a 

 large vase on a pedestal filled with 

 your finest while mums, place it on 

 the left side of your bower, and put a 

 vase of white roses a little lower on 

 the right side, a bunch of Valley or a 

 spray of orange blossoms on the rail 

 of the kneeling bench. Don't use au- 

 tumn foliage in a wedding arbor un- 

 less you are ordered to. for they are 

 not appropriate. You can use them in 

 the house or round the church, but 

 have the bower all green and white. 



And now about bridal bouquets. It re- 

 quires a very strong woman to carry 



some of the bouquets we see, and this 

 is a cruel punishment. We will admit 

 most grooms want to have an abun- 

 dance of fcowers for the girls, and will 

 order big bouquets for his bride and 

 her maids. He little considers the 

 agony he is inflicting by doing so. and 

 the florist never gives it a thought, 

 but goes to work with wires and smi- 

 lax and often makes a bouquet that he 

 himself could not hold in his hand for 

 half an hour. This is all wrong and 

 is the reason why many sensible girls 

 refuse to carry these cabbage- 

 liKe bouquets. )lou. can make them 

 largo and you can make them very 

 light: it is not necessary to use a 

 string of smilax and half pound of 

 wire to every six roses. Nor is it art 

 in any degree whatever to fix the roses 

 so that they will look like a head of 

 cauliflower; make your bouquets so 

 as they will be carried upright instead 

 of upside down for relief. 



We are beginning to get orders for 

 evergreens and let us go to the nurs- 

 ery and see what there is. Of course 

 this great big country of ours is so 

 large that it must have all varieties of 

 climate, and what will suit one state 

 will not winter out in another. I'm 

 sure the South will not be jealous ii^ 

 we devote this short space to the 

 North. The beautiful custom of deco- 

 rating the exteriors of city residences 

 with vases and boxes of evergreens is 

 yearly on the increase, and may it 

 continue. We can encourage it great- 

 ly by giving our patrons satisfaction 

 by supplying them with only such 

 conifers as will stand the winter 

 winds. 



