JULY 6, 1S99. 



The Weekly Florists' Review. 



121 



very well without it. Chemical fer- 

 tilizers and how to use them is a ques- 

 tion which is attracting a great deal 

 of attention at the present time. I 

 should like to hear from some one who 

 has made some thorough experiments 

 in that line on the growing of roses 

 and carnations. As I use only cow 

 manure I can really say nothing on 

 that subject. 



Stocking Houses. 



In procuring stock for your houses 

 I would refer you to the advertising 

 columns of our trade papers, and 

 would recommend correspondence 

 with these advertisers. 



With good soil, careful management, 



employment of reliable help, success as 

 a grower ought to be reasonably well 

 assured. The employment and man- 

 agement of help is a subject on which 

 I should like to say a great deal. I 

 will take time onVy to say, treat your 

 help fairly, give them every considera- 

 tion they are entitled to. and you will 

 obtain the best results. The bulldozer 

 in the handling of help has never been 

 conspicuous by his success. It Is, per- 

 haps, the highest ability that a man 

 can attain to make the proper and best 

 use of another man's brains. It is 

 hard enough for us to use our own to 

 good advantage, much more to use 

 some one else's. 



[To be Continued ] 



Flowers in Europe. 



We have commented on the retail 

 prices of flowers in this country. Now 

 let us go to the European markets 

 and see what they've got and what 

 they charge. What fine roses they 

 can grow outdoors over there, and 

 how deliciously sweet they are! 

 There's no flower like a garden rose. 

 Well, of course their climate makes 

 it possible to produce such flowers, 

 and when you hear your customers 

 talk about the summer roses in Eu- 

 rope you can believe some of what 

 they say. Still they could be grown 

 here just as good if the proper loca- 

 tions were selected. Sooner or later 

 we will have roseries established to 

 furnish the market with summer 

 blooms. There's money in it for 

 they're badly needed. 



Near all the cities of continental 

 Europe there are large nurseries es- 

 tablished where they grow the rose 

 bushes w T e purchase, or see in the 

 auction rooms here. These nuiseries 

 to a large extent supply their mar- 

 kets with cut blooms. They usually 

 pack them tied in bunches, one hun- 

 dred or two hundred in a hamper. 

 What they call long stalks are from 

 S to 12 inches. They do not cut them 

 longer because they sell the plants 

 when dormant and try to leave all the 

 wood on they can. They sell them 

 mixed or in separate colors. Crim- 

 son or mixed colors at about $2.50 per 

 100; pink, yellow or white. J3.00 per 



100. Moss roses are very plentiful: 

 they and the dark crimsons are most 

 popular for street wear. You see a 

 greater variety of roses over there, 

 varieties which we would often pay 

 any price to get here. Acres upon 

 acres of such flowers as sweet Wil- 

 liams, phlox, delphiniums, dahlias and 

 most of the showy annuals and grass- 

 es are grown for cut flowers. These 

 are tied in mixed round and flat 

 bunches and sold in the markets for 

 from 5 to 20 cents. There are very 

 few shops wholly devoted to the sale 

 of flowers. Fine fruit occupies half 

 the shops, unless with a few in Paris, 

 London and Berlin. The poor people 

 as a rule buy their flowers in the 

 markets, which are both extensive and 

 very picturesque. The people who 

 patronize the shops have to pay high- 

 er prices. But the business over there 

 cannot in any manner be compared 

 with ours here. Their season is when 

 the most of the outdoor flowers are in 

 bloom, our season is the reverse. 



In London the private conservator- 

 ies supply the materials for the prin- 

 cipal decorations. There is a good 

 deal of formality. One of their popu- 

 lar styles is to have small glass vases 

 dotted over the table, one rose in each 

 vase. Most of you have met the fellow 

 who used to decorate for the "Duke o" 

 Someplace." He knows more than 

 everything; he reminds us of the 

 newly smuggled Chinaman who knows 

 the constitution — he's all right till you 

 test him. 



The Paris shops and styles are more 

 like ours than any of the others; in 

 fact much that we did in the early 

 part of our art era we got from Paris, 

 and if we are looking for pointers 

 from Europe that's the only place 

 from which we are likely to get them, 

 and that because they have material 

 we have not, or they use what we ig- 

 nore. 



Seasonable Flowers. 



Anyhow, after you have thoroughly 

 investigated everything florally in 

 Europe you will all the more appre- 

 ciate what's at home. It is true we 

 have little business in the summer 

 months, but then good flowers are 

 very scarce, and it's often puzzling 

 what to use to make the little work 

 we get presentable. Growers and 

 country retailers and small city flor- 

 ists have lots of flowers they can use 

 up. The first class stores have the 

 hardest Toad to travel during July 

 and August. Orchids, of course, can 

 be got, but even they have a way of 

 becoming scarce when wanted. A 

 bunch of good valley is now about 

 one of the best flowers you can offer: 

 it is choice enough for anything and 

 if you can add cattleyas, all the bet- 

 ter. Kaiserins are going to be the 

 best white rose obtainable for July, 

 and Testouts one of the best in pink: 

 try a cluster of Testouts with white 

 sweet peas in bunch, wreath or any 

 design — they're fine. There are other 

 varieties of roses on the market, both 

 outdoor and indoor grown, and if you 

 use plenty of their own foliage (if it's 

 not mildewed), they will give a better 

 appearance. 



Whilst we are speaking of rose fol- 

 iage, if you grow your own stock don't 

 sell all or throw away your young 

 roses: grow them on in 3% or 4-inch 

 pots for their foliage alone. We don't 

 use enough foliage with our roses in 

 winter. If we could get small rose 

 plants in pots how much better we 

 could make up baskets and table 

 work, even to cut off a pot and put 

 mongst roses in a box adds greatly to 

 their value and beauty. Every artist 

 knows the worth of a bud and spray 

 when making up. so grow or cause to 

 be grown a batch of pot roses for fol- 

 iage: if you do fine work they will 

 repay you. 



We will soon be getting lots of dah- 

 lias. The cactus varieties are the best 

 for the retailers, and they will be used 

 for the best kind of work. Some of 

 the colors are very grand, ranging 

 from old rose to dazzling scarlet. 

 When using them for table decoration 

 one color is best, and place them ir- 

 regularly with very little of their own 

 foliage, because it's too stiff. Some 

 old-fashioned low and dull-colored 

 vase will suit them best. In the mat- 

 ter of general decoration Cactus dah- 

 lias will supply you colors to match 

 anything; put the lightest colors in 

 the darkest place, and the rich bright 

 ones where the strong light can reach 

 them. 



Hollyhocks, particularly the double 



