AUGUST 17, 1899. 



The Weekly Florists' Review, 



281 



sessed of much more beauty than is 

 generally accredited them. On one 

 place near New York there are SO acres 

 of them growing in over 500 named 

 varieties; the sight they present is a 

 gorgeous one, almost every tone in 

 color is there; grand effects can be 

 brought out by a judicious use of 

 them. The white varieties are partic- 

 ularly good for funeral work. White 

 cannas are good for this same class of 

 work, and besides, they are new to the 

 average run of people. Asters have 

 been grown very extensively around 

 New York this year. Many days the 

 markets are glutted with them, and 

 you can buy them for two cents a 

 bunch of one dozen flowers. They 

 have overshadowed sweet peas some- 

 what because they are a more showy 

 and cheaper flower. The chrysanthe- 

 mum flowered variety is in demand; 

 it is the most beautiful and, strange 

 to say, the least grown. 



Hydrangea paniculata grandiflora is 

 a God-send flower to many a poor 

 florist, and eveiry florist with any 

 ground at all should grow some. It is 

 just coming into bloom and will last 

 till frost; should you get a rush of fu- 

 neral work, remember you can get 

 these flowers in abundance at very lit- 

 tle cost from some nurseryman. Of 

 course they are principally useful for 

 "ground work," but that is all impor- 

 tant most of the time. There is hard- 

 ly anything sweeter than a simple vase 

 or cluster of honeysuckles, and if you 

 happen to have to put a small vase of 

 flowers on any desk or table you can- 

 not get anything more pleasing to the 

 senses or imagination. It isn't always 

 the big, glaring beauty that is best; 

 we may often derive more benefit from 

 the proper use of simple flowers. 



A good big vase of salvia will look 

 well in your window, providing no 

 other colors are there. Edelweiss in 

 small pots sells well among the people 

 who hail from the lands it is native of. 

 The little plant is often capable of 

 stirring up tender memories. We have 

 seen the Swiss and the, German ten- 

 derly kiss its petals and offer big 

 prices for a plant; try some if you are 

 among such good people. 



Economic Plants. 



There is a possibility of a big trade 

 being done soon in the way of eco- 

 nomic plants, such as coffee, tea, cot- 

 ton, etc. The several public parks 

 and botanical gardens are doing much 

 to popularize this class of plants, and 

 there is no doubt but that many of 

 them could be sold if presented in a 

 suitable way. We often see many 

 amusing and pathetic sights on the 

 government transports coming from 

 the recently acquired islands in the 

 south. Enterprising individuals may 

 be seen sizing up the value of some 

 bundle of a palm brought from 

 Porto Rico; then again some wound- 

 ed hero can be found tenderly nursing 

 some small plant from the jungles of 

 Cuba. Whilst very little of the large 

 quantity of plants thus brought to this 

 country lives or is of value; still there 

 is no denying the fact that there are 



enormous possibilities in trade with 

 these islands. From conversations we 

 have had with intelligent officials of 

 the different lines, and a study of the 

 flora and climate of these places, we 

 are convinced that palms, etc., can be 

 raised out there and shipped here at 

 a cost and in a condition that would 

 revolutionize the present system of 

 importing and growing. We are aware 

 of the fact that stock requires to have 

 color and be established. This can be 

 obtained by a cheaper process than 

 with the present expenditure of years 

 of patience and small interest on capi- 

 tal. IVERA. 



CHRYSANTHEMUM NOTES. 



Buds. 



The problem of "taking the buds" 

 will soon be confronting the grower, 

 and this is the most important part of 

 the whole business, since on it depends 

 the success or failure of the crop. A 

 bud once taken and proving worthless 

 can never be replaced. We believe in 

 taking, as far as possible, the crown 

 bud on nearly all varieties (except 

 some pink ones) when it appears at 

 the right time, that is to- say, after the 

 20th of August. It is largely problem- 

 atical whether buds taken before that 

 date will develop. They nearly al- 

 ways get blasted by the scorching sun, 

 with the exception of some very early 

 ones. I have an early red one at the 

 present time, with buds showing color, 

 but I only look on early kinds with 

 the same toleration the small boy is 

 looked on as he heads the circus pro- 

 cession. They head the procession of 

 the larger mid-season kinds. They 

 are the early birds, but the worms 

 they catch, are not, as a rule, very 

 large; though one good point about 

 the early varieties is that they are 

 soon gone, and the space can be used 

 for other things. 



Varieties differ radically and no man 

 can lay down hard and fast rules re- 

 garding bud selection. Locality and 

 season each have an important bear- 

 ing on the subject. An expert on Long 

 Island has told me that he cannot 

 handle the crown bud at all, but in 

 Jersey I have no trouble with it. The 

 crown bud is taken a great deal more 

 by the would-be exhibitor than the 

 purely commercial grower, who de- 

 pends largely on the terminal, because 

 though smaller it is always safe to 

 handle, and generally carries the foli- 

 age up to the flower much better. 

 There have been columns written on 

 the difference between the two buds, 

 yet even today one often hears the 

 terms used incorrectly. The crown 

 bud is always distinguished by the 

 fact that it has three or four growths 

 springing up around it, which will de- 

 velop into shoots and take away 

 the strength, causing the bud to shriv- 

 el up if not removed at once. These 

 shoots if left grow on and produce 

 terminal buds, which consist merely 

 of a central bud and a cluster of small- 

 er buds all around it. This is, as its 

 name implies, the terminus, or end of 



the growth, and must be taken, as 

 nothing else will appear. 



Plants as usually grown, benched in 

 June, generally throw three buds; the 

 first crown which appears late in July 

 or early in August; a second crown, 

 end of August or first week in Septem- 

 ber, and the terminal, end of Septem- 

 ber or later. This will make clear 

 why so many varieties are catalogued 

 to use second crown. It comes at a 

 good time and is nearly as safe as the 

 terminal, and produces a much better 

 flower. I know of very few varieties 

 that will not do well on this second 

 crown. Plants that are struck late 

 produce only one type, the terminal. 

 Plants that are intended for late 

 work must always be taken on the 

 terminal, because it will develop all 

 right, no matter how cool you keep it 

 short of actual frost, while the crown, 

 if it runs below 45 degrees a few 

 times, will come split up and de- 

 formed in several ways. Lack of 

 heat, and consequent check, are re- 

 sponsible nine times out of ten for 

 failure with the crown bud. A curious 

 thing in connection with crowns is 

 the fact that they hang in the bud a 

 long time. I have often taken a ter- 

 minal three weeks after a crown and 

 had the terminal in full development 

 a week ahead, but not such a flower, 

 by any means. 



At the present moment I can think 

 of but one white that produces the 

 best flower on the terminal bud and 

 that is Robert G. Carey. In yellows 

 I would not recommend Modesto on 

 the crown, because, though it comes 

 all right the flower is often too mass- 

 ive for the comparatively slender stem. 

 Golden Wedding, too, comes better 

 from the late bud. Bonnaffon. though 

 generally taken on the terminal, comes 

 just as well from the crown, and with 

 considerably more depth and finish. 

 Pinks are almost invariably of poor 

 color on the crown bud. Mrs. E. G. 

 Hill comes all right, so does Lady 

 Playfair, but with all the others we 

 prefer the late bud. All the red varie- 

 ties will do on the crown, and I don't 

 think they burn as badly as when 

 taken on the terminal, the petals hav- 

 ing more substance. 



In conclusion, I would say, if your 

 plants are grown very closely in the 

 bench, go easy on taking crown buds, 

 early crowns, anyhow, because they 

 will run up and make a long, naked 

 stem. When the plants have room 

 enough this does not apply, as the bud 

 will not get drawn up unnaturally. 

 I have experimented with buds in near- 

 ly every month of the year with vary- 

 ing success, but when all is said and 

 done the mum never looks so hand- 

 some as when it flowers at its natural 

 time, with its accompaniments of au- 

 tumn foliage, glorious cool, crisp 

 weather, and general revival of the 

 florists' business. BRIAN BORU. 



SOMERVILLE, N. J.— J. H. Christie 

 is building seven new houses for car- 

 nations and general stock. 



