392 



The Weekly Florists' Review. 



SEPTEMBER 14, 1899. 



of cactus dahlias, which made a very 

 handsome and effective display. 



Grand Duke Alexis was the winner 

 of the prize for the largest bloom, 

 and it was a "buster." Bowery Girl, 

 exhibited by Lothrop & Higgins, was 

 awarded a diploma for best bloom for 

 any variety not yet introduced. This 

 is a large flower of about the same 

 shape and size as Wm. Agnew, with 

 reddish yellow petals striped and 

 flaked bright scarlet. W. A. Power, of 

 Hartford, received several prizes for 

 his dahlias, which compared favorably 

 with the flowers exhibited by dealers. 

 The Springfield Amateur Horticultural 

 Society made a very nice exhibit of 

 asters and dahlias. 



Among the many beautiful dahlias 

 may be mentioned the following, any 

 one of which deserves wide cultivation 

 by florist and amateur alike: 



Bertha Mawley, Prince of Orange, 

 Juno, Blanche Keith, Matchless, Miss 

 Violet Morgan, Delicata, Harmony, 

 Myrtie Downs. Mrs. A. Peart, Kyne- 

 rith. Lady Penzance, Belle Higgins, 



Bennett Goldney, Miss Irene Cannell, 

 Perle de la Tete d'Or, Zulu. 



John Lewis Childs, of Floral Park, 

 N. Y., sent a fine collection of gladioli 

 as well as other flowers. 



Among the Lemoinei varieties me 

 most noticeable were Nydia and La- 

 martine. Childsi was more than well 

 represented by the beautiful varieties: 

 Nezinscott, Mrs. Beecher, A. H. Go'd- 

 smith, I. Buchanan, Torchlight, Ethel, 

 Little Blush, Falconer, and many oth- 

 ers made up the exhibit. 



After the exhibition these were 

 placed in the window of the Hartford 

 Times and no doubt will keep a long 

 time and attract more than passing 

 notice. 



We hope Mr. Childs as well as the 

 other dealers will benefit in a sub- 

 stantial way from their exhibits. Cer- 

 tainly the comments on their flowers 

 were most gratifying and should lead 

 to an increased trade in this vicinity. 



Preparations for the chrysanthemum 

 and carnation exhibition are now un- 

 der way and all interested are invited 

 to correspond with the society. R. 



SMALL FERNS, 5c. 

 Shall we send for your empty fern 

 dish? We'll return it arranged .it any 

 desired time— our only charge will be for 

 the ferns, each, 5c. Conservatory on the 

 roof. 



It's enough to make one either swear 

 or think deeply after he reads the 

 above, which is printed in the leading 

 daily papers. The retail florists have 

 to pay the grower more than this for 

 the stock, and how can these people 

 afford to do it? Of course florists can 

 well afford to be rid of the class of 

 trade that frequents the bargain coun- 

 ter of the dry goods house. No, no, 

 the florists need not be afraid of that, 

 for the good, sensible customer knows 

 that the florist's store or greenhouse 

 is the right place for reliable goods. 

 The nuisance is in having these pesky 

 old women and penurious young ma- 

 trons come into your store when busy 

 waiting on some good customers and 

 ask you what you charge for filling 

 some badly plated dish they got for a 

 wedding present, and when you give 

 your price they generally cry out that 

 "Dry Goods Fakeura Co." will fill it 



for one-third that price and deliver it 

 fifty miles away free. Yes, friends, 

 this is one of the times you wish two 

 things, that the law would agree with 

 you and that you could use a gun. 



But there is another way to deal 

 with it, and every retailer should 

 adopt it to protect himself. Find out 

 where these people get their goods at 

 a price that enables them to undersell 

 you so much, and boycott that grow- 

 er; make him feel the smallness of 

 his acts. He will certainly not care 

 a rap for isolated action, but there is 

 not an American grower today who 

 would care to face the odium or os- 

 tracism of a united body of his fellow 

 men; he dare not do it. 



Golden rod is very abundant all 

 over the land and though it is losing 

 its popularity on account of the in- 

 creased cultivation of more showy 

 flowers, still many people love it for 

 the sentiments that may surround it, 

 and if you have any decorations to do 

 this month it will be well to use plen- 

 ty of it. It is always best to have it 

 all together in one room or hallway 



where it can be arranged to bring out 

 the fullest measure of admiration. 



Although green makes the best 

 background for yellow, golden rod is 

 so much identified with autumn scen- 

 ery in this country that it will be well 

 if you can make your central feature 

 of autumn foliage and golden rod. 

 You can get high colored foliage now 

 along the water fronts or in the 

 swamps, and a few branches are worth 

 a lot of trouble to get. You are liable 

 to win many a good decoration if you 

 dwell upon the beauty .and appropri- 

 ateness of autumn foliage and wild 

 flowers, because when people wish to 

 decorate their homes they have in 

 their mind's eye some woodland scene, 

 real or imaginary, and a recital of the 

 loveliness of nature's home will have 

 more effect on them; therefore, par- 

 ticularly at this time of the year, make 

 yourself acquainted with all the good 

 material, such as heleniums, solidagos, 

 asters (Michaelmas daisies), rudbeck- 

 ias, etc., and the showiest kinds of 

 foliage. Where wild flowers are used 

 it is best to use woodland foliage; keep 

 your cultivated stock out, or put it in 

 special positions where it will not 

 conflict with the other. 



Many of you are sure to have plenty 

 of work for weddings soon, and though 

 autumn leaves (looking at the matter 

 from a strictly sentimental point of 

 view) are not proper materials to use, 

 still those who look only on the ar- 

 tistic side will be better satisfied with 

 their abundant, use. It is always bet- 

 ter to cater to the bride-elect's whims 

 and fancies; please her, and the rest 

 will follow, because the whole affair 

 is for her pleasure. 



Clematis paniculata growing on 

 north walls is in full bloom and is one 

 of the finest combinations of flower 

 and vine to be got. Cut it in long 

 sprays and use it in your decorations 

 where the people can inhale its frag- 

 rance or where it can be reflected in 

 a mirror, or let it hang down naturally. 



There is not very much now in the 

 way of extra choice flowers for bridal 

 bouquets. Dendrobium formosum gi- 

 ganteum is about the only white orchiu 

 on the market; even that is not en- 

 tirely white, it having a very pro- 

 nounced yellow center, but the general 

 effect is white. They can be gotten of 

 any large orchid grower for from 15 

 to 25 cents, and they are worth about 

 $4 or $5 per dozen, retail. They have 

 short stems and it is best to use a 

 thin wire to make them face upwards; 

 three or four dozen make a large bou- 

 quet and A. Farleyense is the best 

 foliage. Lily of the valley is plentiful 

 and is always a fine and choice bou- 

 quet; so is a graceful bunch of Jas- 

 minum gracillimum. Victorias make a 

 far more preferable bouquet than the 

 Bride rose. Rich silk ribbons are to 

 be used this season in preference to 

 satin. 



Vanda coerulea is perhaps the finest 

 flower on the market this week. It is 

 grand. Many of the spikes are light 

 enough for a wedding spray bunch. 

 Any of them will do for the latest in 



