OCTOBER 19. 1898. 



The Weekly Florists' Review. 



511 



' ^ 





Selaginella Viticulosa. 



everything and quite some shipping 

 was done. 



While we're speaking of shipping, 

 let us tell you that about the best way 

 to ship orchids is to fasten them to 

 the box, bottom and sides if you like, 

 with double headed "tacks or wire 

 staples. Use cotton or paper to pre- 

 vent damage to stem. This keeps the 

 flowers from getting spoiled by rough 

 handling in transit. You should not 

 ship any flowers by express in a paste- 

 board box, because they invariably get 

 broken and the flowers are ruined. 

 Use clean, new, light wooden boxes, 

 specially made, stencil your name on 

 them or wrap them in stiff paper. 

 Don't pack your flowers with a view 

 to their looking fine at your end; the 

 principal thing is to have them look 

 beautiful when they are unpacked at 

 the other end, and in order to accom- 

 plish this it is necessary to dispense 

 with artistic arrangements. A neat, 

 substantial box, nicely marked, is a 

 traveling advertisement for you. 



Miscellaneous. 



We notice that imported manufac- 

 tured palms are dutiable at 30 per 

 cent. We would like to see it 130. 

 There is no doubt about it, these 

 painted manufactured palms have done 

 and are doing a vast amount of harm 

 to the American plant trade. The 

 matter is deserving of the attention of 

 every florist. The country is flooded 

 with them, and if you don't ridicule 

 them to your customers and take steps 

 to discourage their importation, you 

 will have cause to regret it. Some will 

 say that the American people have no 

 use for artificial plants. That's true; 

 the best element has none, but here 

 are two facts. 



At one time a dealer in these goods 

 exhibited in a Broadway window a cer- 

 tificate of merit for prepared palms 

 given by the horticultural section of 

 the American Institute. That certifi- 



cate was signed by the editor of a hor- 

 ticultural paper — a nice way to en- 

 courage horticulture. At the present 

 time a flashy florist's store on Broad- 

 way is decorated with these preserved 

 palms. Truly we need to educate some 

 in the profession, as well as the gen- 

 eral public. 



We have before us a vase of the 

 beautiful new red rose Liberty. You 

 will not be able to offer this rost to 

 your customers before next fall, but 

 it's grand and will have a great effect 

 in floral art. It is lighter than the 

 Meteor, is sweet, keeps well, and the 

 foliage and stem are all that is wanted. 

 We don't know anything about its 

 growing and productiveness, but judg- 

 ing it as we see it here now, you will 

 all want it, and there'll be plenty of 

 money in it, too. Red roses are very 

 popular in this country. Liberty is 

 the best of them all. 



Take an active part in the flower 

 shows. Let us have the retail part of 

 them properly representative. If you're 

 afraid of being defeated, then show in 

 the" non-competitive class. A well 

 made design or a pretty decorative 

 idea exhibited at the show will bring 

 you trade. Never mind the schedule 

 if it fails to appeal to you; show some- 

 thing, but let it be your very best. 



We are glad to be able to tell you 

 that a few of the artists of New York 

 are considering plans for the forma- 

 tion of a Society of Floral artists, and 

 it is hoped they will be able to make 

 an interesting display at the conven- 

 tion next August. The society will be 

 exclusive, yet thoroughly representa- 

 tive of the country and the art. 



Cosmos is late this year; looks as 

 if it was fed too much. 



Be sure to have a stock of white 

 polyanthus and the common yellow 

 primrose for next Easter. They will 

 sell well. 



Keep your eye open for a lot of 



good flowering shrubs to force this 

 winter. They go well at Christmas. 



Caroline Testout is a lovely rose for 

 fine work; there is no pink like it; 

 encourage its cultivation. 



We always like the real thing, but 

 it isn't always available. If you can- 

 not get laurel leaves for your wreath, 

 use leucothoe foliage; very few will 

 notice the difference; the wreath illus- 

 trated last week was made of it. 



Large Boston ferns are bringing 

 good prices. There are several new 

 palms out, but the retailer will not 

 be able to touch them for some time. 



Very broad lustered taffeta silk rib- 

 bons will be all the go this season. 

 We notice some gauze and fancy 

 stripes being used, but it is left over 

 stock and looks bad compared to the 

 other. 



Fancy hamper baskets tied with 

 ribbon bows are shown in the Broad- 

 way windows. They look pretty, but 

 come high. 



We notice a tendency to discard 

 many beautiful things because they 

 are either cheap or have became plen- 

 tiful, or are even used by a rival; 

 the mad desire to be different causes 

 many a foolish transaction. 



High bows of taffeta ribbon tied 

 near the end of white cut flower boxes 

 makes one window look very Frenchy. 

 Some ladies like the boxes tied with 

 broad ribbon this way; it is only put 

 one way round. 



Special colors in tissue paper are be- 

 ing used, just to match whatever flow- 

 er is in the box. IVERA. 



SOME NOTES ON AN EUROPEAN 

 TRIP. 



Revisiting the scenes of former 

 horticultural activities after but a few 

 years' absence one does not note many 

 material changes of practice, but as- 

 suming that Europe points the way 

 in many matters horticultural it fol- 

 lows as a natural sequence one must 

 see something worth" talking about. 

 Our worthy editor assumes this any- 

 way and follows on with a request 

 for some notes on my recent trip. 



"Procrastination is the thief of 

 time," was hung conspicuous upon tlie 

 wall of the village school I first at- 

 tended and thanks to my procrastina- 

 tion in responding to the editorial re- 

 quest a brother in the craft who has 

 been over much the same ground 

 catches the reader's eye and writes 

 first some things that the present 

 writer intended to write. See Mr. 

 S. S. Bain's remarks in The Review of 

 Sept. 28. Comparisons are said to be 

 odious and indeed they are along tlie 

 lines referred to and enlarged upon 

 by Mr. Bain in regard to the appear- 

 ances of the country at large. 



It was a jolly party that filled the 

 railway carriage that bore us from 

 Liverpool to London. Americans pre- 

 dominating, and whilst personally I 

 thought the country never looked 

 more smiling, more luxuriously ferti'e 

 to my eyes, the comments of those who 

 were viewing the scene for the first 

 time were laudatory in the extreme. 



