JANIAKY 11, 1900. 



The Weekly Florists' Review. 



181 



OTAHEITE ORANGES. 



S. S. p. asks: By what mctluHi can 

 tlu'se plants be grown into gonil shape- 

 ly plants tor Christmas trado?" 



If you have any plants left over 

 that lost their fruit or iliil not sell, 

 keep them cool till middle of March, 

 then shorten back the shoots and start 

 growing in a warm house and give 

 them iilenty of syringing, 'riiey will 

 make a growth and (lower. \'nii can 

 withhold syringing while in liloom. 

 After the fruit is set they can be 

 plunged out of doors, but look out 

 for prolonged rains. A safer place 

 would be a light house where they 

 could be shaded from the hottest suns 

 and be given the fullest ventilation. 



These are now imported at very 

 low cost from Belgium, but there is 

 a great likelihood of the fruit drop- 

 ping. They seem to have also lost 

 their hold on public favor and are 

 one of the things that did not go at 

 Christmas like the famous "hot cakes." 



W. S. 



"CHRISTMAS TREE ASTER." 



This is the name given to a novelty 

 in asters offered by F. C. Heinemann, 

 Erfurt. Germany, in hi.s latest trade of- 

 fer of novelties. The name is given 

 "on account of the branching habit, 

 much resembling the regular arrange- 

 ment of the twigs on a fir tree." And 

 a half tone engraving from a photo- 

 graph of a pot plant bears out the 

 description. 



How much more confidence a half 

 tone from a photograph gives one 

 than the average catalogue drawing or 

 wood cut I And we will say for Mr. 

 Heinemann that the colored plate 

 which ia mailed with his list is a fair 

 reproduction of the photograph so far 

 as habit and freedom of bloom is con- 

 cerned. 



But the point we wish to now make 

 particularly is that novelties should be 

 illustrated by half tone engravings 

 from photographs, and not from draw- 

 ings that may or may not improve (?) 

 on nature. We have been told that 

 vei-y often this is impossible because 

 the grower has not yet any specimen 

 in condition to do the novelty justice, 

 and to do it justice an artist must be 

 employed to show "what it will be 

 like when fully developed." There is 

 only one answer to this, and it is that 

 there is no excuse for the dissemina- 

 tion of a novelty of which the origi- 

 nator has not yet secured a perfect 

 specimen. We can afford to wait: and 

 it will be better for the reputation of 

 the originator if he would do likewise. 

 We do not care to share his dreams 

 until they are fully realized. 



But we must be cautious in accept- 

 ing all half tone engravings as being 

 made from photographs of the objects. 

 We have noted during the last year or 

 so a number of illustrations of plant 

 novelties that were in half tone but 

 which were made from wash drawings 

 instead of from photographs, and in 

 some of these the "artist" had allowed 

 his imagination to riot as exuberantly 



as in the old line drawing or wood cut. 

 There is a marked difference thovigh 

 between a plate from a idiotograph 

 and that from a wash drawing when 

 they are closely examined. A sharp 

 scrutiny will quickly show that in the 

 wash drawing there is a regularity of 

 form in the fiowers. a positivencss 

 about the strong lines in the foliage 

 and a general stiffness that is not to 

 be seen in the plate from a photo- 

 graph. The hand of man is not cun- 

 ning enough to accurately depict all 

 the little natural peculiarities of foli- 

 age especially, and herein lies the 

 safeguard against being misled by a 

 wash drawing, though at first glance 

 one might think a photograph had 

 been used. • 



THE WINTER BERRY. 



Referring to the Black Alder, or 

 Winter Berry, I notice the following 

 item in your Florists' Review: 



We understand, thoug:h, that the ber- 

 ries are of little value after severe win- 

 ter weather sets in and that the largt- 

 supply in the market this year is due To 

 the remarkably mild winter U}) to this 

 time. Could not this difficulty be over- 

 come by cutting: the branches after the 

 first frost and storing away in a cool but 

 frost-proof cellar or root house? We 

 would be pleased to know whether this 

 has been tried. 



Yes. Gather the berries by break- 

 ing olt; branches as soon as the leaves 

 fall, and put stems in water in a cool, 

 damp place. They keep a long time. 

 W. F. HEATH. 



Jaffrey, N. H., Jan. 2, 1900. 



PRICES OF GLASS. 



A subscriber writes: "Give us a lit- 

 tle light on the prices of glass in 

 your paper. Am sure I am not the 

 only one who would be interested." 



We can readily understand that 

 "light" would be desirable, but the 

 situation is one that is difficult to de- 

 scribe in a way that will stand good 

 by the time it is put into type. 



Dealers will not make definite quo- 

 tations because they are at the mercy 

 of the combination and the price to 

 the dealer may change before he can 

 be sure of the glass witli which to 

 fill orders. And dealers report very 

 little glass of the greenhouse sizes in 

 the market. 



The recent big cut in the price of 

 glass was evidently made for the sole 

 purpose of forcing into the combine 

 the manufacturers that were still out- 

 side. It was purely a "war measure," 

 and was not intended to increase sales. 



The nearest approach to a quota- 

 tion that we could secure last Monday 

 was: 16x24 AA, $4.56 per box: same 

 size A, $4.20; same size B, $3.92. 

 These figures were not definite, but 

 ■were given as "about the present 

 market." Dealers say they have been 

 unable to accept recent large orders 

 offered them because they were un- 

 able to place them with the manufac- 

 turers on a satisfactory basis. They 

 attribute present conditions to the la- 

 bor situation as regards glass work- 



ers, but we think this statement can 

 be taken with a rather large grain of 

 salt. 



What the outcome will be none can 

 foresee. Dealers seem to generally be- 

 lieve that prices will soon advance. 

 It will evidently depend upon how 

 stubborn the independent manufac- 

 turers prove to be. Even lower jjiices 

 may result before the war is over, 

 hut they are more likely to be higher 

 than lower unless the combine should 

 meet its Waterloo. 



WASHINGTON. 



There has been no business in the 

 florists' line since the holidays. This, 

 and a glut on the market, caused 

 prices to drop out of sight the latter 

 part of the week. Carnations were 

 offered as low as $10 per 1,000. The 

 finest grade roses brought $S; sec- 

 onds and poor quality could not be 

 sold at all. Romans and narcissus 

 more slowly at 1 and 1% cents each. 

 Violets, 50 to 75 cents per 100. Good 

 plants of any kind sell quite well. 



P'rom the announcements of many 

 large state dinners and teas, the pros- 

 pect for a good season is bright. 



Visitors this week were: Mr. Esch- 

 ner, of M. Rice & Co,, Philadelphia, 

 and Mr. Dreyer, of A. Herrmann, New- 

 York. F. H. KRAMER. 



WORCESTER, MASS. 



The program of meetings for dis- 

 cussion during the winter season of 

 the Worcester County Hort. Society 

 has been issued. The meetings will 

 be held each Thursday from Jan. 4 to 

 March 15, inclusive. The list of sub- 

 jects includes the following: "The 

 Progress of Horticulture," "Why Peo- 

 ple Grow Flowers," "Arbor Day," 

 "Budding and Grafting," "Home 

 Grounds," "Relation of Good Roads to 

 Horticulture," "Horticulture and Edu- 

 cation." 



Copies of the program may be ob- 

 tained by addressing A. A. Hixon, 

 Sec'y, this city. 



MALTA, O. 



W. C. Scovell reports a steadily in- 

 creasing business since he commenced 

 eight years ago. The past season 

 trade has increased about 12 per cent, 

 notwithstanding that most of his 

 stock was sold at half price on account 

 of his having to move the first of last 

 April. He has built a very convenient 

 house and uses gas for fuel. The gas 

 costs him nothing, as he has a gas 

 well on his lan3. 



IF YOU don't find what you want in 

 our classified advs. let us know about 

 it. We will find it for you if it is to be 

 had. 



PLEASE SEND US a correct list of 

 the names and addresses of the flor- 

 ists who receive their mail at your 

 postofflce and thereby oblige. 



