310 



The Weekly Florists' Review. 



FEBRTARY 15. 1900. 



Easter Plants. 



There is nothing that will occupy our 

 thoughts so earnestly just now as the 

 regulation of Easter crops. Where one 

 whole house is devoted to one crop 

 and the means of adding to or dimin- 

 ishing the heat, this is easy; but 

 where several things are in the same 

 house a great deal of moving must be 

 done. 



If you can just see the buds of Har- 

 risii or longitlorum lilies now, you are 

 all right, and it will be very mild forc- 

 ing to bring them in; but those that 

 do not yet show the buds have plenty 

 of time if you have the means of giv- 

 ing a good, strong heat during March. 

 About the time that the leaves are 

 parting and the small cluster of buds 

 is visible is a critical time with 'the 

 green fly; a puncture of the tiny bud 

 will often show disastrous effects later 

 on. Fumigation is the most thorough 

 way of killing the aphis, but does not 

 always seem to penetrate down among 

 the crown of leaves, and till the buds 

 are distinctly seen they should be giv- 

 en a weekly syringe with the Rose 

 Leaf E.\tract diluted 50 to 1, or the 

 Nikoteen. 200 to 1 of water, and the 

 ScoUay sprayer is the best thing to 

 apply it. 



Crimson Ramblers should now have 

 a growth of 2 or 3 inches, but may 

 not yet be showing the flower buds. 

 They will be all the stronger and bet- 

 ter if kept cool, say about 45 to 50 de- 

 grees at night, for the next three 

 weeks, and a little more heat to finish 

 them oft. Plants that were grown in 

 pots last summer will need the best of 

 feeding, as the pots are cram full of 

 roots and little to feed. They must be 

 fed by mulching and liquid manure. 



We have never been too easy with 

 Deutzia gracilis. Of course, it depends 

 on the heat you give them, but they 

 are much more useful when grown 

 cool, and seven weeks is not too long 

 to give them in a moderate house. 



The Ghent azaleas and A. mollis 

 take about Ave weeks in a cool house. 

 Last year they sold well, for the beau- 

 tiful shades of color are unique, and 

 with orange tinted paper they trim up 

 finely. 



We have discontinued forcing rhodo- 

 dendrons; they are unwieldy in size 

 and do not bring a proportionate price. 

 Unlike the Indian azaleas, they are 

 very slow to open in a cool house, and 

 most of the varieties want four or five 



weeks of a good warm liouse and plen- 

 ty of syringing. 



If you go over your azaleas abaut 

 now and pinch off all the young 

 growths, they -will do till flowerin,< 

 time. If you don't many of the varie- 

 ties will be smothered with growth and 

 the flower buds will perish. 



The cytisus or genista is always 

 early and Easter is late, so it will be 

 with difficulty that you can keep them 

 back for Easter; but you can help 

 much by giving them the coldest house 

 you have and air on all po.ssible occa- 

 sions. Anything above freezing will do 

 tor these, and the Indian azaleas if 

 they are not too early. 



Don't forget that lilacs will do very 

 well with five weeks in the greenhouse 

 and a little less as the season is this 

 year. 



Flowering plants are not the only 

 thing that go at Easter. There is al- 

 ways a big demand for palms, ferns, 

 rubbers, etc., and it is now that they 

 should be bought and established in 

 their new pots. Why. I don't know; 

 but invariably when a plant is newly 

 shifted or potted and immediately sold 

 it ends in trouble. The plant does not 

 thrive. The disturbance of the roots, 

 if it is ever so little, may partly ac- 

 count for it. and perhaps the more 

 need of skillful watering is the other 

 part. As it is. we never like to sell a 

 palm that has been recently shifted, 

 and for that reason you should lay in 

 your stock now for your prospective 

 wants. 



The many and various little dutie.; 



have crowded upon us rather thickly 



just now and please, Mr. Editor, excuse 



the brevity of my hints for this week. 



WM. SCOTT. 



BOSTON. 



The Market. 



Seen from a stall at the Park street 

 flower market, lloral conditions here 

 during the past week have shown 

 marked improvement over any other 

 week since Christmas. All kinds of 

 goods have been in fair supply except 

 smaller grades of roses, which were 

 very scarce, and bulb goods, which 

 were in over-supply. 



The carnation supply got a little thin 

 in s|)Ot.s two or three times, but on 

 the whole just about stood the call at 

 fair flgures. say from I'/i to 2^,2 cents 



on good ordinaries. Anything of a rose 

 called for 4 cents, but the demand was 

 limited on goods worth more than I2V2 

 cents, and cases were rare where over 

 $2.50 per dozen was obtained in pink 

 and white. Prices on red ones have 

 slacked up a bit, purchasers looking 

 hard at a $5 bill before banking it in 

 a dozen of the best Beauties. Lots of 

 smaller bulb goods have changed 

 hands at the rate of $1.50 per 100. 



xMotes. 



Circulars advertising the "flfth an- 

 nual trade exhibition," March 3. at ths 

 Park street market, are out. Extracts 

 from it read as follows: 



"The great success of these exhibi- 

 tions has made it an annual event 

 which is eagerly looked forward to by 

 the members of the florists' craft 

 throughout New England, and pros- 

 pective investors now await this op- 

 portunity to see what they are going to 

 invest in, while introducers of novel- 

 ties are given a chance to meet person- 

 ally and to exhibit their novelties to 

 the lovers of well grown flowers. 



"The exhibit of 1S99 attracted at- 

 tention all over the I'nited States and 

 novelties were exhibited from as far 

 west as- Illinois and east from Maine, 

 while visitors from all over the New 

 England states were in attendance. 



"We are pleased, therefore, to once 

 more extend a cordial invitation to all 

 introducers of new roses, carnations or 

 other novelties to give the growers of 

 New England an opportunity to see the 

 result of their success, and also to in- 

 vite them to personally attend and 

 make an exhibition of whatever flow- 

 ers they are desirous of placing on the 

 market. 



There is no better market in the 

 country than Boston to take hold of a 

 new thing. The growers in this vicin- 

 ity are enterprising and mean to keep 

 up with the times, a fact which can be 

 substantiated by exhibitors in former 

 years. So, if you are looking for busi- 

 ness, send on your flowers, and the ad- 

 vertisement will reach every live flor- 

 ist in New England. 



"Full instructions regarding the ship- 

 ment, care and disposal of cut blooms 

 can be had by addressing the secretary, 

 "W. S. PHELPS. JR., 



"Hingham, Mass." 



The Review need have no hesitation 

 in backing up the points claimed. 

 Twelve certificates are to be given for 

 merit in exhibitions of roses, carna- 

 tions, violets and novelties. 



It was Mr. Elliott's determination to 

 go to the hospital on Monday of thi.s 

 week for an operation for appendicitis. 

 .\s he lays his jilans well and thor- 

 oughly carries them out. it is prob.ibly 

 safe to assume him to be there, and I 

 know I can assure him the sympathy 

 of this paper and its readers and their 

 best wishes for speedy recovery. 



Mrs. Rogers, who recently gave_ up 

 her store under the Adams Hoi'ise, 

 Washington street, has made arrange- 



