MAHCH 1, r.tilll 



The Weekly Florists' Review. 



375 



Keeping Qualities of Carnations. 



At the annual meeting of the Amer- 

 ican Carnation Soc-iety in Buffalo there 

 was quite an interesting discussion 

 ' on the keeping qualities of carnations. 

 This is a serious matter and deserves 

 the greatest consideration, not alone 

 from that society, but from eveiy one 

 engaged in the florist's business. 



It would appear from the reports of 

 the Buffalo meeting that the matter 

 was too deep a problem to be settled 

 even by the experts present. The ar- 

 guments were good, but it seems to us 

 that an exchange of actual experien- 

 ces would do much to dispel the at- 

 mosphere of the theoretical ghosts 

 some of our scientific growers delight 

 in pointing out. The carnation as a 

 cut flower is far from being under- 

 stood, even by those who are making 

 a living from handling it. When we 

 consider them in the many different 

 cycles the most of them pass through, 

 growing in the greenhouses, awaiting 

 augmentation and shipment in the 

 grower's ill-constructed shed or cellar, 

 then the wholesaler's ice box, the re- 

 tailer's store, and the overheated 

 rooms of the wealthy, each element 

 opposing the requirement or laws of 

 the other, we will find there is much 

 to solve. Yet we will see that the 

 flowers themselves are the best indi- 

 cation of what is good and bad for 

 them; in this light, too, they furnish 

 unchangeable finger-posts on the road 

 to success. 



It is quite true that much of the 

 weakness in the keeping qualities of 

 varieties of carnations is attributable 

 to various conditions, such as over- 

 heated cultivation, system of gather- 

 ing, the place they are kept in. and 

 the manner of shipping, all of which 

 can be rectified by intelligent usages: 

 but it must not be overlooked that 

 there is also a varietal weakness. Your 

 collection of carnations grown and 

 handled in exactly similar modes will 

 illustrate this. Nor is it safe to be 

 guided by substance. Our experience 

 has been that many of the apparently 

 delicate fimbriated kinds were the best 

 keepers, and this point has often made 

 us imagine that fimbriation. though a 

 detriment to the classic beauty of the 



ideal carnation of today, and particu- 

 larly the future, yet has some value 

 inasmuch as it appears to be a p:irt 

 of a sustaining quality. 



From practical demonstrations, 

 which we have recently had the pleas- 

 ure of seeing, we are inclined to be- 

 lieve that the carnation house of the 

 future will not only do away with 

 much of the troubles we encounter 

 now but will be the greatest factor in 

 the revolutionizing of that flower. 

 Growers are inclined at ^oresent to 

 look with disfavor on the high-roofed 

 and roomy house, but we find that 

 flowers grown cool in a pure atmos- 

 phere possess the greatest lasting 

 qualities, and may not this determine 

 the architecture of the future? Car- 

 nations require not only ventilation, 

 but a large amount of continuous pure 

 air and abundant light. 



Whilst a clean cut stem is desirous 

 and conducive to retention of beauty 

 because it is quicker in absorbing liq- 

 uid, still we consider this of less im- 

 portance than clean Jars and fresh 

 water. Many growers store their car- 

 nations and roses in the one cellar, 

 and it is often too moist. Carnation 

 flowers should never be wet. and 

 should not be used until the stems are 

 flrst well immersed in water. A good, 

 cool, dry cellar, free from draughts 

 and rats, is the best place in which 

 you can keep them. 



One of the great troubles retailers 

 have to contend with, particularly 

 with flowers from a distance, is that, 

 they are ignorantly packed. Mafi^ 

 wholesalers shove every kind of flo"w- 

 ers into an ill-smelling newspaijer- 

 lined soap or shoe or pork box: heavy 

 bulb stock is put on top of carnations, 

 or they are enveloped in damp" tissue 

 paper, and though the flowers 'may not 

 show their exhausted or bruised con- 

 dition when you receive them, they 

 generally do so when you most want 

 them not to. To change these condi- 

 tions, as well as to get a more general 

 knowledge of the flower itself, is not 

 only desirous but absolutely necessary 

 to the future of the carnation as we all 

 wish to see it. 



We must recognize and remember 

 this one fact, that the popularity of 



ibi- carnation is not due to its beauty 

 or fragrance so much as it is to the. 

 in many cases imaginary, lasting qual- 

 ities. Most of your customers buy 

 tlicm because they are cheaper and 

 ki ip longer, and the vital branch of 

 knowledge you desire is to find out 

 I he varieties that will keep best in 

 your store; this should interest the 

 grower even more than you. Wouldn't 

 practical demonstrations on gather- 

 Hig. bunching, \aseing and packing the 

 different flowers be of more use than 

 deep paper studies at the.se annual 

 meetings? Many might be induced to 

 attend if they had to in order to see 

 things. It is not so with papers; the 

 letter carrier brings you those. 



There is considerable thought being 

 given to the question, "Will striped 

 carnations remain much longer in 

 popularity?" No one can tell, because 

 it depends more on the size of the 

 flower. This can be said: the uses of 

 striped flowers will always be more or 

 less circumscribed becau.se their effect 

 from a decorative point of view will 

 never be as artistic as the self colors. 

 The decorations of the future will de- 

 mand much more care in color con- 

 trasts and usages than they do now. 

 You will perhaps notice that we are 

 continually passing from one era of 

 fad to another, not always advancing, 

 but often going backwards and for- 

 wards. 



The textile designers today can learn 

 much from those who lived in the 

 .seventh century, and whilst the fiorist 

 may never look back on one or two 

 lines, yet the architects and colorists 

 who do have an influence on our art 

 which we cannot ignore. Striped car- 

 nations became fashionable more be- 

 cause of the silks manufactured in Ly- 

 ons than from any other cause, and "it 

 is their size rather than color which 

 does and will help them to retain their 

 place in popular favor. It must not be 

 thought we are always led bv the fads 

 or creations of other arts. No. no; the 

 florist does and is still capable of orig- 

 inating fashions, but there are strict 

 laws defining beauty, and there must 

 be a unity among the elements from 

 which that beauty is created. 



Many combinations of colors in 

 flowers when arranged in quantity and 

 under artificial light produce an ef- 

 fect that is merely an illusion: those 

 which are really beautiful under all 

 conditions are of the greatest value. 

 Most of the softest or undecided tones 

 are usually and erroneously styled aes- 

 thetic: that -quality can be found in 

 the majority of colors. 



Plants, Etc. 



We would like to have a long chat 

 with the grower who retails most of 

 his stock, but we've onlv room now 

 for a few words like this: Too many 

 white azaleas is the worst stock you 

 can have. Look to your pansies; vou 

 will need lots of them this spring- 

 they will be very popular: have them 

 good. 



Primula Fnrbesi is not worth bother- 



