376 



The Weekly Florists' Review. 



MARCH 1. 1900. 



ing With from a retail standpoint. Al- 

 lium neapolitanum is grown by many 

 because it's cheap and goad for funeral 

 work. It is well to have a choice as- 

 sortment of bulbous stocli on hand. 

 Cheap grade stock may turn out all 

 right for ■'making up," etc., but it is 

 wrong to confine our efforts to the 

 production of such. Grow a few of the 

 finer kinds and educate yourself as 

 well as the public: it pays to do so. 



We know a bulb grower with a 

 ramshackle old place out in Jei-sey; 

 he pays more for his choice bulbs, but 

 he gets the highest price on the mar- 

 ket, and can sell all he grows on 

 Broadway and among the finest stores. 

 Yes, when the market is glutted our 



late Duke of Marlborough her biidal 

 bouquet, which we arranged, was a 

 bunch of callas, and she was one cf 

 the most particular and generous buy- 

 ers of flowers we have ever had in 

 New York. Of course, this was a 

 fancy, and her name was Lily, but 

 callas are permissible in many forms 

 of decoration. 



What charming colors can be seen 

 among Azalea Mollis. They torce well; 

 perhaps they don't appear at their 

 best when leafless and in large pots, 

 but they "make up" fine all the same, 

 especially with adiantum: and picture 

 the color effects — it is impossible to 

 obtain them from any other class of 

 flowers, and we certainly advice the 



Wreath of Carniitions shown at Buffalo. 



friend sells out and gets his price, 

 simply because his stock is choice and 

 entirely different to the cheap medio- 

 cre things one sees in, we are sorry to 

 say, despised heaps all over the mar- 

 kets. 



Don't despise that good old flower, 

 the calla, for although our old lady 

 customers seldom order them filled 

 with violets, as they did in the old 

 days, they are even in these ultra ex- 

 tra particular days one of the most 

 beautiful of flowers, and if you want 

 to you can still make the finest of de- 

 signs out of them. Here's an item 

 never printed before anent callas. 

 When Mrs. Hammersly married the 



grower-retailer to try some, and don't 

 be afraid to use them as cut flowers?. 

 Quite a business can be worked up in 

 some sections with hyacinths in glass- 

 es: if many could see them they'd buy. 



You'll soon be thinking of seeds. 

 We mean the packet seed you retail; 

 don't you know this is one of the 

 greatest frauds that could be i)eri)e- 

 trated on a confiding public? the vast 

 majority of seed offered in retail stores 

 is a lie; they are too old to germinate. 

 If you wish to dabble in the seed 

 trade, insist on getting good fre^h 

 seed, and stop cheating the public, and 

 preserve your reputation. 



Penstemons are lovely; why don't 



you try theni? Flowering vines are 

 destined to become more popular as 

 the years go by, mainly because they 

 are not only very beautiful but that 

 they furnish material for the new and 

 best style of decoration; there is far 

 more beauty in a cluster of flowering 

 vines hanging on the wall or in space 

 than there is in a room full of labored 

 efforts in measured garlands or 

 wreaths. 



If the furnishings are white or yel- 

 low, bougainvillea will look fine; if 

 they are black or any of the dark 

 shades, Bignonia venusta is best. We 

 speak only of the material in season. 

 A good old stump of Cycas revoluta 

 paya for itself; it's a good thing to 

 have. Cinerarias are in, of course, but 

 despite their beautiful colorings they 

 are not popular here: the majority of 

 their colors incline to purple and are 

 consequently not in favor as house 

 plants; they are cheap though and 

 pay for the show they make in the 

 greenhouse or store. ' 



Calceolarias make a grand show; 

 try to get enough of them for a win- 

 dow display next month; they're fine 

 for table work or cut flowers, in fact 

 anything, and it's a wonder we don't 

 see more of them. A low bowl of nas- 

 turtiums ig just about as pretty a 

 thing as you can see at present; they 

 are beautiful and eminently suitable 

 for breakfast or luncheon table; they 

 are easy to grow and they pay well. 

 A few sprigs of lemon verbena or clean 

 rose geranium may not be much in 

 appearance, but they are very often 

 mighty important; a store should 

 never be without one or the other. 



Mignonette is bought because it Is 

 supposed to be sweet; when it lacks 

 that quality, no matter how big it is. 

 it is a failure. We have so many 

 strains on the market now, and the 

 tendency seems to go for size, that 

 much about this flower is misleading 

 and a disappointment. The flower is 

 not at all necessary to a successful 

 business, not in the least from a beau- 

 ty point of view; a sweet, moderate 

 sized mignonette is far superior to the 

 immense scentless sticks we often see. 

 A vase of mixed bulbous flowers, one 

 or two flowers of a kind, and plenty 

 of them, makes a beautiful effect — a 

 charming "Dutch Picture"; anything 

 Dutch deserves consideration these 

 days. IVERA. 



CARNATION ARRANGEMENTS. 



In the schedule of the American 

 Carnation Society for the Buffalo ex- 

 hibition under Class E appeared the 

 following; 



Thp American CMriiation Society offers 

 a tine .^silver cup for the best arrange- 

 ment of carnation blooms, with their 

 own or other foliage, but no other flowers 

 to be used in the arrangement, and the 

 design or arrangement must be such as 

 to offer some new use tor carnation 

 blooms to have the cup awarded. 



This brought out two entries, both 

 of which we photographed, and plates 

 appear in this issue. The cup was 

 not awarded, the judges holding that 



