WAY Jl, V.nm. 



The Weekly Florists^ Review. 



795 



er outdoor stuff are (•oming in every- 

 day anfl the wholesaler is forced to sell 

 dirt cheap or throw them in the waste 

 pile, and to (luote |)rices on any (lowers 

 ■would be out of (luestion. 



The growers will not stai\cl this state 

 of affairs long and unite a number of 

 them have already thrown out their 

 old plants and are j)lanting new ones. 

 This plan, which is sure to be followed 

 by the growers generally, will place 

 the trade on a better foundation in the 

 next few weeks. 



During the greater i)art of the pres- 

 •ent month the cut of roses and carna- 

 tions has been enormous. They have 

 been sold by_the liox, with little regard 

 for varieties' and no time wasted in 

 counting them, and at prices one would 

 hardly believe. 



The plant men at Union market are 

 still kicking about their business. Ab- 

 solutely nothing doing, not only in our 

 line, but in other lines also, as the 

 market is entirely deserted during the 

 day. 



Notes. 



.John M. Hudson was reported very 

 sick the past week. Mrs. Hudson re- 

 ports John somewhat better, but still 

 a very sick man. Symptoms of Bright's 

 disease is the cause. 



Frank W. Maas, formerly of Phila- 

 delphia, is now with the Plant Seed 

 Co. Frank reports that their business 

 during the season has oeen good. 



The Florists' Club meeting which 

 Mill be held on ,lune 14 will no doubt 

 be a large one. The show committee 

 will report; the miscellaneous cut 

 flower show will be on; convention 

 matters will be talked over; the regu- 

 lar yearly outing committee will be 

 appointed and a few other very impor- 

 tant matters will come up which will 

 l)e of great interest to all of the mem- 

 l)ers. By that time, no doubt, the 

 street car muddle will be all settled, 

 and every one will be happy to come 

 and spend an hour or two with the 

 brothers. It will do you good. Presi- 

 dent Ammann will tell you something 

 about the ta.-cation of plants as your 

 local assessor might want to tax you, 

 and then you will know how to bluff 

 him off when he comes. 



Nothing new as yet about the bowl- 

 ing club's trip to Chicago. We have 

 done no bowling and have had m 

 meeting. Maybe in the next issue of 

 the Review we can say more about it. 

 We all hope that our members will all 

 he in shape to attend the regular 

 nights not later than the first Monday 

 in June. Business will not be so much 

 as to keep you away from a little 

 pleasure every Mondav night. 



J. J. B. 



AQUATIC GARDENING. 



B^ \V.\i. I i:k Kr l /i k. 



[Extracts from paper read before the CIncago 

 Florists' Club, May 18.J 



Aquatic gardening, which is one of 

 the most recent arts, sprung up, as it 

 has, just within a few years, it is sur- 

 prising to what extent it is already 



practiced, and it promises to become 

 the (diief ornamental factor in lieauti- i 

 tying our homes and surroundings. 

 There is a certain pleasure jieculiar to ] 

 atiuatic decoration, one that once ex- 

 l)erien(ed will always be sought after, 

 and none will be more thoroughly en- 

 joyed. The lieautiful, pleasing, and 

 rpiiet effects are those peculiar to this 

 art. It has not that harshneKS which 

 one cannot help but feel in some other 

 classes of decoration. 



The colors of nearly all aiiii it Cs 

 harmoni/.e, no matter whi(di way they 

 are planted— a discord is liard to pro- 

 duce. The intense colors becfnne soft- 

 ened, the odors diminished, and with 

 the quieting effect of the \vater itself, 

 produces a picture long remembered. 



The decoration of a pond, however 

 naturally carried out, would not have 

 a calming effect were it not for the 

 borders which are the finishing 

 touches. The border plants are an 

 introduction to what we are to see 

 later. A beautiful pond artistically 

 planted without a decorated border, is 

 like a summer cottage in the heart of 

 a crowded city where high stores are 

 its surroundings. Both would be un- 

 finished. • 



Location of Ponds. 



In locating a pond, many things have 

 to be taken into consideration not 

 thought of at the first moment. A I 

 pond poorly located, no matter how 

 highly decorated, will always mar the 

 surroundings. 'We must aim to select 

 a place that will produce the most 

 natural effect. If the surroundings are 

 rolling or even hilly with deep val- 

 leys between, seek a place low 

 enough to retain the water without 

 artificial means. 'We never, find a 

 lake at the very base of a valley, for 

 sufficient grade must be left for an 

 outlet. If the most suitable place for 

 a pond is where a rippling brook is 

 winding its course, a pond can easily 

 lie made by having it dammed. For 

 this the strongest and safest material 

 would be stones of considerable size, 

 the larger the better, held firmly to- 

 gether by cement. This stream will 

 afford a constant supply of fresh 

 water so essential in aquatic garden- 

 ing. If the stream is large or subject 

 to swellings after rains, large pipes 

 should be placed beyond the beginning 

 of the pond. These pipes must be 

 large enough to check the force of 

 water during the heaviest rains, leav- 

 ing only the amount required to pass 

 into the pond. If the whole volume of 

 water be allowed to pass through the 

 pond, our aquatics would soon be 

 where we would not want them. These 

 pipes must be laid just below the sur- 

 face of the stream when it is at its 

 lowest mark, for if raised to the point 

 that the stream attains during rains, 

 the pipes would be an unsightly object 

 as they protrude out of the water after 

 it has receded. 



These surplus water pipes, if no 

 other convenient place can be found, 

 must be laid underneath the pond 



where they will be out of sight. This 

 can readily be done before the pond is 

 constriKted. If, however, the raising 

 of the water is not thought of at the 

 time of the building, the evil may be 

 remedied by laying the pipes around 

 the edge of the pond, though this will 

 require a good deal' more piping and 

 other work. Wherever the pipes are 

 placed, have them covered in a way 

 not to attract attention. The prin- 

 cipal rule that one must invariably 

 follow is; Select the most natural 

 place. It is quite impossible to lay 

 down certain rules as to the location 

 of ponds, as ■circumstances alter 

 cases." 



General Outline of Ponds. 



In regard to the shape of ponds, it 

 cannot be too strongly impressed that 

 symmetrical ones are not to be tol- 

 erated, except where surroundings are 

 laid oi'it in the most symmetrical way, 

 in very limited areas, say in the back 

 yard of a city residence, and even 

 there the irregular shaped pond would 

 be more appreciated after the merits 

 of each become known. First, we 

 should select the irregular shapsd 

 pond, as it resembles a natural bit of 

 water more than the symmetrical one, 

 and consequently makes the surround- 

 ings more like nature. 



It can readily be seen that a pond 

 of an oval shape can be used to greater 

 advantage than a circular or angular 

 one. The angles or corners of a 

 square pond would be nearly worth- 

 less, as no aquatics, except the small 

 fioating varieties, could fully develop, 

 for the foliage would soon come in 

 contact with the border, be forced 

 over this, and scalded by the burning 

 rays of the sun. No room is left here 

 for border or back water decoration. 

 No suitable form of introduction can 

 be made, as will be seen when com- 

 pared with an oval shaped pond. 



The Construction of Ponds. 



Probably the principal point in 

 aquatic gardening, and one that has 

 to be fullv mastered before success can 

 be attairied, is the construction of 

 ponds. A pond poorly built or drained 

 will only be a nuisance, a malaria 

 breeder and a continual source of dis- 

 appointment, the plants not proving 

 to be as advertised. In nearly three- 

 fourths of the cases it is not the fault 

 of the nurserymen, the catalogue, or 

 the advertiser, that the plants do not 

 succeed as well as they were repre- 

 sented, but simply the fault of the 

 grower or the pond. 



This fact is marked in this branch 

 of gardening. Aquatics, even if they 

 are water plants, require drainage as 

 well as those grown in pots, and even 

 more so. For this and other reasons 

 that will be mentioned later a sol 

 bottom pond will be found most pre- 

 ferable There is a constant regular 

 seepage or drainage of water, which 

 varies according to the lower strata 

 of soil, causing constant but regular 

 changes in the water. With supply 



