348 



The Weekly Florists^ Review^ 



Februarv 6, 1902. 



good gardeners practice it just as much 

 as they can. 



It is also well to bear in mind that 

 everything you do to help your plants 

 to make a steady, strong growth will 

 help them to fight off all these diseases. 

 It is very difficult to reach the stem of a 

 carnation plant when spraying unless it 

 is literally drenched with the stuff. Keep 

 the ventilators open as much as possible 

 to keep the air circulating and fresh. I 

 said in a recent article that you should 

 not pot up a cutting that had the least 

 sign of fungus while in the cutting bench, 

 as it will surely crop out sooner or later 

 in the form of stemrot. This is a disease 

 that you cannot fight too hard. 



A. F. J. Baur. 



buy their tickets in any other way, for 

 if we are one short on the hundred we 

 will not "et the rate. A. M. Hebr. 



SWEET PEA MISS FLORENCE E. 

 DENZER. 



We present herewith an engraving 

 from a photograph of this new white 

 sweet pea. a seedling raised by Mr. Ant. 

 C. Zvolanek. Grand Vie\\ , N. J. Some 

 specimen blooms sent us last week by 

 Mr. Zvolauek showed it to be a fine 

 bloom, the size shown in the picture, 

 with long, strong stems and generally 

 desirable. The picture was taken De- 

 c-ember 24. 



Mr. Zvolanek also sent us blooms of 



New White Sweet Pea Miss Florence E. Denzer. 



THE INDIANAPOLIS MEETING. 



The trade papers are full of invila- 

 tions for the delegates to the convention 

 and just by way of a little caution it 

 might be well to state that to secure the 

 fare of a rate and one-third, im slop 

 over privileges are allowed unles-^ they 

 can be made with your local ticket agent 

 for the way going out. This is .me seri- 

 ous disadvantage for us carnation men, 

 as we like to make all sorts of stops 

 right in the growing season, but if we 

 expect to get and hold this rate and one- 

 third it will not do for many parties to 



his Christmas (improved) which has 

 markings somewhat similar to those of 

 Hlanclie Ferry, but with a much deeper 

 pink shade. It is, certainly n beautiful 

 tlower. 



Seed was sown September 5, outdoors 

 in three to four inch pots, and the 

 plants were planted inside in solid 

 beds October 20, following a crop of 

 early chrysanthemums. The temperature 

 was kept at 45 degrees at night and 60 

 to 08 degrees during the daytime. The 

 plants came in full crop for Christmas 

 and will keep bearing flowers till June. 



ONCIDIUMS. 



Cher 250 species of these orchids have 

 been described, some of which are among 

 our very finest subjects for cut flower 

 work. The one most generally grown 

 and known among the cut flower trade is 

 Oncidium varicosum, and its form 

 0. V. Rogersii, which has been im- 

 ported to this country in vast quantities 

 during the past few years, llany will 

 recall the splendid showing the orchid 

 made at the show in Madison Square 

 Garden last fall, .and for decorative 

 work it has few equals. 



Culturally speaking O. varicosum is 

 one of the easiest subjects to gi'ow after 

 it is well started. In the early spring, 

 when the young growths are pushing 

 out from the last year's bulbs, some 

 care must be exercised in the overhead 

 watering. The young shoots are very 

 delicate, and indiscriminate watering 

 with the hose not infrequently results 

 in many of these rotting away from 

 the water lodging in the base of the 

 leaves. 



The best place to grow O. varicosum 

 during the growing season is an inter- 

 mediate house, that is to say, in a 

 temperature ranging from 60 degrees 

 niglits to 75 degrees days. In such a 

 temperature, if kept well supplied with 

 water, and, after the bulb has formed 

 frequently syringed, the plants will make 

 fine bulbs. After the bulb has developed 

 gradually inure the plant to more sun- 

 light, that the growth may be thoroughly 

 ripened, and then when the flower spike 

 is l>eginning to push out, which it will 

 in July or August, move the plants to a 

 much cooler house. This is done to keep 

 back the bloom as late as possible, be- 

 cause the demand for the flowers is 

 much better in November t han earlier in 

 the season. Of course the plants can be 

 made to flower by September, or even 

 August if desired, but just at that time 

 they are not in great request. 



The plants seem to grow equally well 

 in pots, pans, baskets, or nailed on rafts 

 providing a sufficiency of water is sup- 

 plied during the growing season. After 

 the flowers are cut the plants must be 

 kept cool and only enough water sup- 

 plied to keep the bulbs from shriveling 

 too much. In buying newly imported 

 plants of O. varicosum I believe it is 

 much better where possible to purchase 

 plants in the early spring. Then you 

 have a good season of growth and a 

 good flower spike reasonably assured 

 for the first year. Some importers claim 

 that by importing plants later in the 

 year the plants will make a lat«r growth 

 and flower for Christmas. While some 

 of the plants will do this the percentage 

 of such plants is not a very high one. 

 The flowers on the panicles are not very 

 numerous, and the first year is to a large 

 extent lost. 



I have heard it claimed that the lifa 

 of O. varicosum under cultivation is only 

 about two years, yet many of our plants 

 at their fourth season of flowering, with 

 us have come stronger than they ever 

 did before. The question of orchids 

 generally deteriorating under cultivation 

 seems to rest more with the grower than 

 with the plants themselves. Why should 

 not orchids continue to grow indefinitely 

 in our greenhouses, if they are only sup- 

 plied with what they require? 



O. varicosum should be relieved of its 

 flower spikes as soon as possible after 

 the flowers are fully developed, because 

 the bulb is comparatively small and the 

 drain on it to supix)rt a large spike of 



