April 2i. 1902. 



The Weekly Florists' Review, 



775 



Thomas E. Hooper. 



so well known in the eastern states as 

 tliey ought to be. We predict the fol- 

 lowing list, mo.st of which will be in- 

 troduced to the public next season, will 

 startle the carnation world and will en- 

 tirely lay in the shade anything intro- 

 duced to date. For a number of years 

 John H. Sievers & Co. have been hy- 

 bridizing and producing new carna- 

 tions; only a few of them have found 

 tlieir way into public channels, yet a 

 few of them are well known and highly 

 esteemed in the eastern states. 



Of the many new varieties of merit 

 now in the hands of this firm, prob- 

 ably none give greater promise than 

 Hannah Hobart. This is really a re- 

 markable flower, never less than 4 

 inches, and frequently 4* inches across. 

 (This is getting pretty close to "Uncle 

 John's" ideal.) In color it is a shade 

 deeper than Lawson, but the petal ar- 

 rangement is quite difTerent; in this re- 

 spect it most resembles the old Jubilee, 

 but of course the color is different. We 

 saw two large houses of it at Sievers', 

 and the sight is one long to be remem- 

 bered, hundreds of blooms in sight and 

 liiot a poor one in the lot. and every one 

 the e.xact eountei'part of the other, no 

 bursted caljx, but every flower sup- 

 ported on a 24-inch stem, and standing 

 Tip like soldiers. Mr. Sievers has been 

 growing this variety about five years, 

 but as yet it is not disseminated except, 

 I believe, to one or two eastern men on 

 trial. There is certainly no carnation 

 of its color that can equal it; it 

 knocks Lawson into a "cocked hat" and 

 averages all the time an inch larger. 



Another remarkable variety, and one 

 which I believe will become a universal 

 favorite, is A. B. Spreckles. In color a 

 bright scarlet; very double, and every 

 petal deeply rlmbriated: of immense 

 size, being very little behind Hobart 

 in diameter, but the quality that will 

 commend it to the public is its odor. 

 It has the finest and fullest old clove 

 perfume: one smell lasts half a day. and 



one bloom will perfume a room. The 

 petal arrangement is about perfect, and 

 the stem, calyx, and general habit of 

 the plant all that can be desired. I 

 want you eastern fellows to "keep your 

 eye" on Spreckles. 



Another good one not yet out but 

 which has been grown by Mr. Sievers for 

 some time is Mrs. McKinley. In 

 color a deep rose-pink; averages Si 

 inches; not quite such a fine stem as 

 the two former, but a fine seller, and 

 free bloomer. Is bound to become a 

 favorite with the public. 



R. Raymond is an improved Day- 

 break, and the finest carnation of its 

 color. It averages 3i inches, is carried 

 on fine stems, never bursts, and is a 

 remarkable keeper. It has the peculiar 

 habit of requiring three to four days 

 on the plant to perfect itself even after 

 it seems to be developed. 



Jenny Giffard is a fine free carnation, 

 rose-pink, fringed and carried on a grand 

 stem 24 to 30 inches. Is not a cropper, 

 but always in bloom. We understand 

 that all of the above varieties will be 

 sent out by John H. Sievers & Co. next 

 season, i. e., in 1903. 



The greenhouses where these fine car- 

 nations are grown are within the city 

 limits of San Francisco, and cars run 

 within a couple of blocks of the houses. 

 The houses are mostly three-quarter 

 span facing the south, and are almost 

 wholly devoted to carnations. Xot only 

 are their own fine productions grown, 

 but quite a good deal of space is de- 

 voted to the newer eastern varieties. 

 Here may be seen a fine house of Law- 

 son, grown perhaps as well as ilr. Peter 

 Fisher ever saw them, but a bunch of 

 Lawson placed alongside of a bunch of 

 Hobart gives as great a contrast as 

 would a bunch of Portia alongside a 

 bunch of Crane. 



This, you know, is the home of 

 "Crocker," and if some of our eastern 

 brethren could see Crocker as here 

 grown, ther would feel like giving it a 



fair trial. John Hinkle, sent out by 

 this firm some two or three years ago, 

 is, in San Francisco, one of the most 

 profitable and satisfactory varieties 

 grown. It is not as well known in the 

 east as it ought to be. In color it is a 

 Roosevelt, but in size it puts this var- 

 iety in the shade about an inch. It has 

 remarkable stems, never bursts, and, 

 as the foreman, Mr. Thos. E. Hooper, 

 remarked, "You can always cut a hand- 

 ful." We think this variety is at pres- 

 ent overlooked. 



One of the most remarkable fancy car- 

 nations ever seen is here grown very 

 profitably. How does "buff with pink 

 stripes" meet your fancy? This is the 

 color of Iris Miller. I am told it is a 

 really good seller, and very productive. 



Louise Sievers is the newest thing 

 in yellow, a bloom of good size, 3 inches 

 and over; clear lemon-yellow, with deli- 

 cate pink penciling, yet hardly enough 

 of the latter to dull the yellow ground. 

 It was showing fine crop. This is a 

 color always in demand, but few yel- 

 low carnations seem to have a long 

 reign. 



There are many ether good things in 

 new carnations to be seen at Sievers', 

 some of which give great promise, but 

 which are not yet sufficiently tried on 

 the home grounds. The newer eastern 

 kinds are not neglected; 2.000 Lawson 

 wiere looking fine, and Mr. Hooper 

 thinks well of it. The stems were bet- 

 ter and longer than are usually seen 

 nn this variety, and not so many with 

 the football crop of hair so charac- 

 teristic of Lawson. About a dozen 

 houses are devoted to carnations, all 

 of which were in the pink of condition; 

 in fact, the finest grown carnations I 

 have ever ^'een. 



The man behind the bat in this game 

 of carnation growing at the establish- 

 ment of John H. Sievers & Co. is the 

 able foreman, Thos. E. Hooper. Mr. 

 Hooper is a comparatively young man, 

 and a true western one. He commenced 

 as errand boy for the old firm of Miller 

 & Sievers, and has worked his way up 

 to his present position. It is the skil- 

 ful hand of Mr. Hooper that does all 

 the hybridizing; in fact, no other man 

 knows the parentage of the many nota- 

 ble new carnations now in his care. I 

 asked Mr. Hooper if he had any ob- 

 jection to giving his cultural methods 

 to the public, and he replied "none in 

 the world," and as they are so radically 

 opposed to most methods in vogue I 

 gladly give them here. 



The natural soil here is a sandy loam 

 of a somewhat yellow color. 'To ten 

 loads of this soil Mr. Hooper adds two 

 loads of old cow manure, and two loads 

 of sand. The carnation likes sand, says 

 Hooper. The plants are benched about 

 August 1. No top dressing is ever used; 

 the soil is never cultivated nor 

 scratched, but is hand weeded as often 

 as necessary. No feed or stimulation of 

 any kind is ever used before the first 

 of February, and then nothing but 

 liquid. Thi-ee pounds of nitrate of soda 

 to 500 gallons of water is the stimulant 

 here used. One man does all the water- 

 ing, and he certainly has his practice 

 reduced to a science. Syringing over- 

 head is never practiced except to reduce 

 spider. Airing is strictly attended to. 

 I was at the greenhouses early in the 

 morning, and though no sun was shin- 

 ing yet the ventilators were open about 

 three inches. This may have been on 

 all night, but I did not ask. The whole 



