July 31, 1902. 



The Weekly Florists^ Review. 



275 



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THE RETAIL 



FLORIST. 



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Plants. 



Tliis is the time of the year when 

 growers must give much time and thought 

 to the preparation of stock for next 

 season's trade. Variety is a necessity 

 of course but there are several degrees 

 of variety. The grower with either a 

 small or large area of glass cannot af- 

 ford to devote much, if any, of his bench 

 room to unprofitable stock, particularly 

 cripples and unattractive pets. The man 

 with a local trade can often use up 

 lota of plants the city buyer would 

 refuse, but there is more fame and profit 

 in doing a few things well than in doing 

 many poorly. 



Some growers argue that buyers like 

 to go where all their wants can bo sup- 

 plied, which is quite true, but buyers will 

 and must go where they can get the 

 best, and they are not going to buy in- 

 ferior plants because it is more con- 

 venient. ' The New York florists who 

 cater to the very wealthy are compelled 

 to get the best despite trouble or price, 

 and they must needs go to Philadelphia 

 for some of their stock. And these arc 

 not rare plants, but just ordinary va- 

 rieties grown to exceptional quality. It 

 is quality that counts and the grower 

 who makes his place famous for any 

 one thing well done has a most valuable 

 asset. In tlie.se days one needs to go 

 first where quality is and it is not so 

 plentiful as many imagine. 



is becoming later every year because the 

 wealthy American is becoming fonder 

 of country Ufe. The store florist must 

 needs have a showing of plants in liis 

 store, for it is the old story of the ' ' early 

 bird." And here is the kind of stock 

 he needs at the season's start: Good 

 Boston ferns in 6-inch pots, 8 and 10-inch 

 pans and one or two in larger pots. Pans 

 are preferable and the ferns grow best in 

 them. Branching Ficus elastiea. Pan- 

 danus Veitchii. Aspidistra (green and 

 variegated.) Dracaena Lindcnii or Mas- 

 sangeana and a few Tl. terminalis. Ken- 

 tias Belmoreana and Forsteriana. Areca 

 lutescens, Latauia borbonica and a few 

 liivistoua rotundifolia. That is all he 

 needs to start with, and he can even 

 dispense with some of the above. As 

 the season advances there is a call for 

 more variety and larger sizes. 



In ferns the great trouble is that most 



value. It is, of course, very desirable, 

 but not absolutely necessary, to have an 

 extended list. 



Those which are most wanted for cen- 

 ter plants are Pandanus Veitchi and P. 

 utilis, small kentias, Cocos Weddeliana, 

 Dracaena gracilis and Cyperus alterni- 

 folius. Then, in ferns, Aspidium tense- 

 mense, Cyrtomiura falcatum, any variety 

 of small adiantum, though A. capillus- 

 veneris or A. rhodophyllum types are 

 best, Onychium japonicum, Pteris cre- 

 tica albo-lineata and Pteris serrulata 

 and cristata, with Selaginella Kmiliana, 

 S. densa and the most beautiful of all, 

 S. "Vogelii. Eenica camea variegata is 

 excellent, and Carex japonica variegata 

 is almost Indispensable. 



With the above list you can please the 

 most critical at all times. Of course 

 there is attractiveness in extended vari- 

 ety, and the additions may consist of 

 Pteris ensiformis, P. Victorise, P. densa, 

 Adiantum cuneatum, A. Bellum, A. gra- 

 cillimum, A. Farleyense, A. Cunning- 

 hamii, in fact most of the adiantums, 

 but tliey are mainly useful for cutting 

 or in large sizes. Cuneatum and Farley- 

 ense continue to be the most popular 

 kinds. Then there are Davallia hispida, 

 D. pallida, Gymnogramme ehrysophylla, 

 Lastrea chrysolora, Doryopteris var., As- 

 pidium hirtipes, Nephrodium Shepherdii, 

 Pellea viridis, P. falcata, Doodia media, 

 D. candata and small, graceful, highly 

 colored crotons and marantas. 



The above are all good in their places, 

 which may range from the smallest dish 

 to the largest vase or basket for table 

 decoration. Then, of course, there will 

 iilways be a steady demand for large 

 specimen Pteris tremula, the Boston fern, 

 Micrnlepia hirta cristata, Cibotium 

 Scheidei, and we are pleased to see the 

 old favorite Nophrolepis davallioides fur- 

 cans again to the front, adorning many 



1 



It is to be always remembered that 

 the plant trade in these United States 

 is merely in its infancy. There will 

 always be a great and continually in- 

 creasing demand for well grown plants 

 that will stand the ordinary amateur's 

 method of keeping. And it must fur- 

 ther bo considered that the greater use 

 of electricity as a substitute for gas 

 permits greater longevity in the old va- 

 rieties while encouraging the use of the 

 tender plants it is impossible to keep 

 in houses where gas is used. 



By September or October there will be 

 inquiry as to who has the best plants, 

 even if the season is very late, and it 



growers imagine that Pteris serruhiTa is 

 all that is required to fill a fern dish. 

 It requires from 12 to 18 ferns to fill the 

 ordinary dish and variety is essential. 



Of course there is an endless variety 

 of ferns and small plants suitable for 

 fern dishes, but they are not all profita- 

 ble to grow, and yet a grower must not 

 consider the individual cost or value of 

 a plant, for often plants must be valued 

 in the light of a necessary adjunct. A 

 half-dozen of a cjuick- growing or less ex- 

 pensive kind can be used in the same 

 dish, l)ut it is necessary to have one or 

 two of the slow-growing sorts there to 

 add variety, and variety in this case is 



of the New York store windows this sum- 

 mer. It keeps better than the Boston 

 fern and people have seen so much of the 

 latter that a little change for variety's 

 sake is welcome. We would like to see 

 more of this type of fern grown in hang- 

 ii^g baskets. Those who have conserva- 

 tories to fill or have extensive decora- 

 tions to do the coining winter could do 

 worse than have some nephrolepis grown 

 specially this way for them. The same 

 is applicable to Asparagus Sprengeri, 

 and we forgot to say that small plants of 

 Asparagus tenuissimus are excellent for 

 fern dishes. They keep a long time and 

 that variety is the best of all for fine 



