riKCEMBEIi 3. 1003 



The Weekly Florists^ Review. 



49 



Novelties. 



Now there is no iiovcltj- in any of the 

 above. IVrliaps among the berried plants 

 we can introduee one or two. Holly, 

 which thirty years ago was an unknown 

 article to a northern florist, is now picked 

 and transported north by tlie train load 

 and now wo have the European holly in 

 Ijeautitiil pyramid trees in tubs. The 

 Kuropcau holly, or at least the common 

 jjreen species that is a native of the 

 7-!ritish Isles, grows naturally more erect 

 than our southern holly, which, although 

 1 have not seen it growing is, I think, a 

 rambling, s]>reading bush. The beau- 

 tiful imjiorted hollies are expensive, but 

 yon should have a pair or two. You are 

 sure to have some customers who will 

 -nap their fingers at expense if the eye 

 is captivated. The Ardisia crenulata is 

 the neatest of the small berried plants 

 •md the berries hang on an indefinite 

 time. The solanums are inexpensive and 

 showy l>erried plants and have a Christ- 

 mas look. 



Aucuba Japaoica. 



A phmt we are going to invest in to a 

 limited extent is the berried aucuba. To 

 those who have never visited temperate 

 Europe. Aucuba Japonica is mostly a 

 stranger. It is a common evergreen of 

 the gardens of England and thrives in 

 the little front yards in the smoke and 

 dust of the largest cities, where no other 

 tree or shrub will grow. As a boy I 

 have pulled birds' nests out of aucuba 

 bushes, Imt in all England, and perhaps 

 Europe, the aucuba bore no berries. It 

 ' was grown merely for its handsome, mot- 

 tled yellow and green leaves. Why up 

 to thirty years or so ago was the aucuba 

 berryless .' Simply because the plant or 

 plants brought from .Japan to Europe 

 were of one sex and some thirty or thir- 

 ty-five years ago some plants of the other 

 sex were introduced and then gradually 

 the aucubas of Europe bore berries, 

 Avhieh added greatly to its value. As an 

 ornamental evergreen, buy some and tell 

 ycnir customers that a very cool room 

 or hallway will do for them. They are 

 a patient and long suffering plant and 

 will put up with more dust and dirt, hot 

 air and frost than any plant I can think 

 of, I can remember one in a tub on a ve- 

 randa where an Episcopal minister, every 

 Saturday night, would rehearse his moi- 

 row's sermon, and the poor plant lived 

 on. 



Pandanus Saaderi. 



In conclusion, we hope you are well 

 supplied with the leading staples of your 

 , business, but if you have to buy, do it 

 ( at once. In looking over this gossip, I 

 meant to say when speaking of Pandanus 

 Yeichlii that another year we will have 

 with us in quantity that most beautiful 

 plant, Pandainis Sanderi, It's just a 

 little too expensive this year, although 

 for sn<h a choice plant sent out at a 

 ^ cry moderate price. The writer saw this 

 plant, or jilants, soon after their arrival 

 at Riverton. At first sight it does not 

 strike you as much different from Veit- 

 chii, but soon it grows on you, and on 

 familiar acquaint:iuce it appears to you 

 as a twenty-dollar gold piece, and Veit- 

 chii is the silver dollar. Niagara Falls 

 is disappointing to nine out of ten who 

 first look upon it, but on every future 

 visit its majesty grows, and so does this 

 beautiful golden pandanus. 



■Wii.i.i.iii Scott. 



A Ijovers' Knot. The Cornstalk Design. 



Drapery Studies. — Details for Frieze. 



CARNATION NOTES— EAST. 



Cuttings. 



I would repeat my advice of last 

 year, to try the plan of buying some 

 unrooted cuttings of those varieties you 

 intend to add to your list. I use the 

 v\'ord "some" knowing there are those 

 who will consider the: method as a radi- 

 cal dejiarture from the ju-evailing one 

 and, while I never advocate any change 

 in method uniess it has proved bevond 

 doubt to be an advantageous step from 

 beaten paths, it is ever my desire that 

 new ideas advanced by your humble 

 servant be first tried on a small scale. 

 The subject was fully covered in these 

 notes last year and it onlv remains to 

 add in support of my claim as to the 

 relative shipping ijualities of rooted and 

 unrooted cuttings, that in .lanuary last 

 T packed together, in tlie same box, 

 both kinds and mailed to a friend in 

 San Erancisco wno remailed to me at 

 once without unpacking. In sixteen 

 days the box returned, the rooted cut- 

 tings knocked out; the unrooted ones, 

 while a trifle groggy, still in the ring 

 and iiromptly revived in water. 



In buying new stock, it is important 

 that orders be placed earlv and a date 

 specified for delivery if anything like 

 success is looked for tlie first year. 

 Lateness in order.ng is responsible for 

 many failures of meritorious varieties 

 to give a good account of themselves 

 the first year. The party of whom you 

 order must of necessity carry out his 

 part in delivering at the time set, es- 

 pecially in the case of new introduc- 

 tions of high price and unknown be- 

 havior. In anv event it is your rignt 

 to demand delivery at the time speci- 

 fied, be your order large or small. As 

 a rule all purchased stock should come 

 to vour hands during .Tanuary and Eeb- 



ruary and if unrooted it is obvious thi-t 

 they should be received earlier. There 

 are, however, varieties which do better 

 when propagated during March and a 

 shipment of such received thus late 

 can be handled to good advantage. 

 Floriana is a good example of this type 

 and Prosperity seems to lean that wav. 

 Buying twenty-five or fifty of a large 

 number of varieties may be a good in- 

 vestment for the hybridizer but for 

 the grower who depends strictly on 

 bloom in quantity the fewer sorts he 

 has to eater to, the more profitable they 

 will be to him. provided they are well 

 grown and back numbers are supplant- 

 ed by up to date ones as they jirove 

 their superiority-. If you are a grower 

 for the wholesale market, 500 of a va- 

 riety is little enough for a fair trial. 

 Tliose who retail their own product can. 

 with 2.50, judge their trade's opinion of 

 the; aspirant, definitely settle the ques- 

 tion of commercial value and in either 

 case, if deemed worthy of a jdace, there 

 are plants enough to work up a sizable 

 stock for the following season without 

 need of overpropagation. 



Geo. S. Osborx. 



CARNATION NOTES— WEST. 



Propagating. 



It is not too early now to begin prop- 

 agating S(mie of your carnation cut- 

 tings, although there is no great burry 

 with most varieties, if you have plenty 

 of stock. Such varieties as Lawson. 

 Crane and Mrs. Bradt you should get iiito 

 sand at once. Of the two latter varietie.'' 

 you want a good-sized plant to put cut 

 in the field and also a good-sized plant 

 to bring in in the fall to get plenty of 

 blooms. Mrs. Lawson wants extra early 

 housing unless you grow it inside all 

 summer and in the latter case you cannot 

 err by having your plants large. The 



