Decembi:r 



1003 



The Weekly Florists' Review. 



51 



Uncle John. 



The rose named Uncle John is a sport 

 from Golden Gate and originated at 

 Peter Eeinberg's place three years ago. 

 They now have 15,00U plants on the 

 benches. The rose is much more pink 

 than Gate and unfolds its petals like a 

 Bride or Maid; it is a great improvement 

 over its parent in that respect. The young 

 growth is quite red, but it turns to a 

 green much darker than Gate. It is a^ 

 great a producer as Golden Gate and 

 creates a good impression wherever ex- 

 hibited. At the recent show given by the 

 Chicago Florists ' Club, ft was highly 

 commended, and it was awarded a spe- 

 cial prize of $40 -at last year's T\->nsM'; 

 City show, where it was named .nfter tlio 

 veteran florist, Uncle John Thorpe. 



UEORGE Collins. 



LAPAGERIA. 



This gem of the greenhouse is by far 

 too seldom seen in our collections, and 

 very rarely indeed in commercial estab- 

 lishments, although they are among the 

 most beautiful and easily grown of all 

 of our greenhouse climbers. They suc- 

 ceed best when jdanted in a prepared 

 border, although they can be grown in 

 pots or tubs, and trained around a wire 

 trellis, with a certain amount of suc- 

 cess. When properly handled in this way 

 and when in full liower they form one 

 of the most fascinating sights of the 

 showroom or parlor. They are. however, 

 at their best when planted in a pi'e- 

 pared border in the greenhouse and 

 trained against a wall or over a wire 

 trellis or hung from the roof of the 

 house, as then their pendant and waxy 

 flowers are more exposed to view. 



To attain success in the cultivation 

 of this most beautiful flower it is es- 

 sential that we select the most vigorous 

 and healthy plants to begin with, as 

 weakly plants are worthless, seldom if 

 ever becoming vigorous, even under the 

 most favorable conditions. . The com- 

 post best suited for them is three parts 

 peat to one of librous loam, with about 

 one-sixth of the whole bulk of sand 

 added. When laying down the bed or 

 preparing the pots or tubs ample drain- 

 age will have to be provided, as they re- 

 quire large supplies of water when grow- 

 ing. This has also to be accompanied 

 by heavy syringing during the period of 

 growth. The syringing must be stopped 

 as soon as the blooms begin to open. 



ff grown in pots or tulis. they re- 

 quire frequent mulching, osjiec-ially when 

 new growth commences. This mulch 

 should be composed of two parts dried 

 cow manure finely pulverized, one part 

 fibrous loam and one part nf peat and 

 one other jiart composed of equal por- 

 tions of leaf mold and sand, the whole 

 to be thoroughly incorporated and ap- 

 plied at intervals of six weeks to the 

 depth of one inch. 



During the summer they require a cool 

 temperature with a light shade. Their 

 insect enemies are few and easily de- 

 stroyed. Bed spider, being one of the 

 most persistent, is easily kept in check 

 by the syringe. Greenfly can be sub- 

 dued by fumigation or by placing tobacco 

 stems under or near the benches. Slugs 

 and cutworms create a deal of havoc 

 among the young shoots if allowed to 

 have their way, especially when just 

 emerging from the soil, but these can be 

 easily destroyed by any of the arsenate 

 IJoisons if properly applied. 



The varieties most usual! v grown with 



Conservatory at Charles Millang's New York Wholesale Store. 



satisfactory results are Lapageria rosea 

 and L. rosea alba, although there are 

 many varieties between these colors, both 

 jileasing and interesting. By crossing 

 L. rosea and L. rosea alba almost any 

 shade of pink can be obtained, but these 

 colors are variable. The colors of L. 

 rosea, even, are not fijied and certain, as 

 in a batch of cuttings from that variety 

 we maj' obtain many shades. 



The usual method of propagation is 

 by layers; that is, to plant a vigorous 

 parent plant in a well prepared soil and 

 peg down the runners. AVe can by this 

 method obtain a great quantity of young 

 plants, but many of them will prove to 

 be of weak growth and useless so far as 

 making good specimens. 



The mp.st interesting method of propa- 

 gation is by seed, as by crossing the var- 

 ieties we can obtain so many shades of 

 color without changing the type, many of 

 them during their first and second year 

 of life greatly surpassing their parents, 

 both in size of bloom and brilliancy of 

 colorLng. They retain their health and 

 vigor and maintain their flowering quali- 

 ties if kept in a temperature not to 

 exceed 55 degrees. Of course, during the 

 hot spells of summer they must often 

 exceed this, but a little ordinary judg- 

 ment will help us along in this strait. 



RiBES. 



TIMELY TOPICS. 



Continually noting the items in the 

 trade journals about this grower who 

 will double his capacity next year, an- 

 other who will cover ten acres, and many 

 others who will erect several large hou.ses 

 each, it has got to a point where it will 

 i(M|uire serious thought as to the )irobablc 

 outcome of all this additional building. 

 To obseiTe the general condition of the 

 market in its present stage, the increased 

 output is plainly seen. There is no more 

 :,nxiety on the part of the buyer as to 

 not being able to get what he wants at 

 any time of the year and standing or 

 advance orders are becoming a thing of 

 the past. The buyer no longer seeks the 

 market, but the wholesaler is now seek- 

 ing the buyer. The grower is -no longer 

 besieged with messages from the com- 

 mission man to make shipments, nor is 

 it necessary to cut the stock before it is 

 in a marketable condition. 



The good old davs when times of 



"stock scarce" iirevailed most of the 

 year now seem reversed, excejit for an 

 occasional spurt in demand, or sudden 

 change in temperature to cause a tem- 

 jiorary shortage, which still may have 

 the tendency on some caught short in 

 trying to fill an order, to cause them to 

 immediately purchase material for an- 

 other block of houses. To note in a re- 

 cent issue the stateaient that one Chicago 

 grower controls almost as much glass 

 devoted to cut flowers as all the Philadel- 

 ]iliia growers put together seems like a 

 surprising statement, and yet that is a 

 small proportion of the glass in what 

 is called the middle west district. 



While all the building is going on by 

 the wholesale grower, the dealer who has 

 been dejiending on the wholesale market 

 is doing likewise, thus continually cur- 

 tailing the shipping territory- until it 

 narrows down almost entirely around tlie 

 liig growing centers. Then what? Com- 

 mon stock or inferior grades have but 

 little room on the market now, and arc 

 the choicer blooms bringing a paying 

 average? ^Novelties remain novelties 

 hardly long enough to get the first cost 

 out of them before they become common 

 property. This looks like the cause of 

 fiverproduction and the pressure brought 

 to bear on the market by the immense 

 amount of other stock thrown on the 

 market daily in all competing lines. As- 

 suming that there is a large increase in 

 the consumption of flowers, and whv 

 shouldn't there be, the volume of stock 

 must go somewhere and many lots are 

 disposed of below the cost of production 

 ami prices are within the reach of all. 

 There is not the same fluctuation in prices 

 as in years gone by. They are mostly 

 forced down by the supply rather than 

 being advanced by demand. We are 

 passing through an era of prosperity and 

 it may be well to look ahead during 

 these times and give some thought to 

 President Burton "s warning at the last 

 S. A. F. meeting. Incog. 



CiiAMPAiGX, III. — Thomas Franks has 

 a range of 8,000 feet of glass and re- 

 ports business good. He has had thirty- 

 two years' experience in the trade. 



IMechanicsbi'rg. O. — S. M. Harper is 

 making arrangements to move his family 

 to the state of Washington. 



