54 



The Weekly Florists* Review. 



Decembeh 3, 1903. 



an inch. The pulverized soil must be 

 treated to fasten the seed in the ground. 

 On the comparatively level places, a 

 heavy roller is used. On the terraces, 

 and some of the World's Fair terraces 

 incline at an angle as great as 30 de- 

 grees, a "pounder" is used. This is 

 a board a foot wide and a foot and a 

 half long, fastened to a handle witli 

 blocks added until it weighs about fif- 

 teen pounds. The surface is "tamped" 

 with this. When the earth is smoothed 

 the final work is done. All summer a 

 great pile of stable manure had lain in 

 a heap in front of the garden. It was 

 thoroughly decomposed. This was run 

 through a soil pulverizer and sprinkled 

 over the ground. The covering is slight, 

 but is all that is needed. It keeps the 

 sun from baking the soil and causes it 

 to retain the moisture. 



There is one pest that has demolished 

 many a lawn, and the World 's Fair land- 

 scape gardeners had a short bout with it. 

 This pest is the mole. These little fel- 

 lows burrow a few inches under the sur- 

 face of the ground and raise ridges in 

 the lawn. The moles feed on the earth- 

 worms and harm the roots of the grass 

 only incidentally. But if the moles are 

 not killed they will destroy the lawn. 

 "Gus, " Mr. Hadkinson's foreman, 

 watched Mr. Mole and studied him. The 

 mole takes his meals regularly, morn- 

 ing, noon and night. The ridges made 

 by the mole must be beaten down, and 

 watched. When the mole goes over the 

 route again the ridge is again raised. 

 Then the process is easy. Take a 

 spade, drive it in the ground across the 

 mole's route and behind him. He may 

 be easily dug out and dispatched. In 

 less than a month the moles were ban- 

 ished from the agricultural section of 

 the World's Fair. 



BOUVARDIA KING OF SCARLETS, 



Last autumn I contributed some 

 notes, says a writer in the Gardeners' 

 Magazine, on the origin of some bou 

 vardias and their culture, giving at the 

 same time a short selection of varie- 

 ties. To this selection must now lie 

 added King of the Scarlets, which is in 

 every way a decided acquisition. It 

 was first brought prominently before 

 the public on December 9, 1902, when 

 at a meeting of the Royal Horticultural 

 Society it was shown in good condition 

 by J. Robson, Bowden Nurseries, Al- 

 trincham, and received an award of 

 merit. The flowers of King of the 

 Scarlets are larger than any other of 

 the bright-colored varieties, particular- 

 ly in the width of the lobes, while in 

 color they are of a clear bright scarlet, 

 with the tube almost white. Of rich- 

 tinted forms, the vivid scarlet variety. 

 President Cleveland, which was sent 

 to England from the United States in 

 the latter part of the 80 's, rapidly_ ad- 

 vanced in popularity, and maintained 

 its position as the best scarlet-flowered 

 bouvardia till King of Scarlets put in 

 an appearance. Both, however, are so 

 beautiful, and so distinct, that there 

 should be no question of one supersed- 

 ing the other, as in most gardens a 

 place might well be found for two such 

 charming plants. While the variety, 

 President Cleveland, had a long journey 

 before it enriched our gardens, the new 

 comer had a still longer one, as we are, 

 I believe, indebted for this to our Aus- 

 tralian cousins, it having been raised at 

 Sydney, New South Wales. 



ST. LOUIS. 



The Market. 



Thanksgiving day and all of the past 

 week the trade was good in all lines. 

 The West End florists being busy with 

 decorations and the down town florists 

 with plenty of funeral work. The busi- 

 ness done on Thanksgiving was big and 

 from the expressions of most of the 

 leading florists, it was ahead of last 

 year's business. The weather was most 

 beautiful, just cold enough to stimu- 

 late the retail trade. According to the 

 daily papers there is a big crop of de- 

 butantes in society for this month and 

 there will be quite a lot of receptions, 

 which should help the cut-flower trade 

 greatly. 



The sujply of stock during the past 

 week was equal to the demand, with 

 prices up on first grade stock. Chrys- 

 anthemums are nearing their end; still 



NOTE 



The Editor is pleased 

 when a Reader 

 presents his Ideas 

 on any subject treated 

 In the BEVIEW. As 

 experience is the hest 

 teacher, so do we 

 learn fastest by an 

 exchange of experiences. 

 Many valuable points 

 are brone^ht ont 

 by discussion. 



Good peuuianship. Bpelliu? and gram- 

 mar, thougrh desir.able. are not neces- 

 sary. Write as you would talk when 

 doing your best. 



WE SHALL BE GLAD 

 TO HEAR FROM YOU. 



a few choice late varieties are coming 

 in. The demand for them has fallen 

 off considerably since Thanksgiving 

 and the buyers are looking more for 

 other flowers, which is better for the 

 trade at large. 



The market on cut roses is still 

 somewhat heavy; that is, on the poorer 

 grades, and enough of the fancy grades 

 are in for the demand, but they seem 

 to clean up pretty well. Beauties are 

 still in ample supply. Select fanev 

 stock commands $5 and $6 per dozen. 

 Medium length has the best call, at 

 $3 to .$4 per dozen. Shorts sell well 

 and are cleaned up almost every day at 

 $1 to $2 per dozen. The price on smal- 

 ler roses is from $2 to $8 per 100. 

 Brides and Maids are good on an aver- 

 age. Meteors are coming with quite a 

 number of bullheads. Carnot and Gold- 

 en Gate Sell well. Perles are in little 

 demand. Carnations are of good qual- 

 ity and in demand. Fancy stock of 

 Prosperity, Lawson and Wolcott brings 

 $4 and $5 per 100. Joost, Daybreak, 

 Crocker and Crane bring $2 and $3 per 

 100. Good Hill bring as high as $4. 

 White is in big demand just now. Vio- 

 lets are in good demand at $1 per 100, 

 vdth only California in the market. 

 Valley remains in moderate demand at 

 $4 and $5 per 100. Romans and Paper 

 Whites are more plentiful. Romans 



are rather sliort in stem and bring only 

 $2; Paper Whites $3 and $4. No Har- 

 risii yet, with callas scarce. The 

 market is again well supplied with 

 ferns and other greens. Asparagus is 

 not overplentiful and in demand. 



Holly and green have made their ap- 

 pearance and some of the florists have 

 ordered ahead, for wreathing to be used 

 for decorating down-town business 

 houses in about ten days. The weather 

 is favorable for plant delivering and 

 the report is that house plants are mov- 

 ing better. Trade in this line should 

 be good from now on. The plants for 

 Christmas trade at Schray 's, Sanders ', 

 Beyer's and Windier 's are in fine 

 shape, with plenty of everything for 

 the holiday trade. Some good shipping 

 orders are reported by our wholesale 

 men and all three had a busy week. 



Various Notes. 



John Young and wife spent Thanks- 

 giving week with their daughter in 

 Chicago. James Young and sou were 

 also in Chicago the past week, visiting- 

 relations. 



J. Currie, of Currie Bros., Milwaukee. 

 was a recent visitor. Mr. Currie was 

 here looking after the interest of the 

 Wisconsin building at the World's 

 Fair. 



Wm. Adels, late with Mrs. M. M. Ay- 

 ers, is now with F. H. Weber, at Boyle 

 and Maryland avenues. 



Mrs. Wm. Ellison, of the Ellison 

 Floral Co., on Olive street, reports 

 business very satisfactory. The com- 

 pany has moved into larger quarters 

 next door to the old stand. 



George Waldbart made a grand show 

 of chrysanthemums in his show window 

 Wednesday and Thursday of last week. 



Mrs. M. M. Ayers reports a very busy 

 week, with decorations, and the biggest 

 Thanksgiving she ever had. 



Alex Siegel and Fred Foster spent a 

 day in Chicago the past week, looking 

 up stock for Thanksgiving trade. 



Jules Vacherot, chief gardener of 

 Paris, is here to prepare the plans for 

 the landscape work around the French 

 pavilion at the World's Fair grounds. 



Don't forget the Florists' Club meet- 

 ing next Thursday afternoon at 2 

 o'clock in Odd Fellows' building. Hall 

 No. 2. An exhibition of roses anu car- 

 nations is expected. Mr. Brown, tlie 

 English landscape gardener, Jules Vach- 

 erot, the French gardener, Messrs. Tay- 

 lor and Hadkinson, of the horticultural 

 department, and Dr. Wm. Trelease, of 

 the Missouri Botanical Garden, are ex- 

 pected to be present at this meeting. 

 Talks by these gentlemen and the essay 

 of James W. Dunford, and a discussion 

 by Max Herzog, shoula make an inter- 

 esting meeting and all members should 

 attend. 



Invitations are out for the fourteenth 

 annual banquet to florists, nursei. aie- 

 and gardeners, given by the Missouri 

 Botanical Garden, to be given at the 

 Mercantile Club on Friday, December 

 11. This comes under tne headirj of 

 the will of the late Henry Shaw. 



Otto Koenig, C. A. Kuehn and W. J. 

 Pilcher, Florists' Club members, are 

 showing some of their fine bred chick- 

 ens at the poultry show this week, 

 which is held in the Exposition build- 

 ing. 



Bowling. 



The bowling club had a light attend- 

 ance but some large scores were made. 



