JANIAIIV 



The Weekly Florists' Review, 



317 



has been no small factor in the once im- 

 perious holiday eiit flower 's iiudoiny. 

 Fortunately for Boston, she fared rather 

 Ijetter than did New York because, ow- 

 ing to a number of reasons, she still 

 enjoys a good suburban and country 

 trade in cut flowers and the outgoing 

 shipments for the holidays and at other 

 times tend to materialh' relieve and 

 steady the market. Whether these local 

 advantages are a permanent asset re- 

 mains for the future to show. 



The changes constantly going on 

 progress so stealthih- that it is impos- 

 sible for us to distinguish where one 

 condition ends or another begins, each 

 period quietly disappearing into its suc- 

 cessor; but in shaping one's course for 

 the future, if we are to achieve continued 

 success, it is imperative that we clearly 

 recognize that the conduct of any branch 

 of the florists ' business today is a wiilely 

 dilt'erent jiroposition from what it was 

 a few years since. 



T^nfortunately, thus far the habit of 

 imitation would seem to be a more con- 

 spicuous characteristic of the American 

 floriculturist than the attribute of origi- 

 nality. Instances demonstrating the 

 truth of this ])resumption will, no doulit, 

 come readily to the mind of everyone. 

 The bringing to light, by an enterpris- 

 ing fellow florist, of any new or profit- 

 able line is the signal for a headlong 

 lush from all sides to do the same thing. 

 Production in certain fields has thus out- 

 stripped by far the demand therefor and 

 it is plain that until strennousness is 

 curtailed or else diverted to other lines 

 or some means of increasing the capacity 

 of the market is put into operation, the 

 troubles comjdained of in New York, 

 and to some extent elsewhere also, are 

 bonnd to intrude themselves with increas- 

 ine frequency. So long, however, as the 

 old operators hold out and continue to 

 aild to their productive capacity and 

 new-comers still find room, under estab- 

 lished methods of distribution, how can 

 we a.ssume otherwise than that, despite 

 all the protesting we hear, values have 

 not yet fallen below the ]ioint of profit. 

 We know this — that when that limit of 

 de|iression has been touched, then the 

 penalty of imprudent over-doing must 

 be paid and history will rejjeat itself 

 in the survival of the fittest. 



A WHITE MAUD DEAN. 



Eveudeu Bros., of \\'illiams)M)rt, I'a.. 

 have a white sjiort of Maud Dean chrys- 

 anthemum which promises to be quite an 

 acquisition. JIaud Dean is a standard 

 commercial pink and this seems to have 

 all its attributes of clean, healthy, easy 

 growth. The accompanying illustration 

 shows the character of the bloom. A 

 good sized stock has been worked up and 

 it is proposed to put the sport on the mar- 

 ket this spring. 



Lyons, I\^n. — Mrs. H. B. Smith says 

 her trade this season has been about as 

 last year, but prices somewhat higher. 



H-iVRLAN, Ia. — Christmas trade was a 

 little late getting started but the tone 

 of the business was good. New Year's 

 trade was a little better than a year 

 r'oro. W. M. Bomberger thinks the flor- 

 ists' trade over the whole west is on 

 somewhat higher grounds than before. 

 The weather has been wonderfully 

 changeable of late, one day mild, the 

 next very cold, which no doubt accounrs 

 for more than the ordinary amount of 

 sickness and funeral work. 



Cbrysantbemum White Maud Dean. 



SOCIETY OF AMERICAN FLORISTS. 



Directors Appointed. 



President Philip Breitmeyer has ap- 

 pointed directors as follows: H. M. Al- 

 tick, Dayton, O. ; Theodore Wirth, Hart- 

 ford. Conn. 



Wm. J. Stewart, Sec 'y. 



THE READERS' CORNER. 



Editor Eeview: — A fine decorative 

 eifect can be made with Yucca filamen- 

 tosa tops or foliage. It could be made 

 a popular decorative article in a com- 

 mercial way. It admits of long lian- 

 dling with little injury and can l)o c\it 

 in the desert districts in tlio southwest 

 extensively, and can be freighted easily. 

 It is quite generally grown in nurseries 

 and old plants can be cut down and yet 

 enough foliage left on the crown to not 

 kill out the pUnt if cut in fall. We 

 have cut it and set it in water in the 

 cellars and it has kept for six weeks. 

 Then we have taken it and kept it in a 

 cellar storage without water and the 

 leaves yellow on the edge, retaining a 

 green center and still are fine in effect. 

 We cut the plant so as to remove most 

 of the top and then place a rubber band 

 over the leaves near outer end, so the 

 leaves will not drop or split off. In us- 

 ing them it is well to drive three or four 

 spikes through a piece of board a foot 

 square, and set the plant between the 

 sjiikes, the rubber band down and bring 

 out the leaves' as you would wish, throw- 

 ing any green thing around the base. A 

 bank of them is quite effective and a 

 complete change is at times refreshing 

 to decorators. Their great keeping quali- 

 ties, cheapness and ease with which it is 

 possible to secure them, should make 

 the trade investigate and test this as an 

 additional decorative green. 



W. M. Bomberger. 



BENEFITS OF COLLEGE COURSE. 



ruder the title, "The Benefits -i 

 Young Florist or Gardener May Derive 

 from the Agricultural Course at State 

 College, ' ' Alfred Burton addressed the 

 Florists' Club, of Philadelphia, on Jan- 

 uary .1, 1904. While his remarks re- 

 lated to the value of the course at the 

 Pennsylvania institution, they are 

 ]irinted for the reason that nearly every 

 state has a school providing a similar 

 course of instruction. 



State College is situated in the village 

 of tlie same name about fifteen miles 

 fr(un Bellefonte, the county seat of Cen- 

 tre county, Pennsylvania. The college 

 grounds contain some G(l(l acres, includ- 

 ing farmland, woodland, athletic 

 grounds, lawn, etc. It was <iiiginally 

 started as a farmirs' high .school about 

 fiftv years ago, but later the name was 

 changed to State College. 



Agriculture is but one of numerous 

 courses; its niining and various engi- 

 neering courses are among the best in 

 the country. It is the agricultural 

 courses (of which thei'e are four) that 

 we shall consider. These aie the corre- 

 spondence Course, the short course, last- 

 ing from .Tanuary 5 to April 1; the spe- 

 r-ial course of one year, and the regular 

 four-year college course which leads to a 

 diploma ; the degree is bachelor of sei- 

 iMice. 



Tiie correspondence course is arranged 

 for those who are unable to leave their 

 work to attend the college. It is the 

 purpose of this course to give a com- 

 prehensive summary of the best and 

 latest knowledge concerning the subjects 

 they treat. Printed lessons have been 

 jifepared by the college and are sent 

 free of cost to the students enrolled in 

 these courses. The lessons are generally 

 supplemented by books on the different 



