January 21. l',)(>4. 



The Weekly Florists^ Review. 



409 



FUNERAL BUNCH OF CALLAS. 



Tlie aecompauying eugiaviug is from 

 a photograph of a funeral biiuch of eal- 

 las arranged with their own foliage. In 

 addition to the open flowers a number 

 of buds were used, and these added ma- 

 terially to the beauty of the arrange- 

 ment, though they do not show very 

 plainly in the photograijli. Callas are 

 generally considered very difficult to ar- 

 range gracefully, but this difficulty can 

 be overcome by the use of buds and 

 foliage. And there is no foliage — coarse 

 though it be — that will combine so ef- 

 fectively with these flowers as that with 

 which they are associated on the plant. 

 The foliage of the calla lasts quite as 

 well as the flowers if the stems have 

 been stood in water for a few hours 

 previous to using. 



In response to a discriminating ile- 

 mand on the part of the public foliage 

 is being more and more freely used in 

 fioral combinations as well as in decora- 

 tions, and the wise florist will proride 

 a supply of suitable material, and will 

 not confine himself to ferns, smila.\ and 

 asparagus. 



CHRYSANTHEMUM SOOETY. 



The Massacluisctts Horticultural So- 

 ciety has invited the Chrysanthemum So- 

 ciety of America to hold its next annual 

 convention and exhibition in Horticul- 

 tural Hall, in Boston, November 3 to 

 (i, 1904. in coniunction with the annual 

 exhibition of that society. This invita- 

 tion has been unanimously accepted by 

 the executive board of the Chrysanthe- 

 mum Society. 



An invitation was also received from 

 the American Institute to repeat the 

 success of last fall, in Xew York, and 

 although the officers and executive com- 

 mittee fully appreciate the kindness of 

 the American Institute in extending this 

 invitation, they feel that it will be for 

 the good of the society to change the 

 location every yfar, if possible. 



We are expecting next November the 

 greatest show ever held, and every effort 

 will be put forth to accomplish this re- 

 sult. Fred H. Lemon, See 'v. 



THE USE OF CYANIDE. 



In an article on the use of hydrocyanic 

 acid gas for fumigating, W. S. gives, 

 page 318, issue for January 7, the fol- 

 lowing formula and directions: 

 1 quart sulphuric acid. 

 1 quart water. 

 .5 ounces cyanide of potassium. 



Mix the acid and water in a two-gallon 

 butter jar. When your jars are all in 

 place walk along and drop in the five- 

 ounce parcels of c.yanide. Don 't lin- 

 ger over the jar, because the fumes are 

 not healthy for anything that has lungs. 

 The above quantities are for 2,000 cubic 

 feet of air space in the house. Keep the 

 house closed all night. 



Commenting on this Albert F. Woods, 

 pathologist of the I'. S. Department of 

 Agriculture, writes : 



In houses with not more than two 

 paths or where not more than two or 

 three sets of jars, two or three in each 

 set, are required, it is possible to put 

 the cyanide in the jars in the manner 

 described. The dose for each jar should 

 be carefully wrapped, however, in two 

 thicknesses of ordinary newspaper, or 

 may be put in a small paper sack. It 

 takes the acid about half a minute to 

 eat through the paper and attack the 



A Funeral Bunch of Callas With Their Own Foliage. 



potassium cyanide. If one operator 

 works on each line of jars and they will 

 start at the same end of the house and 

 come out at the other end this method 

 may be safely used. 



There seems to be an implication in 

 the statement of W. S. that he is not 

 much afraid of this gas. He says: 

 "There seems to be a dread of this 

 gas with many people, and on the part 

 of some whose opinion and experience I 

 am bound to respect." The dread of 

 the gas exhibited by all people who know 

 its qualities is well justified. It is 

 perhaps the most poisonous gas known 

 and causes death almost as quickly as 

 electrocution. It is quite true that the 

 inhalation of a very small quantity of it 

 may do no serious harm, but, like all 

 other poisons, it must be used with the 

 greatest caution, and carelessness on the 

 part of an operator is not justified. It is 

 perfectly safe to use the gas if the 

 proper precautions are followed, but no 

 laxity in observing the strictest precau- 

 tions should be allowed. I do not mean 

 by this that it is not safe to drop cy- 

 anide into the jars by hand if the cy- 

 anide is carefully wrapped and if the 



operators all start at one end of the 

 house and work toward the other, care 

 laeing taken that no operator is cut off 

 by drojjping the cyanide into a jar be- 

 tween the operator and the exit. Of 

 course, it might be possible in such case 

 for the operator to hold his breath and 

 get out, but if he did not think to hold 

 his breath he would probably draw his 

 last one very quickly. 



Five ounces of cvanide of potassium to 

 2,000 cubic feet is about half the 

 strength usually recommended for dou- 

 ble violets, but we do not recommend 

 leaving the gas in the house for longer 

 than thirty minutes. Of course a weaker 

 dose may be left in longer without seri- 

 ous injury if the house is not very tight, 

 but there is always danger of a certain 

 amount of moisture collecting on the 

 leaves of plants as the temperature falls, 

 and any moisture forming on the foUage 

 of any plant exposed to this gas will 

 cause "the portion of the leaf having the 

 moisture on it to be injured. The field 

 of use for hydrocyanic acid gas in green- 

 house fumigation has been barely opened 

 and it is such tests as W. S. has been 

 making which gradually widen its useful- 



