January 28. 1904. 



The Weekly Florists^ Review^ 



455 



AMERICAN ROSE SOCIETY. 



The premium list for the fifth annual 

 exhibition of the American Rose So- 

 ciety, to be held at Philadelphia, March 

 22 to 24, provides classes similar to those 

 of the previous shows. The regular 

 classes are as follovps: Division A, teas 

 and hybrid teas, twent3'-five cut blooms, 

 open to all, premiums for American 

 Beauty and Queen of Edgely, $10 and $7 ; 

 other varieties, $10 and $5. Division 

 B, teas and hybrid teas, twelve cut 

 blooms, open to growers having not more 

 than 20,000 feet of glass, premiums $5 

 and $3 for best exliibits of each variety. 

 Division C, teas and hybrid teas, twelve 

 cut blooms, open only to private garden- 

 ers and amateurs, premiums $5 and $3 

 for best exhibits of each variety. Class 

 D, hybrid perpetuals, twelve blooms, 

 stems twelve inches or over, open to all, 

 premiums $10 and $5 for best exhibits of 

 each variety. Class E, same as above, 

 open only to private gardeners and ama- 

 teurs. There is a silver cup for group 



of six varieties in pots, also premium for 

 six plants of one variety in not larger 

 than 8-inch pots. The best fifty blooms 

 of American Beauty get $100 and the 

 Lord & Burnham silver cup; second pre- 

 mium, $50. Premiums of $20 and $15 

 are offered for fifty blooms, any variety. 

 Beauty and Edgely excluded. For six 

 blooms of any variety introduced since 

 1900, $5 and $3 is the oflfer. For best 

 display, ten varieties, in space of 100 

 square feet, the premiums are $100 and 

 $.50. A silver cup is offered for the best 

 American rose not yet in commerce. 

 There are liberal premiums for six stand- 

 ard plants, specimen' standard, specimen 

 plant other than standard, specimen plant 

 in not less than 12-inch pot, six Crimson 

 Eamblers and six plants of distinct va- 

 rieties. The special prizes include an 

 offer of $25 for plants in pots, three of 

 each of eight varieties; also $25 for six 

 plants each of Magna Charta, Ciabriel 

 Luizet, Mrs. Laing and Mereville de 

 Lyon.. The American Rose Society's 

 medals are offered for novelties. 



MISCELLANEOrS 

 SEASONABLE HINTS. 



For the Orchid Growers. 



In these dark days, when growth is 

 slow, there is time to look over the or- 

 chids, if you grow any, and there are a 

 number of florists like the writer, who 

 grow a few dozen plants of the leading 

 commercial species. It is for them these 

 hints are given. 



Cypripediums. 



Cypripedium insigne will be about all 

 cut. This is a terrestrial orchid that 

 has no pronounced period of rest and 

 a good healthy plant does some growing 

 the whole season. If they have out- 

 grown their pots, or the compost is in 

 poor condition, or they simply want sur- 

 facing, now is the time to do it. Per- 

 haps you may desire to increase your 

 stock by dividing some of the large 

 crowded plants. Fill the pots half full 

 of clean crocks and in the case of re- 

 potting remove all the old soil that has 

 become sticky or compact. Keep the 

 crown of the plant above the rim of the 

 pot and then surface with fresh, live 

 sphagnum. The material to use differs 

 with some expert growers. What is 

 known as peat is used by some grow- 

 ers; others have equally good success 

 with fibrous, turfy loam. 



Just a word here about peat and 

 sphagnum. The peat that is used in Eu- 

 rope is the surface, two or three inches, 

 of some hill that has been previously 

 covered with low growing heaths and 

 then all the fine particles are shaken out, 

 which leaves little but roots and fibers. 

 Our American peat, at least all I have 

 seen, is the chopped up, fibrous roots of 

 our strong growing native ferns, such 

 as Osmunda regalis and others. Perhaps 

 one is just as good for the purpose as 

 the other, for both simply act as a me-, 

 dium for the roots to creep about on and 

 absorb moisture. The sphagnum moss 

 every florist knows, even the dude be- 

 hind the counter who hardlv knows but 



what a cyclamen is an orchid, can pro- 

 nounce sphagnum. But don't think the 

 dead, dry material that you stuff a 

 wreath with will do for surfacing or- 

 chids. It must be fresh and alive and 

 when you ste the sphagnum green and 

 growing, you can be almost sure that 

 your cypripediums are doing well. About 

 50 degrees at night, or a trifle higher, 

 will do for the winter months. April, 

 May and June is the time of the most 

 active growth and then the greatest 

 amount of moisture is needed, but at no 

 time should the surface moss be allowed 

 to get dry. 



Caltleyas. 



Pretty and subdued the cypi'ipedium 

 is, and in some arrangements most 

 chaste, but the large public, when it 

 asks for an orchid has in mind the 



beautiful cattleyas. C. labiata is out of 

 flower by New Year's and most of them 

 a month before. C. Percivilliana will 

 soon be gone. After they are out of 

 flower they need little moisture till they 

 begin to break and make new growths. 

 While resting, and that is now, is the 

 time to give them attention. These cat- 

 tleyas are grown in pots and baskets 

 and on blocks of wood. For the com- 

 mercial florist the basket is the better 

 method, for then they can be suspended 

 from the roof, and that's economy of 

 space. A thorough cleaning of the 

 leaves and bulbs is always in order. 

 Scale is their worst enemy and must be 

 removed with something that won 't 

 scratch the surface of the leaf, say the 

 handle of the budding knife, and then 

 sponge with warm water. 



Peat is the only material that they 

 need for their roots to work in, or on, 

 and then surface with sphagnum. Don't 

 increase the supply of water till the 

 young growths are an inch or so long. 

 Sixty to 65 degrees is the minimum 

 temperature that they should have at 

 any time. While it would greatly check 

 the growth of a cattleya to disturb its 

 roots when in active growth, say the 

 month of April, at any time of the year 

 you can with great benefit pick out and 

 renew any decayed peat or sphagnum 

 from the surface. 



Onddiums. 



Oncidiura varicosum Eodgersii is 

 grown in several ways, in baskets, pans 

 or on blocks. A shallow pan is the bet- 

 ter way. Peat with an addition of 

 broken up charcoal (not dust) suits 

 them well. Do any shifting or surfac- 

 ing as soon after flowering as you can, 

 because they soon start their new 

 growtlis. Xeep them in a night tem- 

 perature of 65 degrees. 



The dendrobiums are a most beautiful 

 genus, but unless you cut the whole 

 flower bearing stem, or so-called bulb, 

 they are not very useful except in deco- 

 rations where the whole plant can be 

 used, and then what could be more beau- 

 tiful than a well flowered D. Wardi- 

 anum? It would adorn the reception 

 room where Theodore Roosevelt settled 

 the dift'erences of the Czar and " the 

 Mikado, all three being represented in 

 person. 



T>. nobile and D. Wardianum are the 

 two , most profitable and easiest man- 



Store of the Winona Floral Co., Winona, Minn. 



