894 



The Weekly Florists' Review* 



March 24, 1904. 



large flower, but, a little soft. Glacier 

 is very good; % comes short early in 

 the season, but- makes up for this later; 

 a fine, pure white flower of fair size 

 and stem; a good commercial variety. 

 Queen Louise is good if grown warm; 

 54 to 56 degrees seems to suit it best. 

 Her Majesty does fairly well here; good 

 habit and stem, with fair-sized flower; 

 will give it another trial. Lillian Pond 

 started slowly after housing, but made 

 good growth later; a large, pure white 

 flower, bnt bursts nearly all, perhaps 

 due to lack of ventilation during long, 

 cold winter: will give it another trial. 

 Murphy's White is full of stem-rot; will 

 discard. 



In red Crane still leads; is not 

 troubled with stem-rot hero and is 

 never off crop. Estelle has been thor- 

 oughly tested in different ways; has 

 fine color, but lame in all other points; 

 will discard. Cuttings of Adonis were 

 very poor; lost nearly two-thirds of con- 

 signment; what were left did poorly in 

 the field, but started well in the bench 

 and made good growth; seems as though 

 it will improve, and if so, it certainly 

 is all that one could wish for. Eoose- 

 velt is good, but Harlowarden is the 

 best crimson; good habit, good grower, 

 with long, stiff stems and fine; large 

 flowers. 



In dark pink Lawson is the best: 

 plants grown in the house all summer 



produce long stems earlier in the season. 

 Melson is good; gives no trouble in prop- 

 agating. Guardian Angel do^s well; a 

 good grower and producer; flower a lit- 

 tle small; will grow more nett season. 

 Joost IS still grown in quantity and does 

 fairly well; still not so good ns in jire- 

 ceding years. Crocker is best for sum- 

 mer and very good. Dorothy will be 

 discarded. Marquis is good in its color; 

 fine stem and flower. 



In light pink Morning Glory will be 

 largeh' reduced to make room for En- 

 chantress, which is very good here; is 

 easily grown, but a little soft for ship- 

 ping; the best in its color. 



Here, as in most all other places, we 

 have caught the seedling craze. One 

 pink variety can be seen growing above 

 all others. This is not possessed of the 

 largest flower, although larger than 

 Joost or Guardian Angel; its principal 

 points are its producing qualities, long, 

 wiry stems and stronger constitution 

 than any other variety on the place; a 

 cross between Cartledge and Crocker. 



In variegated Bradt is mostly grown; 

 this has done well up to the past two 

 seasons, but shows signs of deteriora- 

 tion and will be largely reduced. Mar- 

 shall Field is a good, healthy, upright 

 grower, produces longer and stiffer 

 stems earlier in the season than Bradt; 

 will grow more of it next season. Gaie- 

 tv does not do well; produces short. 



The Lilv is Still the Most Popular of Easter Plants. 



stubby growth, with few flowers. Ar- 

 maJSndy is still grown; this old stand- 

 by is principally noted for its produc- 

 ing qualities, for it is a poor seller. 

 Prosperity, the only one of its color, is 

 good, but is not profitable to grow in 

 quantity. 



Nearly all the newer varieties are 

 grown, but not in sufficient quantity to 

 make a fair criticism possible. 



W. V. P. 



EPACRIS. 



Tlie species of this genus of greenhouse 

 shrubs are mostly natives of Australia, 

 New Zealand and islands of the 

 South Pacific and require cool greenhouse 

 treatment. Tliese plants are much" easier 

 propagated and grown lilian are even 

 the soft-wooded heaths and are, during 

 the fall, winter and early spring, of 

 equal value with the best of them. 



By a judicious selection of varieties 

 they can be had in bloom from Novem- 

 ber till March. In keeping qualities 

 they equal if not surpass any of the 

 heaths, while for gracefulness and color 

 they are far ahead. Either as decora- 

 tive plants or when used as cut blooms 

 they last longer than any of the heaths. 



Though not so sensitive to changes of 

 temperature as heaths, the proper mode 

 of treatment is much the same in prin- 

 ciple. The best method of propagat- 

 ing these plants is by cuttings of the 

 half ripened wood, inserted in sand 

 with a bottom temperature of 52 de- 

 grees, but the process requires such a 

 long time that it is more profitable to 

 purchase young plants of the size re- 

 quired rather than wait; life is too 

 short. 



The most suitable soil for the epacris 

 is fibrous peat, with about one-sixth of 

 sharp sand added. Good drainage must 

 be provided, so that there shall be no 

 surplus left after moistening the ball. 

 When repotting care must be taken not 

 to break the ball nor, in fact, to dis- 

 turb it in the least, and the soil should 

 be packed evenly and firmly around it. 



After the flowering season is over, 

 which will be in March, the erect-grow- 

 ing varieties should be cut hard back 

 and the plants placed in a temperature 

 under 50 degrees until the young 

 growths ha-se attained the length of 

 half an inch, when they should be re- 

 potted, if that is necessary. After re- 

 potting they should be returned to the 

 same temperature and lightly shaded 

 for the first week. They require little 

 water until they have begun to grow 

 again, but should be frequently syr- 

 inged, especially during bright weather, 

 when they can receive a gradual in- 

 crease of air and sunshine. 



These plants require about the same 

 care after being plunged outside, in re- 

 gard to watering, as heaths do, and as 

 overwatering is verj' injurious, it is 

 safer to have sashes handy to protect 

 them during rainy weather. 



This class of flowering shrubs is grad- 

 ually but surely finding a place in the 

 American market, and a study of their 

 nature, habitat and best methods of 

 culture suited to our climate should 

 have a place among our other experi- 

 ments. Kibes. 



Webster City, Ia. — James Follett 

 has a new geranium of a very odd and 

 pleasing light pink color. It is a free 

 bloomer and the flowers and trusses are 

 very large. He has had it three years 

 and has worked up quite a stock. 



