May 12. 1904. 



The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



I3I3 



Decorations for the Reception Given by Mr. and Mrs. J. F. Wilcox at Their New Home in Council Bluffs, Iowa. 



ture are easily flagged if subjected to 

 the direct rays of the sun. 



Great care must be exercised in regard 

 to watering, the extreme softness of the 

 roots making them very susceptible to an 

 over-supply, -while, on the other hand, 

 excessive dryness is just as harmful. 



The most troublesome insect enemy is 

 the greenfly, to avert which tobacco stems 

 should be freely spread around the bench 

 where the plants are standing, these be- 

 ing renewed as frequently as occasion de- 

 mands, which is as soon as the stems 

 lose their strength. If greenflies are 

 allowed to get a foothold they will quick- 

 ];,' work irreparable damage. Should they 

 make their appearance light smokings 

 may be resorted to, but heavy smoking 

 is apt to scorch the foliage. Light feed- 

 ing may be given after the flowering 

 pots are well filled with roots and the 

 flower stems are well up, but should be 

 discontinued after the flowers begin to 

 open or damping may result. 



PUBLICATIONS RECEIVED. 



The Chrysanthemum Manual. 



Among the luou who hold ]ilaces of 

 high regard in the esteem of their fel- 

 low craftsmen, few are personally more 

 popular that Elmer D. Smith, who now 

 comes forward with Smith's Chrysanthe- 

 mum Manual, tlie first American publi- 

 cation of value, dealing exclusively with 

 this subject. The writer's large ac- 

 quaintance in the trade would assure for 

 his work a wide reading were he dis- 

 cussing any subject, and on the plant 



to the improvement of which he has de- 

 voted the best years of a studious life, 

 he is sure of a consideration which would 

 only be given a voice of recognized 

 authority. 



Following the fashion »vhich leads 

 authors to set forth their reasons for 

 writing, Mr. Smith says by way of in- 

 troduction: 



Diirinj: the past twenty yeurs I have de- 

 vnted much time and energy to the cultivation 

 anil improvement of the Chrysanthemnm and 

 have received many inquiries from those de- 

 sirous of gaining knowledge on this subject. 

 Confronted with these facts, and realizing the 

 urgent need for a complete as well as a prac- 

 tical treatise, at a price within the reach of 

 all, I make this attempt in compliance with 

 these demands. 



Mr. Smith then proceeds to set fortli 

 as concisely as may be all the details 

 pertaining to chrysantlieuium culture, 

 beginning with slock plants and their 

 care and treating the many features 

 of the work of the grower, thiough each 

 stage of development, to the final ship- 

 ment, marketing or exhibition of the 

 plants or cut blooms. 



The cultural directions for both plants 

 and cut flowers are set forth in clear and 

 comprehensive manner, with evident in- 

 tent to present a plain course of proce- 

 dure for those who are beginners in the 

 work, but it seems that at several, points 

 the desire for brevity has led to an 

 eConom.y of woriLs wliich w'ould have been 

 well spent in going a little farther into 

 detail. Indeed, we are of the opinion 

 that with the material in hand the 

 author miglit well have expanded his 

 work into a much more pretentious vol- 

 ume, although had he done so he would, 

 possibly, have added little to the interest 



with which his book wduld have been re- 

 ceived by the tfade. 



To the trade grower the value of the 

 work will lie in the bits of personal 

 opinion, based on years of experience, 

 whieli are scattered through the pages, 

 wliich leads to the probability that the 

 chapter on "Seedlings and Sports" will 

 he the mo.st closely read of all, for Mr. 

 Smith has to his credit as many meri- 

 torious introductions as any American 

 grower. He says that for hybridizing he 

 finds the single-stemmed plants in 4-ineh 

 pots best for the purpose, grown natur- 

 ally without an abundance of nourish- 

 ment. Efforts to obtain seed from flow- 

 ers grown for exhibition have in nearly 

 every ease been fruitless. The crosses 

 which give but few seeds generally pro- 

 duce the' best seedlings. 



It has beeu reported that flowers somctimea 

 sport in form, that is, give a flower of entirely 

 (iifTcrent form from that originally possessed, 

 such as an incurved flower sporting to re- 

 flexed form. Such cases are, at least, few 

 and far between; in fact, we are inclined to 

 (iislirlieve that such changes have really taken 

 place. Cultural conditions often change the 

 form of flowers materially, also buds selected, 

 and doubtless some of the cases reported are 

 simply due to these causes. 



There is a practical chapter on packing 

 plants for shipment and others on dis- 

 eases, insects, fertilizers, exhibitions, 

 etc., the whole illustrated with eighteen 

 half-tones and etchings. The work is 

 completely indexed and any paragraph 

 mav be found in a moment. 



The "price wdthin the reach of all" 

 i\t which Mr, Smith decided to sell his 

 pamphlet is 25 cents. It is worth so 

 many times that sum to everyone who 

 has aivv interest whatever in the chrys- 

 antlieuium that the sale is sure to be 



