1382 



The Weekly Florists' Review. 



May 19. 1004. 



July 11-16 — Cut flowers (.florists). 

 July lS-23 — Cut flowers (am.iteurs). 

 July 25-30— Open. 

 Aug. 1-6— Gladioli. 

 Aug. S-13— .\sters. 



Aug. 15-20 — S. A. F. week gfner:il deforiitlons. 

 .\ug. 22-27— Gladioli. 

 Aus. 2!)-Sept. 3— Gladioli. 

 Sept. iV-U> — Tuberoses. 

 Sept. 12-17 — Dahlias. 

 Sept. 19-24— Dahlias. 

 Sept. 26-Oct. 1 — Aquatics. 



Oct. 3-S— Flower show by St. Louis Florists' 

 Club. 



Oct. 10-15— Open. 



Oct. 17-22 — "Wild flower show. 



Oct. 24-2i) — Natural decorations by children. 



Oct. 31-Nov. 5— OlK'U. 



Nov. 7-12 — Pot chrysoiuhemums. 



Not. 14-19 — Cut "chrysauthemums. 



Nov. 21-26— Open. 



All exhibits in these shows will be 

 eligible to examination for awards of 

 diplomas and medals. There is no entry 

 charge and flowers sent with all charges 

 prepaid, addressed to Frederic W. Ta.^- 

 lor. chief, Department of Horticulture, 

 St. Louis World's Fair, will be received 

 and staged by the department without 

 any additional cost to exhibitors. Vases 

 and other facilities will be provided by 

 the department. 



The space assigned to the flower ex- 

 l.ilMts is most beautfiully located, be- 

 ing on a floor nine feet lower than that 

 on which are all the pomological exhib- 

 its. The point of view from ail four side.; 

 is perfect and every effort is being made 

 by the management to have these flower 

 shows such great features of the exposi- 

 tion as to entitle them to be considered 

 as leading attractions. This means that 

 newspaper accounts of the exposition 

 will give much space to them and thus se- 

 cure to exhibitors the very best possible 

 kind of advertising. Full announce- 

 ments wUl soon be made by special cir- 

 culars from the department. The chief 

 of the department invites correspond- 

 ence and suggestions, particularly with 

 reference to whether any of the days 

 set should, with due consideration for 



Vegetable Forcing. 



THE MARKETS. 



Chicago. May is.^ — Eadishes, 2.5 to 

 45e dozen bunches; lettuce, head, 50 to 

 75c bushel; leaf, 15 to 25e case; cucum- 

 bers. 30 to 60c dozen. 



I>fEW York, Jlay 16.' — The week has 

 been characterized by a general decline 

 in prices. Tlic heavy southern shipments 

 force down prices on greenhouse stock, 

 but home-grown lettuce still brings $1 

 to $3 per barrel. 



Boston, 'ilav 17. — Heavy supplies of 

 all kinds of produce are now coming for- 

 ward and, although trade is brisk, prices 

 are lower all around. Cucumbers are 

 steady at $1.50 to $3 bushel : best to- 

 matoes bring 25c pound; mushrooms 

 scarce at 7oc pound; lettuce in strong de- 

 mand at 25 to 60e dozen; radishes. 25c 

 dozen ; parsley, 75e bushel. Rhubarb and 

 asparagus are now in abundant supply 

 from outdoors. A few- hot-house grapes 

 and peaches were noted the past week. 



MELONS FOR MARKET. 



The cultivation of melons in winter 

 dees not seem to have been taken up to 

 any great extent, as an article of com- 

 merce, though in private gardens, where 

 the greenhouse plant is of sufiicient ex- 

 tent, more or less of them are usually 

 grown. The private gardeners claim 

 that this fruit is very much appreciated 

 by their employers, and I do not see why 

 they should not become a good, market- 

 able article when once a trade was es- 

 tablished for them. To make them a 

 paying crop the price required would be 

 higher than the average man would care 



Rose House of Springfield Floral O)., Springfield, O., with Skinner Irrigation in Operation. 



all the different sections of the country, 

 be changed to advantage. Suggestions 

 are also invited with regard to what 

 may be used for filling in the open dates. 

 F. W. Taylor, Chief. 



South Lyon, Mich. — Mrs. S. Calkins 

 is conducting the South Lyon Green- 

 houses and Gardens since the demise of 

 her husband, Bev. S. Calkins. 



to pay. This price is necessary on ac- 

 count of the limited amount of fruit a 

 plant will produce. To make a com- 

 parison with cucumbers: Taking the 

 average yield all through the season, a 

 fair yield for a cucumber plant would 

 be about fifty fruits where with a melon 

 plant from six to eight would be a fair 

 average. The average price for cucum- 

 bers, taking the season through, would 



be about 7 cents each or $3.50 per plant. 

 Tc get a paying price for melons on the 

 same basis, the grower would have to 

 get about 60 cents each for them and 

 there is no reason why fruits averaging 

 two and one-half to three pounds each 

 should not command that price when 

 oijce a demand was created. 



The cultivation of melons does not 

 vary much from that of cucumbers; 

 Ihey require about the same atmospheric 

 conditions but a slightly higher temper- 

 ature. The seeds are probably a little 

 herder to start, requiring a brisk bot- 

 tom heat, but once the plants are started 

 much the same treatment will suit both. 

 When planting, the benches should not 

 be filled up but the plants should be set 

 in hills of a few shovelfuls of good, 

 turfy loam, to which has been added 

 about a sixth part of well-rotted barn- 

 yard manure. More of this compost can 

 be added as the plants require it, or 

 when the roots begin to appear on the 

 outside of the hills. Planting thus in 

 hills obviates to a large extent the dan- 

 ger from damping at the necks, to which 

 the plants are often subject, and as an 

 extra precaution a little finely broken 

 charcoal should be put around the necks 

 of the plants. 



Different ideas exist regarding the 

 method of training, but the one I have 

 adopted is what might be called the 

 double-stem system. For this the points 

 of the plants are pinched out when about 

 six inches high and two stems taken 

 away. These are trained up to the 

 trellis, eighteen inches apart, the plants 

 being set at three feet. If female (or 

 pistillate) flowers appear on the leaders 

 they should be taken off and the lateral 

 or side shoots depended on to produce 

 the fruit. If only a few flowers appear 

 at one time, even on the lateral shoots, 

 it is better to remove them and wait un- 

 til a sufficient number can be got at one 

 time, or within a day or two of one an- 

 other. Then pollinate by hand to in- 

 sure a set. If only one or two fruits 

 were set at one time they would run 

 away with the supply of nutriment and 

 no more fruit could be set on (he plant. 

 Fruit can usually be set on the secoad 

 or third axil of the lateral shoots and 

 once they are set the point of the shoot 

 sliould be pinched out two eyes beyond 

 the fruit, all growth appearing after 

 that being pinched out and the leaders 

 stopped when they reach the top of the 

 trellis, which, to give them ample space, 

 should not be less than five feet in 

 height. 



The trellis should run parallel with 

 the glass and far enough away so that 

 the foliage will not come in contact with 

 it. A good, strong trellis is necessary 

 to support the weight of the plants and 

 fruit and additional support must be 

 provided for the latter, as they attain 

 size, as their own weight would break 

 them loose. A sling, constructed of 

 cords or similar material, strong enough 

 to support the fruit will answer the pur- 

 pose, but the fruit should be moved 

 around a little occasionally, so that the 

 cords will not mark it by its being al- 

 lowed to rest always on the one place. 



I prefer the English type for forcing. 

 Of this there are a number of varieties, 

 but the latest I have tried is Royal 

 Favorite and I find this a very good 

 one. W. S. Croydon. 



Streator, III.' — F. L. Munson is 

 building two more greenhouses. 



