The Weekly Florists' Review. 



167 



The Til 



ioes the more he is able to 

 do, and the more quickly he can call his 

 powers into use. There is no danger of 

 exhausting one's resources. Draw oul 

 your plans even if you feel obliged to 

 apologize fin the crude draft. 



All these helps cannot be picked up 

 at once nor can the attainments be de- 

 veloped quickly, but it is here a piece 

 and there a piece, for a good stock of 

 accessories accumulates, like experience, 

 only with the years. 



Gertriue Blair. 



JOHN F. WILCOX. 



We have pleasure in presenting here- 

 with a portrait of Mr. John F. Wilcox, 

 Council Bluffs, la., who has a host of 

 friends in the trade and whose immense 

 range of glass is undoubtedly the largest 

 in the country west of Chicago. 



Mr. Wilcox was born Feb. 3. 1SG4, on 

 a farm in Wisconsin, and his parents 

 were not blessed with a large amount of 

 worldly goods. At the age of 9 years 

 he started to work for other people on 

 the farm and continued until he was 13. 

 His parents were then living in Darling- 

 ton, a small Wisconsin town, and as they 

 were still in poor circumstances, lie went 

 home and for three years helped to sup- 

 port them by grubbing out trees and 

 chopping them into cord wood and saw- 

 ing wood around town. He has related 

 that he walked five miles night and 

 morning to get to his work and many 

 times ate a frozen dinner. 



At the age of 10 he went to Iowa and 

 entered the emplov of L. A. Casper, 

 Council Bluffs, at $15.00 per month. Mr. 

 Casper was then in the vegetable grow- 

 ing business, but he later on started 

 growing cut flowers. Mr. Wilcox was 

 here but a short time before he was made 

 foreman and continued in this position 

 about seven years. He married in 1885. 

 He and Mr. Casper finally bought a small 

 tract of land ju-t outside the city ami 

 they became equal partners in the vege- 

 table business. Mr. Casper devoting the 

 major part of his time to the florist busi- 

 ness. Later Mr. Wilcox bought Mr. Ca- 

 per's interest and became sole proprietor. 



To accomplish this Mr. Wilcox worked 

 almost clay and night, personally super- 

 vising everything and getting up at one. 

 two and three o'clock in the mSrning 

 in all kinds of weather and many times 

 not getting to bed again until 11 p. m. 

 He succeeded in paying for the place and 

 a few years later bought Mr. Casper's 

 flower and plant growing establishment. 



He now employs from 65 to 125 people 

 and has the largest expanse of glass wesf 

 of Chicago. He has built a handsome 

 modern residence and is beginning to 

 enjov the fruits of his rather strenuous 

 life.* 



He and his charming wife have been 

 frequent attendants at the conventions 

 of the S. A. F.. and have quickly made 

 warm friends of all who met them. 



PLEASE SEND us an accurate list of 

 those in the trade who receive their 

 mail at your postoffiee. 



The easiest way for the man who buys 

 Is the cheapest way to advertise. The 

 Review's classified advs. 



POT CULTURE OF MIGNONETTE. 

 To grow this plant in pots with suc- 

 cess requires much more care and study 

 than if it is planted in the bench, as 

 along with its cramped root quarters il 

 has the same insect enemies and dis 

 eases to contend with. The roots are 



sunshine, it i^ ran- to .it a really well 

 grown specimen in a commercial place in 

 this country. A few florists in private 

 places produce some handsome specimens, 

 but as a rule these florists are of the 

 imported variety. 



Among commercial growers in Europe, 

 and especially in England, this is one of 

 the best selling and most remunerative 

 of winter blooming plants, and is grown 

 in large quantities Xo doubt it will 



adaptability to window culture, there 



are few of our greenhouse, plants that 

 can compare with it and in its class it 

 has no rival. 



I will endeavor to give a resume of 

 the most successful method of treating 

 this annual as a pot plant, which if 

 followed closely will give good results. 



The first and most important part is 

 in the selection of suitable seed from a 

 recognized good strain, as all the qare 

 that can be bestowed on an inferior strain 

 i- simply thrown away. Every grower 

 who makes the culture of these plants 

 equally important and is prepared to 

 l: i \ •• them as much of his attention and 



>kill as he does his cycla ns and 



primroses, usually has his own favorite 

 strain, which he tries to improve year 

 after year by carefully selecting and 

 gathering the seed from those plants 

 which have a good habit of growth and 

 are free bloomers. 



The capsules on the lower half of the 

 Bower -pike usually contain the most 

 perfect and best ripened seed. These 

 should be gathered before they are per- 

 fectly ripe, as they shed the seed very 

 easily, and put into a paper box with- 

 iiul am covering and stored in a place 

 when- there i- langer of dampness. 



For plants in bloom dining the winter 



''"' " I should Im- sown early in July. 



Well drained 2-ineh standard pots are 

 large enough to sow the seed in. as to be 

 successful with this plant the root- of 

 the seedlings should never be disturbed 

 in the slightest. 



The soil most suited for seedlings is 

 composed of two parts fibry loam and 

 one pan. decomposed leaf mold, with an 

 addition of clean sand in the proportion 

 of one-eighth of the entire bulk. This 

 compost should be made fine bv passing- 

 it. through a half-inch screen. 'The pots 

 should then be filled flush and packed 

 firm. Make a slight depression in the 

 ■ enter of each pot and place in each five 



or six g 1 -i/ed seeds, and cover to the 



depth of about, four ti s the size of the 



seeds. 



To keep the pots from drying out too 



of ali. 



to form the 

 one in each 

 ■ rest pulled 

 f should be 

 using t le- 

 an addition 

 inely sifted, 



During all the "rowing period it i< 

 lie-t to keep these plants away from the 

 direct rays of the mid-day sun, as this 

 has a tendency to ripen the foliage and 

 stem, which will -inch ruin them. When 

 the plant- hav.- acquired eight or ten 

 leaves it is time to begin training. This 



