544 



The Weekly Florists' Review* 



\i ,., si 27, 1903 



Trellis of Sweet Peas for Table Centerpiece. 



the character ,,f the trellis and decora- 

 tion but gives little idea as to tne effect 

 produced, as the photograph was taken 

 with thi- -e, In, n i,f the ,1c,,, ration on a 

 small stand, where it could get a good 

 light. The wire rack is gilded and left 

 partly exposed and smilax trained high 

 over one end and low at the opposite end. 

 Blanche Ferry peas were used in this in 

 -tance. It will be noted thai the wire 

 trellis is but little higher than the long- 

 stemmed swe, t pens, the total height, 

 i ill, 1 eing t w eh e inchi -. I have 

 used this several tunes a.nd found it 

 very well liked. This same design might 



term "wet feet." and immediately we 

 had the most beautiful crop of black 

 spot imaginable, the crop being ruined. 

 We finally dried the soil ,,ut and with 

 care brought the plants oul free from 

 spot and in fine shape, but instead of 

 picking 40,000 blooms at I'hristm.as we 

 had iii be content with a quarter of that 



number, and vowel we 'd qi \ er be ghl 



that way again. 



The last set-back and may it remain 



the last i occurred at a t when most 



growers have moi ■ less trouble from 



the same causes and under similar condi- 

 tions and find it hard to determine just 



w hai is the matter. We were attending 

 the Chicago chrysanthemum show. Our 

 violets were fine: they were blooming 

 freely and selling at a good price. Like 

 many othei florists similarly situated, 

 we were building air castles as to what 

 wc would do with the profits of our 

 promising crop and planning to put 

 more houses to violets the next season. 

 The weather during show week was 

 warm, the thermometer standing from 

 55 to 65 degrees at night. The wind 

 blew and the rain fell and was blown 



the 



tilators open, at least until my return. 

 What a sigh! I beheld! Eight hands 

 picking the spotted leaves off those mag- 

 niliccnt plants that but a few days pre- 

 vious we were banking on so confident- 

 ly. They were so checked that it was 

 not until toward spring that they fully 

 recovered. Had the ventilators" been 

 closed the crop would have been saved. 

 I have mentioned our principal failures, 

 thinking it might possibly be of value in 

 preventing others from falling into the 

 same costly errors. 



Propagation. 



We propagate our stock the last of 

 March and through April in two ways, 



from a 3-inch pot we prefer to a field- 

 grown plant, as it does not suffer a 

 check when planted. We plant direct to 

 the bench. Our plants are grown whol- 

 ly under glass the year around. Vevy 

 few are grown in the field in thi- vicin- 

 ity, unless it is the Primes- of Wales. 

 single. 



We prefer a , lay loam ,,f about three 

 parts to two parts of muck sod and two 



Un- 



touching ami covered with buds. Pick- 

 ing begins about the first of October 

 and in a couple ,,f weeks is in full 

 headway . 



Varieties and Treatment. 

 The principal variety grown i 



ami, ell. considered as being the 

 least liable to di^eas,.. the strongest 

 grower and the most free bloomer, pro- 

 ducing three flowers t f the dark 



vat i, t ies. Swanley White is successful- 

 ly grown with us, but in limited quanti- 

 fies. In dark violets Imperial is the 

 best. While requiring the same treat- 

 ment as Marie Louise, it has a larger 



