668 



The Weekly Florists' Review. 



September 17, 190S 



liberal and much interest is manifest. 

 President Arthur Herrington is vising his 

 best endeavors to forward the prepara- 

 tions. He has secured the co-operation 

 of many of the horticultural societies in 

 the east and this will go far toward get- 

 ting together the great amount of choice 

 material necessary to fill so vast an area. 



ROSES. 



Seasonable Hints. 



Roses which were planted during June 

 should now, if they have been properly 

 handled, require their first mulch. The 



£ liny roots should now be so close to 



the surface that stirring the surface will 

 do Hi. in an injury. To receive full and 

 immediate benefit from the mulch it 

 should be made fine by passing it through 

 a :; ,-inch screen. In this form it is more 

 easily assimilated, and does not require 

 so much material to cover the surface as 

 if used in a rough state. 



One-half inch in depth is quite suffix 

 cient at this season if the material is 



rich enough, as it is better to apply light- 

 ly and frequently than to run any risk 

 of souring the soil by putting it on too 

 thick. 



As the season advances and the de- 

 man. I for Beauty buds increases there is 

 "it present the desire to cut with as 

 long stems as possible and a warning to 

 young growers against this practice is 

 seasonable. Cutting too close denudes 

 the plant of too much foliage, bringing 

 about a check to root action which causes 

 them to assume a hard and stunted form 

 which they usually retain till spring 

 growth commences. 



WAn cutting Meteors and Kaiseriu 

 it is advisable to leave at least three or 

 four fully (level, .pcd buds on the strong- 

 er stems, thus assuring a plentiful sun- 

 pl.v of foliage to keep the roots in activ- 

 ity and lessen the tendency to take ad- 

 vantage of a winter's rest. To get an 

 early supply of long stems on Golden 

 Gate and Ivory a constant supply of 

 fresh food in the form of mulch will be 

 necessary until it is safe to apply liquid 

 f 00d. RlBES. 



CARNATION NOTES— WEST. 



Seasonable Treatment. 



After you have your carnation plants 

 started to growing in good shape, the 

 supports in place and, of course, the beds 

 cleared of all weeds and dead foliage, 

 and a mulch spread on, there is not a 

 great deal to do until the next support 

 is needed and disbudding begins. As I 

 have said before, we allow some of the 

 stronger plants to bloom soon after they 

 are established, only pinching those 

 plants that are a trifle undersized. Of 

 course we do not allow all the varieties 

 to come into bloom so early, as many 

 sorts will produce only worthless blooms 

 while the weather is very warm. Flora 

 Hill and Crocker and, in fact, all the 

 good summer bloomers, will do all right, 

 but most of the reds, Mrs. Lawson while 

 the stem is short, and many others, had 

 better be kept from blooming for a few 

 weeks yet. 



We do not top the shoots so young 

 after the plants are housed as we do 

 out in the field. The growth is naturallv 

 softer and if you top the young soft 

 shoots the beaks are apt to come weak. 

 We allow them to form the bud and grow 

 until the bud is half grown before ton- 

 ping. By that time the side shoots usu- 

 ally have started of their own accord and 

 they come away strong. Take the shoot 

 off well down toward the body of the 

 plant, especially if the variety does not 

 naturally grow bushy. Always aim to 

 keep the body of the plant compact, 

 whether you merely top to prevent 

 blooming, or when you are cutting the 

 blooms later on. Allowing the buds to re- 

 main on the plant so long also gives you 

 a chance to let them come into bloom 

 quickly, if the w^eather should turn cool 

 or the market demand the blooms. Don 't 

 forget that following the first killing 



(rests and up to the chrysanthemum sea- 

 son there is always a good demand for 

 carnation blooms, especially white ones. 

 Be ready to supply that demand when it 

 comes. 



This is a good time to begin preparing 

 your carnation soil for next season. Car- 

 nations like a well composted soil. As 

 has been said before in these notes, the 

 best way, if you have your own ground 

 and teams, is to select a niece of good 

 heavy sod and plow it up to a depth of 

 six inches, leaving it over winter in a 

 rough state, just as it was plowed. To- 

 ward spring, while it is frozen on top 

 enough to hold up a wagon, haul on it a 

 covering of two inches of good manure. 

 Cow manure if you can get it. otherwise 

 use stable manure with straw bedding. 

 If the soil is quite heavy, I would prefer 

 the latter, but ordinarily I prefer the 

 cow manure. Early next spring this 

 should be hauled into a pile where it 

 will be convenient to the houses when you 

 want to refill them. 



Many growers, however, have to de- 

 pend on getting their supply of soil from 

 whatever source they can, very often tak- 

 ing the top soil from a new street that 

 is being opened up. In such cases you 

 are obliged to pile it up, and I don't 

 know but what it is just about as good 

 as the former. Dump a layer of soil 

 about eighteen inches deep and spread 

 four inches of manure over it, after 

 which alternate with layers of soil twelve 

 inches deep and manure in layers three 

 inches deep. Allow this pile to lie until 

 earlj spring, when it should be turned 

 over and mixed and again a few weeks be- 

 fore you begin to use ii. 



Now about the old soil you took out 

 of your houses. There are many growers 

 who raise nearly all cut flowers and the 

 disposition of the old soil is almost as 

 vexations as securing the new. Those 

 who raise bedding and a general assort- 

 ment of pot plants can use much of this 

 soil, but the cut flower specialist can 't 

 do that. If you have an empty lot where 



you can spread it out to a depth of 

 about one foot you can get this soil back 

 into a usable condition in about three 

 years' time, and with not very much 

 work. ()1 course you did not mix the 

 old plants in with the soil. We alwavs 

 take them out first and burn them, to 

 destroy any red spider, thrips or disease 

 with which they may be afflicted. After 

 spreading out the soil sprinkle well with 

 slaked lime or wood ashes and sow down 

 in rye and leave until spring, when I 

 will have more to say about it, I hope. 

 A. F. J. Bato. 



PRICE FOR CARNATION CROP. 



Several readers having inquired as to 

 equitable terms for a season's contract 

 for a crop of carnation blooms, one of the 

 large growers shipping from Chicago 

 gives us the following ou the subject: 



We have often been asked to set a 

 price on carnation blooms for the entire 

 season. Seven or eight years ago the 

 writer did make contracts which he lived 

 up to, furnishing blooms during Decem- 

 ber, January and February at only half 

 the price they would have brought had 

 they not been contracted for, and as 

 soon as the spring glut came on t'><- 

 other parties of the contract commenced 

 to find fault with every shipment, 

 wrangled that they were getting the 

 worst of it, and eventually threw 111. 

 their hands and refused to pay the 

 agreed price, thereby breaking the con 

 tract and teaching us a lesson we shall 

 not soon forget. If we thoroughly knew 

 our man, however, we would be willing 

 to furnish first-class blooms of the fol 

 lowing varieties for the entire season, 

 commencing October 1 to July 1, at. 

 these prices: 



Per 100. Per 100. 



Prosperity $4. .".ft En. -huntress $4.50 



Apollo 3.0ft Est. He 2.75 



Qii i I... ulse .... 2.25 N.h-m-.-iv 3.00 



Lawson 3.00 Roosevelt 2.75 



In years past we could have made a 

 reasonable profit for a good deal less 

 figure, but not since the ririce of gla«=. 

 lumber, real estate, wages, coal, pipe 

 and all other supplies have advanced so 

 much, to say nothing of the extra care 

 and labor now given the plants, and 

 which we are compelled to give them if 

 we are to compete with the high grade 

 quality now being put on the market. 



Another way to set a price is as fol- 

 lows: 



■s all-! 



•§!« Id e-i 



lJtcts. 1 ctl. 



Nov i - 2 •' 



Dec ti " 5 " 6 " 4 " 3 " 



Jan 6 " 4 " 4 " 4 " 3 " 



Feb 6 " 3 " ;t 4 " 3 " 



March.. .6 " 3 •• 3 " i " 3 " 



April.... K " 3 " 3 " 4 " 3 " 



May i " 2 " 2 " 2 " 1 " 



June 2 " 2 " 1 " li& " 1 " 



Ave (H - 3 •• 2H " 3 " 2« " 



1 am inclined to think the latter 

 method the best. It is understood that 

 every carnation is a good one, no weak 

 stemmed, off colored ones or bursted 

 calyxes. I think any fair minded grow- 

 er or retailer will agree that the above 

 prices are very fair to both parties when 

 only first-class stock is taken into ac 

 count. 



Albert M. Herr, secretary of the Amer- 

 ican Carnation Society, says that for 

 such varieties as Apollo, Prosperity, En- 

 chantress, Estelle. Queen Louise, Nor- 

 way, Lawson and Roosevelt, at least $4 

 per 100 should be asked for a contract 

 price from October 1 to the week after 



