OCTOBEE 22, 1903. 



The Weekly Florists' Review. 



873 



PLEA FOR FORCED DAFFODILS. 



While admitting the beauty of forced 

 hyacinths and polyanthus narcissus, I am 

 convinced that the money lavished on 

 these would be better spent on some of 

 the standard varieties of those general 

 favorites, the daffodils, says a writer in 

 an English contemporary. They are quite 

 as easy to grow, are considerably cheaper, 

 at least, than named hyacinths, are far 

 superior for cutting, and even for dec- 

 oration more than hold their own. Of 

 course, it may be argued that the range 

 of color is rather limited. This, of 

 course, is so, but the many beautiful and 

 varied shades of yellow are admired by 

 all, while glaring colors are favored only 

 by the few. 



As a rule, daffodils will not stand hard 

 forcing. It is therefore advisable to 

 pot up early, so that they may be brought 

 along quietly, and yet be in their full 

 beauty long before those in the beds and 

 borders outside. "Where large quantities 

 are wanted for cutting, much space can 

 be saved by planting the bulbs in boxes. 

 Boxes about five inches deep are excel- 

 lent for the purpose. Unless the potting 

 loam is very poor no manure should be 

 used, for the majority of the daffouiis 

 resent manure, especially in a fresh state. 

 If it is absolutely necessary to enrich the 

 soil, old mushroom-bed dung is the safest. 

 If good turf is at hand, pull it to pieces 

 with the hands, add about one-third its 

 bulk of good leaf-mold, and enough 

 sharp sand to keep porous. The only 

 other ingredient needful is fine ground 

 bone of good quality. The daffodil seems 

 to greatly appreciate this latter, and it 

 may be used quite freely if it is known 

 to be pure. Do not pot in wet, sticky 

 soil; rather wait till it dries a bit. Five, 

 six, or seven-inch pots may be used. 

 Drain carefully, and do not make the 

 soil too firm, especially below the bulbs. 

 The pots must be plunged outside for 

 eight or nine weeks at least, then taken 

 to a cold frame for a time, and then 

 gradually admitted to the greenhouse. 

 At first a temperature below 50 degrees is 

 best for them, but after the flower-stems 

 show, if wanted for any special purpose 

 at any certain date, more heat may be 

 given. 



After the pots are well filled with 

 roots weak manure water may with ad- 

 vantage be given them. Also, it will be 

 found that Iehthemie guano, a dessert- 

 spoonful to the gallon of water, applied 

 occasionally, is a great help. 



A word about suitable varieties, and 

 I have done. The bieolors are always 

 greatly admired, and probably Victoria 

 forces as well or better than any other. 

 Horsfieldi, Empress and Grandis. too, are 

 indispensable. In the self class nothing 

 could beat Emperor for pot culture. 

 Henry Irving, Golden Spur and Maximus 

 are also in the first class for our purpose. 

 In other sections we have Sir Watkin, 

 Stella superba, Barrii conspicuus, and 

 Nelsoni major. 



I mention none of the very new varie- 

 ties, as it would be rather risky to try 

 to force them. All I name are sure 

 doers, are fairly cheap, and all very 

 beautiful. 



Eldorado, Ia. — John Poland has his 

 new greenhouse nearly completed and 

 ready for business. 



Des Moines, Ia. — I. W. Lozier now 

 has a range of' 35,000 feet of glass, hav- 

 ing added 15,000 feet this season. They 

 anticipate a good season. 



SOME SIMPLE SNAKE STORIES. 



Tommy strolled around the end of the 

 potting shed, dragging a long blacksnakc. 

 distinctly dead, which he heaved over the 

 fence into a vacant lot. Jaggs, who was 

 re-enforcing his suspenders with a twist 

 of copper wire, looked up interrogatively. 



"It was that fool cat," explained 

 Tommy. "He's that proud o' catching 

 snakes that he always takes 'em into the 

 house to give the missus a treat. Seems 

 like he mislaid that last one, and went 

 off to look up his dinner somewheres else. 

 The ladies wasn't pleased; I think one 

 of 'em found the snake sittin' on the 

 sewing machine. ' ' 



"Beats all how scared women is of 

 snakes," remarked Jaggs, cutting off an- 

 other piece of wire. "Not as I'm par- 

 tial to 'em myself, especially them nasty 

 tree snakes. I pretty near run right over 

 one once when I was shinning up a treo 

 to get away from an ostrich. I 've had 

 a few narrow squeaks in my time, but 

 that was about the nearest. ' ' 



"I suppose you was spendin 

 afternoon down at the zoo,' 

 the man from Duluth. 



' ' 'Tain 't likely as you ever 'eard o ' 

 South Africa," continued Jaggs, with 

 deep sarcasm. "If you 'ad gone down 

 there to free them poor sufferin ' Boers 

 like you used to talk, you might have 

 learned somethink about tree snakes, and 

 ostriches, too, as you don 't know now. ' ' 



"Never mind him, old man," advised 

 Tommy; "the only ostrich he ever see 

 in his life was the sword swallower in a 

 dime museum." 



There was a temporary lull in the con- 

 versation when Pharaoh, the cat, was 

 seen to climb the fence, triumphantly 

 bringing with him the defunct snake. 

 He dragged his prey past Tommy with 

 ostentatious defiance, and disappeared in 

 the direction of the house, stopping occa- 

 sionally to get a fresh grip on the slip- 

 pery snake. 



' ' I never thought, when I left South 

 Africa, as a bloomin ' old cuttlefish would 

 save my life," continued Jaggs, shaking 

 his head thoughtfully. "It shows as a 



cuttlefish 'as some intellect eve 

 ain 't 'andsome. ' ' 



"Think so?" queried Tommy, who was 

 tenderly polishing his venerable meer- 

 schaum with a ragged silk handkerchief. 



"O' course," began Jaggs, "I 'adn't 

 ought to ha' went to Sarawak. It was 

 that time as I went eollectin ' for the 

 Indian Tfajah — him as was death on 

 pitcher plants. I reckon I told you about 

 his pet elephant as got an elegant cas* 

 o' the jim-jams from drinkin' that there 

 fly-poison in the nepenthes. Talk about 

 temperance literature! A sight o' that 

 there bloomin ' old elephant makin ' a 

 disgraceful spectacle of himself was 

 enough to sober a Bowery panhandler. 

 And all along o' them innocent lookin ' 

 pitcher plants, as never ought to be let 

 into a prohibition state. 



"■What's that you say, Jimmy? You 

 never heard of pitcher plants as was in- 

 toxicatin ' 1 If you'll just stop and think 

 how many things you haven't heard vet. 

 Jimmy, you won 't say nothink about 

 pitcher plants. I s'pose you know them 

 there inside kills bluebottle flies — ain't 

 it reasonable that a nepenthes as the 

 Rajah had to feed on chickens would in- 

 toxicate an elephant? 



"There's one thing about Polynesia as 

 I'd jolly well like in Jersey," continued 

 Jaggs, who was mending his lingerie by 

 the simple expedient of puckering the 

 holes up into little knots, and then twist- 

 ing a bit of wire around to hold the 

 ragged edges together. "It's the only 

 place I ever see where shirts grow on 

 trees. All a chap has to do is hunt up 

 a tree about his size, take out a buddin ' 

 knife and there you are." 



"I suppose, when it's in full bloom, 

 you wouldn 't know one o ' them trees 

 from a Troy laundry, ' ' remarked Tommy 

 frivolously. 



"There you go, tryin' to mislead them 

 as hasn't 'ad our advantages again," 

 said Jaggs reproachfully. "There's too 

 mauy chaps as comes back from their 

 travels and tells a lot o' fairy tales — 

 them bloomin ' botanists is always doin ' 

 it. There was one of 'em as up and 

 told me there wasn't no man-eatin' tree 



