962 



The Weekly Florists' Review, 



The writer says, in part, as 

 follow - 

 The writer lias purchased small plants, 

 to ■:<■: inch pots, aggre- 



*7, to ■ i 



for ili«' past four years, and 1 can saj 

 that at least three-fourths of this 

 ent to advertisers in your 

 paper. There are many advertisers with 

 Whom we have dealt for many years, sua- 

 ph because theii stock is satisfactory, 

 the packing done properly, the boxes 

 light, yet strong enough to travel without 

 mashed. 



, evi r. mui h to learn in 

 even branch of our great trade. When 

 the advertiser states that the plants are 

 from 2 or 2%-inch pots, we naturally 



think that these plants had I n potted 



f 0I 8 ome time and are well established. 

 But this is not always the ease, and it 

 is not only that such fresh-potted plants 

 are always in poor condition to ship, but 



I i packing is also done. Some will 



give them a har.l soaking just before 

 packing, and squeeze the soil so hard it 

 is impossible to break the ball without 

 breaking all the ten. lei roots, so that 

 nothing is left but a rootless stick. Be- 

 sides, the purchaser has to pay a large 

 express bill for soil and water. Many oi 

 these plants are ordered to be used im- 

 mediately to till orders, and when in 

 nditW, it causes delay and loss. 



The man who sends out good stock 

 and in good condition will always re- 

 ceive much larger returns from his ads, 



his 



will 



Inn 



come again 



ng anything 

 II be reeoin- 



thej want and often ! 



mended to friends; while, on the other 



hand, when stork is not satisfactory, 



friends and neighbors will often bear 



of it. 



When a man is sidd out of certain 



gi-i 



e must be in the lot 

 Nutt ot Marvel and 

 the balance Ins own 

 B than LOO of a kind, 

 among the 400 S. A. 

 1,. 150 true to name, 



■' scarlet. ' The 400 



eonti id -tin true 



Later it proved tin 



\ in t were j 1 I 



the balance being 

 double and sing 



double whit il; 



double white, and many of the otto 

 Leties were put up in lots of 100 or more. 

 but many were badlj mixed and abso- 

 lutely worthless to us. Notx if this man 

 had 'dealt fairly he could undoubtedly 

 nave sold to us all the geraniums he 

 could grow afterwards. 



Another elass of plant dealers will, 

 when they receive an order and find that 

 their stock is hardly lit to send out, sim- 

 ply lav the order aside without acknowl 

 edgment and till it perhaps three or four 

 weeks afterwards. Sometimes such 

 stock is refused, and the c.d of it is a 

 great deal of kicking from both sides, 

 with the usua' "~ 



nish that both parties 



have lost money. Now I do not wish it 

 understood that there are many who are 

 making these mistakes, for it is a fact 

 that the percentage is quite small, and 

 1 believe that we are fast improving, as 

 we had much less trouble last year than 

 ever before, but through a few gentle 

 Kicks we might take a hint and try to 

 i inj.i ..\ e still more. 



The packing of plants is also of great 

 importance, for if the plants are packed 



I rlv they generally arrive in such a 



condition that a man can put one hand 

 ,n bis la-art and i he ether on his pocket- 

 book and crv: "tih! Lordv Mercy! What 

 shall 1 do with tin profits.'" The Flor- 

 ists' Manual is a valuable reference book, 

 which not only gives one a good idea of 

 the culture of many plants, but it also 

 tells you, in very plain language, how 

 to pack them. Many plants can be 

 packed lying Hat with' perfect safety if 

 Laid in the proper way. but all foliage 

 plants, and those with large leaves, or 

 plants for immediate use, should be 

 packed upright. Seme firms pack nearly 

 everything upright, in boxes or crates, 

 which is far the better way, but the tops 

 Of the crates must be strong enough, so 

 that the expressman can safely put one 

 on top of the other, or else the express 

 charges will be something enormous. 



Many firms, and especially the large 

 ones, are ver\ prompt to acknowledge the 

 order as soon as received, stating about 

 when the plants will be shipped, and then 

 send another notice when plants are 

 shipped. It is always proper to write at 

 once whether or not you can fill the 

 order, and it is certainly greatly ap- 

 preciated by the buyers, as they gener- 

 ally know 'then what they can depend 

 upon. 



There are now so many different varie- 

 ties of 'mums on the market that it is 

 impossible to keep track of them all. 

 Sometimes it appears to me that it the 

 advertisers would state the color and 

 season that it would benefit them. For 

 carnations it could be done almost in the 

 same manner, as some varieties are bet- 

 ter at one time of the year that at other 

 times. 



MONTEREY, CAL. 

 The accompanying engraving is from 

 a photograph of a portion of the grounds 

 of the Hotel del Monte, taken last win- 

 ter In the view are seen a few of the 

 ancient pines and oaks that form the 

 backbone of the landscape effects at this 

 famous place. When the grove was 

 cleared out it left most of the pines with 

 bare trunks, and this was most effeetive- 

 lv remedied bv covering the trunks with 

 English ivy, 'which is perfectly hardy 

 here and has made a prodigious growth. 

 Tim numerous vistas through the grove 

 of ivv chid trees, with a soft carpet of 

 s?reen grass below are really the most 

 attrnctho features' of the place. 



These effects are supplemented by a 

 liberal use of palms, arancarias and many 

 conifers, not commonlv seen in the east. 



,., side of the hotel is an immense 



bed of giant fuchsias that fascinates the 

 eastern visitor. They are veritable trees. 

 Nearly all plants reach immense propor- 

 tions 'here though cannas do not seem 

 to do so well as in the east. Probably 

 the cool nights account for this, for 

 while there are no severe frosts at any 

 time of the year-, the nights tire always 

 cool and frequently very chilly even in 

 midsummer. Geraniums are little seen, 

 but the pelargoniums are fine and make 

 a splendid display. 



Thomas Lee is the gardener in charge. 



