December 2, l^iiT 



The Weekly Florists' Review* 



15 



Group of Decorative Plants Exhibited by H. A.Dreer at the Recent Chrysanthemum Show of the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, Phila. 



like quart jugs, filled with liquor as I 

 knew was intoxicatin'; though o'course 

 bein' white ribbon myself, I can't say 

 what it was like. Well, one day I see 

 one of the elephants as was used to draw 

 water, loiterin' round them plants; when 

 he see me he starts off, sort of un- 

 steady like, and I wonder what was 

 up Looked to me like he wasn't quite 

 sober, but an elephant aint got much ex- 

 pression anyway, 'ceptin' in his ears, and 

 it wasn't my funeral, so I goes on with 

 my work. The next day, just as I set 

 down to dinner, I hear a row out in the 

 garden. I rushes out with the rest of the 

 fellows, and there we find that disreput- 

 able elephant, in a state o' disgustiu' in- 

 toxication, rootin' up them pitcher plants 

 with his trunk, and wavin' them around 

 his head, like he was invitin' the crowd 

 to take somethink at his expense. I was 

 reg'larly shocked; you can't have no idea 

 what drunkenness is till you've seen an 

 elephant on a tear. You see, that de- 

 praved animal had learned as the liquor 

 in the pitchers was intoxicatin', and he'd 

 kept at it till he saw a reg'lar menagerie 

 every step he took. I've never wanted a 

 pitcher plant on the place since." 



Jaggs reached down a lo-inch pot full 

 of sulphur with the air of a man who 

 had conveyed a deep moral lesson, and 

 started for a rose house before his audi- 

 ence had recovered sufficiently to ask any 

 questions. The session was over for the 

 day. 



CULTURAL NOTES. 



As winter sets in, and in fact through- 

 out that season, one of the mo>.t import- 

 ant matters is firing, and second only in 

 importance to the man who waters with 

 judgment is the watchful ami experienced 

 fireman. 



It is, of course, understood that every 

 small grower cannot afford a regular 

 night fireman, bnt it would probably be 

 found a paying investment on any well- 

 conducted establishment comprising 

 25,000 square feet of glass or upwards, 

 from the fact that greater econoniy of 

 fuel and a much more even temperature 

 may be thus maintained, beside enabling 

 the proprietor to enjoy many a peaceful 

 night's rest that could not be had under 

 other conditions. The maintenance of 

 an even temperature is one of the essen- 



tials to success in the many forcing op- 

 erations that are carried on at this season, 

 for even the easiest subjects to force into 

 growth at an unnatural season are quite 

 susceptible to a check after that growth 

 has been started, and, on the other hand, 

 too high a temperature will result in a 

 weakened and spindly growth. 



In the plant houses, also, the evil 

 effects of over-firing are soon apparent, 

 and among decorative plants, palms, for 

 example, a weak growth, thin foliage, 

 and a predisposition to disease is liable to 

 result, and at the same time the various 

 insect pests increase rapidly. The ma- 

 jority of our regular decorative palms are 

 found to take at least a short period of 

 rest from active growth, though in the 

 case of the kentias this period is much 

 less marked than with latanias, arecas, 

 and phcenix. 



Araucaria excelsa kept in a tempera- 

 ture of not higher than 55° at night, 

 seems to .stop growing from about De- 

 cember 1st to February ist, and thus 

 gives us a hint that repotting at that 

 time of year is not likely to be very 

 beneficial, and had better be deferred 

 until the latter part of March at least 



