Decembek 2, 18SIT. 



The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



13 



Bed of Achillea The Pearl. 



surely would pay them well to grow them 

 as iudicated above; then instead of using 

 this pretty little flower only occasionally, 

 they would come to the conclusion that 

 it deserves to be emplo^-ed regularlv on 

 all occasions calling for light and airy 

 work. Ordinarily we see it used up in 

 the groundwork of funeral designs, where 

 little sprays are wound with wire so as to 

 form a little tight bunch about the size of 

 a carnation. All individuality is lost en- 

 tirely; we cannot distinguish the exquisite 

 shape of each separate flower — a bunch 

 of white is all that presents itself. The 

 loose sprays of finer and rarer flowers, 

 asparagus gref n or the adiantum fronds 

 over them partially hidethegroundwork, 

 and it may be all right in some instances 

 to assign a secondary place to this achil- 

 lea, but I would strongly advise the use 

 of this charming little flower, occMsion- 

 ally at least, in more prominent posi- 

 tions. A bunch of them on an ivv wreath 

 or on one corner of a pillow is decidedly 

 pleasing; try it and you will be con- 

 vinced. Being an e.xcellent keeper, it is 

 admirably well adapted for loose bouquets 

 or for vases when cut with long stems. 

 We may use it to advantage either alone 

 by itself or in combination with other suit- 

 able flowers. 



As to the culture or treatment of achil- 

 leas, very little need be said. Any or- 

 dinary jjood garden soil will answer if 

 well enriched, but they do best in a some- 

 what moist ground. They are as hardy 

 as anrthing we have and never need pro- 



tection of any description. The old es- 

 tablished plants will begin to flower in 

 June; the cor\'mbs on these are generally 

 smaller and more compact than those pro- 

 duced on the younger plants, especially 

 when planted rather closely in a bed; it 

 is for this reason that I advocate culture 

 in the field, where we always can count 

 on the largest cor\'mbs, which are never 

 so close and compact even on an older 

 row. The loose and spready heads are 

 certainh' preferable for cut flower pur- 

 poses or for arranging in vases, while the 

 more compact heads of last year's bed 

 are perhaps better used in the ground- 

 work of designs. 



During the month of August we usually 

 experience a prolonged dry spell, and the 

 plants, young or old, may then stop 

 growing, but one or two liberal applica- 

 tions of water will invariabh- start the 

 young growth again, and a continuous 

 supply of flowers can be expected with 

 certainty until late fall. I know of but 

 very few plants which are equally valu- 

 able in the home trade of the average 

 florist; it supplies him almost continu- 

 ously with serviceable material during 

 the entire summer and autumn, and at a 

 very small outlay a generous supply can 

 be grown. Out of a dozen plants or 

 clumps as they are sold by florists and 

 dealers, we can make several hundred, 

 because it is not good policy to plant 

 them imdivided; they do better when 

 onlv three or four tips are planted to- 

 gether, though from the undivided clumps 



we would perhaps be able to gather flow- 

 ers some weeks earlier, but later in the 

 season the production would be inferior. 



K. 



A NEW FUMIGATING IDEA. 



Through long years of experimenting 

 with various methods to fumigate plant 

 houses with tobacco, where a variety of 

 different plants were growing, we gener- 

 ally had difficulty to dislodge aphis from 

 verbena, lettuce, etc., without fumigating 

 so heavy that some other plants sufi"ered 

 serious damage. 



Of late years we have hit upon the idea 

 of using the fine waste from cigar manu- 

 factories. This is kept in a dry place to 

 keep it free from any dampness, or it will 

 not burn. We use little skeleton tin trays 

 I Yz inches deep, 15 inches long and about 

 4 inches wide, with a screen bottom, such 

 as is used for door screens. They are 

 nearly filled level with the tobacco, and 

 placed in the paths or under the benches, 

 with a 4-inch pot under the one end, a 

 few live coals are dropped in the lower 

 end and the work is dime. 



A house 100 feet long by 18 feet wide 

 will bear four to six of the traj'S. The 

 smoke will continue five hours, but at no 

 time so heavy that a person even not habit- 

 uated to using tobacco could go through 

 the house without inconvenience; but it 

 keeps up too long for the aphis, and one or 

 at most two applications and they are no 



