December 2, 1897. 



The Weekly Florists^ Review, 



Vase of Naturally Grown Chrysanthemums. 



and largely due, I am convinced, to the 

 unnatural treatment the plants receive 

 (luring the winter. Some growers place 

 their old stools out in cold frames, cover 

 them up and leave them for the winter, 

 and this practice is perhaps more to be 

 commended than leaving them under the 

 benches to have the life drawn out of 

 them, but unless the winter is mild only 

 the stronger kinds start away good in the 

 spring and lots of varieties may need to 

 be renewed. 



Next week I will give a list of varieties 

 that we have found most useful on ac- 

 count of shipping, keeping, and other 

 qualities. 



New Jersey. Ch,\ri,es Tottv. 



VASE OF CHRYSANTHEMUMS. 



Our illustration represents a vase of 

 chrj-santhemums "grown naturally," and 

 include the varietie.';, Daisy, semi-double 

 white; Silver Cloud, blush white; De- 

 fender, dark crimson; the old fashioned 

 Elaine, white; W. H. Lincoln, yellow. 

 These should find a ready market, but 

 alas! beauty and ic-sthetics are not always 

 a marketable product, though what could 

 be handsomer for decorative purposes! 



We know a grower who shipped fifty hand- 

 some sprays like these to a wholesaler, 

 but his returns were only 50 cents, and 

 he says he will attempt no more the edu- 

 cation of an exacting public who want only 

 what is "fine and large" and colors that 

 are equal to one-hundred candle power. 

 The wholesaler, however, is no friend 

 of the chrysanthemum, and dreads the 

 day of its first appearance, and his heart 

 is made glad by its exit. But you may 

 break up the vase and do what you will, 

 the large chrvsanthemum will stay with 

 us still. ' H. A. B. 



THE STATUS OF THE CHRYSAN- 

 THEMUM! 



The wonderful strides made in the im- 

 provement of the flower in the past five 

 years or so, both in the high culture 

 given it and also in the perfection of new- 

 varieties, causes the question to be asked 

 anxiously each recurring autumn; "Have 

 we reached the limit in size, color, form 

 and general perfection?" The answer, 

 we think, is still in the negative, for 

 nnich remains to be accomplished before 

 we have reached the ne-plus-ultra in the 

 three principal colors. 



Our method of staging chn,-santhe- 

 mums with long stems and foliage, shuts 

 out from the exhibition table a large per- 

 centage of all foreign varieties introduced, 

 as well as ninety-nine per cent of Ameri- 

 can seedlings which are fine in nianv par- 

 ticulars but lacking these two essentials. A 

 very few years ago, we were not so hard 

 to please but now, fixture, a hard stetn. 

 wiilth of li/oom, combined with clfptJi and 

 fuUncss, foliiiye up to the flower, not to 

 speak of color, all of these are requisites 

 in all new applicants for favor. 



The qualifications for the successful en- 

 try of varieties in classes for exhibition 

 demand the same characteri.stics that 

 have placed the most popular standanl 

 commercial varieties where they are to- 

 day, and in addition the exhibition sorts 

 nmst of necessity have size also. 



The tests applied to a new variety are 

 very severe, and it must pass them with 

 a good percentage before it can enter the 

 social circle of its tried and older friends 

 of the true aristocracy of the chr\santhe- 

 muni family. All this tends to the im- 

 provement of the family and the new 

 variety which has run the gauntlet of the 

 committees may, ten chances to one, be 

 depended upon as a real acquisition. 



The Exhibitions. 



An inquiry into the success of the fall 

 shows of 1S97 would be ver%- interesting 

 to the trade at large, and even more in- 

 structive than entertaining. A re\-iew of 

 the various large exhibitions shows an 

 almost unanimous report of a higher 

 quality than ever of cut blooms, an aver- 

 age quality of specimen plants, fine ex- 

 hibits of roses, carnations, \-iolets, or- 

 chids, palms, ferns, table decorations and 

 designs; and yet with the notable excep- 

 tion of Chicago, the general report is a 

 smaller attendance and "7tot a success 

 hnuncinUy," followed almost invariably 

 Jly the statement that the show had been 

 well advertised, the decorations and 

 music were fine, and nearly all the shows 

 enjo3'ed fair weather on a majority of the 

 days. 



Where lies the trouble ? Are the people 

 growing tired of flower shows ? Is the 

 admission fee too high ? Do they want 

 more variety, and if so, how in the name 

 of Flora can it be g^ven them ? Must it 

 be under the patronage of the "Ladies of 

 the 400," or is it works of art that the 

 public crave as a surrounding for the 

 flowers ? We confess that we can't an- 

 swer what the public wants. 



We observe that high admission fees, 

 as at the Astoria, do not bring out crowds 

 of the exclusives, nor does the twent\'-five 

 cent fee attract great crowds elsewhere. 

 We do not think that lack of variety can 

 be alleged against many of the exhibitions 

 for they are no longer chrysanthennmi 

 shows, but are true flower shows instead. 



We do not claim that our shows have 

 reached perfection, by any means, for 

 every year we see room for improve- 

 ment; our vases are not always in keep- 

 ing with the treasures that they hold 

 either in color or in form; very much can 

 be done in the way of providing effective 

 backgrounds; and w'e sin oftenest in set- 

 ting our vases on tables so high that the 

 visitor nmst look up to the underside of 

 fine blooms, when he longs to look down 



