Januaky 13, 1898. 



The Weekly Florists' Review* 



301 



Livistona Rotundifolia. 



twice a week. The insects attack the 

 flower bud when very young and tender 

 and the injury results in malformed 

 flowers or "bullheads." If the attack 

 comes when the flower is partly developed 

 the outside petals are blistered. The 

 American Beauty seems to be especially 

 attractive to thrips and Mr.- Buettner fumi- 

 gates his Beauties more frequently than 

 other roses on that account. t)f late years 

 he has vaporized tobacco extract instead 

 of smoking, and has found this as efi'ect- 

 ive and better than smoking, and just re- 

 cently he has vaporized Nikoteen with 

 good results. He is now experi- 

 menting with the Nikoteen paper. He 

 thinks this may be useful in summer 

 time when it is less convenient to heat 

 irons for vaporizing. He uses the hot 

 iron method of vaporizing. Pans of the 

 tobacco extract or Nikoteen are placed in 

 the house and then a hot iron dropped in 

 the liquid. 



He finds that thrips are most trouble- 

 some in hot, dry weather. He has had 

 houses apparently quite free from thrips, 

 which after a few days of hot south wind 

 in Mas would be suddenly alive with 

 them. Such a condition must be met by 

 thorough fumigation or vaporization not 

 less than three times a week until the 

 pest is subdued. 



He notes that the plants in the coolest 

 end of a house of Beauties set buds first, 

 and finds that a house of blind Beauties 

 can be forced into bloom by keeping cool 

 and on the dry side. A grower who had 

 kept his Beauties too warm and whose 

 plants were all blind, acted upon his 



advice as to keeping cool, but gave too 

 much water, and failure was the result, 

 but later when both conditions were ob- 

 served there was a fine crop of flowers. 



Mr. Buettner al.so prefers two or three 

 eye cuttings of Brides and Bridesmaids, 

 for the reason that the long cuttings have 

 more foliage and there will be enough 

 leaves left in case some should drop 

 while the cuttings are in the bench. He 

 always uses blind wood for cuttings. The 

 w'ood must be ripe, but not too hard. 



LIVISTONA ROTUNDIFOLIA. 



Though not actually a new species, it is 

 only ill the last few years that the dwarf 

 Fan Palm, as Livistona rotundifolia is 

 frequently termed, has become available 

 as a regular trade species, this condition 

 depending in a great measure on the sup- 

 ply of seed and the readiness with which 

 it may be germinated, other necessary 

 qualifications being assured. 



In the species here illustrated the 

 necessary good qualities of beautiful form 

 and color, combined with moderately 

 rapid growth are all present, and while 

 the supplies of seed offered have been by 

 no means excessive, yet enough has been 

 received to bring this palm into deserved 

 prominence before the plant-buying 

 public. 



The fan-like leaves of L. rotundifolia 

 are nearly circular in outline, but divided 

 into a large number of narrow segments, 

 the latter being split or bifid at the tips, a 

 characteristic coinmon to the leaflets of 

 livistona. The leafstems are stiff and 



armed with strong, recurved teeth, that 

 are usually brownish in color, and the 

 base of the steins is more or less sur- 

 rounded with brown fibre, this being- 

 more noticeable as the plant attains age. 



In habit this plant is compact, and for 

 trade purposes is most useful in 4 to 5- 

 iiich pots, though it also seems probable 

 that a market would be found for well 

 grown specimens of somewhat larger size, 

 were they to be had. In its native habitat, 

 the Malay Islands, L. rotundifolia grows 

 to a height of fifty to sixty feet, and pro- 

 duces leaves five feet in diameter, the 

 leafstalks also becoming six or seven feet 

 long, from which it will be seen that the 

 dwarf habit of its juvenile form may be 

 altogether missing in the mature palm. 



Tlie seeds of this palm are about the 

 size of large peas, and nearly round in 

 form, and wdien fresh seem to germinate 

 about as freely as those of its relative, 

 Livistona chinensis, ( Latania Borbonica ) 

 providing they are sown in light soil, 

 kept moi.st and given moderate bottom 

 heat. 



The young plants of L. rotundifolia 

 are somewhat susceptible to over-water- 

 ing, especially during the winter, but 

 should be syringed thoroughly to dis- 

 courage red spider, the latter being a 

 likely pest in a greenhouse kept at 65° 

 to 70° at night, which seems to be aliout 

 the right temperature for this plant when 

 small'. W. H. Taplin. 



WORK FOR FLORISTS' CLUBS. 



The following was read before a recent 

 meeting of the Morris County Florists' 

 Club by Mr. John Jones: 



Mr. President and Gentlemen: — I 

 wish in a brief way to make a few 

 remarks on the past and future of our 

 club, and to make a few suggestions for 

 its benefit. 



First. I propose a vote of thanks to 

 the officers who have worked hard from 

 the first to make our club a success, and 

 also to the many friends who have backed 

 us up so liberally with their gifts and 

 encouragement. 



Second . I propose that the members 

 bring any grievances they may have 

 before the club at its monthly meeting to 

 settle any disputes, and so understand one 

 another and let good fellowship prevail. 



Third. The club .should be made as 

 helpful as possible to all. I think the 

 club should be made a medium between 

 those needing help and those needing 

 employment. A question box and one 

 for information. 



Fourth. Members in the trade could 

 present samples and price lists, ami 

 should be patronized as far as possible 

 instead of non-members. 



Fiftti. The club should be a purchas- 

 ing bureau, furnishing its members with 

 supplies at wholesale rates. 



And now, gentlemen, all we need to 

 make us successful in the future is unity; 

 with this we need not fear millionaire 

 florists or anybody else, for we are strong. 

 Without unity no club ever did or ever will 

 stand. We must be prepared to meet 

 with differences of opinion and to give in 

 sometimes for the general good of our 

 club. 



