JANUARY 27, 1S98. 



The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



375 



View of Conservatory from the store. 



In the Conservatory. 

 THE NEW STORE OF L. L. MAY & CO., ST. PAUL. 



general offices are located on the Min- 

 nesota street side of the building, en- 

 trance to same being had through the 

 conservatory, the conservatory being 

 the- connecting link to the two wings 

 of the building. 



S. D. Dysinger. 



DAPHNES. 



These are Chinese and Japanese 

 plants of easy culture, though com- 

 paratively slow growing. Daphne in- 

 dica has long been highly esteemed for 

 its delicious fragrance, and there are 



few European gardens where a collec- 

 tion of plants is grown but have some 

 of it. Its name is suggestive of Indian 

 origin, but it comes from China and 

 thrives admirably iu the temperature 

 of an ordinary greenhouse. Although 

 its dowers are not large and showy, it 

 would find popular favor by reason of 

 its fragrance, one little plant in flower 

 being sufHcient to scent a room with an 

 odor that would please the most fas- 

 tidious, as though powerful, it is not 

 oppressive. In the rank of sweet scent- 

 ed flowers I would place it next to the 

 rose and in any decoration where plants 

 are largely used a few of this daphne 

 interspersed would help immensely to 

 give satisfaction, and would further 

 elicit many inquiries as to the source 

 of the exquisite perfume that would 

 pervade the air. 



Daphne indica is a dwarf growing ev- 

 ergreen bush, and is not a plant to re- 

 commend to the ordinary grower who 

 has one course of treatment for all 

 things, but the man who endeavors to 

 familiarize himself with the needs and 

 peculiarities of the plants he is grow- 

 ing may take hold of this daphne with 

 llie prospect of meeting with success in 

 its cultivation. Heaths are not grown so 

 easily as geraniums, but already we 

 have seen evidence here that good plant 

 growers can grow marketable stock. 

 The daphne comes into this category 

 of plants and wants similar careful 

 handling iu the matter of potting and 

 watering. By nature a sparse rooting 

 subject, overpotting is the main thing 

 to avoid, for if overpotted and soaked 

 with water the few roots it has will 

 speedily be lost. I have seen plants 

 grown on into flue specimens occupy- 

 ing pots 12 and 14 inches in diameter 

 and kept healthy and floriferous for 

 years by some of the past masters in 

 the art of specimen growing, but the 

 object of these notes is to recommend 

 it to the trade, and it would naturally 

 find the best market in pots of smaller 

 sizes — from 41/2 to 8 inches in diameter. 



It used to be a general practice to 

 graft Daphne indica upon small stocks 

 of Daphne Me^.ereum, this last being a 

 common plant in the woods of north- 

 ern Europe, but this stock is not pro- 

 curable here and is utterly needless, as 

 Daphne indica can be rooted from cut- 

 tings and does just as well upon itsown 

 roots. Cuttings are taken from the tips 

 of the shoots and should be made about 

 three inches in length, stripping off a 

 few of the lower leaves. A good time 

 to propagate it is in the late summer 

 or early fall days. Insert the cuttings 

 in sand, in pots or pans, and place 

 these in a frame on the north side of a 

 house or some other cool, shaded spot, 

 keeping them close and moist until on 

 examination a callus is found to have 

 formed at the base of the cutting. 

 They cannot be hastened in this, and 

 there must be no attempt to do so, 

 but just as soon as well callused an in- 

 crease in the temperature facilitates 

 rooting, so they may be removed to a 

 house where a night temperature of 

 50 degrees can be maintained, still. 



