MARCH 3, 1S98. 



The Weekly Florists^ Review. 



575 



r 



Cut Flo^ver Department. 



Seed and Supply Department. 

 GLIMPSES OF THE WHOLESALE STORE OF E. H. HUNT, CHICAGO. 



three weeks in a temperature of 60 de- 

 grees at night, they will be in fu 1 

 ■flower. With us they are particularly 

 good this year. 



Hybrid Perpetual Roses. 



If hybrid perpetual roses are dis- 

 tinctly showing their buds you have 

 them nicely in hand, and a night tem- 

 perature of 55 degrees will bring them 

 about right. A light fumigating is 

 very necessary. It will certainly not 

 hurt them before they show color, and 

 if neglected you will surely be at- 

 tacked by aphis, for the young tender 

 growth of H. P. roses is as toothsome 

 to the green fly as the late banquet at 

 Chicago was to the rural members. 



Bulbous Stock. 



Very briefly I will mention that it is 

 much too early to bring in any bulb- 

 ous stuff for Easter, but occasionally 

 very misleading statements ci'eep into 

 print, and you might be the victim of 

 misplaced confidence. The weather has 

 so much to do with bringing this bulb- 

 ous stuff into flower. If it were planted 

 in October and November, and ordi- 

 nary conditions prevailed, it will by 

 early April be so near its natural 

 flowering time that but a few days in- 

 side is sufficient. So I will briefly say 

 for Dutch hyacinths allow 14 to 18 

 days: single tulips and Von Sion nar- 

 cissus, 18 to 20 days, and double tulips, 

 22 to 24 days. 



Lilies. 



The Bermuda and Harrisii lilies will 

 be receiving many an anxious glance 

 these days. I have repeated several 

 times and with all the earnestness at 

 my command. "Be early enough and 

 have a few days to spare." To be defi- 

 nite, I would say that if the buds, the 

 lowest ones which are the earliest, are 

 two inches long five weeks before 

 Easter you are safe and they will not 

 need a forcing temperature, but will 

 come on in time in a night tempera- 

 ture of 55 to 60 degrees, which, for a 

 flowering lily, is almost below the nat- 

 ural heat they would receive out of 

 doors during their flowering time. The 

 longiflorum are late with us. More's 

 the pity, for they are extra fine in 

 quality. They have never been cooler 

 than 60 degrees at night since they 

 were one inch high, but yet they are 

 only just showing bud at this time, 

 and will want at least 70 degrees at 

 night and 85 degrees daytime to get 

 them in flower. When once the buds 

 are above the leaves you can smoke 

 regularly and mildly. The puncture 

 of the very small bud by green fly 

 often ruins it and accounts for that 

 whorl, twist and burst, which are oft- 

 en seen. This trouble has nothing to 

 do with the disease. If you are foolish 

 enough to retain any of them you will 

 find that as fast as the plant develops 

 the new parts are attacked, and the 

 buds, being the last part of the plant 

 formed, show the disease last, but it 

 will get there sure enough and effectu- 

 ally close up the petals. Throw them 

 away before they have a chance to 

 make you ill-tempered or produce mel- 

 ancholia. Spiraea should not be too 

 early or it loses its beauty. If show- 

 ing its flower spikes now, it will be in 

 plenty of time. 



Temperature. 



The month we are about to enter 

 again is a busy and anxious one, and 

 trying to the temperament, watchful- 

 ness and ability of the one in charge. 

 We often have great extremes of tem- 

 perature in March and in old fashioned 

 houses, heated with old-fashioned 4- 

 inch pipes, suffer sadly with overheat- 

 ed houses on bright days. The tem- 

 perature may have gone down to 15 

 degrees below during the night, neces- 

 sitating hard firing till daylight, and 

 so when our earth dips to east and we 

 tiny creatures are blessed with one 

 more opportunity .to gaze upon that gi- 

 gantic mass the origin of all heat and 

 life, which some of our flippant friends 

 call "old Sol," he is beaming down 

 upon us with such energy that our 

 glass-covered structures are away up. 

 Much of this cannot be prevented, but 

 much can be helped. The earliest hand 

 around, and that should not be later 

 than 6 a. m., can easily see if we are 

 going to have a bright day, and the 

 furnace door can be opened, fires made 

 dead, and just as soon as possible a 

 small crack of air put on. It's wonder- 

 ful what a lot of good a little ventila- 

 tion will do if applied early, and so 



