610 



The Weekly Florists^ Review. 



MARCH 10, 1S9S. 



vines grown in a very retentive soil, if air, and allow the sub-laterals to run 



libei-ally treated, are almost sure to 

 crack their fruits, unless very judi- 

 ciously handled. 



If W. M. will consider those items 

 collectively, and maintain a fairly dry 

 atmosphere, with a good circulation of 



unchecked from the time that coloring 

 starts, the chances of cracking will Ije 

 reduced to a minimum. Madresfidd 

 Court will take on a good color and. 

 finish up well under heavy shade. 



VITUS. 



^/.^ 



NEW VARIETIES OF 18^7. 



Mayor Pingree. — Those who saw 

 this variety as shown by Mr. Rudd at 

 the exhibition in Chicago will agree 

 with me in the assertion that Mayor 

 Pingree as shown there is a grand 

 flower. And Mr. Rudd has demon- 

 strated that it can be grown, and 

 grown with profit, too. With the 

 prices he realizes in the Chicago mar- 

 ket for such blooms, he can well af- 

 ford to be satisfied with a few blooms 

 less to a plant, then he can cut from 

 many other varieties, and still be 

 ahead. The general report regarding 

 this variety is that it is a little shy. 

 The most notable feature is the flow- 

 er stem: its length and strength are 

 remarkable; and when, as it appears. 

 one stem represents the length and 

 strength, crowned with a flower as 

 large as two of Scott, we must not be 

 BO unfair as to expect the same num- 

 ber. Nature may assume changes, 

 make deviations in one genus of 

 plants, but we can hardly expect to 

 double a plant's growing power at a 

 point where the limit is nearly reach- 

 ed. 



Our plants have furnished so far 

 quite as good flowers as those shown 

 at the Chicago exhibition, and under 

 rather adverse circumstances as I have 

 stated in my former notes on new va- 

 rieties. Its habit is good, gi-owth 

 strong, flower stem par excellence, the 

 flower large and of a pleasing form 

 when fully developed. In the opening 

 of the blooms we notice a peculiarity 

 rather unpleasing. and this is the in- 

 curving habit of the petals, but give 

 the flower time and the petals will 

 straighten out, or nearly so. with only 

 a slight upward curve. When arriv- 

 ing at the stage of going to sleep the 

 petals curve and roll up again, making 

 the opening of the blooms remind one 

 too much of their closing, otherwise 

 they are quite good keepers. One 

 other defect I have noticed on our 

 plants is that from 10 to 12 per cent 

 of the flowers come with split calyces, 

 although the calyx seems strong and 

 well built. 



This variety was sent out with con- 

 siderable rust, but I believe with good 



care and selection of stcck. it cnn be 

 eliminated. Our plants do not show 

 susceptibility to rust as do many other 

 varieties, and appear now compara- 

 tively clean. We find bacteriosis as 

 it is seen in most other varieties. We 

 have not lost any plants with stem rot. 

 Taken all in all this variety is a d ■- 

 sirable acquisition, and will be grown 

 for many years to come. 



Harrison's White.— To give an illus- 

 tration of the general opinion in re- 

 gard to this variety, I will give the 

 verdict of one of our customers as a 

 sample of many like communications 

 received, and which I fully indorse: 



"Harrison's White in same house 

 with Scott acts very differently. It is 

 a very healthy, fine looking plant and 

 produces very fine flowers on good 

 stems of much better quality than 

 Scott, but have had till lately very 

 few blooms. It would take an acre de- 

 voted to it to give enough flowers f:r 

 Christmas cutting (until some means 

 is discovered so that it will mature ear- 

 lier). With us it does not look like 

 Scott any further than that it is a car- 

 nation, for while Scott is a sea of 

 blooms and buds, Harrison's Whit? 

 is a compact mass of shoots wa ting 

 for Easter with a few flowers inter- 

 spersed." 



This is a very modest opinion, con- 

 sidering the general condemnation 

 this variety receives, and it is needless 

 to add anything more regarding its 

 parentage, for everybody is convinced 

 that it is not a sport from Scott. The 

 general opinion is that it is Puritan 

 renamed, but under the peculiar cir- 

 cumstances the disseminator detected 

 this supposed sport justified him in 

 believing it a sport from Scott. 



It is far from my intention to ad- 

 mit any dishonest motives or to cast 

 any reflection on the disseminator, but 

 it teaches us a lesson regarding the 

 instability of a too quickly formed 

 opinion concerning a new variety. Ii 

 this case the illustrious reputation of 

 the supposed parent blinded the eyes 

 of everybody, even those of experts, 

 and the result is loss and disappoint- 

 ment. On the other hand, will not 

 this cause us to reflect, and be less 

 hasty in condemning a new variety be- 

 fore we have given it fair trial? Har- 

 rison's White had a fair tria', as the 

 very large diss?m'.nation shows, and 



was found wanting. Had every new 

 \ariety that has been condemned such 

 a fair trial? 



There were two more white varieties 

 disseminated last year, which do not 

 come up to expectations, and these are 

 Nivea and Ontario. I do not doubt in 

 the least that they have been satisfac- 

 tory to the disseminators, and like 

 many other varieties will be valuable 

 in the locality where they originated. 

 With us they are of poor growth, e.^- 

 pecially Nivea. The stems are weak, 

 flowers rather pretty, but small, and 

 I cannot suppress the opinion that 

 their cultivation is a step backward. 



Morello. — This was the only scarlet 

 introduced the past season and is a 

 good grower, but not so good a bloom- 

 er With us. Not giving it a satisfac- 

 tory trial and not hearing much about 

 it, I will give it another trial this com- 

 ing season. So far. however, it has 

 been inferior to Jubilee and Dazz e 

 with us; but this will not exclude the 

 possibility, that in other sections it 

 may prove superior. 



FRED DORNER. 



VIOLET NOTES. 



While the making up of designs and 

 the growing of plants are two different 

 things, yet the grower should know 

 how to use what he raises, in the most 

 artistic way. thereby, to a large extent, 

 increasing the demand for the product 

 of his hous?s. This applies especial y 

 to the violet grower, as violets lend 

 themselves readily to rich, massive de- 

 signs, even more than to light airy ones 

 and still they are excellent for these 

 if they are properly combined with the 

 right greens. In bunching for street- 

 wear, a long bunch made by using a 

 leaf for every two or three violets and 

 then commencing to wind with one of 

 these for a point, adding on each s de 

 and top. making a long flat bunch with 

 the foliage showing all through it, and 

 finish by covering the last winds of 

 thread with a violet ribbon to match 

 (about number 2), and my word for it 

 your lady customers will call for such 

 a bunch the second time, for several 

 reasons, the ease with which it is fas- 

 tened to muff or corsage, and princi- 

 pally its improved appearance. 



In making up funeral designs a com- 

 bination of ivy leaves and violets is 

 very rich and appropriate, especially 

 for business men and e'.derly persons; 

 columns, crescent wreaths, sickles, 

 etc., being especially good designs for 

 this combination. 



In bunches to ship, the first impres- 

 sion of the consignee on opening tha 

 box is worth a good deal. In this mat- 

 ter much depends on the manner of 

 bunching and the arrangement in 

 packing. Previous to this season, the 

 flat topped bunch with the leaves regu- 

 larly arranged around the edges have 

 been demanded despite the fact that 

 they were clumsy, stiff and formal, but 

 this season the demand has been for an 

 artistic, properly arranged bunch, 

 made by placing the lower ends of ths 

 stems even, allowing the flowers to be 



