688 



The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



MARCH 24, 1S9S. 



can be bloomed the following May, and 

 with less risk of failure than earlier. 

 The seed is most minute and for di- 

 rections about sowing refer to chapter 

 on that subject. Would say here that 

 it should never be covered, a piece of 

 glass over the seed pan being suffi- 

 cient. 



When the little plants are large 

 enough to handle place them in pans 

 or pots an inch apart. When they are 

 near touching each other put into 3- 

 inch pote. By December they will be 

 large enough to go into 5-inch pots and 



to grow, plenty of fresh air and a low 

 temperature. Bright sun coming sud- 

 denly in early spring is liable to burn 

 their leaves, so a temporary shade 

 should be provided, but not a perma- 

 nent one till they are near flowering 

 time. 



Sail: A rather light loam, not chop- 

 ped or sifted too fine, with a fourth or 

 fifth of thoroughly rotted manure, will 

 gjow them well. If the soil is heavy 

 add sand to the manure. I am sure it 

 pays well when they are in the larger 

 pots, the 5-inch and upwards, to drain 



NEW YORK. 



Hjrfaaceous CakeDlaria. 



I l-rom riie Florists' M.inu.ii. tn Wni. Scott.] 



as they must be wintered cool they will 

 not need another shift till the first of 

 March, when they can go into their 

 flowering pots, a 7 or S-inch. 



Calceolarias are not as often seen in 

 either the florists' windows or the pri- 

 vate garden as their great beauty 

 should warrant, and the reason is that 

 although they cannot be called a diffi- 

 cult plant to manage, they are easily 

 ruined by neglect or mismanagement, 

 'the following conditions if faithfully 

 observed will insure success. 



Watering: At no time must they be 

 allowed to wilt for want of water, and 

 like the cineraria must never be over 

 watered or that will kill them: avoid 

 extremes both ways. No syringing is 

 needed. 



Temperature: In the dull, dark days 

 of winter 40 degrees at night is plenty 

 warm enough. In Europe they are 

 largely grown in cold-frames. Here 

 that is not as practicable, but from 

 seed sowing till middle of November 

 a cold-frame is much the best for 

 them. Let them at all times be so 

 situated that they can have light, room 



with a lew crocKs and a piece of green 

 moss. 



Insects: They are seldom troubled 

 with any but the common greenfly, but 

 to those the calceolaria is a choice 

 morsel and too often a fine batch of 

 young plants is utterly ruined by them. 

 Don't wait till you see the fly, but 

 smoke mildly every week at least 

 without fail, and till they are taken to 

 the show-house should always have 

 tobacco stems strewn among the pots. 

 There is no feature in the cultivation 

 of the calceolaria so important as this; 

 never let aphis be seen on them. 



The shrubby section of calceolaria is 

 used in Europe largely as a summer 

 flowering garden plant. The writer has 

 tried it here several times but always 

 with failure and that I believe is the 

 general verdict: our hot summer is the 

 obstacle. As a flowering plant for the 

 greenhouse they are not nearly 

 as ornamental as the herbaceous va- 

 rieties. The same cultural directions 

 will apply to them excepting that they 

 are usually propagated by cuttings, 

 which root readily in the fall in a cool, 

 shady frame. 



The 'Wholesalers. 



The less said about the market and 

 prices the better, this week. Lent has 

 gotten in its work with a vengeance, 

 and prices have been as low as any 

 time this winter, and as irregular as a 

 day in April. A fair indication of bus- 

 iness may be understood when I say 

 that Mr. John Raynor, the Beau Brum- 

 mel of the street, is wearing a blue 

 necktie. Next week, if trade continues, 

 they will go into mourning. 



A continuance of warm weather has 

 riddled prices, and there are no set- 

 tled values. Shipments of roses are 

 daily increasing, with a falling off in 

 quality, which was most apparent in 

 Maids. Long Beauties are getting to 

 be a glut, and the price is correspond- 

 ingly low, some having been sold as 

 low as 5 cents and not higher than 15 

 cents. 



Carnations are selling comparatively 

 well for the number received, fine 

 Scotts reaping the benefit, if any. 



People who have smilax have the 

 best thing in the market at this writ- 

 ing, and the only thing that has ad- 

 vanced in price. Other lines are all at 

 a discount, and to quote prices would 

 be like figuring on May wheat and 

 cause my ostracism on the street from 

 now and henceforth. But brace up; 

 Easter will soon be here, then it will 

 be your turn again. 



"The two Macs," MacDonald and Mc- 

 Manus. who are making a specialty of 

 orchids, among other varieties are 

 handling some specially fine flowers of 

 Cattleya Trianae and Mendellii. 



Walter F. Sheridan is handling the 

 new white carnation. "Monarch," 

 grown by F. W. Miles, Plainfield, N. .1. 

 If the price realized for these blooms 

 is an indication of its stability, it wjll 

 be the white carnation of the future. 



Thorne & Co., Flushing, L. I., are 

 sending some grand Maids and Brides 

 to John Raynor. Mr. R. handles an 

 exceedingly fine line of goods and is 

 making goodly preparations for Easter. 



James M. King handles the dark ma- 

 roon carnation. Meteor, grown by F. 

 R. Barrett, Highwood, N. J. The fiow- 

 ers are large and of exceptional color, 

 with stems 30 inches in length. 



Millang & Co., in addition to their 

 cut flower department, will open an 

 annex for the handling of Easter 

 plants, which has proved very success- 

 ful in former years. 



M. A. Hart, who recently moved into 

 more commodious quarters, finds that 

 increased facilities means increased 

 business. Mr. Hart handles a general 

 collection of cut flowers, roses and car- 

 nations being the leaders. 



Seed'and Bulb Trade. 



The exceptionally open winter has 

 transformed the seed stores into hives 

 of bees. The rush is unprecedented for 

 the time of year; one house alone is 

 five days behind with their orders, and 

 "they're still a-coniin'," As I write. 



