658 



The Weekly Florists' Review, 



JUkch 19, 1903. 



them in flower as we need here, and that 

 method has often been described in the 

 pages of the Review. By the end of 

 March we have to put the valley roots 

 into cold storage if we want them to 

 flower through the summer months, for 

 they should not be the least bit started 

 when put away. Now, I would think 

 that the middle of February would be 

 late enough in Florida to begin to arrest 

 growth. 



It is my misfortune that I have never 

 been in the land of alligators, cocoanuts 

 and oranges, but hope to go there some 

 day. It is the land of flowers. Per- 

 haps the winters are too warm for the 

 beautiful lily of the valley. The hya- 

 cinth once planted should, I think, be- 

 come almost a weed. It has just oc- 

 curred to me that possibly H. V. B. has 

 no glass and his inquiry refers only to 

 cultivation out of doors. Then, all you 

 can do is to have these flowers in their 

 season, and I don't know when that 

 would be. 



llain storms often spoil a fine bed of 

 valley out of doors with us at the end 

 of May, but that is easily prevented. 

 Get some cheese cloth and give it a heavy 

 coat of linseed oil and stretch that over 

 the bed, tipping it in some direction to 

 throw ofT the rain. 



William Scott. 



VIOLETS. 



^Vhen is the proper time to propa- 

 gate the double violet for greenhouse 

 culture and how is it done? Also, how 

 should young plants be treated during 

 summer, and when is proper time to 

 bench? V. A. W. 



In answer to V. A. W.'s questions 

 above would say first in regard to the 

 "proper time," that it is nearly past 

 and he will need to "hustle," as plants 

 propagated late in the season lack in 

 vigor and stockiness in comparison with 

 those taken earlier in the season. If he 

 has made no previous notes as to his 

 best plants to take his stock from, he 

 will jiave to do the best he can now, 

 taking care to take cuttings only from 

 thrifty, healthy plants, furnishing long- 

 stemmed, double, dark-colored flowers. He 

 should select only the stocky, firm, 

 short-jointed runners, trimming off any 

 roots that may have already started, 

 and then place in sand in the propagat- 

 ing bed. Tliey should have plenty of 

 fresh, cool air and no bottom heat. 



As soon as they have nicely struck 

 roots they should be pricked out in flats, 

 when they will require a shading for a 

 few days from the sun until they have 

 taken hold of the soil. Be sure to give 

 plenty of air and light until the gi-ound 

 is fit to work out of doors, and you can 

 then plant them out. 



After planting out in the ground they 

 should be frequently cultivated with the 

 hand cultivator and kept free from 

 weeds, and it will also be necessary to 

 go over them with care every few days, 

 cutting off the runners and picking off 

 the dead leaves, etc., for in order to 

 have good violets one must keep them 

 always clean and growing. 



Tliey should be lifted in the fall as 

 soon as it gets cool and the soil is in 

 good shape for such work. If you can 

 plan to do this when you are going to 

 have several cool, cloudy days so much 

 the better, and you will need to shade 

 the house for awhile anyway. Give them 

 a thorough soaking as soon as benched, 

 tlien only keep the air moist and cool 



for a few days until they again take 

 hold. 



Tliese directions are necessarily brief, 

 as V. A. W.'s questions really cover a 

 whole treatise on growing and would ne- 

 cessitate more room than "ye editor" 

 would wish to spare in any one issue of 

 the Review, but I have tried to touch 

 the main points. However, if I have not 

 made all clear I am ready to be further 

 interrogated and will answer to the best 

 of my ability. 



I might add that violets on benches 

 are with us always a failure in compari- 

 son with those grown in solid borders, 

 and if you are so situated that you can 

 grow them in the border I would advise 

 you to do so by all means. If you do 

 this, only plant out your surplus stock 

 outdoors, planting your house as soon as 

 you can get it in shape, and the young 

 plants are nicely established and grow- 

 ing in the flats. Of course the house will 

 have to be heavily shaded during the 

 summer and given all the ventilation 

 possible, and the violets will need the 

 same care and cultivation that they 

 would have in the field. You gain in 

 several ways doing this; it is a saving 

 of time in the fall for one thing, and 

 they do not receive any check to their 

 growth, not haWng to be moved, etc. 

 There will naturally be some plants that 

 fail, and whenever this occurs lift from 

 the field stock and fill in at once. 



R. E. Shuphelt. 



NEW YORK. 



American Institute Show. 



If the schedule of the American Insti- 

 tute rose show had lH;cn published ear- 

 lier, and some of the exhibits had not 

 been sidetracked, there would have been 

 a much more extensive report to make of 

 this usually interesting spring exhibi- 

 tion. The entries for exhibits of roses 

 from Henry Hentz, Jr., and Benjamin 

 Dorrance were canceled at the last mo- 

 ment, but nevertheless a fairly creditable 

 show drew the usual interested critics 

 from the ranks of the six hundred. The 

 gardening contingent from within fifty 

 miles of the city were gathered in large 

 numbers, and some interesting occur- 

 rences might be reported as to their con- 

 ferences, did space permit. Hale's new 

 seedling cypripedium and Bretanzel's 

 new seedling rose both received certifi- 

 cates of merit. Siebrecht & Son's palm 

 and blooming plant collections were very 

 much required and appreciated, and the 

 orchid exhibit of Lager & Hurrell was, 

 as usual, most creditable. The judges 

 were Frank Moore, William Turner and 

 Mrs. Tanner. 



The orchid exhibit consisted of forty- 

 five varieties, among them a "Trichopi- 

 lea" from Costa Rica, a beautiful varie- 

 ty, that has only been in the hands of 

 this firm for a few months, and of which 

 they have a nice stock. R. Allen re- 

 ceived a cultural certificate for ciner- 

 arias; John N. May for "Bride" carna- 

 tion; W. C. Russell, for new deep crim- 

 son carnation, "Daheim," and George 

 Hale, for Primula obconica. Special 

 prizes were awarded Dailledouze Bros, 

 and C. F. Bretanzel for carnation ex- 

 hibits. 



In the rose classes Geo. H. Hale won 

 firsts on Maid, Kaiserin and Carnot for 

 single blooms; Howard Nichols for Me- 

 teor, Bride, Gontier and Balduin (Helen 

 Gould) ; Peter Duff on Beauty, Golden 

 Gate, Mrs. Ames and Testout; W. C. 

 Russell on Morgan; F. Bretanzel on 



Perle. The Bri^r Cliff Greenhouses won 

 the $50 prize for 50 blooms of American 

 Beauty. Lager & Hurrell were first for 

 display of orchids. C. H. Allen was 

 first for five varieties of carnations and 

 W. C. Russell for three varieties. G. 

 T. Schuneman won first for double vio- 

 lets and Geo. H. Hale for singles. There 

 was an interesting competition in the 

 classes open to private gardeners and 

 amateurs only. 



Notes. 

 St. Patrick's Day caused a "flurry" 

 and stiffened up prices a little. There 

 was quite a demand for violets, and a 

 fairly encouraging outlook for the week 

 aided by the colder weather. Several 

 dinners were on the list for the evening, 

 and notwithstanding the cloudy weather 

 the sun was shining rather more bright- 

 ly for the retailers than for a week 

 back. Shamrocks were much in evidence 

 and green tassels quite the thing for 

 violet dressing. 



Mackintosh had the decoration for 

 Deputy Chamberlain Campbell and vio- 

 lets and shamrocks made the tables ap- 

 propriate for a "saintly" celebration. 

 Bougainvilleas and Crimson Ramblers 

 are the Easter specialties of this am- 

 bitious establishment. 



A funeral order of $600 including a 

 pall of violets and a grand wreath of 

 the same, with many other designs and 

 bunches, kept the whole force at Alex. 

 MeConnell's busy all night on Monday. 

 David Foulis, who has been superin- 

 tendent of the landscape department nf 

 ]Mr. MeConnell's business for some years, 

 died of pneumonia Monday, aged 70. 

 Mr. Foulis was one of the oldest florists 

 in the city and a man of fine literary 

 ability and sterling integrity. He was 

 born in Scotland and came to this coun- 

 try in the early sixties, forming a part- 

 nership with Mr. Beattie in 1867 and 

 opening a retail store at Twenty-first 

 and Broadway. Some time after he 

 started a store on Broadway between 

 Forty-second and Forty-third streets, 

 which he continued for many years, giv- 

 ing up retailing for landscape work, 

 in which he excelled. Notwithstanding 

 his age he was vigorous . and efficient, 

 and his sudden taking away was unex- 

 pected. He commenced his work in this 

 country as gardener for the Hoyt estate 

 at Astoria, was very fond of his national 

 sport, curling, and a member of the Cale- 

 donian club. His last work was the 

 superintendency of the construction of 

 the sunken gardens at Lake wood, N. J. 

 Mr. McConnell speaks very highly of 

 his ability and character. 



Many of the wholesale stores are han- 

 dling blooming plants this year, and tile 

 wholesale cut flower region, which in- 

 cludes Twenty-sixth to Thirtieth streets, 

 begins to look like a garden. Some splen- 

 did windows have already developed and 

 before the end of the week very few of 

 the wholesale houses will be without 

 their "plant department." 



The department stores are arranging 

 for special decorations this Easter, and 

 the purchases of blooming plants for 

 these places has been enormous, both 

 in Brooklyn and New York. As usual, 

 with the exception of the few which 

 maintain con.servatories, the stock .sent 

 out will be cheap in every respect be- 

 fore it reaches the homes of customers. 

 Grippe is almost epidemic in the city. 

 Few of the prominent members of the 

 trade have escaped. Geo. Saltford has 

 had a few rounds with the enemy, and 

 after a three days' effort managed to 

 overcome it. 



