478 



HORTICULTURE 



October 10, 1908 



A RHODE ISLAND INDUSTRY. 



Wc treated ourselves a few days ago 

 to a trip to Auburn, R. I., where is lo- 

 i one of the largest rose-growing 

 establishments in New England, that 

 of J. Budlong &. Sons Co., and where 

 we had beard there was something 

 worth seeing in the line of rose cul- 

 ture under glass under the manipula- 

 tion of our old Boston celebrity, John 

 Pritchard. 



It is certainly a big place. A creek 

 divides it into two sections, one of 

 which is devoted largely to carnations 

 with a block of about 20,000 roses, and 

 the other is entirely in roses. It is the 

 last mentioned which is under Mr. 

 Pritchard's care and which concerns us 

 at the present time. With the excep- 

 tion of a large grafting bouse which is 

 utilized for Kaiserins in summer time, 

 this range consists mainly of six mod- 

 ern houses each 700 ft. in length, cov- 

 ering about 140,000 sq ft., and shelter- 

 ing about 50,000 plants, principally 

 Bride, Bridesmaid, Killarney and Rich- 

 mond with experimental blocks of re- 

 cently introduced novelties, and we do 

 not hesitate to say to any one wish- 

 ing to observe the maximum possibili- 

 ties with the varieties named that he 

 cannot do better than take a trip to 

 Auburr., and that he will find the time 

 and expense a good investment, no 

 matter how far he may have to travel 

 to get there. A record of forty flowers 

 per plant for the past year may be 

 quoted as to productiveness, and the 

 score card of one house shows an ag- 

 gregate of 290,000 roses cut for the 

 year. The plants are one, two or three 

 years old, the latter being the limit 

 of best usefulness in Mr. Pritchard's 

 opinion. 



The equipment is of the very best, 

 and to this fact must be attributed a 

 portion of the phenomenal results 

 obtained, for no rose grower, however 

 proficient he may be, can be expected 

 to strike a winning gait unless sup- 

 ported by the most liberal and up-to- 

 date policy in regard to equipment. 

 There are four manure tanks of 4000 

 gallons capacity each in constant use, 

 and pumping apparatus capable of 

 keeping fifteen men at work at the 

 same time distributing liquid manure 

 through 3-4 in. hose. The roses are 

 planted in solid beds, shallow benches 

 having been discarded as producing in- 

 ferior results. 



One most important feature of Mr. 

 Pritchard's tactics is the cutting back 

 of the plants so as to produce succes- 

 sive crops. Each house is thus manip- 

 ulated in tour or five sections so as to 

 have a rotation of crops and avoid 

 swamping the market a f any period. 

 The cutting back is done though the 

 summer- at intervals of about two 

 weeks. Wood is trimmed down to 

 about three eyes regardless of whether 

 a r:ip';tnt crop of flowers is sacrificed 

 or not. It is now discontinued aud the 

 different sections are moving along in 

 order with clock-like regularity, but 

 by springtime will have gradually 

 drawn closer and closer until they are 

 practically together again. In cutting 

 flowers from now on, several eyes are 

 always left. Mr. Pritchard doesn't be- 

 lieve in sacrificing wood at this time 

 of the year. 



In addition to the regular men in 

 the house, a number of girls are con- 

 stantly employed picking up dead 



"TEXAS HEATH" AS A FLORISTS' FLOWER. 



Physostegia Yirginica var. grandi- 



flora, popularly known in the flower 

 markets as "Texas Heath." has 

 achieved some little recognition the 

 past season among the Boston florists 

 and has also made its entry into the 

 New York and several other markets. 

 The best success with it is when it 

 has been grown to single, rather slen- 

 der stems, instead of the big, some- 



what coarse heads that it produces 

 when allowed to grow naturally, 

 especially in a rich soil. It "makes 

 up" very prettily in wreath form as 

 the picture shows. The engraving is 

 from a photograph of wreath and vase 

 exhibited at the fall show of the Mass. 

 Horticultural Society in Boston, Sep- 

 tember 11-13, by F. W. Fletcher Com- 

 pany. 



leaves and keeping the beds always 

 clean. One of their duties is to follow 

 the men cutting the flowers and carrj 

 the blooms as they are handed to them 

 one by one. When an armful has been 

 gathered the girl carries them to the 

 cooling room, where they are at once 

 placed in jais of water. The freedom 

 of action thus given the cutter and the 

 careful handling of foliage and flower 

 make a material difference in the ap- 

 pearance of the blooms when mar- 

 keted. 



Steam has been turned on these 

 houses every night during the sum- 

 mer regardless of outside temperature. 

 Mr. Pritchard has one bench of Kil- 

 larney with canes bent down as an ex- 

 periment, and they are breaking 

 handsomely. Most of the new roses 

 are being tried, and Mrs. Jaidine, 

 Queen Beatrice and My Maryland look 

 especially promising. Enchantress is 

 the favorite variety in the carnation 

 section. While all look elegant, the 

 palm at present must be given to one 

 house of Enchantress planted last 

 June with plants direct from t lie pots. 



On the evening of October 4 a disas- 



trous fire destroyed a large barn with 

 47 horses and much hay, the loss 

 amounting to about $30,000. 



CATALOGUES RECEIVED. 



American Nursery Company, New 

 York. — Folder of special offers of fine 

 trees and hardy shrubs for fall. 190S. 



S. S. Pennock-Meehan Co., Philadel- 

 phia — Illustrated folder of the new 

 forcing rose White Killarney "The 

 Waban Variety," new carnation O. P. 

 Basselt and other plants. 



A credit to the wholesale supply 

 trade is the superb catalogue just is- 

 sued by the S. S. Pennock-Meehan 

 Co.. Philadelphia. Ribbons and fine 

 fancy fabrics of many weaves have 

 been given the premier position in 

 this profusely illustrated book and 

 bring one to an almost startling real- 

 ization of the enormous growth of this 

 branch of the florists supply business 

 within a few years. Every wide- 

 awake flotist will want a copy. 



