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IIOHTIC i; LTUHK 



April 20. 1918 



horticulture: 



TOL XIVII APRII. 20, 1918 WO. 16 



ITIII.I^Iirn WKKKIY HY 



HORTICULTURE PUBLISHING CO. 

 1^7 Summer Street, Boston. Mass. 



\VU. J. 8TIiWAKT, Eilllnr nni) MaiuLcrr 

 Telrpbone, D«>*ch t9t 



BDtfrrd «• aFroDd-cUM matter Drcemhrr 8. 190I, (t the Poit Ofllce 

 ■t BoitoD Ma«a , tiDder tbe Act of CoDgreaa of March 3, 187S. 



CONTENTS Page 



COVKK ILUSTlLVriOX — Prize Table Deconillon 

 with Baby lloll Roses 



VEGKTABLB CULTl'RE — Potatoes — Leeks — Sweet 

 Corn — Globe Artichokes — John Johnson 385 



THE PUBLICITY CAMPAIGN 387 



CLUBS AND SOCIETIES — Gardeners' and Florists- 

 Club of Boston — American Dahlia Society — Meetings 

 Next Week — Nassau County Horticultural Society — 

 Chrysanthemum Society of America — Westchester 

 and Fairfield Horticultural Society— Notes 388-389 



OBITUARY— Harry Michell— Edward A. Baker— Eliza 

 McKinley — Peter Barker — John J. Glenn — Mrs. 

 George A. Smith — Joshua Vose — Mrs. A. C. Rapalje — 

 Frank K. Lameraux 390 



SEED TRADE— Public Hearing Regarding Restric- 

 tions on Importations of Plants and Seeds — Philadel- 

 phia Seed Trade 392 



Chicago Seed Trade .Notes 402 



OF INTEREST TO RETAIL FLORISTS: 



Prize Dinner Table Decoration — Illustrated 387 



Store Window Publicity — Henry Penn 



New Flower Stores 394-395 



FLOWER MARKET REPORTS: 



Boston, Chicago, Cincinnati, New York, Philadelphia 397 

 Pittsburgh, Rochester, St. Louis, Washington 399 



LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS: 

 Philadelphia, Fall River, Washington, Chicago, Pitts- 

 burgh, St. Louis, Boston, New York 400 



MISCELLANEOUS: 



Vegetables Started in Flower Pots 387 



Beware of This Swindler 387 



Not a Bad Idea 389 



Abutilon Sieboldi, illustrated 389 



Two Big Violet Prizes— Personal 389 



Vegetables or Flowers 391 



The Big Gun, poetry 391 



News Notes 391 



Visitors' Register— Business Troubles 399 



P. T. D. Emblem Competition 399 



Sober Facts 400 



The Horticultural Patriot 401 



Catalogues Received 401 



Greenhouses Building or Contemplated 402 



^^'e were rather surprised to find in 

 Short-sighted one of our widely circulated horticul- 

 advlce tural exchanges an article recommend- 



ing the wild "moccasin flower," Cypri- 

 pedium acaule, as a desirable and easily managed plant 

 to force into bloom in the winter. The only way this 

 plant can be procured is by robbing the woodlands 

 where it grows naturally and it is already almost ex- 

 tinct in many localities where it was formerly jjlentiful, 

 mainly through the wanton picking of the flowers, 

 which are indispensable to its reproduction by seed. 

 This lovely wild flower will disappear rapidly enough 

 without putting new ideas into people's heads whereby 

 its extermination may be speeded up and, since there 

 is no lack of attractive and easily-grown subjects for 

 winter culture, why not let it alone? It is much too 

 precious to be recklessly torn up and its gathering 

 should instead be discouraged as much as possible. 



'I'lie businci^B |)rospc<;t8 for the imme- 



Prospects diiitc future of tlie horticultural in- 



and problems dnstrics genornlly seem not any too 



of the hour bright. It is a widespread belief that 



the coal problem, while temporarily 

 allayed, is by no means overcome and the labor quea- 

 tion enters into all phases and will be an increasingly 

 hard nut to crack. The improiiability as regards im- 

 ports this year of bulbs, plants, and other material 

 which always figures strongly in the carrying-on of the 

 business in this country, now looms up seriously with 

 the chances decidedly unfavorable, judging from the 

 present outlook. The streak of micerlainty in this mat- 

 ter is what gives to it its most disturbing character. If 

 assured bpyoml any doubt that foreign-grown flower 

 bulbs would under no circumstances be allowed to enter 

 the country durinir the year to come, the trade could and 

 undoubtedly would proceed to adapt itself to those con- 

 ditions but who can say that, notwithstanding rulings 

 that may have been made to the contrary, the bars will 

 not be let down at the last minute next fall and, as has 

 happened before, the country loaded up with an ava- 

 lanche of stuff for which no calculation had been made 

 and which by its presence would bring, as heretofore, 

 more or less demoralization and loss to all who had tried 

 to adjust their business to accord with the exclusion of 

 these commodities. 



We siiall probably see quite a substantial 

 Our decrease this year in the amount of glass 

 first duty devoted to the growing of ornamental ma- 

 terial. Very few new greenhouses will be 

 ]iut up and many e.'.tablishnients that have been par- 

 tially or wholly shut down the past season will liardly 

 come back for the present, while there are probably not 

 a few others that will follow suit. It is, however, quite 

 possible that the inevitable curtailing of production, in- 

 stead of the continual increase to which we have been 

 long accustomed, may have a bracing elTect on the flor- 

 ist trade, tending to more substantial and regular values 

 and thus offsetting somewhat the influence of the more 

 moderate buying by the public which, for very obvious 

 reasons, the trade now accepts as a factor in the imme- 

 diate business future. 



It is most encouraging to note how loyally and with- 

 out murmur the trade accepts the burden which is 

 peculiarly theirs. They take the attitude that no sacri- 

 fice can be too great if necessary to the winning of a 

 decisive and permanent peace on terms that will con- 

 serve all that we hold dear. Whether florists or farm- 

 ers, seedsmen or nurserj'men, it is their whole-souled 

 ])urpose to so adjust their economic and business exis- 

 tence to conform to that national industrial solidarity 

 which is our only salvation in the crisis that we must 

 now face and make an end of forever. From what we 

 know from frequent intercourse with the people in the 

 horticultural industries it is very evident that they will 

 not be outdone by any other class in patriotic effort and 

 in willing sacrifice in every possible way that may help 

 their Country in this life and death grapple between 

 democracy and militarj' autocracy. It is impossi- 

 ble to go through such a titanic struggle with- 

 out great sacrifice and it is only right and 

 just that we who stay at home and do not put 

 our life blood into the conflict should willingly bear 

 our share in other ways. To win the war is the one 

 [laramount proposition and our trade uncertainties and 

 Inirdens all put together are as nothing if their infliction 

 onlv contributes towards ultimate victory for the Cause. 



