52 



HOKTICULTUEE 



January 13, 1917 



Obituary 



Asa L. Brown. 

 Asa L. Brown, for many years a 

 well-known and highly-esteemed flor- 

 ist of Kearny, N. J., died on Decem- 

 ber 21 aged 68 years. A widow and 

 one son are left. 



Mrs. Paul Huebner. 



Mrs. Huebner wife of Paul Huebner, 

 landscape gardener for the Reading R. 

 R. system who was reported as being 

 seriously ill with double pneumonia in 

 our last issue, died on Jan. 4, 



John M. Elser. 

 John M. Elser, S3 years old. known 

 as the first forester in Pittsfield, Mass., 

 who planted most of the elms which 

 line the city streets, and selected the 

 famous Roosevelt elm, planted by the 

 then President in 1902 in the yard of 

 former Senator Crane's home, died of 

 heart trouble on January 8. He and 

 Mrs. Elser were at one time awarded 

 a prize for having the largest family 

 in New England, 17 children. Thirteen 

 of the children survive. There are 

 nearly one hundred grandchildren and 

 ten great-grandchildren. 



Hamlin Johnson. 



Hamlin Johnson, tor many years 

 proprietor of a seed store in Provi- 

 dence, R. I., died Sunday noon, Janu- 

 ary 7, at his home in Seekonk, where 

 he had lived for more than half a cen- 

 tury. He was in his 92nd year. Al- 

 though advanced in years, Mr. John- 

 son retained his faculties, with the ex- 

 ception of hearing, to a remarkable 

 degree, and up to within a year was 

 accustomed to make daily trips to the 

 city. Several months ago he began to 

 fail rapidly, and the end was not un- 

 expected. 



Mr. Johnson was born in Brooklyn, 

 Conn., and came to Providence when 

 a young man. He was a bookkeeper 

 for. Oliver Johnson for a number of 

 years. In 1S79 he opened a seed and 

 farming implement store at 6 Exchange 

 place, which he carried on until 1890. 

 About this time his wife died and he 

 sold the business and retired to his 

 place in Seekonk, where he had lived 

 for 52 years. He carried on a green- 

 house business at his Seekonk home 

 for a number of years. 



Mrs. Julius P. Siebold. 

 Anna Theresa Siebold, wife of 

 Julius P. Siebold, Lancaster Pa., died 

 on Tuesday, Jan. 2d, after an illness 

 of five days from pneumonia. She was 

 born in Germany, Aug. 29th, 1866, be- 

 ing 51 years of age at the time of her 

 demise. Her father brought her to 

 this country when she was fifteen 

 years of age and for many years they 

 lived in Missouri where she married 

 Mr. Siebold in 1885. They moved to 

 Lancaster in 1888 and have resided in 

 this city since that time. Mr. Siebold 

 engaged in the growing of flowers 

 shortly thereafter and has established 

 a large shipping business with the aid 

 of his wife, whom he will miss very 

 much. Beside the husband, she is sur- 

 vived by one son, Frank, and a number 

 of brothers and sisters in Germany. 



She was a member of The Advent 

 Lutheran church and an active worker 

 in all churcli activities. The funeral 

 services were held from the church 

 and interment made in the Riverview 

 Burial Park. Tlie Florists' Club at- 

 tended the funeral and sent an em- 

 blem expressive of their sympathy. 



A. M. H. 



ABOUT EXPRESS CHARGES. 



Mr. Editor: 



I have been interested in your ed- 

 itorial in issue of January 6th, "Are 

 you paying too much?" 



Big corporations are more insistent 

 on system and get results. Too many 

 florists use cards printed "cut flowers" 

 on bulbs and plant shipments hence 

 same are billed rightly as "cut flow- 

 ers." If the consignee takes the mat- 

 ter up with his agent the correction 

 is made. We have no such trouble. 

 Do not cuss the agent or the company, 

 but write the consignor to bill his 

 shipments properly. When plants or 

 bulbs — so bill them; it cut flowers — do 

 likewise. Very few florists or growers 

 seem to know or care about how stock 

 is billed, yet there is a severe law 

 covering misbilling of express or 

 freight. We must watch inbound ex- 

 press because of "cut flower" billing 

 of bulbs, but have no trouble in cor- 

 rections. We always mark outbound 

 shipments as to contents and person- 

 ally call the agents' attention to same 

 and ask as to newer rules or regula- 

 tions now and then, so have no 

 trouble. Florists and growers — get 

 busy — bill right. The transportation 

 companies are building 57-story build- 

 ings because they do business on 

 sound economic methods (plus) while 

 the average florist usually sells at a 

 loss, but saves money by being at it 

 365 days a year. If the florist will 

 sharpen his pencil, brush up his mind 

 and figure what it costs to produce 

 certain items he will find many places 

 where he is selling at decidedly less 

 than cost. Usually the average flor- 

 ist who is working 365 days a year 

 would make more by day work and 

 not have the endless worry and care 

 to put up with. The present abnor- 

 mal conditions will bring this home to 

 many fellow florists. Everything need- 

 ed away up. flowers as an average at 

 "hard times" prices with most florists 

 (?) I admit the express service recent- 

 ly was very abnormal causing no end 

 of loss and worry but we are helpless 

 under present conditions. "Stale 

 Christmas flowers.'' Emphasize this, 

 every wholesaler should simply re- 

 fuse to handle "pickled stock." The 

 quickest way to drive people to buy 

 jewelry, etc., at Christmas is to de- 

 liver stock that will not — cannot keep 

 and satisfy^and it hurts through the 

 year. When we must buy flowers to 

 meet unusual demands, we refuse to 

 accept "pickled stock." Our reputation 

 cannot be maintained with stock fit 

 only for the ash can. With the market 

 as bare and prices high as previous 

 to Christmas there is no reason why 

 a grower should have sent in ash can 

 quality. This has been the condition 

 for some years. If one must buy just 

 previous to Christmas the market is 

 bare, orders cannot be filled, because 

 of the policy of unbusinesslike grow- 

 ers. C. BET.SCHER. 



ADVERTISING GENIUS. 



Penn the Florist, recognized as a 

 pioneer in clever retail florist trade 

 advertising had the following adver- 

 tisement in a large space in connec- 

 tion with a picture of an azalea in 

 bloom in an issue of the Boston Post 

 this week. 



A Suggestion to Flower Lovers 



Clip this out and save for 

 future reference 



THE CARE OF POTTED PLANTS 



Tin- cool tla.vs of winter are cheered 

 }t.v pretty tkjwering and foliage plants; 

 hut while t^iey are particularly fascina- 

 ting at this time, it is during the coldest 

 days that the plants require the most 

 attention. 



Never allow them to stand in front of 

 an open window or in a cold draught. 

 Tlie intense dr.v heat in homes on ex- 

 ti'emely cold days will dry out the soil 

 and wither or permanently injure most 

 pl.intH ill a few ilays. 



The pots of plants should he im- 

 mersed in a pail of water for several 

 laiuutes on yer.v cold days, while in 

 milder weather, on alternate days, or 

 even twice a week, will suffice to keep 

 the plants iu a healthy condition, with 

 tlie exception of forced plants, such as 

 azaleas or lilacs : these should be 

 thoroughly watered every day. 



It will be noticed that Mr. Penn has 

 quoted no prices and made no solici- 

 tations for business. Yet he regards 

 it as a good trade investment, and it 

 has been so commented on by many 

 whose judgment is regarded as good 

 in such matters. No doubt, many a 

 reader of the Boston Post will feel 

 grateful to the kind florist who has 

 taken the trouble to advise them as to 

 the proper care of their plants, and 

 when they wish to purchase such 

 things it is easy to see who they will 

 first think of. As with the physician, 

 the confidence of the public is the best 

 asset the florist can have. 



Plant Propagation, Greenhouse 

 and Nursery Practice 



By M. G. KAINS 



We have had many inquiries from 

 time to time for a reliable and up-to- 

 date book on plant propagation, bnt 

 were always at a loss to Hnd any pub- 

 lication that we could recommend. The 

 subject has been dealt with in fragmen- 

 tary manner only in books that have 

 ronie to our notice. So it is well that 

 this new work has been issued, especi- 

 ally as it is both comprehensive and 

 pr.actical, and it should meet with a 

 ready sale among plantsmen, nursery- 

 men and gardeners. There are nineteen 

 chapters covering in detail topics of 

 germination and longevity of seeds, 

 propagating by buds, layering, cuttings, 

 grafting, etc., fruit tree stocks, cions, 

 etc., and there are eight pages of con- 

 densed cultural Instructions In tabu- 

 lated form, covering annuals and peren- 

 nials from seed, woody plants, ever- 

 greens, vines, bulbs and tubers, green- 

 house and house plants, ferns, palms, 

 water plants, orchids and cacti. The 

 Illustrations are numerous, comprising 

 21.3 tignres and halftone plates. There 

 are 322 pages well bound and on heavy 

 paper, teeming with helpful Information. 

 It Is a book which no cultivator can 

 afford to do without. It Is worth many 

 limes its price. Copies can he supplied 

 from the office of HORTICULTURE at 

 publisher's price, $1.50. 



Horticulture Publishing Co. 



117 SITMMTgR ST.. BOSTON. MASS." 



