104 



HOKTICULTURE 



January 27, 1917 



horticulture: 



VOL XXV 



JANUARY 27, 1917 



NO. 4 



PUBLISHED WEEKLY BY 



HORTICULTURE PUBLISHING CO. 

 147 Stimmer Street, Boston, Mass. 



Telephone, Beach 293. 

 WH. 3. STEWART, Editor and Manager 



Entered ns second-class matter December 8, 1904, at the Post Office 

 at Boston, Mass., under the Act of Congress of March 3, 1879. 



CONTENTS Page 



COVER ILLUSTRATION— Eureka Giant Sweet Peas. 



NOTES ON CULTURE OF FLORISTS' STOCK— Root- 

 ing Begonias — .Amaryllis — Flowering Shrubs for 

 Easter — Foliage Plants — Odontoglossums — Sowing 

 Palm Seed— Reminders— J'o?t»j J. M. Farrell 101-102 



ALPINE ASTERS— /I'iC/tan/ /fo»if— Illustrated 102 



E GROWING UNDER GLASS— Get the Pots 



Ready — The Potting Soil — Syringing — Arthur C. 

 Rtizicka 103 



THE DIVINE FLOWER AND THE QUEEN OF 

 FLOWERS—/?. T. McGorum 105 



THE WHY OF THE CARNATION— C. S. Strout 105 



OBITUARY— George Schneider— C. 0. Fischer— Samuel 

 Batchelor — Swain Nelson 105 



CLUBS AND SOCIETIES— Gardeners' and Florists' 

 Club of Boston — Meetings Next Weeli — Sewickley 

 Horticultural Society — Society of American Florists 

 — Horticultural Society of Western Pennsylvania — 

 American Carnation Society — Lenox Horticultural 

 Society — Westchester and Fairfield Horticultural 

 Society — Holyoke and Northampton Florists' and 

 Gardeners' Club — Massachusetts Horticultural So- 

 ciety — Tennessee State Florists' Association — Lan- 

 caster County Florists' Association — Tarrytown Hor- 

 ticultural Society 106-109 



American Sweet Pea Society — Club and Society Notes 111 



DURING RECESS— Nassau County Horticultural So- 

 ciety— Tarrytown Horticultural Society 110 



Morris County Horticultural Society Ill 



SEED TRADE — One Week's Imports— Notes 112 



OP INTEREST TO RETAIL FLORISTS: 



New Flower Stores 114 



Flowers by Telegraph 115 



Valentine's Day Publicity, Illustrated 117 



NEWS ITEMS FROM EVERYWHERE: 

 Chicago, New York, Washington, Boston, Philadelphia 116 

 Pittsburgh, St. Louis 117 



FLOWER MARKET REPORTS: 



Boston, Chicago, Cincinnati, New York 119 



Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, St. Louis, Washington 121 



MISCELLANEOUS: 



Our Cover Illustration 103 



A Correction [ . 103 



Federal Horticultural Board Asks for Enlarged 



Powers 105 



.Massachusetts Agricultural College 105 



Catalogues Received 112 



Visitors' Register [ [ 114 



New Corporation — News Notes 117 



Publications Received— Patents Granted 126 



Greenhouses Building or Contemplated 126 



We thiuk that the seedsmen and 

 Commendable others who issue annual catalogues at 



this time of the year are displaying 

 remarkable enterprise and courage this season, consid- 

 ering the many uncertainties and seeminijlv almost in- 

 surmountable difficulties tliat tlireaten or" do already 

 c.\ist. Aside from the all-important problems of ob- 

 taining their stock and of price advances, there is even 

 the cost of the catalogues alone which with the enor- 

 mously enhanced price of paper, colored inks and other 

 material entering into tlieir production, means a very 



heavy e.xpense as compared with that of previous years. 

 Yet we do not notice any material reduction in quality 

 of the catalogues received thus far or any evidences of 

 serious attempt to economize in any of the features 

 tlirough whicli these publications make their irresistible 

 appeal to a winter-sick public and so effectively stir 

 up the zest for sjjring time and growing things. We 

 wisli them all success. 



A peculiar condition prevails 

 Vicissitudes quite generally at present in 



of the flower market gome of the larger flower mar- 

 ket cities, which, while not 

 uuprecedented, is fortunately not at all common. We 

 refer to the overwhelming preference for the medium 

 grades of roses and some other flowers as well, while 

 the finer quality flowers — such as are admired in the 

 exhibitions — are disposed of with difBculty. It may well 

 be asked whether the ambition of so many growers for 

 the market to produce roses of "special" and "extra" 

 quality at this season of the year is Justifiable from the 

 standpoint of profit. The big long-stemmed roses that 

 the grower is rightly so proud of must bring a nrice 

 far beyoiul what the great mass of flower buyers are 

 able or willing to pay. It certainly looks discouraging 

 for the producer of such when, as has been tlie case of 

 late, blooms of this class not infrequently lag in the 

 liands of the wholesaler until by reason of their age, 

 they nuist finally pass into the possession of the curb- 

 stone huckster at job-lot prices, whilst during the wliole 

 time an incessant clamor for the moderate-])riced medi- 

 um-stemmed grades is kept up, and a jn-icc i)aid for 

 tliem when obtainable far in excess of that at wliich the 

 long-kept large stock is finally moved. 



In this vast country of ours it may be 

 Conflicting safely said that in and around the im- 

 show dates mediate neighborhood of the six or 

 seven largest cities sufficient material 

 is always within reach to make up a colossal and re- 

 splendcut flower show provided its owners can be in- 

 duced to bring it out. So, unquestionably, these widely 

 separated communities might successful!'- carry through 

 public exhibitions of large proportions and outstanding 

 merit all simultaneously on the same dates. But there 

 are many and olivious reasons why it is regrettable that 

 big shows .should be arranged for jiractically identical 

 dates in Boston, New ITork, Philadelphia and St. Louis 

 as appears to be the case, this spring. From the stand- 

 point of the exhibitors as well as of those in the trade 

 who like to follow up the shows closely and acquire a 

 knowledge of whatever is new, progressive and credit- 

 able in all sections where their industry flourishes, it is 

 a keen disappointment that adequate participation in 

 I'ossibly all of these important events is out of the 

 (|Ucstion because of conflicting dates. Even with the 

 help afforded by difference in latitude and other climatic 

 factors it would be, perhaps, impracticable to assign 

 exclusive dates to each locality but it does seem rea- 

 sonable that joint consideration a sufficient time 

 in advance might have evolved a way in which the big 

 events referred to might have been segregated, in jiart at 

 least, and a better opportunity afforded those who for 

 one or the other reason would welcome the opportunity- 

 to be ]u-esent at all or several. We take the liberty to 

 suggest that "the powers that he" in the various show 

 centres give early consideration to this problem which 

 is sure to become more serious yet and see whether some 

 improvement cannot be made in the future over the 

 embarrasing conditions that have now come to iiass. 



