14> 



H I? T r C U L T U « E 



August 11, 1917 



horticulture: 



VOL XXVI 



AUGUST II, lfI7 



MX 6 



11 III.IMIIM) M i:kki.\ iiv 



HORTICULTURE PUBLISHING CO. 



147 Summer Street, Boston, Mass. 



WM. J. STEWART, Editor and ttmamgn 



SIBSCKII'TION RATKS: 



(inr \r»T, in advanor, (l.OO; To Forrlicn Conntrlea, (2.00; To 



(°uiuul», $1.00. 



AnVFBTlSINO BATES: 



P«T Inrh. SO lnrh<-» to pncr $1.00 



DIaeounf on C'ontnwt* for ronncrutlTft Innrrtlona, mi follow*: 



On» month (4 tlmml, 5 prr c«Tlt. ; thro* mniithi (18 tlmr»), 10 

 ^♦r oent.; kIi monllis (SB tlnip«), 20 prr crnt.; oar yi-ar (52 ttmeo), 

 iO per c^nt. 



Paco and half paco tpa^^, •P'^lal rat«*« on applk«tl*n. 



Qlored Bt lecond-cliM matter December 8, IWH. at tbe I'oat OBe* 

 at Boston, Maaa.. onder the Act of CoDgreaa of March 3, 18TS. 



CONTENTS 



Page 



CO^'ER ILLUSTRAT1(3.\— Grand Central Palace, New- 

 York, Convention H(?a(iquarters S. A. F 



NOTES ON CULTURE OF FLORISTS' STOCK— 

 Adiantums — Care of Smilax — Easter Lilies — Geran- 

 iums — Sweet Peas for Winter — Reminders — Joh7i J. 

 M. Farrell 143 



ROSE GROWING UNDER GLASS— Rush the Planting 

 — The Manure Pile — Sod for Next Year — Tying-in 

 Beauty House — Scratching Over Benches — Arthur C. 

 Ru^irka 145 



CLUBS AND SOCIETIES— Stamford (Conn.) Horticul- 

 tural Society — Gladiolus Society of Ohio — .American 

 Gladiolus Society — The Policy of the Florists' Hail 

 Association — Kentucky Society of Florists — New- 

 York Florists' Club — National Vegetable Show — Club 

 and Society Notes 146 



WHEN A RAILROAD IS LIABLE FOR DELAY— 

 Ellon J. Buckley 147 



SEED TRADE— Seeds, Surpluses and Shortages — A 

 Menance Removed 150 



OF INTEREST TO RETAIL FLORISTS: 



A New Thought 152 



Flowers by Telegraph 153 



New Flower Stores 159 



NEWS ITEMS FROM EVERYWHERE: 



New York, Boston, Chicago, Washington, Pittsburgh. 



St. Louis 154-155 



Providence, Rochester, Cincinnati 160 



FLOWER MARKI3T REPORTS: 



Boston, Chicago, Cincinnati, New York, Philadelphia 157 

 Pittsburgh, Rochester, St. Louis, Washington 159 



OBITU.\RY— Charles Hewitt— H. A. Jahn— John A. 

 Bopp 162 



MISCELLANEOUS: 



Publication Received 146 



Primula malacoides — Illustration 147 



Burpee Seed Farms, I^mpoc, Calf. — Illustration 147 



New Nursery License Law in Penna 148 



Visitors' Register 150 



Catalogues Received 150 



Garden Conser\-ation 150 



Alexander Montgomerj- Leaves Natick — Portrait.... 160 



They Sell Glass— Portraits 162 



Business Troubles 162 



News Notes 162 



Greenhouses Building or Contemplated 162 



A 



business 



convention 



We presume that all will agree that the 

 S. A. F. has never approached its annual 

 Convention so well equipped financially 

 or better organized for eflfective legiti- 

 mate worlc than it is this year. All the 

 other adjuncts conducive to a meeting of more than 

 usual earnestness and prolific in permanent good for all 

 branches of the business, are surely present and the 

 grave necessity for taking full advantage of the favor- 

 able opportunity cannot be questioned. To say the least,. 



tliere are many inicertaiiitif.* present niul prospeitivt 

 llmt call fur dose watcliing iiiid intelligent disoorniiKMit 

 on the i)art of those who guid(^ the nctivitios of tin 

 organization and we iiave :)•> doubt these will all receive 

 due attention, for tlie SiKicty is well supplied witli 

 strong men in its nieinbership wiiu are fully capable ol 

 so rising to the present emergency that tiie Convention 

 of 1917 will not sulfer by coini)«risun when in the tiin>> 

 to come the record of its work is calmly siiiiiined up. 



.\mong the many oi)enings for im- 



A provement and reformation in the 



commendable i^onduct of commercial Horiculture in 



project (lij,.^ country which nwait definite ai- 



liun by tiie Society of .Xnierican Flor- 

 i.st.s, perhaps none are so pertinent and jiressing as the 

 work to Ije covered by the proposed Bureau of Credits 

 and Collections. The committee a))point€d to delilierate 

 on and formulate some practical ])lan which may be put 

 into immediate execution will iiave a session, we un- 

 derstand in New York City, on the evening of 

 .\ugust .20, the day preceding the opening of 

 tlie Convention. We hope the committee may 

 be able to bring in a workable plan acceptable 

 to the different classes of dealers re])resented in the 

 memliership and which can l)e adopted by the Society 

 iiiid jiromptly materialized into a vital force. The com- 

 mittee is comjxjsed of men who understand the subject 

 iind know by experience the seriousness of the situation 

 and the difficulties that must be met. The abuse of the 

 credit system by promiscuous and irresponsible tru.sting 

 has long been a "thorn in the flesh" in the florist trade 

 and its proposed regulation is no new jiroposition. It 

 has been talked of for years. Let us now do sometiiiuL' 

 more than talk about it. The successful local example 

 set by the Xew York wholesale flower dealers is encour- 

 aging a.s shoMTng that sometliing of country-wide ajipli- 

 cation and larger scope is not an impossibibty. The S. A. 

 F. will have done something to make the Xew York 

 Convention worthily memorable if it should now suc- 

 ceed in happily launching this much needed reform. 



Dealers in Japan lily bulbs have experi- 

 "Going up" enced a painful jolt this week in the news 



which has come to them through the im- 

 porting houses, indicating a big advance in freight rates 

 on shipments from Japan this season, wiiich, on the 

 lily bulbs, means an almost proliibitive price to the lily 

 forcing florists in this country. It is said that an un- 

 favorable season has reduced the production of market- 

 able bulbs so that on Formosas, for example, it is re- 

 ported that but alx)ut forty per cent delivery can be 

 made and .some dealers will only fill orders in part 

 whiie others will cancel all the orders they had l)ooked. 

 Tlic price on all lily bulbs, Bermuda Harrisii included, 

 has been advanced, while as is well known, steamers are 

 scarce and much uncertainty exists as to chances for 

 ])rompt transportation. Add to all this the increase in 

 transportation rates as now announced and the limit of 

 wliat our plantsmen can stand would seem to be about 

 reached. Statements as to' exact rates agreed upon by 

 the transportation companies are widely variant but 

 even the most moderate quotations are a shock of no 

 small voltage. Fortunately, there is still a good supply 

 of giganteums in cold storage but these must be taken 

 out soon if good results are to be had from forcing them, 

 for giganteums in storage will deteriorate from now on. 

 Florists intending to force lilies for the coming season 

 will do well to investigate for them.selves the situation 

 and the outlook as indicated in the foregoing. 



