HORTICULTURE 



Vol. XXX 



NOVEMBER 22, 1919 



No. 21 



THE TALK OF THE TRADE 



From all reports the advance sales 

 on gladiolus bulbs for the coming sea- 

 eon have been unusually heavy, and 

 as I predicted some time ago some of 

 the old standbys will bring prices on 

 a level with the fancy and more re- 

 cent introductions. A grower who 

 forces heavily each season told me re- 

 cently that the Primulinus hybrids 

 gave him better returns than anything 

 he planted. A well known authority 

 estimates that from one hundred bulbs 

 of any of the good forcers a return of 

 eighty to ninety cut blooms is fair, 

 while from the same planting two hun- 

 dred and sometimes as high as two 

 hundred and fifty blooms can be cut 

 from one hundred bulbs of Primulinus. 



Another point brought out is that 

 the Primulinus produces more choice 

 blooms from the medium to smaller 

 bulbs. It has been found that the larg- 

 est bulbs average a poorer type and 

 color of flower. It has been demon- 

 strated for a number of seasons past 

 that the Primulinus hybrids are de- 

 cidedly popular in the market, which 

 of course means that the buying pub- 

 lis has taken to them. 



It would be hard to find a better 

 lot of carnations in every way than 

 those in the houses of William Sim 

 at Cliftondale, Mass. You will see in 

 quantity the best of the commercial 

 varieties. Laddie, Pink Delight and 

 White Delight are grown heavily and 

 are in especially good shape for this 

 time of the year. Mr. Sim has several 

 seedlings which will bear watching. 

 A variegated which reminds one of 

 the old Mrs. George M. Bratt looks 

 particularly promising. This, we un- 

 derstand, Mr. Sim will call Kiltie. He 

 also has a cerise of promise to be 

 called Romeo. They will be given a 

 thorough tryout this winter, and we 



may expect to see more of them 

 through this season. 



While a yellow carnation is never 

 grown in great quantity, there is al- 

 ways room for a good one, and it has 

 been years since we have had one 

 really worth growing. Sunshine, com- 

 ing from E. A. Strout of Biddeford, 

 Me., gives great promise, however. It 

 is a sturdy grower, of good size, nice 

 form, and is clear yellow with enough 

 color in it to show the yellow under 

 artificial light. Mr. Strout's White 

 Delight Is also well thought of by all 

 growers who have done so well with 

 Pink Delight. White Delight will be 

 introduced next season with Sunshine. 



James Wheeler of Natick believes in 

 growing varieties that are productive 

 and good keepers, and pays less at- 

 tention to size. All of his stock looks 

 well, but a cerise variety and a varie- 

 gated one of his own are among the 

 best paying sorts. Neither are very 

 large, but they have the old wiry, 

 quick growth after the style of Lizzie 

 McGowan and William Scott. They 

 keep so well and ship so well that he 

 has a steady call, and the average 

 price will run well up to the fancy 

 varieties. Mr. Wheeler is growing a 

 large house of Godfrey Callas planted 

 right into the ground. They are in 



good shape now and are starting to 

 bloom. This is more or less of an ex- 

 periment, but from indications now it 

 would seem that it will turn out well. 



Speaking of Godfrey callas, M. A. 

 Patten Co. has a house that is turning 

 out a fine crop of blooms now; in fact 

 they have been cutting since about the 

 first of October. The Patten Company 

 we think are as successful with God- 

 frey callas a3 anyone around this sec- 

 tion. They also are keeping up to 

 their fine reputation with some fancy 

 stock of Mignonette. It is as fine now 

 as one would expect to see in January. 

 One always thinks of these people as 

 specialists in carnations, but a large 

 quantity of Adiantum is grown here, 

 mostly hybridum. They have a steady 

 call — in fact cannot cut it fast enough 

 now to keep lip with the demand. 



Most all of the carnation men are 

 well started now with their propagat- 

 ing; in fact, thousands of cuttings are 

 being boxed, with quantities going in- 

 to the sand every day. It seems to 

 be the earliest season that I can re- 

 member, and stock is turning out fine, 

 but advance orders would indicate 

 that there is to be a very heavy call 

 for this season. 



All of those growers having Edward 

 Winkler's carnation Morning Glow are 

 as usual very well satisfied with this 

 variety at this season of the year. II' 



w.n Grown I'ointHtin* 



