164 



H E, T I C U L T U E E 



May 2, 1914 



horticulture: 



roL. XIX 



MAY 2, 1914 



NO. 18 



PUBLISHED WEEKLY BY 



HOR.TICULTUR.E PUBLISHING CO. 

 11 Hamilton Place. Boston, Mass. 



Telephone, Oxford 392. 

 WM. J. STEWABT, Editor and Managrer. 



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Entered as 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— Rhododendrons at Holm Lea 

 NOTES ON CULTURE OF FLORISTS' STOCK— Pri- 

 mulas — Chrysantbemums — Hydrangeas for Memorial 

 Day — Marguerites— Lily of the Valley for June Forc- 

 ing — Sowing Grevillea robusta — John J. M. Farrell. . 661 



BOSTON CONVENTION GARDEN 661 



ANGRAECUMS— M. J. Pope— Illustrated 662 



THE PROPER BASIS FOR AFFILIATION— WoHoce R. 

 Picrson 662 



ROSE GROWING UNDER GLASS— Blackspot on the 

 Young Plants — Outside Roses — Trimming — Tying — 

 Cleaning Up — .4 rthur C. Rueicka 663 



RHODODENDRONS— Illustrated 665 



CLUBS AND SOCIETIES— Florists' Club of Washing- 

 ton — American Association of Nurserymen — Ameri- 

 can Rose Society — Massachusetts Horticultural So- 

 ciety — Woman's National Agricultural and Horticul- 

 tural Association 666 



Club and Society Notes 665 



OBITUARY— Mrs. J. L. Miller— Peter Ross— Arnold 

 Burgers, portrait — Richard Lynex, portrait — LaTv 

 ranee Davenport — Philippe-Edouard-Leon Van Tie- 

 ghem 668 



SEED TRADE— Federal Quarantine Against Maine 



Potatoes — Chicago Seed Notes 670 



OF INTEREST TO RETAIL FLORISTS: 



New Flower Store.s — Steamer Departures. . . ., 672 



Flowers by Telegraph ' 673 



The Retailers' Friend 674 



The Employee's Resolve 675 



FLOWER MARKET REPORTS; 



Boston, Buffalo, Chicago. Cincinnati 677 



New York. Philadelphia. Washington 67'J 



MISCELLANEOUS: 



Notes From the Panama-Pacific Exposition 665 



A Floricultural Club at the University of Illinois — 



Illustrated ' 665 



Personal 665 



Catalogues Received 670 



Massachusetts Agricultural Notes 670 



Visitors' Register 672 



Washington Notes — Chicago Notes 674 



Philadelphia Notes 675 



Greenhouses Building or Contemplated 684 



News Notes 684 



.Judging from some of the florist liter- 

 Ill-advised ature now circulating it would appear 

 zeal that up to the present time people have 



iDeen very unmindful of the veneration 

 due to their respective mothers. To remedy this lament- 



able neglect certain philanthropically inclined florists 

 and trade publications have now undertaken to instruct 

 tlie public in giving proper expression to this most 

 commendable virtue. As a first step we are informed 

 that it becomes necessary that each and every one hav- 

 ing a mother living or a mother dead should don a flower 

 on just one day in the year and of such a color that the 

 rest of the world may make no mistake as to where the 

 wearer stands. We note that there has developed quite 

 a rivalry between certain of our esteemed contempora- 

 ries as to which one is entitled to the credit of having 

 discovered the commercial possibilities in exploiting a 

 "Mothers' Day" based upon the new inspiration. A 

 year ago, in commenting upon the innovation, we ven- 

 tured to question whether the public would "fall" for 

 this somewhat precarious campaign, and, contemplating 

 its possible ultimate effect on the standing and dignity 

 of the florist business, we suggest now that some time 

 may be wisely given to questioning whether the "credit" 

 for its introduction shall carry with it the award of a 

 gold medal of honor or be dismissed with a vote of 

 censure. Florists who respect themselves and their pro- 

 fession are presumed to deprecate "crepe cliasing," so- 

 called, but tliis annual extolling of the virtue of filial 

 aft'ection and entreating people to honor their mother 

 on a specified date by purchasing flowers appears not so 

 very different, only in degi'ee, and ^eomes with ill gi-ace 

 from the man who wants to sell the goods wherewith 

 to honor. "The voice is .Jacob's voice but the hands 

 are the hands of Esau." 



We all profess to take pride in the onward 

 Outgrown and n]3ward progress of the flower industry 

 methods towards a position of dignity and stability 



among the various lines of business which 

 have a place in every well-ordered community. But what 

 would be the impression upon any business man accus- 

 tomed to generally accepted methods of merchandizing 

 wjio would look into the wholesale prices as quoted for 

 the trade papers from various flower markets not even 

 widely separated from each other? After noting a va- 

 riation of from fifty to one hundred percent for goods 

 |)rcsumably identical he would be justified in coming to 

 the conclusion that the florist business is yet in a very 

 ]irimitive and chaotic state. Keferring to the need of a 

 wider market and more stable values for the cut flower 

 ]n'oduct, we suggested a year ago, in these columns, that 

 the public-spirited gentlemen who were giving time and 

 thought to the solution of the problem might wisely 

 consider ways and means whereby an approximate esti- 

 mate might be made of the prospective supply of cer- 

 tain leading flowers in the producing sections in advance 

 of any occasion when an augmented demand might be 

 expected, thus gaining information on which some fairly 

 accurate prospectus of the available crops might be 

 based for the benefit of the trade and a reasonable stand- 

 ard of values established. Had such a canvas been 

 made of the lilies, for example, with a fair degree of 

 thoroughness, previous to the past Easter, we doubt if 

 the fact of these flowers hanging fire at 3 to 6 cents in 

 one market while they were being cleaned up at 10 or 

 12 or even more, in other markets, would have been pos- 

 sible. We believe the time will come when accurate 

 advance knowledge of this sort will be recognized as 

 indispensable, for the benefit in common of grower, 

 wholesaler, retailer and public. 



