66 



HOKTICULTURE 



July 24, 1920 



block ot cyclamen are coming along 

 and look the best of anything on this 

 place, while a lot of Cincinnati and 

 -Melior begonias in 3i/i inch pots are in 

 fine shape. Plans are laid for a good 

 supply of begonias, cyclamen, primula, 

 cineraria, hydrangea and rambler 

 roses. This range is located in a sec- 

 tion of the country which is sure to be 

 able to take good care ot that trade 

 which comes from the north and west 

 of Boston. Their shipping conditions. 

 are ideal, and Robert Edgar, the head 

 of the firm, is a grower who can finish 

 stock in just the right shape for com- 

 mercial purposes. 



While the annual convention of the 

 Tennessee State Florists" Association 

 was held away back in February, the 

 printed proceedings have just come to 

 hand, but one cannot read this book 

 without being impressed with the 

 wealth of good stuff that was handed 

 out at that meeting. Take for instance 

 the paper read by S. S. Skidelsky. 

 "Our Credit System; its Uses and 

 Abuses.' This is full of good points 

 and must be interesting to everyone in 

 the trade. Mr. Skidelsky of course has 

 'been in a position for many years 

 where he has been in close touch with 

 the florists of all grades and conditions 

 all over the country. Like many who 

 are in a position to judge of credit 

 conditions, he has found that there is 

 a marked improvement. Terms of sale 

 are more closely adhered to. and a 

 more pleasant connection between 

 buyer and seller is evident in all direc- 

 tions. Mr. Skidelsky says, "Credit is 

 a privilege that is not to be despised 

 by any business man, no matter how 

 conservative in his enterprises or how- 

 determined to steer clear of debt." It 

 is very evident that the seller and 

 buyer have come to a much better un- 

 derstanding and a more solid basis of 

 doing business. We quote Mr. Skidel- 

 sky's way of expressing that point, as 

 follows: "If credit is a privilege, that 

 privilege must not be abused." 



Besides Mr. Skidelsky's paper, there 

 were other very interesting ones, in- 

 cluding the Florists' Business of To- 

 day, by George Asmus: Local Pub- 

 licity, by Z. D. Blackistone; and two 

 very interesting papers on Office Man- 

 agement and Collections by W. Cleve- 

 land Johnson and Robert B. Mapes of 

 Knoxville. It is seldom that one can 

 find more solid matter to think over 

 put into two days than was given to 

 the members at this convf-ntion. Such 

 meetings tend strongly to benefit the 

 trade in all directions, and the South- 

 land is certainly not one bit behind 

 any other part of the country; in fact. 

 I believe that we can look to them for 

 many good points. 



When 1 read the article headed "The 

 Perpetual Carnation" in Hohticulture 

 of July 17th, and came to that para- 

 graph which I quote, "American rais 

 ers have studied size of flower, and to 

 their own crude idea, color, but chicjly 

 habit ot plant has been their aim and 

 success. They are fast losing the de- 

 licious old clove perfume which one 

 would expect from the descendants of 

 the gilliflower." I stopped short and 

 tried to see how this statement could 

 be justified. The American raisers 

 have studied the size of flower, but 

 what does Mr. Cook mean by our 

 "crude idea" of color, and how does it 

 happen that Mr. Engelman, the famous 

 carnation grower of Saffron Walden, 

 England, says in his article in the 

 same issue, "The sad fact is that even 

 now. probably 75 per cent of all the 

 carnation blooms we see in the flor- 

 ists' shops or In the flower markets of 

 this country are still American varie 

 ties." It can't be possible that, that is 

 only because of habit of plant and size 

 of flower. We know very well that the 

 -Vmerlcan hybridizers have studied 

 habit of plant and have succeeded in 

 improving it greatly, but is it true that 

 we are "fast losing the delicious old 

 clove perfume?" What about Match- 

 less, Benora, in fact any number of our 

 American varieties, and last, but a 

 very imi)ortant one. Laddie? 



When Laddie was young and just 

 coming on to the market in quantity, 

 one heard occasionally the statement 

 that it was a very shy bloomer and 

 had no fragrance. It has been de- 

 monstrated that neither point is true. 

 I remember well the last day of the 

 carnation show in Chicago this past 

 winter that Sam Goddard called the at- 

 tention of several growers who were 

 standing around the tables and admir- 

 ing this wonderful carnation to the 

 fragrance of Laddie. There were quite 

 a number of vases that had been there 

 from the beginning of the show, and 

 those from Boston, Biddeford and 

 Philadelphia had made long trips, but 

 besides the wonderful keeping qual- 

 ities, the fragrance was all that could 

 be desired. No one can say that this 

 wonderful carnation hasn't fragrance, 

 and that holds true of any number of 

 our leading commercial varieties. 



Another variety that showed up fine 

 at this show with plenty ot fragrance 

 was Morning Glow; in fact, the major- 

 ity of our commercial varieties are 

 rich with fragrance. Possibly these 

 American varieties do not show up so 

 strongly on this particular point when 

 grown on the other side of the water, 

 but our English friends must not think 

 that we have forgotten fragrance and 

 know nothing about color as we see it 

 on this side. 



New Violet "Ducheis" 



ThiB Ib a grent Improvement on Prln- 

 cesB of Wales — Deeper Shade and more 

 uniform, also a much better and surer 

 producer and better keeper and ship- 

 per, also more fragrant. General ap- 

 pearance when bunched away ahead of 

 other varieties Exceptionally easy to 

 propagate. Should be planted In tke 

 beds earlier than Princess. 



It will pay you to go In for 

 DIICIIKSS. And DO IT NOW— before 

 this fine lot la all grabbed up. We offer 

 Large Held crown clomps of DUCHESS, 

 and the other two as follows: 



100 1000 



DUCHESS 515.00 $120.00 



LADY CAMPBELL 12.00 100.00 



PRINCESS OF WALES.. 10.00 95.00 



C. U. LIGGIT 



Wholesale PlantsmBn 

 BoUetlD BolldlDff PHILADRLFHIA 



MICHELL'S ^ 



Flower Seeds 



Cyclamen Seed 



MICHELL'.S GI.\NT SHOW 



100 1000 

 Seeds Seeds 



RriRht Red $2.00 $16.00 



Dark Blood Red 2.00 16.00 



Glory of Wandsbek, Sal- 

 mon red 2.00 16.00 



Perle of Zelilendorf, Sal- 

 mon pink 2.00 16.00 



Pure White 2.00 16.00 



Rose of Martenthal, bright 



pink 2.00 16.00 



White with Carmine Eye 2.00 16.00 



.Mixed Colors 1.50 12.30 



MICHELL'S L.4RGE FLOWERING 

 100 1000 

 Seeds Seeds 

 Duke of Coniiaufrht, crim- 

 son .$1.50 $12.50 



Excelsior, white, with red 



base 1.50 12.50 



Grandiflora AII>a, white.. 1.50 12.50 

 Princess of Wales, pink. 1.50 12.50 

 Salmon Queen, salmon 



pink 1.50 12.50 



St. George, delicate sal- 

 mon 1.50 12.50 



Mixed, all colors 1.25 10.00 



PANSY SEED 

 Michell's Giant Exhibition Mixed 

 A giant strain which for size of 

 bloom, heavy texture and varied col- 

 ors and shades cannot be surpassed. 

 Half tr. pkt., SQc. ; tr. pkt., 50c. ; % 

 oz., $1.25; $2.00 per % oz. ; per oz., 

 $7.00. 



Giant Trimardean Mixed, large flow* 

 ering, choice colors, Tr. pkt., 30c.; 

 $2.50 per oz. 



Also Giant Prize and Regular 

 Strains Pansies, Daisy, Myosotis, 

 Cineraria, Primula, and all other 

 Seasonable Seeds, Bulbs and Sup- 

 plies. 



CYCL.VMEN PLANTS 

 E.vtra Fine Stock, Separate Col- 

 or.'^. 3 in. pots, $27.50 per 100. 



Send for New Wholesale Price List 

 if you liaven*t a copy. 



MICHELL'S SEED HOUSE 



51G-,'.IH .Miirket Street 



rliilii.. Va. 



Edward Johnson, an aged florist, of 

 852 East 29th St.. Brooklyn, N. Y. was 

 recently badly beaten by a burglar who 

 entered his house and whom he at- 

 tempted to subdue with a rifle. Mrs. 

 Johnson who sought to assist her hus- 

 band, received a blow which fractured 

 her skull, and caused her death. 



