HORTICULTURE 



Vol. XXXII 



OCTOBER 2, 1920 



No. 14 



THE TALK OF THE TRADE 



As everyone expected who knows 

 anything about the Messrs. BiuUong, 

 they were not long coming back after 

 their hailstorm wreck, but it is a sur- 

 prise indeed to hear that Monday 

 morning of this week five thousand 

 roses were sent by them into the Bos- 

 ton market. They are now making 

 regular shipments and the stock is 

 coming back with a rush. It must be 

 remembered that there was not one 

 single rose house on the place that 

 didn't lose practically every pane of 

 glass, so this cut stock is not coming 

 from plants which were not disturbed 

 and beaten up. I understand that 

 there were approximately five hun- 

 dred and fifty men at work housing in, 

 and on Saturday, the 25th, about two- 

 thirds of the place was covered. Prob- 

 ably by the time these notes appear 

 the last light of glass will be set. This 

 is what I call wonderful work, and 

 they deserve all the credit in the 

 woMd for the push and energy they 

 have displayed. 



Indications throughout the East at 

 least point now to a general shortage 

 of stock after the early and midsea- 

 son chrysanthemums are out of the 

 way. FYom that time on I doubt if 

 there will be any great quantity of cut 

 stock offered, at least not more than 

 the market will very readily take care 

 of. The chances are strong that the 

 cut flower grower will get good re- 

 turns for his stock. As the weeks pass, 

 drawing into the fall, there is a con- 

 tinuous report of growers who are 

 either closing down entirely or in part. 

 To my mind this will bring abonl the 

 natural result of a strong call for 

 young stock in the spring. As soon 

 as the sun begins to climb and heating 

 troubles lessen, much of this glass 

 which has been closed will reopen with 

 the consequent strong demand for 

 stock of every description. Rooted 

 cuttings and young plants for spring 

 sales will find callers aplenty and at 

 prices which will be up to the market 

 of last season. 



I have talked wiih quite a number 

 of growers who specialize in growing 

 young stock for wholesale, and while 

 one and all seem to feel that in gen- 

 eral the prices of last season should 

 hold, there is no particular tendency 

 to attempt to boost these prices, an-l 

 personally I think that they are now 



about where they should stand for the 

 time being. It is very aijparenl that 

 the grower is not getting more than he 

 deserves for the stock, but on the 

 other hand I doubt if the buyer will be 

 justified in paying any particular in- 

 crease. Long-headed growers with 

 whom I have talked are all laying 

 their plans to operate all of the glass 

 that they can possibly keep in com- 

 mission and to be prepared with all 

 the young stock that they can turn out 

 for the early spring. The object of 

 all is to keep every single square foot 

 of space working hard every minute. 

 The grower who does this has a very 

 good chance of coming through the 

 season well pleased with the volume of 

 business and the financial results. 



Growers with whom I have talked 

 who raise their own stock and sell 

 direct to their own retail trade have 

 been very well pleased through this 

 season with the returns they received 

 from hardy lilies such as Magnificum 

 and Rubrum in particular, but also 

 Album and Auratum, and I think that 

 this line of lilies could well be han- 

 dled by every retailer who grows his 

 own stock. The new crop of hardy 

 lilies is of course, not due to arrive 

 until close to December 1, but it is not 

 too early to get your orders in if this 

 has not already been done. As Is the 

 case with all other crops of lilies, they 

 will be in rather short supplv. 



Reports are that a strong call has 

 started already for such stock as Cro- 

 tons and Dracaenas in the smaller 

 sizes for work in mixed baskets and 

 hampers, and it is a good plan to get 

 this stock on hand and work into good 

 hardy condition for the fall and win- 

 ter trade. The narrow leaf type of 

 Crotons are particularly good; the 

 varieties Golden Thread and Delica- 

 tissima are probably as attractive as 

 any of them, and there is a most won- 

 derful collection of Dracaenas in a 

 wide range of colors and varieties. Be- 

 fore the winter flowering Begonias 

 and Cyclamen are in their prjme, 

 these fancy foliage plants fill in in 

 line shape. 



There is a shortage of Ficus Elastica 

 at this time in 2'U or 3-inch pots, and 

 growers who plan to buy from August 

 on into the fall in the smaller sizes to 

 grow on find it difficult to get this 

 stock. Anyone who has a surplus in 

 the small sizes would do well to offer 

 it as will be picked up readily. 



Well grown plants of the various 

 types of Adiantum are always good 

 for retail store trade. Cuneatum, Gra- 

 cillimum and Hybriduni are of the 

 more common types, but they make 

 good hardy plants and stand up well in 

 the house. For fancy purposes, of 

 course, there is nothing more hand- 

 some than Farleyense, but for an all- 

 round fancy Adiantum, the newer 

 variety, Farleyense Gloriosum is I 

 think the best of the lot. When 



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