170 



THE FLORISTS MANUAL. 



System of &quot;Slatted** Packing, First Layer. 



in horticulture are so old-fashioned in 

 packing a few plants. Possibly it s be 

 cause the English houses do not export 

 so much as the continental. 



To this day when two dozen gera 

 niums or calceolarias or a few bed 

 ding plants (if it was epacris or heath 

 there would be more reason for it) are 

 sent thirty miles to the Kev. Archdeacon 

 Slowpay, D. D., The Frogs, Froging- 

 ham, Slopshire, they are sent in a large, 

 round hamper that would hold five 

 bushels of corn in the ear. Then there 

 are from eight to fifteen stout hazel 

 stakes rammed in around the edge and 

 brought to a point at the top, the whole 

 enveloped by a Eussian mat or mats 

 which with a large sail needle are care 

 fully sewed to the basket and stakes to 

 prevent a cyclone from removing them. 

 The whole when completed would make 

 a most comfortable dog house or coun 

 cil chamber for a Lilliputian king and 

 his cabinet. We must make one excep 

 tion to these rather sweeping remarks. 

 The English firms who send out orchids 

 know how to pack them to perfection. 



Good as our shipping firms are at 

 packing, the general florist is not called 

 upon to pack often enough to keep an 

 expert for that branch of the business 



and sometimes the wrapping and boxing 

 of plants is crudely done. 



Small plants, such as small ferns or 

 palms or asparagus, or the general run 

 of bedding plants that are not wanted 

 for immediate effect, are very easily 

 handled. One plant, or in case they 

 are from 2-inch pots, three or four 

 plants, are wrapped lightly in paper (a 

 tough but light and puable quality of 

 brown paper is best), a plant or bundle 

 of plants is laid flat in the box with 

 the roots against the end of the box. 

 The next row is reversed so that the 

 papers that protect the tops overlap each 

 other and so you proceed till you have 

 the bottom of the box covered. If you 

 think the plants are heavy put in an 

 inch or so of marsh hay or excelsior be 

 fore you begin another layer, but if 

 there is not much top to the plants, as 

 in young carnations, then a sheet or two 

 of brown paper is enough between the 

 tiers of plants. Always fill the box, 

 if not -with plants, then with dry moss 

 or papers, so that -the plants cannot 

 move. This way of packing small or 

 medium plants where the bloom is not 

 considered is entirely satisfactory with 

 the lid of the box tightly nailed down. 



In summer the sides and top of the 

 box can have spaces left between boards, 

 and in winter the box must not only 

 be tightly made but well lined with 

 several sheets of paper. This plan is 

 quick, safe and inexpensive when the 

 plants are going by express or freight 

 and will be sure to arrive at their 

 destination in a week or less, but it 

 would never do to send plants this way 

 in the hold of a vessel across the At 

 lantic, for they would rot. 



Small plants that are wanted for im 

 mediate use in the spring, such as gera 

 niums, eoleuses or cannas, should be 

 stood up straight in a box, the ball 

 and plant always wrapped, and you can 

 generally squeeze in another plant on 

 the ball of the lower plants, thus almost 

 doubling your capacity, and doing no 

 harm to the plants. These boxes, how 

 ever mild the weather, should be covered 

 lightly but strongly a few inches above 

 the tops of the flowers or leaves, or the 

 express charge on them will be just 

 double, and the freight house will refuse 

 them altogether if unprotected. When 

 the express people see that they are 

 growing plants they won t dare not to 

 handle them properly. 



A lighter and better thing for send 

 ing these plants out in spring is a 

 crate, which is much handier than a 

 box. Make two frames, say 18x24 

 inches, of 1x2 pine, strongly nailed; 

 these are the ends and to the bottom 

 and sides of these nail 6-inch boards, 

 any length, and when packing is done 

 two or three of them on top. Except 

 for the bottom, to carry the weight of 

 the plants, %-inch stuff is plenty strong 

 enough for sides and top. 



Flowering plants, such as azaleas, 

 can be sent away the same way, pro 

 viding the weather is not cold. If it 

 is, close packing is necessary, and then 

 the ball or pot must be secured by 

 strips so that if the box should get 

 a turn on its side, which all closed boxes 



are liable to, the plants will still re 

 main in position. 



Palms and dracsenas of all kinds are 

 easy to pack and very seldom can we 

 make a complaint that any leaves are 

 bruised or broken. If the weather is 

 warm these plants can be safely sent 

 by a fast freight line, which saves the 

 high charges of the express company, 

 but whatever time of year it is the 

 leaves should be Drought up close to a 

 stake, if stake is needed, and each leaf 

 carefully tied in. Then they can be 

 stood upright in boxes, with or without 

 pots, and a framework built around 

 them. In cold weather, or at least when 

 there is danger of a hard frost, these 

 plants should always go by express. The 

 price of one palm may pay for the 

 charge on the lot. 



If only a few they can be laid in a 

 box, well wrapped in paper, and any 

 moving prevented by plenty of pack 

 ing- material, but when a considerable 

 number they are better packed in the 

 same way that we receive our azaleas, 

 acacias, etc., so excellently packed, from 

 Belgium, with this difference, that 



Finished for Closing Up. 



