FLORICULTURE 



FLORISTS' PLANTS 



1243 



up-to-date retail grower has his section of orchids, 

 and nearly everj* large floricultuial center has its orchid 

 specialist. For many years it was considered impossible 

 to get satisfactory results from sweet peas under glass. 

 The introduction of new strains and careful study of 

 cultural conditions made the culture of this crop pos- 

 sible. The forcing of hardy herbaceous perennials hke 

 antirrhinums, delphiniums, and the like, and the forcing 

 of hardy shrubs and other rare, hardy stock has fur- 

 nishetl the flower-grower with a wonderful range of the 

 more unusual plants. 



Many large American flower-producers are now 

 managing their business on a departmental scale. 

 There are retail and wholesale departments; palm, 

 carnation, orchid, rose, chrysanthemum and bedding 

 departments, each in charge of a specialist in growing 

 that particular crop. 



The flower exhibitions held from time to time in 

 the larger cities have had a beneficial effect on the 

 uplift of the business. These exhibitions have been 

 viewed by thousands of retail buyers. The choicest 

 products of the flower-grower's skill have been exhib- 

 ited, and the pubhc has become dissatisfied with the 

 inferior grade of commercial flowers offered for sale 

 in the average flower-shops. They have demanded 

 better products, and it has been the work of the flower- 

 grower to produce these qualities. 



Literalure. 



Within the last ten years there has been a remarkable 

 increase in hterature on flower-growing. Such papers 

 as "The Florists' Exchange," "The American Florist," 

 "Florists' Review," "Horticulture," "Gardening," 

 "Gardener's Chronicle of .America," have kept the 

 grower closely in touch with the work in the gar- 

 dening world. Many publications for the amateur, 

 like "The Garden Magazine," "Country Life in Amer- 

 ica," "House & Garden," "Suburban Life" have 

 assisted in giving the American people much valuable 

 information regarding flower-growing about the home. 



A long list of books might now be given, dealing 

 with commercial and home flower-growing. Among 

 these, valuable for the commercial man, are: "The 

 American Carnation," C. W. Ward; "Commercial 

 Rose-Culture," Eber Holmes; "Chrysanthemums for 

 the Million," Charles H. Totty; "Violet-Culture," B. 

 T. Galloway; "Orchid Culture," William Watson; 

 "Florist's Manual," William Scott; "Plant-Culture," 

 G. W. OUver. Excellent books for the amateur are: 

 "The Rose," H. B. EUwanger; "Window-Gardening," 

 H. B. Dorner; "The Garden Month by Month," Mrs. 

 M. C. Sedgwick; "Making a Bulb Garden," Grace 

 Tabor; "Roses and How to Grow Them," Doubleday, 

 Page & Co.; "House Plants and How to Grow Them,'' 

 Parker T. Barnes. E a. White. 



FLORIDA ARROW-ROOT: Zamia integri/olia. 

 FLORIDA SWAMP LILY: Crinum americanum. 



FLORISTS' PLANTS. A half-century ago the 

 florist plant trade, although perhaps relatively of 

 greater importance than at present, was not a promi- 

 nent feature of the hohday trade. At Christmas there 

 was some acceleration in the business, but this was 

 overshadowed by the trade in cut-flowers. Easter was 

 not a time of great plant sales. Church decorations in 

 Protestant churches were not common. The sales of 

 plants were more evenly distributed throughout the 

 year, and the variety of plants sold was greater because 

 the grower and consumer came in contact with each 

 other, thus enabhng the grower to dispose of plants 

 which would not withstand the handling experienced 

 by the plants of the present day. With the changing 

 conditions in the family life of city residents, plants are 

 no longer largely desired for window-gardens, but for 

 temporary decoration of the living-rooms. The old type 



of plant-grower with his botanical collection has 

 passed away, and in his place is the large commercial 

 grower of a few staple plants which are grown in per- 

 fect condition. These growers produce a large quantity 

 of plants for Christmas and then begin operations for 

 Easter, as both of these dates now are times for the 

 sending of gifts. 



The trade in florist plants in the U. S., including bed- 

 ding plants, is not less than 810,000,000, and it is encour- 

 aging that it is annually increasing without any dimuni- 

 tion in the volume of the cut-flower business. Every 

 up-to-date florist makes Christmas and Easter displays, 

 and often special exhibits of chrysanthemums, and so 

 on, are made when in season. The most successful of 

 these displays are made in houses arranged for the 

 purpose, for when made in an ordinary greenhouse 

 with high benches, the taller plants are above the level 

 of the eye and the effect is sacrificed. The best houses 

 for displays are those of the conservatory tj^pe such as 

 are seen in cormection with some of the best flower 



1510. Pot-plants being packed for shipment. 



stores. An ordinary greenhouse is often adapted for 

 the purpose by constructing low benches, 18 to 20 

 inches high, for displaying bulbous plants and omitting 

 them entirely for tall plants. The object sought in all 

 cases is to have the plants placed so that the buyer 

 looks down upon them. The show house is not very 

 large for the reason that it is not always advisable to 

 have too many plants of a kind in sight and also 

 because at Easter the occurrence of warm, bright, 

 unseasonable weather prevents keeping the plants in 

 good condition. It is generally recognized that the 

 display must be maintained in good condition by 

 removing all unsightly plants and faded flowers. The 

 stock should be replenished and rearranged every day. 

 The good salesman is one who has a knowledge of 

 the care of plants, as well as their good points, their 

 appropriateness for special occasions, and so on. 

 Judicious advice on these points has much to do in 

 winning and retaining customers. When a sale is made, 

 the plants are carefully tagged with the correct address 

 and the time it is to be deli\'ered. If the plant ia 

 intended as a present, the sender's card is usually 



