20 



The Florists^ Review 



FEBEnARV 3, lfl6. 



TESTING CANNAS IN TENNESSEE. 



Selecting Good Varieties. 



We (leciiicil this i season to make a 

 fairly oompK-te test of cainias in our 

 grounds in the \ieiuity of Nasliville, 

 Tenn., so that we could be sure we were 

 growin;; the best, and so that our cus- 

 tomers could coine to our jilace and 

 make their selections for next year's 

 planting;. One of our neigiibors, an 

 amateur grower, decided to make a 

 test also, and he grew the few commer- 

 cial varieties not in our fields. This 

 makes our test jtretty complete, and as 

 our summer was unusually cool, with 

 no excess of rain, the results ought to 

 tally pretty closely with those obtained 

 in the north. 



tVe used ordinary garden soil, natural- 

 ly a heavy clay, wliidi had been manured 

 pretty well in the jiast, but was not 

 nianure<l this season. It was conveni- 

 ent to use plenty of water and this was 

 done. My neighbor used similar soil 

 that had been heavily fertilized with 

 stable manure. Ilis plants showed 

 rather better growth than ours, liut pro- 

 duced no better blooms. 



It is my jiurjiose to state our results 

 with sotiH- "i' the nejver and more widely 

 advertised \arietieii, whether they have 

 been a success or uot. and tiien to give 

 our decision as to the best varieties of 

 each color for general use. Varieties 

 that have no especi;il merit ali0\'e other 

 varieties of tlie siune general color and 

 height will not be mentioned. Vnfor- 

 tunately, neither of us was aide to se- 

 cure either 1-Jlanche Wintzer or the three 

 Dreer novelties, a-^ jve got our oi'deis 

 in aft(M- these W(>ii' sold out. I men- 

 tion this -o that no one may conclude 

 that th<'y have duni^ po(H-ly with u-^. 

 \Ve tia\"e loit seen theiii. 



The c;inn,-is under my c.are wei'c all 

 started in \\ir greenhouse and were set 

 in tlie Held about the middle of May. 

 Some \\e)r -iet diiidug the fir-t ]iart <if 

 May, but i.nt iiiiiny wi'i'e ready at that 

 time. Mv neighbor jilanted only diy 

 roots, ill till' tirst i"ew day^ of May. \Ve 

 can see Ml ditVereie-e in results in any 

 ■way. The i|ii;iiit it ies vatieij I'roiii only 

 one (if ^Mtiie of the ]'.>]', novelties tn 



"lOO ()•: 1 ." )1 -Mrne of the \;nieties \vt> 



hanille in the bu-gest i|uantirits. P.ut 

 tlie coil. iit lulls lia\e been exaetly the 

 same thiniighout. 



Desirable White Sorts. 



^font Illanr iiiipiine.j :^i'e\v I'oorly 

 and gave inferii>r bluems in the first 

 part of the season, but in the last three 

 months of the sensnn the plants were 



\ igorous, growing fully four feet tall 

 and producing a constant show of prac- 

 tically white flowers in good, large 

 heads, held well above the foliage. This 

 is so much better than any of the other 

 whites that no other will bear compari- 

 son with it, except Flag of Truce. 



Flag of Truce is the best in a way 

 that we have in our test. It is more 

 nearly white than the most faded Al- 

 sace; in fact, it is almost equal to Mont 

 b.lanc Improved at its best. It is 

 faintly dotted with pink, especially 

 toward the center. Of course the dots 

 are not seen at a distance of two or 

 three feet. But the color is not the 



Tbe Editor Is plersed 

 ^hen a Reader 

 presents his Ideas 

 on any subject treated In 



'm£t/ 



As experience Is the best 

 teacher, so do "we 

 learn fastest by an 

 exchanse of experiences. 

 Many valuable points 

 are broueht out 

 by discussion. 



Good pfninanship, spellintf and 

 grammar. thf)UBh desirable, are not 

 necessary. Write as you would talk 

 when doing your best. 



WE SHAJLL BE GLAD 

 TO HEAR FROM TOU 



gre;tt thing with this canna. It is one 

 I 'I' the most vigorous growers we have, 

 haxing thrown nineteen shoots by the 

 middle of S(>ptember, though started as 

 ;i small .'I imdi pot idant. The plant 

 re;i( lied a height of six feet and has not 

 sliuwn lewer than three heads of bloom 

 since .luiie. Tire llnwers ai'e large, meas- 

 iiiing from fiv(^ to live and one-half 

 inches in diameter without sprea<iing 

 the jietah. (ir I'roin six to six and one- 

 half inches ."icro-s with the petals 

 sti'aiglitened out. The jietals are fully 

 two and one half inches broad. This 

 me.ans a llower as large as the best King 



Humbert. The foliage is green, large 

 and luxuriant. The spikes have all 

 branched into four good bloom heads, 

 and the heads are as large as those of 

 the largest red varieties. 



Various Shades of Pink. 



Mrs. Alfred Conard has been a mass 

 of the most exquisite watermelon-pink 

 flowers of the largest size, all summer. 

 The heads are large. The plant lacks 

 somewhat in vigor and so needs good 

 care. It has scarcely made four feet in 

 height. We showed a vase of the 

 blooms at an educational convention 

 recently, and the color was so unusual 

 that few recognized them as canna 

 blooms. It will not be cheap for a 

 while yet, as it is a somewhat shy mul- 

 tiplier. 



Canna rosea gigantoa is a counter- 

 part of Mrs. Alfred Conard, as nearly 

 as two cannas could be counterparts, all 

 but color. It is a bright, handsome 

 carmine pink, and so different from 

 Mrs. Conard in color that there will 

 always be a difference of opinion as to 

 which is the more beautiful. 



]\Irs. Woodrow Wilson is a tall, strong- 

 growing canna, with an abundance of 

 green leaves and enormous heads of 

 large flowers, resembling rosea gigantea 

 in color, only a shade more nearly car- 

 mine. There are not a dozen varieties 

 in our test that have made more shoots 

 or more blooms. Where a canna five 

 feet or more in height is desired, it 

 cannot be excelled in its color. 



Maiil of Orleans is one of the most 

 beautiful cannas we have ever seen. 

 I-Aon if it did not bloom, it is worth 

 growing for its exquisite green foliage, 

 the most Ijeautiful of all canna foliage. 

 The flowers are of the largest, and the 

 color is a mottling of cream and crab- 

 applo-blossom pink. It grow§ four and 

 one-half feet or a little nio!*'e in height. 

 Its only fault is that it is somcwiiat 

 shy in blooming. 



Loveliness is a dwarf canna that is 

 only of value as a border for other can- 

 nas, or where it is desired to have plen- 

 ty of beautiful blooms with plants that 

 will not reach a height of over three 

 feet. Tiie flowers are large, and if there 

 is such a thing as a ruliy pink, it is seen 

 in this canna. It is one of the varie- 

 ties that never fail to be singled out 

 for comment. The foliage is green. 



Wabash is one of the ten or twelve 

 cannas that <an easily be called the 

 best. In foliage it is equal to any of 

 the bronze^;, its constitution is vigor- 

 ous and the height is just right, five 

 feet with us. It is a free jiroduccr of 

 (^xtra large flowers, carried well above 



