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The Florists' Review 



FUBBOABT 3, 1916. 



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TESTING CANNAS IN TENNESSEE. 



Selecting Gk>od Varieties. 



We decided this season to make a 

 fairly complete test of cannas in our 

 grounds in the vicinity of Nashville, 

 Tenn., so that we could be sure we were 

 growing the best, and so that our cus-, 

 tomers could come to our place and 

 make their selections for next year's 

 planting. One of our neighbors, 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 pretty 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. 



"We used ordinary garden soil, natural- 

 ly a heavy clay, which had been manured 

 pretty well in the past, but was not 

 "manured 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. His plants showed 

 ■ rather better growth than ours, but pro- 

 duced no better blooms. 



It is my purpose to state our results 

 with some of the newer and more widely 

 advertised varieties, whether they have 

 been a success or not, and then to give 

 our decision as to the best varieties of 

 each color for general use. Varieties 

 that have no especial merit above other 

 varieties of the same general color and 

 height will not be mentioned. Unfor- 

 ' /tunately, neither of us was able to se- 

 cure either Blanche Wintzer or the three 

 • Dreer novelties, as we got our orders 

 in after these were sold out. I men- 

 tion this so that no one may conclude 

 that they have done poorly with us. 

 We have not seen them. 



The cannas under my care were all 

 started in the greenhouse and were set 

 in the field about the middle of May. 

 Some were set during the first part of 

 May, but not many were ready at that 

 time. My neighbor planted only dry 

 roots, in the first few days of May. We 

 can see no diflference in results in any 

 way. The quantities varied from only 

 one of some of the 1915 novelties to 

 500 or 1,000 of some of the varieties we 

 handle in the largest quantities. But 

 the conditions have been exactly the 

 same throughout. 



Desirable White Sorts. 



Mont Blanc Improved grew poorly 

 and gave inferior blooms in the first 

 part of the season, but in the last three 

 months of the season the plants were 



vigorous, 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 alinost equal to Mont 

 Blanc 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 ii not the 



Th* Kdltor Is plsesed 

 ^rhen a Reader 

 preaentB his Ideas 

 on any subject treated In 



_y|j>*j 



As exx>erlenoe Is the best 

 teacher, so do we 

 leam fastest by an 

 ezchanse of experiences. 

 Many valuable points 

 are brouKht out 

 by discussion. 



Good peninanghip, spelling and 

 grammar, though desirable, are not 

 necessary. Write as you would talk 

 when doing your best. 



WXSHAIXBX GLAD 

 TO HXAB FROM TOO 



great thing with this canna. It is one 

 of the most vigorous growers we have, 

 having thrown nineteen shoots by the 

 middle of September, though started as 

 a small 3-inch, pot plant. The plant 

 reached a height of six feet and has not 

 shown fewer than three heads of bloom 

 since June. The flowers are large, meas- 

 uring from five to five and one-half 

 inches in diameter without spreading 

 the petals, or from six to six and one- 

 half inches across with the petals 

 straightened out. The petals are fully 

 two and one-half inches broad. This 

 means a flower 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 gigantea is a counter- 

 part of Mrs. Alfred Gonard, 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. 



Mrs. 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 iiot 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. 



Maid of Orleans is one of the most 

 beautiful cannas we have ever seen. 

 Even if it did not bloom, it is worth 

 growing for its exquisite green foliage, 

 the most beautiful of all canna foliage. 

 The flowers are of the largest, and the 

 color is a mottling of cream and crab- 

 apple-blossom pink. It grows four and 

 one-half feet or a little more in height. 

 Its only fault is that it is somewhat 

 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. The flowers are large, and if there 

 is such a thing as a ruby 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 can easily be called the 

 best. In foliage it is equal to any of 

 the bronzes. Its constitution is vigor- 

 ous and the height is just right, five 

 feet with us. It is a free producer of 

 extra large flowers, carried well above 



