26 



The Florists^ Review 



March 9, 1916. 



lookout for something better, and those 

 €rms who maintain extensive experi- 

 mental grounds always have a great 

 number of selections coming on, the 

 majority of which the public will never 

 hear of. This applies to sweet peas as 

 well as to other blooming plants. 



To those present who are interested 

 in the development of the modern sweet 

 pea, whether for forcing or growing 

 outdoors, I extend an invitation to visit 

 the trials at Fordhook Farms during 

 the latter part of June next, when we 

 should have a fine display or all types. 



ODCN LmTER3^" KEADED6 



MB. GL0EC9NEB STANDS PAT. 



I read with much interest your criti- 

 cism of our St. Valentine's day adver- 

 tisement, which was reproduced in The 

 Review of February 24, and I must say 

 that your point is well taken, but we 

 had the same point in mind before the 

 advertisement was inserted. If the ad- 

 vertisement appeared in the large cities 

 of the country, such as New "iork, 

 Chicago and Philadelphia, we would 

 need the word ' * flowers ' ' in the ad, but 

 in a city of 125,000, Albany, I am of 

 the opinion that in this case it was un- 

 necessary. Moreover, we could not put 

 the word in without spoiling the ap- 

 pearance of the entire ad. In this 

 connection I might say that there is 

 no other Danker, Eyres, Travison or 

 Rosary within fifty miles of Albany. 

 There is one other Gloeckner, in the 

 furniture business, but he is the only 

 one that would in any way conflict. I 

 am pleased that you criticised our ad 

 rather than praised it, because in future 

 advertising we can guard against any- 

 thing of this kind if we think it neces- 

 sary. William Gloeckner. 



HOW HAYS GEOWS CANNAS. 



Last year I purchased my cauna 

 bulbs divided, but this year I bought 

 them in clumps and intend to divide 

 them at the end of March or April 1. 

 When dividing canna clumps, if any of 

 the roots are turning brown on the 

 inside, it is a sure sign that they will 

 rot. It is best to have not less than 

 two eyes to each root, for these will 

 produce stronger plants. Under my top 

 bench I make another bench, using 4- 

 inch boards for the sides and ends. 

 I fill the bench with dry sand and set 

 the cannas in it. I do not water them 

 for several days, and if some of the 

 roots are too wet or damp, the sand 

 will dry them, thus avoiding decay. 

 The cannas have sufficient light under 

 the top bench and do not dry out as 

 they would if exposed to the sun's 

 rays. It is wonderful how rapidly they 

 grow in the sand, making fine stalks 

 and leaves, the latter frequently meas- 

 uring from twelve to eighteen inches 

 long after a few weeks' growth. 



In making the canna bed I first spade 

 and grade the soil, building the bed 

 higher in the center. Then I make 

 holes two feet apart. I place horse 

 manure in the bottom of the holes, 

 then some soil and then the cannas. 

 I try to leave as much stalk above the 

 soil as was above the sand. A good 

 fertilizer is bone meal, using about two 

 handfuls to a plant. It will do no 

 harm if one-third of the soil is clay; 

 sometimes the soil is too rich and 

 makes spindly growths and inferior 



blooms. The cannas in the bed should 

 have an abundance of water when well 

 started and at the time of blooming. 



I have found that Uncle Sam is one 

 of the largest and best red-flowering 

 varieties. In variegated, Queen Char- 

 lotte cannot be excelled. The petals 

 are of a rich pomegranate-red, bordered 

 with a broad band of canary yellow. 

 Queen Charlotte is an exceedingly free 

 bloomer. C. E. Hays. 



SEEDS IN FLOWER STOSES. 



There are many hardware stores that 

 handle seeds as a side line and find 

 the annexation to the regular business 

 highly profitable. I have often won- 

 dered, therefore, why florists located in 

 country towns tnat have no regular seed 

 stores have not grasped this opportu- 

 nity of additional profits. Surely the 

 florist can give better and more satis- 

 factory service in this respect than the 

 hardware dealer. Next to the seeds- 

 man, the florist undoubtedly is the best 

 man for the business. The objection 



-CP; 



that the florist would require an extra 

 man is easily disposed of; if the hard- 

 ware 'dealer can afford an extra man 

 for the seed department, the florist can. 



I have charge of a seed department 

 in a hardware store, and it is a big 

 paying business, too. I am a seedsman 

 and eight years ago I saw an opportu- 

 nity in the town in which I live. I 

 went to a "most progressive" florist 

 and laid my proposition before him. I 

 wanted to sell seeds in his store. He, 

 however, could not see things my way 

 at all. Now there are two flower stores 

 in town and my seed and poultry de- 

 partment. The "most progressive" 

 florist quit business long ago. I would 

 rather have opened my seed business in 

 connection with the flower store, be- 

 cause seeds surely go better with flow- 

 ers and plants than with nails and 

 paint. Being a seedsman, I like to see 

 growing things about me rather than 

 hardware. 



Every florist doing business in a town 

 in which there is no regular seed store 

 should think this over. If there is a 

 hardware store in town that has a seed 

 department the florist need not fear 

 competition, for seeds in a hardware 

 store, without a seedsman in charge, are 

 no competition whatever. In one of the 

 finest hardware stores in Lancaster 

 there is a seed department, but I know 

 that any man or woman with some 

 consideration for his or her garden 

 would not buy seeds in that store if 

 there was a flower store in town with 

 a properly handled seed department. 

 There are two other hardware stores 

 that handle seeds, each evidently doing 

 enough business to make it worth while. 

 What couldn't a wide-awake florist do! 

 And such conditions exist in many good 

 towns that have no stores exclusively 

 devoted to seeds. S. Mann. 



New Haven, Conn. — The store of 

 John N. Champion recently was entered 

 by burglars, who emptied the till of 

 its $15. 



West Medway, Mass. — A recent fire 

 destroyed the boiler house and part of 

 the greenhouses of A. L. Smith. Much 

 damage was done to stock. 



Wobum, Mass. — A greenhouse 50x300 

 feet is being erected by Anderson Bros. 

 This firm specializes in sweet peas, 

 chrysanthemums and cucumbers. 



Plttsfield, Mass. — The distinctive 

 green and white interior of the new 

 F. I. Drake & Co. store was designed 

 by the McCray Refrigerator Co., of 

 Kendallville, Ind. 



Westerly, B. I. — When George L. 

 Stillman mailed his 17,000 dahlia cat- 

 alogues he included a boom circular 

 issued by the Westerly board of trade, 

 with each of the books. A customer in 

 New .Jersey, who received one of the 

 town boosters, wrote to Mr. Stillman as 

 follows: "I gave your town boom cir- 

 cular to our mayor, and he said it was 

 just the thing we wanted for our own 

 town." 



Worcester, Mass. — Sydney Winter has 

 leased the Sunnyside Greenhouse. 



Norwood, Mass. — ^The Norwood Floral 

 Co. store, Washington and Day streets, 

 was damaged by fire February 6. 



Amherst, Mass. — A. F. Johnson is 

 building an addition of thirty-five feet 

 to his house devoted to bedding plants. 



TauAton, Mass. — Messrs. Sandland 

 and Pitcher are the proprietors of the 

 Pinehurst Greenhouses, at 132 Tremont 

 street. 



Milford, Mass.— H. W. Austin has 

 awarded a contract for a greenhouse 

 40x200 to the King Construction Co., 

 of North Tonawanda, N. Y.. 



New Haven, Conn. — Crossed wires are 

 thought to have been the cause of the 

 fire that damaged the John Champion 

 flower store to the extent of several 

 thousand dollars, January 25. 



Woonsocket, B. I. — Alonzo M. Vose, 

 who trades as Vose the Florist, recently 

 put a new Studebaker delivery car on 

 the street and finds it of much advan- 

 tage, especially when the going is 

 heavy or when long hauls are to be 

 made. 



