September 14, 1916. 



The Florists' Review 



15 



Telegraph Delivery by J. I. McCuUum, In the Window of Scholtz the Florist, Charlotte, N. C. 



described as effective in his own case 

 have had equal success. 



t 



MANETTIA BICOLOR. 



I am enclosing a sample of a green- 

 house running vine. Please give me 

 the botanical name of it. The vine 

 bears small trumpet-like blooms, scar- 

 let, with yellow edges. 



N. J. N.— Mich. 



The specimen enclosed for identifica- 

 tion is Manettia bicolor. It is a pretty 

 greenhouse climber and is easy to 

 grow. Propagate it from cuttings. T 

 know of no other name for it. 



A. F. J. B. 



THE PEONY SITUATION. 



The trade never was so well supplied 

 with peonies as now and the conditions 

 surrounding the growing and marketing 

 of peony roots are wholly different from 

 what they were in the earlier years of 

 the industry, the years sometimes re- 

 ferred to as those of the peony boom. 

 Then the trade was hunting for stock; 

 scores of florists and nurserymen were 

 planting great blocks, some for cut 

 flowers and some for roots, but in either 

 case they stood ready to buy quantities 

 of the standard and better new varie- 

 ties whenever offered. Today this de- 

 mand has ceased, or nearly so. The 

 )nen who were the largest buyers ten 

 years ago are the largest sellers today. 

 The trade still is buying peonies, prob- 

 ably in a greater aggregate annual 

 quantity than ever before, but not for 

 the same purpose; the stock is wanted 

 for filling the orders of the public 

 rather than for planting. The number 

 of peony specialists has multiplied by 



scores. They nearly all have large 

 stocks and no longer can look to each 

 other for their market, as was the case 

 when each was planting more than he 

 sold. But the public is just beginning 

 to appreciate the peony; the number 

 planted on private grounds this season 

 will be something prodigious. Florists 

 are in the best position to supply this 

 rapidly increasing demand, for they are 



in closest touch with the planters. Those 

 who have no room to grow the stock 

 for retailing are nevertheless able to 

 share in the business by taking orders 

 during the season, in the autumn buy- 

 ing the plants with which to fill them 

 from a specialist and it is in this way, 

 doubtless, that the greatest quantity 

 of stock w^ill be moved in years to 

 come. 



DIFFICULTIES IN DISBUDDING. 



I am writing for information on the 

 treatment of chrj'santhemums. I have 

 pinched out the tops of the plants, leav- 

 ing only three branches to a plant. I 

 have pinched off the little side shoots 

 that come out at the leaves. Now that 

 it is time for the flower buds, I find 

 that there are three or four buds where 

 I expected only one. The bud that 

 seems to be the center one is the small- 

 est. I do not know which to pinch 

 off. Can you tell me? In order to 

 make my meaning clearer, I am enclos- 

 ing a rough sketch or drawing of one 

 of the plants. M. K. B. — Tex. 



The drawing submitted shows a plant 

 producing terminal buds. If it is de- 

 sired to remove these buds to get the 

 largest and best blooms, the side shoots 



must be taken clean away and the best 

 looking bud retained for the center 

 shoot; be sure to remove all the others. 

 The best looking bud does not naturally 

 have to be the center bud; it may hap- 

 pen that the center bud is deformed or 

 destroyed by insects. The best looking 

 bud, even if on the side, will assume 

 the central position when the other 

 buds are removed. Generally speaking, 

 when a plant has been allowed to pro- 

 gress to the stage shown in the draw- 

 ing, there is nothing to do but take a 

 terminal bud. This bud will not pro- 

 duce nearly so fine a flower as the 

 earlier bud would have done. An 

 earlier bud would have been a crown 

 bud and would have devoted its time to 

 making petals instead of shoots, as the 

 platit in this ease has done. 



Chas. H. Totty. 



