Decbubib 28, 1016. 



The Florists' Review 



17 



The Establishment of Maxwell & Co.» Tulsa» OkIa.» the Store Building in Characteristic Mission Style. 



ful not to spray them overhead, and 

 when watering them be sure not to pour 

 water over the crowns of the plants, or 

 rotting will start. If you are carrying 

 any plants in pots in either coldframea 

 or pits, do not leave them covered too 

 long with ice and snow, or they will be- 

 come moldy. Plan to give them sun 

 and ventilation at least once in three or 

 four days. 



Primulas. 



If you want some early primulas, es- 

 pecially of P. obconica and Sinensis, pro- 

 cure and sow the seeds now. These 

 plants will come in for Thanksgiving 

 :and Christmas and, as bright colors 

 have first call at these seasons, it would 

 be wise to sow a preponderance of the 

 Ted and deep pink varieties. Buy the 

 best seeds — they are cheapest in the end 

 — cover them tightly and protect the 

 pans with sheets of glass as well as 

 paper until the seedlings germinate. 

 P. Kewensis need not be sown until 

 February, while P. malacoides should 

 not be started until early July. . 



Gardenias. 



We now are liable to have a good deal 

 of dark, cold weather, when it is not 

 possible to ventilate much, and it is 

 tinder such conditions that, unless great 

 ■care is taken, there will be a heavy loss 

 of gardenia buds. Keep the temperature 

 «t 62 to 65 degrees at night, allowing it 

 "to run down to 58 to 60 degrees on se- 

 vere nights. Be careful not to over- 

 water the plants; it is best to let them 

 dry out quite well between the water- 

 ings and to water them so that the at- 

 mosphere will be moderately dry before 

 nightfall. It will be necessary to hose 

 "the plants to keep mealy bug in check, 

 but care should be taken to select bright 

 ^iays for this work. Avoid the use of 

 any liquid food at this season. If you 

 want to feed them, use a light surfacing 

 of well rotted cow manure or a dressing 

 of pulverized sheep manure. 



Schizanthus. 



Keep the schizanthus cool and do not 

 allow the plants to become potbound un- 

 til they receive their final shift. If they 

 are leggy and straggly, pinch them back 

 into shape. Keep the plants well up to 

 the light, so that they will be stocky, 

 with a night temperature not in excess 

 of 45 degrees. 



about the time the buds show color. It 

 is worse on Matchless than on any of 

 the others. Aside from this condition 

 of the buds, the plants are healthy and 

 are doing well. We have watered them 

 properly, we think, and we give them a 

 temperature of 54 degrees at night. 



F. G. W.— Ky. 



Your carnations are affected by what 

 is commonly known as bud-rot. This is 

 supposed to be due to the work of a 

 tiny insect which operates inside the 

 buds, causing the petals to stick to- 

 gether and rot. Lady Bountiful, in its 

 day, seemed to be the most susceptible 

 to this disease and I have seen more 

 of it on Matchless than on most other 

 modern varieties. Spray regularly with 

 tobacco extract, ' but reduce your 

 syringing to a minimum. Pick off and 

 burn every decayed bud you see, in or- 

 der to destroy all the eggs. That is 

 about all you can do until the end of 

 the season, when you can clean out the 

 house and fumigate heavily with 

 sulphur. A. F. J. B. 



SEVEN YEAES OF SUCCESS. 



Though it is only seven years since 

 W. R. Maxwell began his career as a 

 florist and truck gardener aj; Alva, Okla., 

 and though he began in a most unpre- 

 tentious way, the business has developed 

 until it now ranks as a notable success. 

 Including a branch establishment at 

 Tulsa, Okla., the Maxwell greenhouses 

 are among the moat extensive in the 

 state. Of course the size of a florist 's 

 business in Oklahoma must not be 

 judged or measured by the same stand- 

 ards as in some of the older states. The 

 trade in Oklahoma is young and has 



only entered upon its real advancement, 

 like the state itself. 



A correspondent at Alva remarks that 

 the Maxwell success is not due to luck, 

 but to pluck, energy and good manage- 

 ment. That statement is so evidently 

 true that scarcely anyone would venture 

 to contradict it. In these times of in- 

 tense competition and general strenu- 

 osity, luck is even less of a factor than 

 formerly in the attainment of one's ob- 

 ject in life. 



When W. R. Maxwell founded his 

 business at Alva seven years ago, "the 

 wise ones predicted failure," says the 

 local correspondent again, for Alva was 

 a small town, with no great, conspicuous 

 opportunities — only such opportunities 

 as a keen observer could detect. But 

 subsequent events proved the "wise 

 ones" to be false prophets. The Max- 

 well greenhouse operations arc now re- 

 garded as constituting one of the princi- 

 pal industries of the town. 



Still, Mr. Maxwell was not fully satis- 

 fied with what could be accomplished at 

 Alva. A few years ago, therefore, he 

 started the branch business at Tulsa, 

 placing it under the management of his 

 sons, Floyd and John. This undertaking 

 also has prospered, and a new addition 

 to the Tulsa range has just been com- 

 pleted. That the range is a compact 

 and attractive one is proved by a photo- 

 ffraph which is here reproduced. An- 

 other illustration shows the Alva place. 



The Maxwells carry on a considerable 

 shipping trade, supplying a large part of 

 northwest Oklahoma and southwest 

 Kansas with stock. All three proprietors 

 are expert growers and shrewd business 

 men. The Alva business is conducted 

 in the name of W. R. Maxwell. The 

 Tulsa firm name is Maxwell & Co. 



TREATMENT FOR BXJD-ROT. 



Under separate cover we are sending 

 you a few carnations that have some 

 flort of disease. The buds rot in the 

 center. This decay seems to begin 



The Establishment of W. R. Maxwell, Alva, Okla. 



