14 



The Florists' Review 



August 9, 1917. 



Europe after the war. It was his view 

 that it is not necessary to produce all the 

 kinds of plants previously imported, but 

 that substitutes can be developed for 

 the varieties not easily grown in Canada. 

 At the same session W. C. Hall, of 

 Montreal, read a paper on the cyclamen, 

 which was followed by a general dis- 

 cussion. It was the consensus that the 

 cyclamen now takes the place of the 

 azalea for Christmas and that it will be 

 hard to displace after the war. 



New Varieties. 



The evening session August 7 was de- 

 voted to the discussion of novelties. 

 John H. Dunlop, of Toronto, read a 

 paper on the behavior of the newer car- 

 nations and Joseph Bennett, of Lachine, 

 presented a report on what the Experi- 

 mental Farm can do for the trade in 

 the way of testing new sorts. There 

 was a long discussion of much interest 

 to those participating. It brought out 

 many opinions as to the value of the 

 assistance the trade already has received 

 from the government stations and also 

 regarding data that could be provided 

 the stations by florists. In the end it 

 was decided to appoint another com- 

 mittee to work out cooperation between 

 the trade and the stations, or vice 



versa. 



Mums and Peas. 



The morning of the second day was 

 devoted to a paper on chrysanthemums, 

 by J. H. McKee, of Ottawa, and one on 

 sweet peas under glass, by James Kean, 

 of St. Bruno. The lady visitors went 

 sight-seeing about the city. 



In the afternoon the visitors were 

 the guests of the city on a drive to the 

 parks and- the mountain, followed by 

 a visit to the greenhouses of McKenna, 



Ltd. 



The convention will close at the eve- 

 ning session, except that on the follow- 

 ing day the Montreal Gardeners' and 

 Florists' Club will take the visitors who 

 remain for a visit to the St. Annes and 

 Senneville region, including the inspec- 

 tion of the famous Macdonald college. 



The trades' display appears to be less 

 than at previous conventions. 



PACKING AND SHXPPING. 



[Following is a paper by William Cotter, of 

 Montreal, Can., delivered at the convention of 

 the Canadian Hortienltural Association at Mon- 

 treal, August 8, 1917.] 



There are many methods of packing 

 cut flowers, but only two degrees— good 

 and poor. Any process of handling and 

 packing cut flowers that will conduce 

 toward putting the stock in the hands 

 of the consignee in good condition — by 

 that I mean stock that arrives fresh, not 

 bruised, and with no apparent loss of 

 vitality — would be designated as good 

 packing. 



There is no doubt that a flower of 

 any description loses a certain amount 

 of its original perfectness during trans- 

 portation, and that is what I have in 

 mind and which I wish to bring before 

 our members — the treatment of stock 

 from the time it is cut in the green- 

 houses until it is actually packed and 

 shipped. This treatment, or, as I might 

 call it, "the curing of stock," has every 

 effect upon the condition of the flowers, 

 nM only on arrival at the wholesalers 

 or retailers, but also ultimately at the 

 consumer's home — the length of time it 

 lasts in the home. In a decoration the 

 apparent freshness of the stock is due to 

 the original treatment the stock re- 

 ceived from the grower from the time 

 of cutting. 



I find that the successful rose growers 

 cut their stock two and three times a 

 day, regulated by weather conditions, 

 and then rush it immediately to the 

 coolers or refrigerators, which are kept 

 at a temperature of from 38 to 40 de- 

 grees. They allow the stock to stand for 

 ten to twelve hours, after which, as the 

 hardening process has taken effect, it 

 is graded. I might mention that if the 

 stock can be left to harden twenty-four 

 hours previous to grading, it will help 

 to improve its condition and it will also 

 carry better after packing. 



For the Sake of Better Prices. 



This treatment is adaptable to chrys- 

 anthemums, lilies, stevias, some bulbous 

 stock — in fact, everything but perhaps 

 carnations, which wtill take a little 

 higher temperature in the curing proc- 

 ess, but even so it is a debatable 

 question. 



The growers who are in close proxim- 

 ity to any market would not perhaps 

 have to go into the above methods so 



iraVERY now and then a well- 

 i^Si pleased reader speaks the word 

 which is the means of hringing; a 

 new advertiser to 



Such friendly assistance is thoroughly 

 appreciated* 



Give us the name of anyone from 

 whom you are buying, not an adver- 

 tiser. "We especially wish to interest 

 those selling articles of florist's use 

 not at present advertised. 



FLORISTS' PUBLISHING CO, 

 530-60 Caxton Bldg. Chicago 



closely, but I would mention that it is 

 advisable. 



It is apparent that the grower who 

 gives his stock this sort of treatment 

 will put it on the market in better con- 

 dition and will be able to obtain, 

 through good keeping qualities, better 

 prices than the grower who ships his 

 stock without hardening and too soon 

 after cutting. 



I might state that sweet peas, violets 

 and flowers of that description are best 

 put on a market or shipped as soon as is 

 possible after picking, as they will lose 

 their greatest values, fragrance and 

 sweetness, if held any length of time. 



The packing now enters into the ques- 

 tion and can be discussed in its various 

 forms by the members. 



I do strongly recommend plenty of ice 

 for roses in packing at all times of the 

 year, as I find that stock comes through 

 better from growers who use ice ^han 

 from those who do not. I suggest well 

 lined boxes, careful handling and pack- 

 ing, not forgetting what a lot of good 

 two cleats will do if used properly. 



The Need for Standard Grading. 



There have been many arguments rela- 

 tive to the method of shipping carna- 

 tions. Some growers prefer to pack 

 carnations one by one in layers in the 



boxes, while others bunch them in 

 twenty-fives. I think that the latter 

 method is perhaps best in most cases, 

 as they can on arrival be unpacked, 

 checked and put away with less labor 

 and loss of time than through the first 

 method mentioned. 



One more item regarding grading is 

 that we do not have a standard system 

 of grading in Canada at present, and, 

 as you are all aware, two or three grow- 

 ers grade to a certain system and two 

 or three to another system, and so on. 

 It would be a good idea in general to 

 take such steps as might produce a 

 standard system, and I feel confident 

 that it would result in much good for all 

 connected with the trade, growers, 

 wholesalers and retailers. 



There are many features regarding 

 this topic which have not been gone 

 into, but I feel that in making the paper 

 as concise as possible the discussion per- 

 haps will bring out more good points, 

 and in a way that would prove more 

 beneficial than a lengthy paper. 



EXPERIMENT FARM AND TRADE. 



[An extract from the report of Joseph Bennett, 

 chairman of a special committee to consider the 

 work of the Canadian Experimental Farms, pre- 

 sented at the Montreal Convention of the C. H. A. 

 August 7.] 



The members of this committee have 

 visited the Experimental Farm at Ot- 

 tawa for several years and have been 

 much interested in the work carried on 

 at this station. There is no doubt but 

 what plants, flowers and fruits are 

 grown here to perfection, and it is well 

 worthy of a visit from any gardener or 

 florist in the country, especially garden- 

 ers, but while we were always delighted 

 with what we saw and were well repaid 

 for our visit, as any flower lover would 

 be, we always came away with the im- 

 pression that there was little benefit to 

 the florist from a business standpoint. 



Chrysajithemums. 



In the first place we will take chrysan- 

 themums: They are grown at Ottawa to 

 perfection; that is, from an exhibition 

 point of view, but of little use to a 

 florist in his business. The latest intro- 

 ductions are procured, which is com- 

 mendable, but they are grown to single 

 flowers in pots, given lots of room and 

 the best of attention, whereas the florist 

 has to grow his plants in a bed or bench, 

 three flowers to a plant and close enough 

 to make them pay for themselves,, 

 which is an entirely different proposi- 

 tion. The florist visiting the experi- 

 mental station while the mums are in 

 flower knows no more which varieties 

 to grow than if he stayed at home. 



We suggest that these same varieties 

 be planted in a commercial way; that is, 

 in the same way in which the florist is 

 obliged to grow them. They will be 

 just as interesting to the ordinary vis- 

 itor and a source of income to the com- 

 mercial man. 



No Carnation Tests. 



Carnations are not grown at all at this 

 station, and, as they are practically the 

 standby of the cut flower grower of 

 Canada, we would suggest that a house 

 be devoted entirely to them. So many 

 varieties are introduced yearly by 

 hybridizers that it is practically impos- 

 sible for the commercial man to buy 

 them all. He buys what he thinks will 

 suit him, and oftentimes he is disap- 

 pointed with the results, losing valuable 

 time, labor, space and money. If the 

 experimental stations would take up 



