14 



The Florists' IMcw> 



NOTBHBIIB 21, 1018. 



GROWERS AT GHENT 



States of all plants and nursery stock 

 except certain minor classes for propa- 

 gation. Unless plans are changed this 

 quarantine will go into effect June 1, 

 1919. 



OHBYSANTHEMUM SOCIETY. 



THE BELGIAN PLANT CENTER. 



In Start and Finish of War. 



Just as Ghent, horticultural center of 

 Belgium, was cue of the centers of ac- 

 tion in the early days of the war, so 

 was it the scene of one of the closing 

 acts of the great drama. Invaded by 

 the Germans in August, 1914, it was 

 evacuated by them in November, 1918, 

 just before tlie surrender. 



The American trade has had possibly 

 greater interest in the affairs of Ghent 

 and its vicinity than in those of any 

 other spot behind the battle lines, be- 

 cause there is no florist in the United 

 States who has not handled stock grown 

 at Ghent before the war and many en- 

 joyed pleasant personal relations as well 

 as business acquaintance with the ex- 

 porters there. Ghent has furnished 

 America with azaleas and has been the 

 principal source of supply for bay trees, 

 rhododendrons, aspidistras and many 

 other important items of our plant 

 stock. 



City Escapes Destruction. 



When the German army passed 

 through Ghent in 1914 it was in such 

 haste to reach the coast that the city 

 and its environs suffered comparatively 

 little damage. The invaders kept to 

 the roads and the army passed through 

 quickly. Under German administration 

 exports at first went on via Holland, 

 but in the last two years it has 

 been impossible to maintain touch with 

 business connections there, so no one 

 today is able to say what condition the 

 horticultural establishments are in or 

 what has become of the men who ran 

 them. 



Press reports indicate that, just as 

 the city escaped serious damage at the 

 time of the invasion, so also did it es- 

 cape destruction during the evacuation. 

 The cable has brought a story that the 

 Belgian population followed the advanc- 

 ing British army to see the show as the 

 last Germans retired from the city. 

 Prior to the evacuation, however, the 

 British artillery and aircraft bombed 

 the district west of Ghent in which, be- 

 fore the war, there were many hun- 

 dreds of plant-growing establishments. 



Many Plant Growers There. 



Ghent was the capital of the province 

 of East Flanders, situated on islands at 

 the junction of the Lys with the 

 Scheldt, and with a number of canals 

 leading in all directions. Prior to the 

 war the city had a population, with its 

 suburbs of Ledeberg and Mont St. 

 Amand, of close to 200,000. The city 

 was a center for woolen manufacture 

 and for the exportation of linen, cotton, 

 lace and manufactures of leather, in 

 addition to being famous as one of the 

 most important of the medieval towns, 

 with many notable examples of art and 

 architecture, but in the florists' and 

 nursery trade it was known as having 

 more plant-growing establishments than 

 any other one locality in Europe. It is 

 said that before the war there were 

 some 1,400 growers in the district 



around Ghent and westward to Bruges, a 

 distance of some twenty-five miles. The 

 hitter place is widely known in the trade 

 as the Belgian headquarters of Sander 

 & Sons. Somergem, about eight miles 

 northwest of Ghent, was the headquar- 

 ters of the Haerens Co., one of the 

 jirincipal exporters of azaleas to the 

 United States. In Ghent itself were 

 such widely known firms as that of 

 Arthur De Meyer, of Louis Van Houtte 

 Pere, C. Petrick and De Smet Bros., 

 names familiar to every florist who has 

 noted the paper variety labels on his 

 azaleas. There is no news as to how 

 many of the growers had survived the 

 German methods during the four years 

 of occupation. 



Trade Can Not Revive. 



The custom in the trade at Ghent was 

 similar to that of many other horticul- 

 tural centers in Europe and America: 

 Large numbers of small growers each 

 produced a quantity of stock which was 

 either grown for or sold to one of the 

 large exporting firms. 



At last accounts, via Holland, the 

 stocks of the Belgian growers were 

 seriously depleted; it is feared that 

 though government restriction will 

 shortly be removed from shipping, there 

 can be no early resumption of exports, 

 nor can the Ghent plant-growing in- 

 dustry expect a revival of the great 

 trade done in America if the Federal 

 Horticultural Board of the United 

 States Department of Agriculture car- 

 ries out its announced intention to pro- 

 hibit the importation into the United 



Work of tlie Committees. 



The examining committees of the C. 

 S. A. have submitted reports on new 

 varieties as follows: 



At Chicago, November 9, Celebration, yellow, 

 incurved, submitted by B. G. Hill Co., Kichmond, 

 Ind., scored as follows on the commercial scale: 

 Color, 18; form, 14; fullness, 0; stem, 14; foliage, 

 14; substance, 13; size, 9; total, 91. 



At Chicago, November 9, Buena, a bronze pom- 

 pon, submitted by Elmer D. Smith & Co., Adrian, 

 Mich., scored as follows: Color, 38; form, 18; 

 stem and foliage, 18; fullness, 18; total, 92. 



At Chicago, November 9, White Gem, a white 

 pompon, submitted by Elmer D. Smith & Co., 

 Adrian, Mich., scored as follows: Color, 89; 

 form, 19; stem and foliage, 19; fullness, 19; 

 total, 96. 



At Chicago, November 9, Silver Ball, white, 

 incurved, submitted by Elmer D. Smith & Co., 

 Adrian, Mich., scored as follows on the commer- 

 cial scale: Color, 17; form, 14; fullness, 9; 

 stem, 14; foliage, 13; substance, 10; size, 8; 

 total, 85. 



At Chicago, November 9, Titanic, white. In- 

 curved, submitted by Elmer D. Smith & Co., 

 Adrian. Mich., scored as follows oo the com- 

 mercial scale: Color, 16; form, 12; fullness, 9; 

 stem, 14; foliage, 14; substance, 14; size, 10; 

 total. 89. 



At Cincinnati, November 9, Buena, a bronze 

 pompon, submitted by Elmer D. Smith & Co.. 

 .\drian, Mich., scored as follows: Color, 37; 

 form, 16; stem and foliage, 17; fullness, 19; 

 total, 89. 



At Cincinnati, November 9. White Gem, a 

 white pompon, submitted by Elmer D. Smith & 

 Co., Adrian, Mich., scored as follows: Color, 

 38; form, 18; stem and foliage, 16; fullness, 18; 

 total. 90. 



Department of Registration. 



November 11, 1918, Elmer D. Smith & Co., 

 Adrian, Mich., registered the new chrysanthe- 

 mum. Victory, white, Japanese incurved. 



Chas. W. Johnson, Sec'y. 



Columbus, O. — The Art Floral Co. waa 

 among the concerns listed as having con- 

 tributed to the expenses of the pumpkin 

 show staged in this city November 11 to 

 13, which included a display of war gar- 

 den products. 



BAUR'S NEW PINK CARNATION. 



A. F. J. Baur's new pink carnation is 

 not yet named — only numbered, but a 

 name will be chosen for it soon. Prob- 

 ably it will proceed straightway, also, 

 to make a name for itself. At least, if 

 it fails to do so, the failure will not be 

 due to lack of good credentials. It has 

 an auspicious start. When a new car- 

 nation is offered by so experienced and 

 well known a firm as Baur & Stein- 

 kamp, the trade can scarcely avoid tak- 

 ing notice. And when, besides, the car- 

 nation is the result of the best skill of 

 such a specialist as Mr. Baur, and has 

 his confident approval, what better rec- 

 ommendation could the new variety 

 have? 



Oh, yes, it is supposed that the major- 

 ity of people have a natural tendency, 

 in spite of modesty and strict honesty, 

 to form a high opinion of their own 

 products. But such a tendency, in the 

 ease of a thoroughly responsible firm or 



individual, is likely to be counterbal- 

 anced, is it not, by a wise conservatism 

 and a desire to maintain a good reputa- 

 tion? 



The new carnation is labeled No. 414. 

 The illustrations show a house of it 

 and also a separate bloom, as seen from 

 three different points of view. In order 

 to appreciate fully the prospect of a 

 good crop of flowers, it is important to 

 note that the photograph of the house 

 was taken early — November 7, 1918. 



"We believe," says Mr. Baur, "that 

 this is the best variety we have yet pro- 

 duced and we feel confident that it will 

 be added to the list of standard sorts 

 after it is disseminated. In color it is 

 similar to Gloriosa, but somewhat 

 brighter, holding its color better. In 

 size it is equal to the Enchantress va- 

 rieties, and in freedom it compares fa- 

 vorably with the best of the standard 

 sorts grown today. It seems to have 

 all the earmarks of a high-grade com- 



