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The Florists^ Review 



NOVDMBEB 28, 1918. 



2 cents for each additional word for the 

 longest distance. Where the day rate 

 is $1 the new night rate will be half that 

 sum. 



The rates on ordinary telegrams, 

 though sent at night and on night let- 

 ters, are not affected by the order. 



DAISY HILL FABM. 



Fourteen miles from Cleveland on 

 South Woodland road is situated the 

 Daisy Hill Farm, a 2,500-acre tract 

 owned by the Van Swerigens, wealthy 

 real estate men, which is of no particu- 

 lar interest, however, to florists. But, 

 nestled among the hills at a point 

 where, from the rugged nature of the 

 surrounding country, one might expect 

 to sight a herd of deer, is located a 

 range of Lord & Burnham and Foley 

 greenhouses which has made the place 

 justly famous. They are presided over 

 by Paul Backofen, a name synonymous 

 with the best of everything in flowers. 

 Eoses, carnations and chrysanthemums, 

 followed by sweet peas, are the special- 

 ties. The stock is marketed in Cleve- 

 land and is eagerly sought by a multi- 

 tude of discriminating buyers, because 

 of its rarely good quality. Here may 

 be found the happy union of a range of 

 modern construction, abundance of fer- 

 tile soils, skillful growing and up-to-date 

 methods, the blending of which inevi- 

 tably spells success. Though off the 

 beaten path of travel, it is worth a half 

 day's journey to visit this most inter- 

 esting establishment. Mac. 



CABL HAGENBUBOES. 



The name of Carl Hagenburger is in- 

 separably connected with articles of 

 sterling merit and there are few men 

 more devoted to their chosen calling. 

 He truly loves his work and, as proof 

 thereof, we need only point to his splen- 

 did solanums, which are now being mar- 

 keted in immense quantities. So great 

 is the demand that other specialties 

 have had to be discontinued. The use 

 of printers' ink has played an important 

 part in popularizing these fine creations, 

 and serves to illustrate what can be 

 done in this direction. 



Although a busy man, Mr. Hagenbur- 

 ger finds time to attend important trade 

 gatherings, and is always sufficiently 

 interested to take active part in the 

 proceedings. He is a vice-president of 

 the American Carnation Society and it 

 was chiefly through his efforts that the 

 annual meeting of that national body 

 was secured for Cleveland in January, 

 1919. As the war-time president of the 

 Cleveland Florists' Club, his work dur- 

 ing that trying period was characterized 

 by energy and devotion to duty. A little 

 journey to Mentor is incomplete unless 

 it includes a call upon this plant wizard, 

 at whose place the latchstring is always 

 out. Mac. 



C. MEBEEL tc SONS. 



Mentor is known in history as the 

 home of the martyred President Gar- 

 field; the location of C. Merkel & Sons 

 there places it upon the trade map. And 

 it is destined to increase in importance, 

 too, because of the noteworthy spirit of 

 enterprise rampant in that ever increas- 

 ing concern. 



Few trade visitors come to the Sixth 

 City that do not go to the Merkel range, 

 for the simple reason that there is al- 

 ways something worth-while there to 



see. The crops are not only superbly 

 grown, but the methods are worthy of 

 emulation. The commonplace is dis- 

 carded for the new and meritorious, re- 

 sulting in greater satisfaction and profit, 

 a procedure too little practiced by com- 

 mercial florists. 



At present the tendency is in favor of 

 cut flowers as against the vast quanti- 

 ties of plants of previous years. The 

 stock is sold direct to the retailer. The 

 major part of it is shipped, but deliv- 

 eries are now being made in Cleveland 

 by truck. Steadily the output is becom- 

 ing a greater factor in the supply of 

 the local market. 



The elder Merkel is ably assisted by 

 his three stalwart sons, whose intelli- 

 gent and constant application and 

 ability to work well in double harness 

 have made their goodly measure of 

 progress possible. Cooperation is the 

 keynote of the place, which augurs well 

 for a great future. Mac. 



BUSINESS EMBABBASSMENTS. 



Peoria, 111. — The final meeting of the 

 creditors of D. U. Augspurger & Sons 

 Co. will be held at room 1005, Central 

 National Bank building, Peoria, Decem- 

 ber 10, at 10 a. m, L. W. Allison, trus- 

 tee of the assets of the company, which 

 went into bankruptcy more than a year 

 ago, filed his final report October 18, 

 and Edward U. Henry, referee, has noti- 

 fied the creditors to be present at the 

 final meeting to pass on the report, allow 

 attorneys' and other fees, and decide on 

 a final dividend to the creditors. The 

 report of the trustee shows he has $1,- 

 456.32 for distribution. 



NiaHT WIBE BATES BEDUOED. 



Eeduction in telegraph rates on night 

 messages, which would cut the minimum 

 toll from $1 to 50 cents between Atlan- 

 tic and Pacific coast states, has been or- 

 dered by Postmaster General Burleson, 

 effective January 1 next. Such mes- 

 sages are subject to delivery by post- 

 office earners. 



The minimum cost on night message 

 telegrams will be 20 cents for ten words 

 and 1 cent for each additional word for 

 the shortest distances, and 50 cents, with 



ASK MEI ASK MEI 



J. H. A., Miss. — If in doubt about the 

 purity of the water, send a sample to 

 your state experiment station at Agri- 

 cultural College, Miss. 



H. F. C, Tex. — Address John G. Esler, 

 secretary Florists' Hail Association, 

 Saddle Eiver, N. J. 



Houston, Tex. — The Houston Horticul- 

 tural Society held a postponed meeting 

 November 18 at the oflSces of B. C. 

 Kerr, at which important business was 

 considered. 



Columbus, O.— A. C. Hottes, of the 

 department of floriculture, College of 

 Agriculture, Ohio State University, ia 

 quoted by local newspapers as saying 

 bulbs will be obtained by Ohio florists 

 largely from Canada, in view of the 

 shortage of foreign importations. 



a)CN UElTEl^y^ READED6 



IBONITE. 



We would like to know if any of the 

 growers back east have heard of Iron- 

 ite, which is said to make everything 

 grow better and faster. We doubt if 

 you have, because, if so, we feel sure 

 that we would have heard about it be- 

 fore November 18, when Professor A. 

 Miller, of the National Tree and Remedy 

 Co., of Denver, Colo., made us a visit 

 and explained to us all about Ironite, 

 which he said, if used in the soil at the 

 rate of two pounds to 100 square feet 

 every ninety days, will make it possible 

 to leave the soil in the benches for any 

 length of time, and not that only, but 

 it will make plant growths stronger and 

 less subject to disease. It also elimi- 

 nates splits in carnations. 



Now, we do not doubt Professor Mil- 

 ler's word, but we oould not but lament 

 that a labor-saving product like this 

 was not offered at the time when we had 

 to contend with a labor shortage such as 

 never before. And we wondered that 

 those growers who, according to Pro- 

 fessor Miller, have used Ironite for a 

 number of years, did not lend a helping 



hand to their fellows by letting them 

 know about this labor-saving stuff. We, 

 at least, never saw anything of the kind 

 mentioned in The Review, even though 

 Professor Miller told us that growers 

 like Bassett & Washburn, Poehlmann 

 Bros. Co. and others are using it exten- 

 sively in their ranges. 



If anybody acquainted with Ironite 

 will enlighten us through the columns 

 of The Review, we shall appreciate it. 

 Glenrose Greenhouses. 



The Review has heard of Ironite a 

 number of times, but it has not been able 

 to obtain the street address of the con- 

 cern putting it out, although an inquiry 

 has been published asking readers to 

 supply the information. The U. S. De- 

 partment of Agriculture, which issues 

 fertilizer licenses as a war measure, ad- 

 vises that no license has been issued to 

 Miller or the National Co., that Ironite 

 is unknown to the bureau in charge and 

 that its representatives are anxious to 

 meet Mr. Miller. Address Wallace Mein, 

 assistant to the secretary, U. S. De- 

 partment of Agriculture, Washington, 

 D. C. 



