20 



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The Florists^ Review 



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December 12, 1018. 



at this time. Anyone in or out of the 

 state having a new dissemination is cor- 

 dially invited to exhibit at this time. 

 Introductions will be given careful con- 

 sideration and judgment by competent 

 judges and publicity by the various 

 trade papers. President Bertermann ap- 

 pointed the following committee to take 

 charge of the floral display: John 

 Hartje, William Roepke and Herman 

 Piel. Anyone desiring to exhibit can 

 make shipments to any member of the 

 committee, President Bertermann or 

 A. F. i. Baur. 



As this was the last meeting in 1918, 

 an auditing committee comprising the 

 following was appointed: E. E. Tem- 

 perley, William Roepke and Mr. Lewis. 

 The matter. of increasing the dues was 

 laid over until the next meeting. 



The question of establishing an ex- 

 periment station at Purdue University 

 was reopened. President Bertermann 

 saw no reason why Indiana should not 

 be benefited as other states have been 

 by such courses in Cornell University, 

 the University of Illinois, Amherst, etc. 



Professor Lummell, of Purdue Univer- 

 sity, believes it possible to establish 

 such a course at Purdue, but thinks the 

 heads of the school must be educated 



up to the need of such a course and 

 the governor and state legislature im- 

 pressed with its importance if anything 

 really worth while is to be accomplished. 

 Professor Lummell said that he was 

 himself wholly in sympathy with the 

 project and he could speak also for 

 Professor Greene, director-in-chief of 

 agriculture at Purdue. 



An incident showing how some of the 

 other heads were being converted to this 

 line of thinking was related by the 

 professor. Three years ago enthusiasm 

 had been worked up by some of the 

 faculty for a chrysanthemum show. It 

 being a rule that the college be closed 

 on Sunday, it was necessary to obtain 

 permission from the dean to exhibit the 

 blooms that day. Although not fully 

 approving, the dean could not withstand 

 the pleading of the interested parties, 

 and finally allowed them to keep , open 

 the conservatories. The show was a 

 great success and received merited 

 publicity by the various newspapers 

 throughout the state. The following 

 year another, larger show was given. 

 Last fall, owing to greater activities 

 along other lines, it was decided not 

 to exhibit. This was discussed with 

 the dean, who acquiesced and suggested 



that when the large blooms were open 

 an item be inserted in the paper to let 

 everyone know that the school was 

 open to visitors. It is Professor Lum- 

 mell 's idea that if one neutral man 

 can be made to see the value of this 

 work to the university, others can be 

 made to see it and an adequate appro- 

 priation obtained through the efforts 

 of the State Florists' Association of 

 Indiana. 



Secretary Steinkamp brought up for 

 approval the staging of a chrysanthe- 

 mum show in November, 1919. The 

 desire was also voiced to have the 

 Chrysanthemum Society join with the 

 state association in this meeting. By 

 that time all our boys now in the serv- 

 ice would have returned and a jollifica- 

 tion on a larger scale could be held 

 to express gratitude to and appreciation 

 of these boys who have fought our 

 battles for us. Mr. Steinkamp 's sug- 

 gestion was unanimously carried. Pres- 

 ident Bertermann appointed the follow- 

 ing committee to work up this project: 

 O. E. Steinkamp, Joseph Hill, Glen 

 Moore, Fred Dorner, Professor Greene, 

 Professor Lummell and Irwin Berter- 

 mann. E. E. T. 



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^ CHRISTMAS PLANTS 



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A REVIEW OF THE STOCK. 



An Optimistic Outlook. 



A victory and peace Christmas can- 

 not fail to boom the sale of the florists' 

 products. In 1917, with our country at 

 war, trade was surprisingly good, but 

 everything points this year to a brisk 

 demand, better prices and a bumper 

 holiday business. Growers have suf- 

 fered from trade stagnation and un- 

 profitable prices for a considerable 

 time. Those who had courage to plant 

 as usual are feeling happy now, as 

 prices this fall have rarely been equaled, 

 and it is a satisfaction to see the grow- 

 ers coming into their own. The bogy 

 of fuel shortage is less acute. We have 

 had a comparatively mild season up to 

 the early days of December, which has 

 helped to conserve fuel, and it is hardly 

 likely that we shall have so severe a 

 winter as a year ago. Everything con- 

 sidered, there is much cause for thank- 

 fulness, and the feeling of optimism 

 now prevailing is bound to be justified. 



Wrapping Plants. 



It may seem hackneyed advice, but it 

 will bear repeating, to say that Christ- 

 mas may be mild, but more probably 

 will be severely cold and everyone 

 handling plants must provide an abund- 

 ance of newspapers and other wrapping 

 material. The cost of paper is higher 

 than a year ago, but it would be poor 

 policy for anyone to endeavor to econo- 

 mize on wrapping paper. Selling a plant 

 is not difficult as a rule, but packing it 

 up properly and delivering it free from 

 frost is an entirely different proposition. 

 Be sure to wrap all orders up thoroughly 

 and do not forget that it is just as im- 

 portant to keep the roots warm as the 

 shoots, so be sure to protect the pots 

 well. Use tissue paper or cotton wool 



for gardenias, orchids, valley and other 

 choice flowering plants, not only to pre- 

 vent bruising, but to give additional 

 warmth. 



Cyclamens. 



The most popular Christmas plant this 

 year seems to be the cyclamen. It will 

 have little competition from azaleas as 

 compared with the past, and it is the 

 most satisfactory flowering plant for 

 the average home. Its foliage is tough, \ 

 its flowers possess much substance and 

 do not fall off like those of begonias or 

 geraniums, and with moderate care it 

 will flower for weeks, if not months. I 

 have heard the remark made at stores 

 that it did not pay to sell flowering 

 plants which flowered a long time, as it 

 tends to limit purchases, but is not a cus- 

 tomer who has secured such a plant more 

 likely to come again than one whose 

 purchase goes to pieces within a few 

 days? Keep the cyclamens in a light 

 position in the store. The flowers will 

 soon draw up and become leggy if kept 

 in a dark place. They do not require • 

 much heat and" are better at 40 degrees 

 than at 60 degrees, provided they are 

 not in a draft. Do not worry if white 

 and light colors do not sell like reds 

 and deep pinks; there is a market for 

 cyclamens for many weeks after Christ- 

 mas. 



Begonias. 



Begonias will not stand up in store 

 or home like cyclamens, but they have 

 always a big sale, as they carry such a 

 profusion of flowers. Lorraine at one 

 time had the field to itself. It still sells 

 well, but Glory of Cincinnati has proved 

 itself a superior variety and for some 

 years has sold more heavily than any 

 other begonia. For one thing, it is a 

 much better house plant than Lorraine. 

 The supremacy of Cincinnati is soon to 



pass, however, to Melior, which makes a 

 more shapely plant than Cincinnati and 

 is of a better color. Mrs. Peterson, with 

 its bronze-like foliage and darker flow- 

 ers, will sell in increased numbers this 

 season. Gloire de Chatelaine is an all- 

 the-year-around bloomer of simple cul- 

 ture and will bloom longer in the home 

 than any of the Christmas begonias. 

 Any grower can handle it and it can 

 be sold profitably at a lower price than 

 other sorts named. 



The rich, large-flowered English types 

 of winter-flowering begonias are not 

 commercial propositions yet on a large 

 scale, but they are coming into favor 

 rapidly and, once their culture is better 

 understood, they will come into prom- 

 inence rapidly. They can easily be sold 

 at prices far ahead of all other begonias. 

 Some day we shall get a scarlet begonia 

 of the Melior type. There is a fortune 

 in prospect for the grower who pro- 

 duces it. 



Azaleas. 



Azaleas will be conspicuous by their 

 rarity this Christmas. There will be 

 some left-overs from previous years, car- 

 ried along by wide-awake growers, who 

 will make good money on them this 

 year. Anyone with a batch of Mme. 

 Petrick in flower is to be envied. It is 

 certain that all azaleas offered will be 

 eagerly bought up. Unless our ento- 

 mological experts fail in their efforts to 

 exclude all nursery stock with soil at- 

 tached to their roots, azaleas are likely 

 to be more of a memory than anything 

 else in future years, and, by the way, 

 will not these same entomologists be 

 out of a job, some of them, at least, 

 if they succeed in placing their law on 

 the statute books? Azaleas and all hard- 

 wooded plants with fine, hairlike roots 

 must never be allowed to suffer from 

 dryness. It will mean at least a loss of 



