32 



The Florists^ Review 



Febhuary 5, 1920 



nois embargo under the iiifluence of 

 trade representations, although no rul- 



ings have yet boen made as to excep- 

 tions by the state authorities. 



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TATE'S TIPS 



Wi 



NEXT WINTER'S SUCCESS. 



Depends Upon Efforts Now. 



The greater production of flowers for 

 next winter will, of course, require the 

 investment of more capital and will 

 take time before we begin to reap re- 

 turns. Flowers are scarcer today than 

 I have ever known them to be before. 

 The entire day's work is done in the 

 wholesale market in a few hours in the 

 morning; in fact, the major part of the 

 stock is sold before it comes to the 

 market and it is then simply a case 

 of filling the orders that have been 

 taken subject to the stock being pro- 

 curable. After that, the day's rush is 

 over. 



There is never a day that someone 

 does not have to be disappointed, and 

 no relief seems to be in sight. The de- 

 mand for stock of good quality still 

 holds far above the supply. Now, in 

 any line of business where orders have 

 to be turned down every day for want 

 of stock to fill them, is there anything 

 to do but bend every effort to get more 

 stock? I admit that the production of 

 flowers, as I have been frequently re- 

 minded, is entirely different from most 

 other lines of business; for instance, 

 a manufacturer need only get new ma- 

 chinery, which can often be had from 

 stock, and if the raw material is to be 

 had, can go on manufacturing his ar- 

 ticle, while the florist has to plant his 

 crops and then wait for nature, with his 

 assistance, to develop them. That is 

 just this point I want to emphasize. 



Plan Now for the Record Crop. 



We are now in February; in about 

 three months the florist will be prepar- 

 ing to plant his outdoor crops. The 

 important question to settle right now 

 is: Are you going to give these crops 

 the proper study and consideration, or 

 are you going to plant the same old 

 stock you have been in the habit of 

 growing year after year! Here is the 

 opportunity of increasing production 

 without the investment of any great 

 amount of capital. We have only to 

 remember that a few months back those 

 who had sfock of good quality had no 

 trouble in disposing of it at handsome 

 returns, while those whose stock was 

 inferior often got no returns at all for 

 it. History is going to repeat itself 

 this summer, and the florist who sees 

 his neighbor reaping the reward of 

 his labor and forethought, while he is 

 still in the same old rut, will have no 

 one to blame but himself. There is still 

 ample time to prepare. Everyone knows 

 what line of stock he can handle best; 

 only see that what you do produce is 

 the best quality of its kind. 



Grow the Best in Every Bench. 



The florist this summer should make 

 every available inch of ground that he 

 has give a good account of itself; not 

 one bench in the houses should lie idle. 

 If you could have heard as often as 

 I did last summer, "Good stock is 



scarce, ' ' I feel that everyone would 

 produce nothing but the best. I have 

 heard the above phrase quoted when 

 a layman would have thought that the 

 market was glutted, and yet anyone 

 who understood what good stock was 

 would not blame the retailer for not 

 liandling what was offered. 



Grow any crop you are successful 

 with. It may be gladioli; it will pay 

 you to discard those old varieties that 

 you have been growing, in many cases 

 over since you have been in business. 

 Make up your mind to grow nothing 

 but the best named varieties, such as 

 Peace, America, Schwaben and Panama. 

 They will pay well for the time and 

 trouble you may devote to them. Or 

 it may be asters, such as Queen of the 

 Market. 



Confide in Your Commission Man. 



Go to your commission man and talk 

 it over with him. He will be only too 

 glad to advise you as to the best colors 

 to grow. I read a short time ago in 

 the Country Gentleman an article, the 

 gist of which was that it is better for 

 the business man to be advised by his 

 banker than by his attorney. There is 

 no better man to advise the grower 

 than the man who sells his product. 

 He is, in a way, just as much interested 

 us you are yourself; the larger returns 

 he makes to you, the larger his own 

 returns are. He is in position to know 



what stock moves best, what varieties 

 are the best to handle and what colors 

 are the most sought. It will pay any 

 grower to make a confidant of his com- 

 mission man; he is in position to give 

 you points on production throughout 

 the year. 



There is just one more point I wish 

 1o call to growers' attention. In my in- 

 vestigation of the market last summer, 

 the scarcest period of the season was 

 from June J5 to August 1. Any crop 

 you can have in bloom at that time will 

 be as good as money in the bank. There 

 is a big summer ahead; it is up to the 

 grower what the harvest shall be. 



Tate. 



SOWING GYPSOPHILA. 



What is the best way to grow gypso- 

 phila? Can it be grown on benches 

 inside? If grown outside, should the 

 seed be sown in flats and transplanted 

 in rows outside, or should the seed be 

 planted outside in rows? When is the 

 best time to sow the seed? 



M. G.— 111. 



Gypsophila elegans does well under 

 glass. Sow the seeds in shallow flats 

 and, when large enough to handle, either 

 transplant into benches three inches 

 apart each way or, better still, use flats 

 containing four inches of rather light 

 but rich soil and prick off the seedlings 

 two inches apart each way. Stand 

 these on shelves in a temperature of 50 

 to 54 degrees at night and they will 

 grow and flower splendidly. In order 

 to have a succession of bloom, sow the 

 seeds once a fortnight. For culture in 

 the open there is no great advantage 

 in transplanting seedlings. Better sow 

 the seeds thinly in shallow drills, cov- 

 ering lightly. Sowings may be made in 

 your latitude from May 1 until July 1. 



C. W. 



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ONE MORE 



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IRIS SOCIETY FORMED. 



At least seventy persons attended an 

 enthusiastic meeting for the organiza- 

 tion of the American Iris Society at the 

 New York Botanical Garden January 29, 

 1920, and the following officers were 

 elected to serve until the annual meet- 

 ing in the spring: President, J. C. 

 Wister, Philadelphia; vice-president, 

 William A. Peterson, Chicago; treas- 

 urer, Frank H. Presby; secretary, R. S. 

 Sturtevant, Wellesley Farms, Mass.; 

 regional vice-presidents, S. B. Mitchell, 

 of California; Dr. F. E. Bennett, of On- 

 tario; T. A. Kenning, of Minneapolis, 

 Minn.; Mrs. Samuel H. Taft, of Cincin- 

 nati, O.; B. Y. Morrison, of Washington, 

 D. C, and Floyd Bralliar, of Nashville, 

 Tenn. On the board of directors are 

 also Dr. H. A. Gleason, B. H. Farr, Wyo- 

 missing, Pa.; Edwin C. Shaw, Harry A. 

 Norton, M. J. Hendrickson and James 

 Boyd. 



There are about 200 charter members 

 representing iris interests from Califor- 

 nia to England, from Canada to the 

 south, and it is hoped that this will be 

 but the nucleus of a far larger associa- 

 tion. A check list of over 1,000 varie- 

 ties of the bearded iris has already been 

 compiled and standards for collection 



of the nonbulbous species will be started 

 at the New York Botanical Garden this 

 spring; an opportunity for similar trial 

 of the bulbous iris would be of great 

 advantage. The English, Spanish and 

 Dutch iris are those which are usually 

 considered florists' flowers and, with 

 the enforcement of Quarantine 37, in- 

 formation as to their cultural needs and 

 as to the opportunities for growing them 

 commercially within the United States 

 is much needed. Other species of iris 

 may also be forced and if better known 

 would be more largely used. Garden 

 visitors often carry home bouquets of 

 iris and they would make an equal ap- 

 peal in a florist's window. It is hoped 

 that interested parties will send notice 

 of their experience in handling and sell- 

 ing the iris in its various forms. It is 

 only by coordinating the notes of many 

 that we can offer accurate information 

 to all. 



The dues for active membership are 

 $3 a year. There will be monthly notes 

 on iris and information and notes on any 

 phase of the subject will be welcomed 

 from all. Inquiries and correspondence 

 will receive prompt attention from the 

 secretary, R. S. Sturtevant, Wellesley 

 Farms, 95, Mass. 



