26 



"*!y::fi 



The Florists^ Review 



Pbbbcaby 12, 1020 



Great Greenhouse, 172x750, at the Florex Gardens, North Wales, Pa., as H Appeared After the Collapse in I9I4. 



the plans for the first big house at North 

 Wales. At the meeting of the American 

 Carnation Society at Toronto, in 1907, 

 he said in a paper read to the conven- 

 tion: "This honse is a great departure 

 from present standards and will set a 

 record for wide houses which is not 

 likely to be surpassed for some time, 

 or at least until we can profit from the 

 success or failure of the gentlemen who 

 are willing to experiment on such a 

 grand scale. 



"Beginning with the glass, it is de- 

 sired to lay it with the supporting bars 

 twenty-four inches apart. Referring to 

 the table, it is found that the average 

 weight required to break the glass is 

 thirty pounds per square foot. This is 

 equivalent to about one foot of wet 

 snow. The glass is hardly likely to be 

 called upon to stand more than this, 

 so the question of strength against dead 

 weight can be considered settled. 



"The framework of the house must 

 be made strong enough to carry some- 

 what more weight than the glass could 

 stand, so that the glass would break 

 before the framework collapsed, the de- 

 sign, complete, leaving the glass the 

 weakest member, as it should be, for 

 it is seen that although the breaking 

 strength of the glass is thirty pounds 

 per square foot, and the breaking 

 strength of the truss work is the same, 

 yet the glass is not uniform in strength, 

 whereas the trusses are, and as thirty 

 pounds is an average, it follows that 

 half the glass would be broken by the 

 time this load would be reached and if 

 half the glass is broken, half the weight 

 has gone with it, so our framework 

 stands to be subjected in the limit to 

 only one-half of its breaking load." 



Collapse at Wobum, Mass. 



Another loss as a result of the bliz- 

 zard February 5 was that of Everett E. 

 Cummings, at Wobum, Mass. A house 

 of sweet peas just coming into crop 

 collapsed on the same day as did the 



houses at North Wales, Pa. Mr. Cum- 

 mings estimates his loss at approximate- 

 ly $10,000. 



USIlfQER'S UTTERANCES. 



The Hasselbring Flower Store, Flint, 

 Mich., reports the best winter trade 

 that it has ever enjoyed. Plans are 

 being made to care for the increased 

 business that the rapid growth of Flint 

 will bring. 



The busy winter season has kept D. 

 P. Smith, Flint, Mich., from enjoying 

 his usual western trip, where the climate 

 is not so severe as in Ips state. Miss 

 Zorn and her assistant were sick for 

 several days. Miss Zorn being the first 

 to return to work. 



Arthur Mackinnon, Flint, Mich., be- 

 lieves the present high prices will be 

 harmful to. future business. He mixes 

 pessimism with optimism, however, by 

 remarking, "We are selling everything 

 we can buy at big prices." 



Herman Thiemann, Owosso, Mich., is 

 planning a trip to Switzerland next 

 summer. He hopes to be able to dis- 

 pose of his place before sailing. 



For the last few years, Boehringer 

 Bros., Bay City, Mich., have been 

 troubled at this time of the year by 

 the burning of foliage on roses. Several 

 conditions seemed to be the cause, but 

 this year it was found that a chemical 

 reaction in the river water when the 

 river was frozen over Tiad been the 

 cause. This was the report of the city's 

 chemical experts. The river is polluted 

 by the dumpings from the chemical 

 factories in the vicinity of the river. 



Edward Freyling, of the Wealthy 

 Avenue Floral Co., Grand Rapids, Mich., 

 has had many commissions for land- 

 scape work this season, but the shortage 

 of skilled landscape gardeners may 

 force him to cancel some of his work. 



Arthur Crabb, Grand Rapids, Mich., 

 the Rotary florist, has been busy ex- 

 changing telegraph orders. This work 



t 

 ( '■ '■» 



has been growing with considerable 

 rapidity and causes much favorable 

 comment from the busy Mr. Crabb. 



Henry Smith, Grand Rapids, Mich., 

 is spending a few weeks in the south. 

 This is Mr. Smith's first vacation in a 

 quarter of a century. 



Watson-s Flower Store, Adrian, 

 Mich., has enjoyed a successful winter. 

 Although there is a low death rate here, 

 the business has been well sustained by 

 an excellent counter trade. 



Charles Randall, of the Maple City 

 Floral Co., Adrian, Mich., reports a 

 steady business in all lines. Mr. Ran- 

 dall is fortunate in having ft cellar of 

 well developed bulbous plants. 



W. T. U. 



BONE MEAL FOB CAU.AS. 



Will you kindly inform me whether 

 bone meal is injurious to calla lilies if 

 mixed with the soil when giving the 

 plants a shift, using a 5-inch potful to 

 a large wheelbarrow load of old carna- 

 tion soil that has lain outdoors for a 

 year! Is it better to apply the bone as 

 a top-dressing, using a small handful 

 to an 8-inch pott J. M. G.— Tex. 



Bone meal is quite beneficial to callas. 

 A 5-inch potful to a wheelbarrow load 

 of loam is not any too much. I prefer 

 to use a 6-inch potful. In addition, I 

 would use some cow or sheep manure if 

 you have any. Callas are wonderfully 

 benefited by top-dressings of bone 

 meal. After they are well rooted you 

 can safely use a scant handful on an 

 8-inch pot once in ten or twelve days 

 in winter, and once a week after April 

 1. The way the roots come up and de- 

 vour this bone is surprising. I know 

 of no other calla food that is equal to 

 bone. C. W. 



Ashvllle, O. — M. M. Hott runs the 

 greenhouse here. No, he does not call 

 bis place the Hott-House. 



