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106 



The Florists^ Review 



OCTOBIK 21, 1020 





I Pacific Coast Department I 



J 



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Walla Walla, Wash. — Harrison Bros., 

 who have been conducting a greenhouse 

 here for some time and supplying the 

 Walla Walla Floral Co., have now taken 

 over the latter firm from G. G. Schneller. 

 They intend to run it themselves in 

 conjunction with their houses. 



FERNS IN CAUFOBNIA. 



Including Vigorous Sports. 



Although a good deal of nursery and 

 other stock is grown by F. E. Hills, 

 at his establishment at Avon and Morton 

 avenues, Los Angeles, the ferns are his 

 big specialty and the up-to-date, sys- 

 tematic methods followed here are such 

 that anyone, no matter how experienced, 

 will be well repaid by visiting Mr. Hills' 

 place. Besides the standard kinds of 

 nephrolepis, such as Boston, Whitmanii, 

 Roosevelt and sword ferns, he has sev- 

 eral selected types which he grows for 

 his own trade .among the florists. One 

 in particular is interesting, since, al- 

 though it is a sport from N. Amerpohlii, 

 which is not a particularly strong 

 grower, the sport is an especially vigor- 

 ous variety, which is at its best in large 

 specimens. Growing upright at first, 

 the long, beautifully crested fronds 

 eventually droop and make a magnificent 

 specimen. There are others of varying 

 degrees of excellence, but nothing is 

 kept which does not come up to Mr. 

 Hills' standard of a first-class commer- 

 cial fern. 



Cultural Methods Systematized. 



The cultural methods followed, while 

 not differing greatly from those in other 

 growing establishments, are so well sys- 

 tematized that they are worthy of note. 

 The stock plants are all selected for 

 health, cleanliness and trueness to type 

 • and are planted out at a good distance 

 apart under lath to produce runners. 

 They are gone over biweekly and all 

 runners which are ready arc pulled off 

 and laid in shavings under glass frames 

 in another part of the lath house. Here 

 they remain for one month and when 

 lifted are well supplied with roots three 

 or four inches long; these have plenty 

 of fiber and are ready to take hold of the 

 prepared compost in the growing beds. 

 These are also under lath and the plants 

 remain here until they are ready for 

 potting. 



The first potting is usually into 4- 

 inch pots, although extra strong stock 

 is placed at once into 5-inch pots and 

 again grown on in other beds under lath 

 until they are well established. From 

 here they are taken to the greenhouses 

 and stood on shelves where every plant 

 has the advantage of light all around 

 it. It has often been a matter of sur- 

 prise to the writer that Mr. Hills could 

 give his ferns so much room under glass, 

 but it is explained by the fact that the 

 plants are practically grown to full size 

 under lath and only finished in the green- 

 houses, where they make a wonderful 

 growth in a short time. This refers, 

 of course, to the 5-inch and 6-inch sizes, 

 the most popular for market. For the 

 larger sizes, they are potted on and still 

 kept on shelves; here each individual 

 specimen stands alone. This accounts 



for the shapely, well balanced plants 

 sent out from this establishment. 



Feat for Compost. 



To show how thorough Mr. Hills is 

 in his business, the matter of suitable 

 potting soil was for some time a trouble- 

 some one; so he purchased land where 

 he can, and does, dig his own peat, this 

 being hauled to the nursery in his own 

 motor truck and converted into compost 

 by the addition of one-fourth each of 

 sand, fertilizer and the regular soil of 

 the place. This is stacked in layers 

 until needed; so there is never any wait- 

 ing for soil. Each man has his own 

 work to do and does it regularly; the 

 same is true of each group of men. The 

 work of taking runners, bedding them 

 out, potting and shifting, is all divided 

 into the different processes, which are 

 kept separate and for each of which 

 some one is responsible. Mr. Hills is 

 at the nursery a good part of his time 

 and everything works along in order on 

 greased wheels. 



One new type of fern should be iron- 

 tioned, as it is entirely distinct f .m 

 any other nephrolepis. It is a sport f.cm 

 Teddy, Jr., stronger and more plum )3e 

 in growth, and has the happy faci ;ty 

 of growing to perfection in the less J'a- 

 vored parts of the greenhouses uifier 

 the shelves. It is one of,the finest t'lat 

 has ever been grown and Mr. Hills is 

 treating with one of the large eastorn 

 firms for its dissemination. Incidentally 

 I believe I am right when I say that this 

 superb fern will be identified by the 

 name of its raiser. H. B. Richards. 



LOS ANGELES, CAL. 



The Market. 



The week just past was decidedly 

 quiet, both retailers and wholesalers 

 finding a decided drop in sales. Mums 

 took a slump early in the week and con- 

 tinued to pile up faster each day, the 

 warm weather having the effect of 

 forcing them. Stock good enough for 



MUMS 



MUMS 



The usual high quality shipping 

 stock that we always handle. 



PACKED RIGHT. 



ALL OTHER STOCK IN SEASON. 



Green and Sphagnum Moss 



L. A. FLORAL CO. 



77k« Howum o^ Qutdity and S«rvicm 

 236 EAST FOURTH ST., LOS ANGELES, CALIF. 



Chrysanthemums 



GEORGE J. HALL & CO. 



423 East 5th St. 



Los Angeles, Cal. 



