20 



The Florists^ Review 



March 17, 1921. 



Exhibition Specimen from Thomas Roland's, Showing the Erica's Possibilities. 



its 



varieties, with its itergamot porcelain 

 ccpjorcd Ik'IIs, (if the sliiijie <i hiy or' tlic 

 valley. This variety wants from oO to 

 65 degrees of heat from March 1 until 

 it is reaily for Piaster blooming. 



There is still aiinthcr vari<'i_\-. which, 

 if liamlleil jirojierly, l)eats all otliers in 

 gracefulness. Its nice, rt'il hells are 

 one and one-half to two inches long. 

 Tills is Krica transhicens. 



The remaining varieties iiicludc sev- 

 eral of the older ones which we no hin^'cr 

 grow, for various reasons; nriineiy, F'Iri a 

 gracilis, K. gracilis autnnnialis. K. Vil- 

 nioreana, 1.;. liyenialis and others. 



GLOXINIAS FEOM SEED. 



Kindly let ine know when is the right 

 time to sow gloxinia see 1. Also describe 

 the best method of growing the jilants 

 and state the ai)|iro.\iniate length of 

 time from seed-sowing till (lowering. 



K. P. & T. F.— Pa. 



The usual time for sowing the seed 

 is early in February. If the sowing is 

 done then and if no check in growth is 

 |iermitted throughout the season, the 

 jdnnts should begin to flower not later 

 than the middle of August. A few 

 blooms may be produced even in ,Tuly. 

 One of the essentials to success in tlu' 



culture of gloxinias is to keep them in 

 steady, active growth. 



Sow the seed in j);ins or sliallow boxes. 

 using a finely sifteii compost which con 

 tains a good proportion of leaf -mold and 

 sand, with some jieat, also, if it is readily 

 (ditainable. A liighly recommended com- 

 jiost consists of equal ])arts of jieat, leaf- 

 mold and saml. Moisten tlie soil thor- 

 oughly before sowing. As the seeds are 

 extremely sm;ill, little or no soil should 

 be scattered over them, ("over the pans 

 with glass and shade them from direct 

 sunlight. In a sufhciently warm tem 

 peratnre, about OH degrees at night, the 

 seedlings will begin to appear in about 

 ten days. 



,\s soou as tlie seedlings are large 

 enough to be handled conveniently, 

 transfer them singly to thumb pots and 

 rejiot jiromptly as soon as the soil is 

 well filled with roots. If grown along 

 with the desired rajiidity, in light hut 

 well enriched soil, tlie ])lants should be 

 r<'ady for the final jiotting by the end 

 of ^fay. The ideal compost ffir this 

 potting, it is said, would consist of two 

 parts black loam, one part peat, and the 

 remainder of leaf-mold, sand and. 

 crushed charcoal, but that formula may 

 be modified, of course, to suit circum- 

 stances. In potting, be careful not to 

 injure the foliage, as it is easily bruised. 



A humid atmosphere, with protection 

 from bright sunshine and from drafts, 

 is among the requisites. Yet the fo- 

 liage should not be moistened unneces- 

 sarily, or it may damp off. Throughout 

 the season, therefore, great care is neces- 

 sary in watering. Frequent syringing 

 may be needed in hot weather, to insure 

 freedom from thrips and red spider, but 

 the spray should be directed under the 

 foliage rather than over it. 



During the blooming period a drier 

 atmosphere is required, to prevent damp- 

 ing of the flowers. If the flowers are 

 cut as soon as they develop, or are re- 

 moved as soon as they pass their prime, 

 the plants will continue to bloom until 

 late in the fall. Then the leaves will 

 begin to mature and water should be 

 gradually withheld until this ripening 

 procO^s is comjileted, when the corms 

 should be stored away for the winter in 

 a temperature of about 45 degrees and 

 should be kept just moist enough to pre- 

 vent shriveling. About the middle of 

 February the corms will show signs of 

 growth and batches of them may then 

 be started as desired. 



ADVERTISING AND ACTION. 



It is small wonder that retailers in 

 New York city are putting two and 

 two together and suggesting that the 

 general improvement in market condi- 

 tions at that city, which came last week, 

 was the result of the activities of the 

 Allied Florists' Trade Association of 

 New York, if such publicity as that 

 which appeared in the New York Eve- 

 ning Post, March 8, is a sample of the- 

 general work of the new organization. 



A general announcement was made 

 by the Allied Florists' Trade Associa- 

 tion that prices of flowers had, in most 

 cases, returned to prewar levels and 

 that the public was invited to buy. 

 Combining with this an interview with 

 Harold O. I'erry, general manager of 

 Dards, the publicity workers obtained 

 the publication of three-quarters of a 

 column of the best kind of advertising 

 |iossible. The new prices are (pioted in 

 detail and explanation offered for re- 

 calcitrants in the general downward 

 movement, such as American Beauties. 



"Flowers are down," it commences. 

 ' ' You can buy them again. Now, with 

 the coming of the spring, the sho{is are 

 places to which one may go again for 

 joy and come out with something other 

 than bafllenient in his buttonhole or in 

 her belt or in a long and lovely twisted 

 package. Flowers are down, and 

 Faster will be some fun again this year,. 

 . . . and no one is gladder about it 

 than the men who sell. Nothing is 

 harder to do without than flowers, 

 when you long for them and spring 

 has come.'' 



Such publicity in an important daily 

 paper, coupled with the immediate and 

 im]iortnnt effect n])on the New York 

 market, is surely a feather in the cap 

 of the newly formed Allied Florists' 

 Trade Association of New York and 

 bodes well for its achievement in the 

 fcreat eastern market. 



Saginaw, Mich. — Gustav A. (Iranse,. 

 former manager of the east side store of 

 the Roethke Floral Co., has purchased 

 the establishment of J. B. Goetz Sons, 

 at Michigan avenue and Adams street, 

 llenrv B. Goetz and his brother, Fred J. 

 Goetz, will devote their entire time to 

 their greenhouses, at 2165 Mackinaw 

 street. 



