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The Florists^ Review 



June 7, 1917. 



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Smilax. 



While not grown to anything like the 

 extent of a generation ago, there ap- 

 pears to be some return of smilax to 

 favor. The strings realize good prices. 

 It hardly pays to carry plants over in 

 beds a second year; it is far better to 

 give the young plants a generous soil 

 in which to grow. Planting should be 

 done this month if you want good 

 Thanksgiving and Christmas strings, 

 and get strings up to the plants as soon 

 as you possibly can after planting. Once 

 the growths become entangled it is a 

 thankless task to attempt to do any- 

 thing with them. You need not grow 

 smilax in an up-to-date house; it will 

 thrive just as well in one of the old, 

 heavy-timbered type in which flowers do 

 not succeed. 



Asparagus Sprengeri. 



With bedding stock gradually getting 

 out of the way, you probably now can 

 find time to plant out a batch of Aspara- 

 gus Sprengeri. In spite of all the houses 

 growing this useful green, it never 

 seems to be much overdone and there 

 are few retail country florists who are 

 fortunate enough to produce all they 

 need. A. Sprengeri needs a strong and 

 fairly deep soil, as it makes many fleshy, 

 hungry roots. For this reason it suc- 

 ceeds better in "a solid bed with a foot 

 of soil than in a raised bench with less 

 than half that depth, although I would 

 not say that fine grass cannot be grown 

 in benches. Place the plants 12x12 

 inches apart, and if you have no bench 

 or bed for them use some roomy baskets, 

 preferably of galvanized wire, and hang 

 them from the roof of a house which is 

 not kept too warm and shady. 



Lfalilias. 



Differences of opinion exist, and prob- 

 ably always will, on the question of 



early or late planting of dahlias. My 

 own experience has been that a late 

 planting, sometime during the first half 

 of June, gives far better results than 

 an early setting out, no matter whether 

 green plants started from cuttings 

 or dry roots are used. Early planted 

 dahlias may flower in July and August, 

 but run out before the real, natural 

 dahlia season iarrives in September. By 

 planting late the danger of cutworm at- 

 tacks is reduced and plants can be de- 

 pended upon to make a quick and steady 

 growth. They will flower profusely 

 until frost. 



Geranium Stock. 



The bedding plant trade is extremely 

 late this year on account of the abnor- 

 mally cold and backward season. Some 

 calendar writers have felt uncertain 

 whether to class' May as a spring or sum- 

 mer month. Tlti weather vouchsafed 

 us in 1917 would hardly 'fit it fo^r either 

 class, but it would qualify i-atlier T^rell 

 for winter. It has passed, however, and 

 June seems likely to deal more kindly 

 with us. 



Tastes vary with regard to geraniums. 

 Once upon a time scarlets filled the en- 

 tire center of the stage; later, about the 

 whole platform; then the pinks asserted 

 themselves and are still much in favor. 

 Note what color your customers call for 

 most and be sure to reserve a liberal lot 

 of stock plants to plant out in the fielii. 

 If you chance to be short of the colors 

 needed, it is better to try to buy some 

 stock now and plant it out in the field, 

 so that you can have a good crop of cut- 

 tings in the fall. 



Adiantums. 



Adiantums now will be making a lux- 

 uriant lot of fronds and will need spac- 

 ing apart from time to time. They must 

 have a liberal water supply and when 

 well potbound should be given weak 



liquid manure once a week, in addition. 

 The fronds while young are quite ten- 

 der and easily scorched. Therefore see 

 that the glass is shaded suf&ciently to 

 prevent this. Where snails are trouble- 

 some, dust a little air-slaked lime or fine 

 salt between the pots and place some 

 cabbage leaves or scooped out potatoes 

 for them. Sowbugs sometimes are 

 troublesome and many can be captured 

 in the potatoes. If the greenhouses are 

 unsuitable for fern culture in summer 

 and you have a good coldframe, there 

 can be no better place for maidenhair 

 and other ferns. Dig the soil out of the 

 frame to a suitable depth, spread a layer 

 of fine coal ashes at the bottom and be 

 sure the glass is well shaded. Plants 

 may be elevated if necessary on pots or 

 other supports. 



Christmas Cinerarias. 



There are many inquiries each year 

 about how to have cinerarias in flower 

 for the holidays, and in practically 

 every case the growers have sown seed 

 in August, or even later. It is utterly 

 impossible to flower cinerarias in four 

 months, but if a sowing is made now in 

 a shallow pan or flat, and the plants are 

 kept growing right along and not sub- 

 jected to any checks, they can be had 

 in flower for Christmas. They are 

 bulky-growing plants, must have as cool 

 treatment as possible at all times, need 

 constant spraying or fumigation to in- 

 sure cleanliness and a liberal soU to 

 grow in; but when given these condi- 

 tions there is nothing difficult'in their 

 culture and they f (^rm a nice addition to 

 our list of holiday plants. 



DESIGNS FOR A DEDICATION. 



The accompanying illustration repre- 

 sents seven large designs made by 

 Schmaus Bros., Paducah, Ky., for the 

 unveiling of the Confederate monument 

 at Shiloh battlefield, Pittsburg Landing, 

 Tenn. The battle flag, 50x50 inches, 

 was a perfect reproduction of the flag 

 of the Confederacy, and the excellence 

 of all of this work commanded the atten- 

 tion of thousands of the people present. 

 Mrs. Eoy W. McKinney, of Paducah, 

 Ky., who appears in the picture, is the 

 treasurer of the fund for the erection 

 of the monument by the Daughters of 

 the Confederacy. 



Designs fay Schmaus Bros., Paducah, Ky., for the Unveiling of a Monument at Shiloh. 



