14 



The Florists^ Review 



\ JvNi: 14, 1«J17. 



TIME FOR LATE PLANTINGS. 



We are told each year that gladioli 

 are being overdone; tliat tliey sold so 

 cheaply in the markets tliat they were 

 not ■worth growing and that as a conse- 

 quence fewer would be grown next year. 

 We have lieard tliis talk so many times 

 now and ajuilied to sucli a variety of 

 plants tliat it lias become somewhat 

 hackneyed. From reports from seed 

 and bulb liouses, we iind that the de- 

 mand for these bulbs has increased this 

 season, in spite of all the semi-hysteri- 

 cal ecniuuny talk. It is true, of course, 

 tliat gladioli during the glut season do 

 bring unprofitable prices. It is equally 

 true that early in the year they will net, 

 under careful culture, as much as any 

 indoor crop we can grow; a^id, coming 

 to the outdoor crop, if a few more grow- 

 ers would realize that it pays to start 

 a few liundreds in pots in a frame, to 

 l)lant out later, and to plant a good 

 batch in the oi)en early and a further 

 batch rather late, to avoid the period 

 of glut, they would make more money. 

 But in too many cases retail florists 

 plant their entire stock of gladioli at 

 one operation, which will give the bulk 

 of their spikes when they are most 

 abundant. 



This is a reminder that these .late 

 gladioli should go in between now and 

 June 20, and that they should be planted 

 five to six inches in depth for the best 

 results. If you have not yet tried the 

 primulinus type of gladioli, you should 

 do so. They are as yet a little high for 

 commercial uses, but they are by far 

 the most decorative of gladioli, and 

 they jtromise in a few years to surpass 

 in favor the older and larger-flowered 

 varieties. 



GLADIOLUS BULLETIN NO. 2. 



Possibly some florists, including even 

 a few gladiolus growers, are scarcely 

 aware of the existence of the trial 

 grounds of the American Gladiolus So- 

 ciety, at the New York State College 

 of Agriculture, Cornell "University, 

 Ithaca, N. Y. Most members of the 

 trade, perhaps, were fully aware of the 

 establishment of the trial grounds, 

 about half a dozen years ago, but some 

 of them have now forgotten the im- 

 portant event or have only a vague 

 recollection of it. Some of them have, 

 at the most, only a dim and indiffer- 

 ent consciousness of the fact that im- 

 portant experimental work is being con- 

 ducted at the test grounds, under the 

 direction of the dei'artment of horti- 

 culture at Cornell. 



A series of bulletins now being issued 

 at Cornell will serve as a forcible re- 

 minder to these forgetful ones, giving 

 them a distinct realization of what is 

 being accomplislied by means of the 

 trial grounds. The publication of * ' Gla- 

 diolus Studies— I," the first number of 

 the series, was recently announced in 

 The Review. The book treated of "the 

 botany, history and evolution of the 

 gladiolus" and was prepared by Prof. 



A. C. Beal, wlio has general management 

 of the experimental work. 



The second bulletin, * * Gladiolus Stud- 

 ies — II, ' ' has now appeared. It dis- 

 cusses "the culture and hybridization 

 of the gladiolus" and was written by 

 Alfred C. Hottes, who has direct charge 

 of the gladiolus trials, under the super- 

 vision of Prof. Beal. The data for this 

 second bulletin, says Mr. llottesj "are 

 based on the results of four yc^rs of 

 work in the trial grounds." 



Apparently, no statement lias been 

 made as to how many bulletins this se- 

 ries of "gladiolus studies" will contain, 

 but the intention seems to be to give 

 the subject rather thorougli considera- 

 tion. In the pi't^face to ' ' Gladiolus Stud- 

 ies — I," Prof. Beal said: "The present 

 bulletin is intended to trace the devel- 



Gladiolus Violet Perfection. 



opment of the gladiolus up to the pres- 

 ent time. Succeeding bulletins will 

 treat of its culture and of the varieties 

 that have been tested in the gladiolus 

 trial grounds.' ' 



GLADIOLUS VIOLET PERFECTION. 



A recent issue of The Review con- 

 tained some remarks about Gladiolus 

 Pink Perfection, with a picture of the 

 flower. The remarks were of what might 

 bo called a theologico-horticultural na- 

 ture, for theology and horticulture mix 

 easily and naturally, like substances 

 that have a chemical aflinity, and most 

 llorists mix tliem more or less. 



This time the subject is perfection of 

 another color, Violet Perfection. And 

 again there is an opportunity — it is 



more than an opportunity; it is an _ 

 resistible temptation — to draw attenl ,, 

 to the wide divergence of opinion ! 

 what constitutes perfection. For 

 Hammond Tracy, who supplied the p ,' 

 tograph here reproduced, says that ; > 

 color of the flower "verges so closely 

 a purple as to warrant the name of V 

 let Perfection, but it cannot be cal 

 a true violet." In other words, so ; 

 is the hue from being the perfection 

 violet that it is not violet at all, 

 Mr. Tracy's opinion. 



Yet the mere doubt about the exi 

 shade of color does not prevent Viij 

 Perfection from being what Mr. Tm 

 says it is, one of the most beautiful m 

 desirable of the more recently inl 

 duced varieties. He says it is " by r 

 the finest deep Burgundy red on s 

 market at present." Again he says 

 it: "It is the pearl of the blue g; 

 dioli; a genuine blue-violet; a magni 

 cent novelty. It has large open flower 

 with no markings. ' ' Probably the v 

 liations of the color, in different local 

 ties and conditions and at differei- 

 stages of the development of the flower 

 are suflQcient to reconcile most of tli 

 apparent contradictions in the descrip 

 tious. 



POSTPONED! 



No Trade Meeting at Chicago. 



W. J. Vesey, Jr., president of thn 

 American Carnation Society, who issueil 

 a call for a trade meeting at Chicage 

 June 19 and 2U to discuss ways and 

 means of offsetting increased costs oi' 

 growing flowers, has asked that the 

 trade be notified of a postponement. 

 Mr. Vesey states that another notifica- 

 tion will be given later, with the na 

 tioiial society's sanction. 



OPPOSES PLANT EXCLUSION. 



At the meeting May 17 of the New 

 Orleans Horticultural Society the fol- 

 lowing resolution was offered by C. W. 

 Eichling and unanimously ado^tted: 



WIIEUKAS, The Aineriran Forestry Associa- 

 tion propose-H to rt'Coiiiuu'U<l to the Ft-ilcral Hor- 

 tiiiiUiir;il liOiird in Wasliiiiirton to puss a law 

 proliiliiting tlio importation of all plants, bull>9, 

 itc, t hero fori' lie it 



UKSOLVEl), Tliat the New Orleans Hortleul- 

 tiipil Society considers such a law unnccessurjr 

 anil injurious to the Uorists' business and hereby 

 protests against tlie enactment of such a law. 

 'I'he secretary of tliis society is lienby reipiested 

 to transmit a copy of this resolution to tlie legis- 

 lative committee of the Society of American 

 I'lorists, with the reipiest to oppose the passage 

 ■jf swell a law. 



SECOND SEASON BULBS POOR. 



I have about 500 boxes of narcissus, 

 tulip and daffodil bulbs, which I flow- 

 ered in boxes indoors. After the bloom- 

 ing period I dumped the bulbs outdoors, 

 just turned the boxes upside down. 

 How should I further treat the bulbs 

 so that thev will be fit for use this 

 fall? " C. A. M.— Mich. 



If you had any idea of saving the 

 bulbs for a second season, you certainly 

 took an original way to ripen them off 

 prior to harvesting them. It does not 

 pny to attempt to force these bulbs 

 a second season. Some varieties will 

 bloom fairly well a second season if 

 planted outdoors, but where they are 

 cut down close to the soil none of the 

 kinds you name are of value, even for 

 that purpose. You must buy fresh 

 bulbs of tuli])S, narcissi and hyacinths 

 for forcing each season. C. W. 



