22 



The Florists^ Review 



May 26, 1921 



a neutral color and later, hi the course 

 of an hour, to a blue color. If, how- 

 ever, the soil is only slightly acid the 

 I'olor test is not a sliarji one and it is 

 difficult to get positive results. 



Make Litmus Test Carefully. 



As said above, the litmus pajjcr test 

 has certain Ivnitations. In order to get 

 reliable results, certain ]irecautious must 

 be taken and the jiossibilities of the 

 test kept in mind. The test is only a 

 <pialitative one; that is, it indicates only 

 whether or not the soil is acid in re- 

 action; it is of no value as an exact 

 ((uantitativc test. In noting the change 

 of, color of the paper, a mere fading of 

 the blue color must not be mistaken for 

 an acid reaction; the change of color 

 should be from blue to jiink or ])ink 

 red. It is well to make several tests 

 in order to understand (dearly this 

 change of color. It also must be kept 

 in mind that carbon dioxide dissolved 

 in water will turn the blue jiaper to a 

 l)crmanent red color. Carbon dioxide is 

 excreted by living roots and, therefore, 

 in testing fresh soil all living roots 

 must be ke])t away from the paper. 

 The soil water iilso may contain suf- 

 ficient carbon dioxide dissolved in it to 

 bring about the color change. It is, 

 therefore, best to use fairly dry soil 

 and wet this, just preceding the test, 

 with soft water which has been pre- 

 \iously boiled and allowed to cool ]iar- 

 tially ' before using. With these i)re- 

 cautions the litmus test will give very 

 satisfactory results. 



Another test oeepsionally used is to 

 add to a little findly ])ulveri/.eil soil a 

 small amount of dilute hydrochloric 

 acid, also known as muriatic Mcid. If 

 there is no efFervescence it is an in- 

 dication that the ]n'oportion of carbo- 

 nate of lime is low. This, however, is 

 \ 



not an infallible test, nor is it a posi- 

 tive test that the soil contains excessive 

 amounts of acid. 



Chemical tests such as may be carried 

 out in a proi)erly equipped laboratory 

 filone can give definittj quantitative 

 tests for acidity and the amount of 

 lime in a soil. However, the tests given 

 above, when applied judiciously and 

 with a knowledge of the limitations of 

 the tests, afford reliable information 

 and, with a little practice, any florist 

 may keep his soil in proper condition as 

 regards the use of lime. 



THE LOS ANGELES ROSE. 



At San Diego. 



The illustrations here shown are espe- 

 cially interesting, as they show the won- 

 derful Los Angeles rose, its raiser and a 

 portion of the beautiful grounds at San 

 Diego, where the exposition was held a 

 few years ago. The height of this ex- 

 quisite variety can be judged by com- 

 ])aring it with the height of the covered 

 ))ergola, which is about twenty-five feet. 

 Fred H. Howard, who is standing in 

 front of the other picture with Mrs. 

 Howard, is five feet ten inches in height. 

 The size of the individual blossom is 

 well shown by the flower in front of Mrs. 

 Howard's arm. And of the many thou- 

 sands of fine blooms shown, hardly a 

 single imperfect one could be found. 

 This is almost enough recommendation 

 as a superb garden rose, while to this 

 must be added that the coloring is mag- 

 nificent and the variety is sufficiently 

 hardy to thrive in the New England 

 states alniof^ as well as in California, its 

 native state. 



In speaking of Los Angeles, Mr. How- 

 ard was careful to call attention to the 

 fact that hard annual pruning is not 

 desirable. It produces large nodes, or 



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fii?c-''\<- 



swellings, at the base, and from these 

 are thrown up vigorous canes six to 

 seven feet in height, these again break- 

 ing into lateral shoots two and one-half 

 to three feet long and covered with the 

 fine blossoms. These are produced with 

 the greatest freedom and in California 

 this rose is an almost constant bloomer. 

 The color is difficult to describe. It 

 is a glowing rosy pink with a gold base 

 to the petals, but it must be seen to be 

 appreciated. This rose, it will be re- 

 called, was awarded the gold medal at 

 Paris two years ago against all comers, 

 while its reception in America has been 

 unprecedented. 



Exposition Grounds. 



This rose is only one of the many fine 

 things to be seen at the San Diego expo- 

 sition grounds, where John G. Morley 

 ])resides as ably as ever. The water lilies 

 are' wonderful now, as indeed are all the 

 specialties introduced here by Mr. Mor- 

 ley, a man of whom San Diego is proud. 

 During the time of preparation for the 

 big show, he turned a barren, rocky 

 waste into one of the finest landscapes 

 in the country, and he is now responsible 

 for its upkeep, which is such that the 

 city is becoming famous for it. At this 

 or any other time of year no one who 

 visits California should think of leaving 

 without a visit to this wonderful park. 



H. R. R. 



ST. LOUIS FLOWER SHOW. 



Fred Howard and Mrs. Howard Admire Rose Los Angeles at San Diego. 



Attracts Large Attendance. 



The second annual flower show given 

 by the St. Louis Garden Club opened 

 May 21, at the floral display house at 

 the Missouri Botanical Garden. It was 

 free to the public and the attendance 

 was largo. 



President Duggan, in a talk, wel- 

 comed the visitors and in turn intro- 

 duced Mayor Henry W. Kiel, who spoke 

 on what the Missouri Botanical Garden 

 has accomplished for the people of St. 

 Louis since Henry Shaw, at his death, 

 turned over the garden to the city. 

 Saturday and Sunday, May 21 and 22, 

 the life of the show, the big display 

 house, was taxed to capacity. 



The amateur section of the perennials, 

 annuals and house plants was much 

 larger than last year, but the vegetable 

 section was small compared with last 

 ye.'ir. 



The commercial growers' and the re- 

 t.'iilers' sections were nciiriy all taken 

 u|t by a few local and o>itside growers. 

 This section was open to any within 

 twenty-five miles of St. Louis. 



Retailers' Section. 



The retail section, which w;is non- 

 competitive, w.'is sur))risingly small as 

 compared with last y(>ar. There were 

 no tabic or mantel decorations, as there 

 were last year. In the basket of flowers 

 class the exhibition was quite large and 

 attractive. 



Among the exhibitors were Thomas 

 Carr, Vandervoort 's floral department. 

 Joseph Witek, Paul Heil, F. C. Weber, 

 George WaMbart Floral Co.. and the 

 Mullaii]ihy Florists, Inc. All of them 

 used choice cut stock and excellent 

 judgment in workmanship. All the ex- 

 hibits were highly commended by 

 the judges. In this section, F. C. 

 Weber showed an excellent bride's 

 Ijouquct and the Mullanphy Florists 

 showed a hanging basket, a window 



