I)K(KM1!E11 1, 1!»-1 



The Florists^ Review 



33 



COMMERCIAL CALLAS 



CULTURE OF THE CALLA. 



Some of Its Aliases. 



As far as its })Otanical coiiiiPctitms 

 arc coiK-iTiu'd, the lalla of tlie florists 

 has been tossed about like a nanieh-ss 

 and homeless or{)liaii. It has had names 

 eiioii^h, to be sure, but it has had uo 

 Iieriiiaiieiit botaiiieal name and no fixed 

 abidinj; jihiee in the botanieal dietion- 

 aries. First, in both seientilie and e((iri- 

 niou speech, it was the ealla, liut soon 

 the botanists ejected it from the calla 

 family, as not havinjf any t;;enealoKieal 

 rij^ht to remain there, and the name 

 ealla was restricted to one little itoj;- 

 j)lant, tlie water arum, or Calla i)alus- 

 tris. Next the ealla found a refuse' as 

 the richardia, and the old ("alia adhi- 

 opiea Ix'came Kiehardia afrieana, Ijut 

 jiresently it was discovered that ;i com- 

 paratively insitfniticant j^enus of herbs 

 had a ])rior rifi'ht to the name richardia. 

 Then the lonj: suffering calla was af- 

 flicted with the name zantedeschia — 

 Zantedeschia lethiopica, Z. (iodfreviina, 

 etc. — and that is the name whi(di it 

 bears in the latest editions of the ijotan- 

 ical dictionaries. 15ut among the great 

 majority of its multitudinous friends 

 the eall;i always has been, and still is, 

 just the calla — or the calla lily, although, 

 of course, it is not a lily at all. 



Aetliiopica vs. Godfreyana. 



Two commercial varieties of the 

 wiiito calla, the old £Ptliioj)ica and its 

 descendant, the Ciodfrey calla, are 

 strong rivals and both have stanch 

 ch;im})ions. The Godfrey, or Zante- 

 deschia Gfidfreyana, is 

 the result of a cross of 

 a'thiopica and Little 

 (iem and was origin- 

 ated by \V. J. Godfrey, 

 of (iodfrey & Sons, Ex- 

 mouth, Devonshire, 

 Kngland. ;ibout a quar- 

 ter-ci'iitury ago. ^tany 

 years later Godfrey ic 

 Sons — although then, 

 be it noted, they had 

 no stock of the God- 

 frey for sale — still de- 

 clare<l unhesitatingly 

 that the variety was 

 superior to its jtarents, 

 both in beauty and 

 tloriferousness. E. G. 

 Hill, the American in- 

 troducer of the God- 

 frey, seemed to be still 

 of the o])inion, when 

 last (piestioned on the 

 subject, that it is ' * an 

 improveniint over the 

 old iethiopic;i, in color, 

 texture ,iiid general re- 

 finement. ' ' 



Somi' thoroughly ex- 

 perienced growers have 

 declaretl that the flow- 

 ers of (iodfrey are of a 

 purer shade of white 

 than those of apthio 

 pica. These growers also 

 aver that the flowers 

 of Godfrey average as 



large as those of adhioidca and are mucli 

 more numerous — possibly from two to 

 three times as numerous. Other growers, 

 on the contrary, have iieeii sadly disa]i- 

 ]iointed with Godfrey's response, or lack 

 of resjionse, to their methods of culture. 

 Perhaps it is sufticient to say, in final 

 defense of the (iodfrey calla, that it 

 should not be con<lemne(l without ;i fair, 

 ade(juati.' trial, (iive the two xarieticN, 

 Godfrey .and adhio]dea, e(|ually careful 

 treatment and compare results. 



Controlling the Crop. 



Where the temjierature and id her con- 

 ditions ]ierniit, callas grow with greater 

 or less vigor throughout the year, mean- 

 while multiplying by offsets, or buUdets, 

 and bearing flowers almost continuously. 

 In such milil clim.'ifes as that of south- 

 ern California, callas are treated mu(di 

 like any other perennials, but greatly 

 excel most of the perennials in persist- 

 ence of bloom. The hedges, borders and 

 fields of callas in southern California 

 represent altout iis near an api)ro.'ieli to 

 peri)etual flowering as can readily be 

 found. 



liy giving the greenhouse callas a 

 jieriod of rest, however, the liarvest of 

 lilooms may be greatly improved in 

 ((uality and dependability, and may be 

 timed with certainty so as to be iivail- 

 iible when most desired. It is custom- 

 ary in America, therefore, to give the 

 roots a rest during summer, so as to 

 secure an abundant croj) of superfine 

 flowers in winter. The roots may even 

 be dried and stored; it is in this way 

 that California callas usually have been 

 prepared for shipment. 



Zantedeschia Godfreyana» or Just Plain Godfrey Calla. 



It should i>e (dearly umlerstood, how 

 e\er, that the foregoing suggestions, in 

 ri'gard to gi\ing c;(llas a rest, do not 

 .apply 111 young ]diints which have not 

 yet readied flowering size. These small 

 plants say in pots nieasuringli'.'-inch to 

 4 in(di should not be allowed to rest, but 

 shduld be kept growing without inter- 

 ruption until they are well rooted .and 

 h.ive attained sufticient flowering 

 slrenj^th. l''rom .June to yejitenilier these 

 small plants thrive best outdoors, where 

 they should be freidy w.atereil and fed. 

 liy housing time they slioulil be ready 

 for a shift. 



Xow to I'elnrn to the mature plants, 

 which have borne their cro|i of flowt'r:^ 

 and are to receive their summer rest. 

 If they are jtlanted out in a bench — • 

 which, by the way, is not generally the 

 best place for them, especially if they 

 are (iodfrevs — thev are left in the S(dl 

 till all the" foliage has died. Then the 

 bulbs — otherwise- called roots, or tubers, 

 or corms, or rhizomes — are packed in 

 dry sand or loam and stored in a dry 

 shed, there to stay until wanted for 

 re[dantiiig. 



Repotting Rested Roots. 



The pot-grown plants remain in their 

 pots while resting, and usually are 

 ])laced, in June, in a shed or a protected 

 outdoor j)osition, perhajis Laid on their 

 sides. They should not be pliice<l where 

 they would be fully exposed to the sun. 

 In bate August or early Hepfemlier they 

 are shaken out and repotted. The coiii- 

 jiost should be suftieiently rich and 

 should contain at least one-fourth of 

 decom[iosed cow m.-inurc^ to three- 

 fourths of good, rather 

 coarse lo.ain, or in some 

 circumstances the loam 

 an(| manure may be used 

 in nearly eipial projior- 

 tions. Though c.-illas 

 are almost aquatic, the 

 soil should not b(^ stag- 

 n.int, but should per 

 Miit the water to pass 

 til rough it readily. It 

 li.-is been customary to 

 ^row the old athiopii-a 

 singly in .") iuidi to 7 

 iiudi pots, but the (iod 

 frey makes a. spleiiiiid 

 showing if three strong 

 roots are placed in a 7- 

 inch or four in an 8- 

 iiich ])ot. 'Sindi :i coni- 

 bin.at ion of jilants may 

 o<casion;illy cany halt 

 a dozen good-sized. 

 o[ien flowers at one 

 1 iin<'. 



After the plants are 

 well established, they 

 may be fed with Ii(piid 

 m.anure .and with toji- 

 dressings of fine bone. 

 The bone is espeeiallv 

 relished by c.ill.as ;inc| 

 is conducive to tlorifer 

 ousness. They require 

 plenty of light ami 

 moisture. Usually a 

 night temperature of 

 r>r> to 60 degrees 



