34 



The Florists' Review 



January 5, 1922 



LATE CHRYSANTHEMUMS. 



IMcase advise nie what are the best 

 and latest varieties of pink and yellow 

 conmiercial chrysanthemums to grow. 



D. F. C— 111. 



The chrysanthemums mostly grown in 

 the east for the latest pink are Pink 

 Chadwick and E. A. Seidewitz and to 

 these has ])een added, this year, Thanks- 

 giving Pink. 



In yellow, Yellow Chadwick is about 

 the only variety, except the one known 

 as Golden Mistletoe. This is an orange 

 variety of Mistletoe, which is white, as 

 is also Golden Chadwick, a sport of the 

 original CHiadwick, which is blush white. 

 These are primarily commercial varieties 

 in large flowers. 



If you want a splendid Thanksgiving 

 to Christmas pompon, the variety Christ- 

 mas Gold, which is still being grown by 

 the (Charles H. Totty Co. and has proved 

 itself one of the most profitable chrys- 

 anthemums this firm has ever handled, 

 is to be considered. 



Another good variety in a pink pom- 

 pon would be Western Beauty, the last 

 rtowers of which were cut for the mar- 

 ket last week. C. H. T. 



MUMS DECREASE IN VITALITY. 



Last season our mums were weak and 

 thin of stem, so that many of the stems 

 were not able to hold the flowers, which 

 were not large. This season we mixed 

 sixteen per cent acid rock with the soil, 

 and now find some improvement, but not 

 80 much as there should be. We should 

 like to find out whether or not we should 

 try to increase the nitrogen, phosphoric 

 acid or potash content of the soil. We 

 change the soil each year, taking ordi- 

 nary clay loam and mixing manure with 

 it a few months before it is put into the 

 houses. We shall appreciate any infor- 

 mation you may have to offer in order 

 to alleviate our difficulty. B. H. — Va. 



In answer to the above inquiry, it 

 would seem tliat there is something rad- 

 ically wrong with the treatment which 

 these plants receive or with the plants 

 themselves, as the soil is changed each 

 year. While it is true that plants need 

 considerable nitrogen, phosphoric acid 

 and potash, the trouble would seem to be 

 more with the stock, since you state that 

 the flowers are getting smaller and 

 weaker in growth each y<'ar. The trou- 

 ble often, in a ease of this kind, turns 

 out to lie that the stock has been grown 

 too warm and jiractically forced, which 

 accounts for the lack of vitality in the 

 plants. The chrysanthemum is a hardy 

 plant and will stand cold witli impunity. 

 We jilant a batch of stock out in the 

 field for propagating stock for the fol- 

 lowing year and never use cuttings from 

 plants that have flowered in the house. 

 Ry tills moans the vigor of our stock is 

 'maiTitaiiied and diseases, midge and 

 pests of all kinds do not get a chance 

 to get started in the stock. Where 

 plants grow year after year in the same 

 soil, they naturally will grow weak and 

 spindly, but where the soil is clianged 



each year and fertilized properly, there 

 is no reason for ]ioor growth. 



I would suggest that next year you 

 procure new stock from some reliable 

 Slower. See the stock, if at all possi- 

 ble, before purchasing, and know ex- 

 actly what you are buying; jierhaps you 

 will have better results. 



It is possible that sthe plants have 

 been growing too closfe^ together, and 

 there are many things (Kmcerning the 

 growing of these plants, or^ which, of 

 course, we are entirely ignorant. Per- 

 haps you would like to write again, and 

 be more specific in regard to your grow- 

 ing methods. In this event we could be 

 of more assistance to you. C. H. T. 



LOUISVILLE, KY. 



The Market. 



Stock last week was not plentiful 

 and some days it was scarce, with the 

 exception, however, of Paper Whites. 

 These were more plentiful last week than 

 ever before. Thousands went to waste 

 in the greenhouses and hundreds had to 

 be thrown away in the stores. Carna- 

 tions were onlj' fair in supply and there 

 were not enough to go around. 



Roses, although meeting the demand, 

 were about the same. Long stock 

 moved slowly; the medium and short 



were well cleaned up. Stevia is still in 

 ample supply, but is nearing the end 

 and is not so good as before. Calen- 

 dulas came in limited quantities and 

 were cleaned up well at all times. 



Callas, as yet, have not amounted to 

 much, but what few are seen are good 

 and go well. Sweet peas are only fair 

 and come in small bunches. Pussy wil- 

 lows were almost used up during the 

 holidays, but there are still a few, 

 which are cleaned up well. 



Various Notes. 



August Baumer, who for eighteen 

 years has conducted a flower store at 

 320 West Chestnut street, has moved to 

 436 South Fifth avemie, into a larger 

 and better store. Although the store is 

 not finished in every detail, there is no 

 doubt that it will be one of the 

 best-equipped and most up-to-date dis- 

 play rooms in town. There is a large 

 room where stock can be attractively 

 displayed and the show windows will be 

 tempting. There is plenty of space and 

 Mr. Baumer expects the increased facil- 

 ities to stimulate business. 



M. A. Reimers has been appointed by 

 Lewis Pleiss, retiring president of the 

 Society of Kentucky Florists, state vice- 

 president of the S. A. F. 



Christmas business was a surprise. 

 It was better than any one dreamed of. 

 It was noticed, however, that the pub- 

 lic "shopped" from store to store, look- 

 ing, it seemed, for lower prices. Money 

 did not flow so freely as it did the 

 Christmas of 1920, but, when it was all 

 over, receipts footed up about the same. 



The William Walker Co. is anticipat- 

 ing a move also, but, as yet, nothing 

 is definite. E. G. R. 



ODGN LETTEa&y^ DEADED6 



LABELING POTTED PLANTS. 



The subject of labeling potted plants 

 is one that should be taken up by the 

 Society of American Florists. There 

 should be one universal way of labeling 

 plants which are placed in benches side 

 by side, so that any boy or man who has 

 learned to set different varieties of 

 plants, which are properly labeled, will 

 not be handicapped when going from 

 one range to another. For instance, a 

 man works at one range for ten years 

 and learns the methods of labeling 

 plants in use at this range thoroughly 

 and then goes to some other range to 

 work; here he finds, to his consterna- 

 tion, that another method of labeling is 

 being used, and that he must learn all 

 over again. In the learning process he 

 will make many mistakes, which ar^ 

 costly to all concerned. 



It must be recognized that the human 

 being is, all in all, a piece of mechanical 

 machinery and that certain mechanical 

 and specific attainments make him more 

 serviceable and valuable in that specific 

 line which he is following. By changing 

 that work which has become second na- 

 ture to him, a handicap is placed upon 

 him; whereas, if there were one uni- 

 versal way of doing a certain kind of 

 work", like labeling plants, he would 

 know at once that the way he was doing 



the work was the correct way, having 

 learned this method at the outset. 



In reading a book, everyone reads 

 from left to right; we all know that this 

 is an accepted rule, and, in fact, this 

 is the only way the book can be read. 

 So it is with the setting of our labels, 

 and if there is no set rule at the present 

 time which governs the method of label- 

 ing potted plants, then horticulturists 

 should adopt one for the sake of con- 

 venience if for no other reason. 



At our range we begin at the left end 

 of the bench, setting the plants from 

 the inboard side and working toward 

 the outboard side across the bench and 

 to the right, with each variety. Where 

 one variety ends, set the label of the 

 next variety in the first pot of that va- 

 riety and continue on throughout to the 

 end. Now, it may so happen at times 

 that it is found necessary to set plants 

 from right to left. For instance, in 

 adding a few or many plants to a va- 

 riety which is already on the bench, 

 making it one whole variety, set the 

 plants exactly opposite to the way they 

 were set in the former case, or set from 

 the outboard side toward the inboard 

 and to the left of the bench instead of 

 from the inboard side and to the right. 

 Always place the labels so that they can 

 be read from the inboard side. 



A. Jablonsky. 



