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The Florists' Review 



33 



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AMONG LEADING GROWERS 



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ROSE RANGE OF RENOWN. 



A Visit to Elmhurst. 



The assertion of a prominent grower, 

 made not long ago, that the most profit- 

 able greenhouse establishments were 

 those between 100,000 and 200,000 

 square feet of glass can be reinforced 

 by the naming of a number of highly 

 successful ranges of that size. One of 

 them is that of the Wendland & Keimel 

 Co., at Elmhurst, 111. The general man- 

 ager of the company, William J. Keimel, 

 was elected president of the National 

 Flower Growers' Association when the 

 organization of that body was perfected. 

 He was chosen as rc'i)resenting the type 

 of grower that the leaders in the organi- 

 zation considered the most valuable — a 

 keenly practical business man, an expert 

 grower and a person of strongly progres- 

 sive ideas. These qualities in Mr. Keimel 

 are best demonstrated in the green- 

 house range which he operates. 



The range at Elmhurst was begun in 

 1908. In that year four houses, each 

 32x200 feet, were erected. In each of 

 the two following years, three more 

 houses of the same dimensions were 

 added. In the winter of 1911-12, eleven 

 houses were added, each 27x200 feet. 

 A view of the range as it stands today 

 is given on page 35. This is not a 

 front-door view of the range, but rather 

 shows its business end. Close to the 

 railroad tracks is the coal pile, then 



the boiler shed and work house. The 

 older ten houses may be distinguished 

 from the ones built later by the dif- 

 ference in height of the end wall. 



Roses for Profit. 



The entire range is devoted to roses. 

 They are all of the varieties that are 

 in demand on the Chicago market. If 

 a variety is not profitable, it is thrown 

 out. No whims or prejudices interfere 

 with the practical operation of the es- 

 tablishment. Every bench is engaged 

 in making money, with the possible ex- 

 ception of one, which is devoted to small 

 batches of new varieties and to sports 

 which have occurred on the place and 

 which Mr. Keimel thinks are worth try- 

 ing out. 



The twenty-one houses contain 70,- 

 000 plants. The varieties and the num- 

 ber of each are as follows: 



Columbia 18,000 



Premier 15.000 



Crusader 15,000 



Butterfly 12,000 



Double White KlUarney 6,000 



Golden Ophelia 1,.'>00 



Brunner 1,500 



In the older houses, which are thirty- 

 two feet in width, there are six 4-foot 

 benches, planted four plants across the 

 bench. In the newer houses, there are 

 four benches five feet in width, planted 

 five plants across the bench. Mr. Keimel 

 believes the narrow benches are the 

 more productive, because the outside 

 plants, receiving more light and air, pro- 

 duce better growth and more blooms. 



This theory is borne out by a^ narrow 

 bench which runs along the end of all 

 the houses, beside the wide concrete 

 walk on which a narrow railway runs. 

 This bench contains two rows. The 

 plants in this bench are the finest on 

 the place and are extraordinarily pro- 

 ductive. Of course, they have every- 

 thing in their favor. 



A Few for Trial. 



The bench which is devoted to novel- 

 ties and home-produced sports contains 

 a good deal that is of interest. Mr. 

 Keimel 's knowledge of the rose from a 

 commercial cut flower standpoint is 

 recognized as most thorough, and his 

 opinion is sought. On this bench are, 

 in addition to a number of novelties 

 either lately sent out or soon to be sent 

 out, some sports which Mr. Keimel is 

 watching with close interest. He has 

 two sports of Columbia, differing from 

 that variety only slightly in color and a 

 little in manner of growth and bud 

 formation. They represent the variety 

 at its best, in Mr. Keimel 's eyes, and 

 if these plants live up to present indica- 

 tions, he will propagate from them for 

 future stock of the variety. One sport 

 of Ophelia is especially interesting be- 

 cause it is a departure from the ac- 

 cepted color scheme. From a saffron 

 base the bloom becomes pinker and 

 pinker, until the tips of the petals are 

 almost red, the color deepening as the 

 flower becomes older. The dual colol 



House of Premier Roses, One of the Leaders at the Range of the Wendland & Keimel Co. 



