September 1, 1921 



The Florists^ Review 



23 



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LOS ANGELES LEADERS 



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BETAILEB AND OBOWEB. 



Tom Wright's Double Success. 



Although a young man in point of 

 years, T. H. Wright, or Tom Wright as 

 he is known to everybody in the trade, 

 is a veteran in the Los Angeles flower 

 business and is entitled to a place 

 among the leaders. Starting business 

 in a small way and with practically no 

 capital, he has built up one of the 

 largest retail businesses in the city, if 

 not the largest, and has also a fine range 

 of greenhouses, consisting of about 150,- 

 000 square feet, which is to be increased 

 again shortly. For a number of years 

 Mr. Wright had a small range of glass 

 at Edendale, on the west side of town, 

 but about twelve years ago twenty 

 acres of land were purchased on the 

 south of the city and the first of the up- 

 to-date greenhouses erected. As the de- 

 mand at the retail store continued to 

 grow, more houses were built and this 

 fall two houses, 36x185 feet, will be 

 added. 



Success with Boses. 



Eoses have always been an important 

 crop here and this year there are ten 

 houses, 27x300 feet, devoted entirely 

 to them. Beauties, formerly grown in 

 large number here, are gradually being 

 done away with, as in other places, and, 

 although they have always been a suc- 

 cess here, it is thought that the space 

 can be used to more profit by planting 

 the more popular, newer varieties. Two 

 varieties are especially good here, Co- 

 lumbia and Butterfly. Young stock of 

 both, planted this season, is producing 

 freely, while the growth of the plants 

 leaves nothing to be desired. Crusader 

 does well here and Mr. Wright says the 

 company has little trouble with its 

 turning blue in summer, as this fine rose 

 is reported to do in some places. Pre- 

 mier, White Killarney and others are 

 all in fine shape, Ophelia also producing 

 freely, but, for some reason not yet dis- 

 covered, Russell is not an unqualified 

 success. It grows fairly well and many 

 blooms are cut from it, but it cannot be 

 classed as a real success as yet. No 

 doubt as time goes on a way will be 

 found to improve it and it may be men- 

 tioned in this respect that Mr. Wright 

 is tiling all the Russell benches this 

 year, since the soil here is heavy and 

 apt to hold water too long. 



Cyclamens. 



Alongside the rose houses are those 

 devoted to cyclamens, of which 22,000 

 are being grown this year. Naturally, 

 they are in all stages of development 

 and all are good, but the palm must be 

 given to the 3-inch and 4-inch stock, 

 which is remarkably fine in every way, 

 clean, with large foliage and growing 

 at a great rate. Mr. Wright's grower 

 is careful in his seed sowing and at 

 the younger stages of the plants, so that 

 the stock never gets a cheek, but grows 

 continuously and freely all through the 

 season. Gardenias are grown here, the 

 young plants being benched in a thin 

 layer of good compost and, as they de- 

 velop, mulched with cow manure. This 



The exhibition features being prepared 

 for the convention of the California As- 

 sociatio7i of Nurserymen are expected to 

 draw many trade visitors to Los Angeles 

 October SO to 23. Additional interest 

 will be found by them in a number of 

 establishments in the vicinity which oc- 

 cupy a prominent place in our industry. 

 Some of these are described in current 

 issues of The Beview, one of them on this 

 page. 



is not broken up into small pieces, but 

 laid on in large chunks, so that the 

 roots find it and run under and through 

 it, yet always have plenty of fresh air. 

 The result is seen in deep, almost black, 

 green foliage and great numbers of 

 flowers. They are a healthy and vig- 

 orous lot of plants, of which Mr. 

 Wright is justly proud. 



Adiamtum Wrightil. 



An important and valuable novelty 

 is the new fern Adiantum Wrightii, 

 which has already been noted in The 

 Review and of which more will be heard 

 later. It is a large grower and a great 

 producer, the fronds being larger than 

 those of A. Farleyense or A. gloriosum. 

 Besides growing freely, the fronds last 

 exceedingly well and an interesting point 

 about it is that fumigation does not 

 appear to discommode it at all. At any 

 rate, a house with a bench of A. 

 Wrightii and several benches of A. 

 California and other maidenhairs was 



fumigated rather heavily. Wrightii 

 was absolutely uninjured, while all the 

 other varieties were more or less dam- 

 aged. It comes true at the rate of 

 about ninety per cent from spores and 

 an immense number are being grown for 

 distribution late this year. Many or- 

 ders are already in for it and Mr. 

 Wright aims to have at least 150,000 

 2-inch plants before he disseminates it. 



About 1,600 cattleyas of the labiata 

 varieties are grown, and while there is 

 not much in the way of blooms now, 

 the plants are interesting, owing to the 

 fine growth being made. C. -Trianffi is 

 especially good, also C. gigas, but, in 

 fact, they are all in excellent order and 

 a fine collection. Phala?nopsis Schil- 

 leriana and other orchids are also grown 

 in quantity and these, too, are in the 

 most robust health. 



About 35,000 mums are grown in all 

 the popular varieties and these, too, 

 look promising. Indoor carnations are 

 not making much show now, but the 

 young stock is fine and the benches are 

 being prepared for its reception. 



H. R. R. 



AMERICAN GLADIOLUS SOCIETY. 



Officers Elected. 



The twelfth annual show of the 

 American Gladiolus Society, held at 

 Alma College, St. Thomas, Ontario, 

 Can., August 24 and 2o, was, according 



Tom Wright and a Specimen of Adiantum Wrightii. 



