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JlLY 10. 1013. 



The Florists^ Review 



11 



Interior of the Farminston Greenhouses. 



VALLEY FOB SEPTEMSEB. 



Will you kindly tell me when to 

 plant valley pips to get them in for 

 September 21 1 A. G. B. ' 



Cold storage valley should easily 

 come into flower within three weeks 

 of the time named. As the weather 

 usually is quite warm in September, no 

 bottom heat should be necessary. Keep 

 the pips dark until the spikes are fairly 

 well advanced; then gradually give 

 more light in order to get some foliage 

 and better substance in the flowers. 



c. w: 



THE FABMINQTON GBEENHOUSES. 



The three greenhouses recently built 

 by the Farmington Greenhouse Co., at 

 Farmington, Mich., which are shown in 

 the pictures on this page, are each 20x 

 100 feet and of pipe frame construction. 

 When the photographs were taken the 

 houses were vacant; now they are all 

 planted to cucumbers. Plans are now 

 being made for another three houses, 

 doubling the space under glass, and for 

 a plant house in addition. When these 

 buildings are completed cut flowers as 

 well as vegetables will be grown. The 

 products of these greenhouses find an 

 excellent market in Detroit, which is 

 eighteen miles away. 



The manager of the plant is Edgar H. 

 Steele, who was formerly manager of 

 the Black Hall Greenhouses, at Black 

 HaJl, Conn., and also of the Andrews 

 Estate Greenhouses, of Elmwood, Conn. 

 Ihe oflBcers ct the company are: Presi- 

 dent, W. P. Payne; vice-president, E. G. 

 iiartwell, and secretary-treasurer, Mrs. 

 W. P. Payne. 



BEDDING PLANTS. 



TolaJl^^^^ ^'.^- '^- Byer. of Lancaster, Pa.. 

 I'lorlsts' cinb"l ™^®*'°'^ "' ^^^ Lancaster County 



Bedding plants are so nearly endless 

 ■n variety and are used in so many dif- 

 ferent ways that I hardly know where 

 m f"* ^° ™y discussion. But, since I 

 w 11 «"^*^ a beginning somewhere, I 

 plants ^* consider a few of the tender 



Abutilons can now be had in all 

 xK °"- , Some are much freer bloomers 

 ' V? ***?"» and some grow six feet tall, 

 .,J1'^°.*^«" trail. On some the leaves 

 ;■ ° P;*\n green; on others they are va- 

 u^:- "• ^- Savitzii and Souvenir de 

 are among the most satisfactory 



bedders. These plants root easily from 

 tender shoots or can be grown from 

 seeds. 



In ageratums there are many colors, 

 but the dark blue is the best. The com- 

 pact kinds have the preference and give 

 excellent satisfaction as bedding plants 

 for a sunny situation. They can be 

 grown cheaply from seed and also from 

 cuttings, which can be potted up with- 

 out rooting them in the sand. They 

 grow into salable plants in a short time 

 and can be sold at a reasonable price. 



Altemantheras still have some sale, 

 but are not so much in demand as they 

 used to be, when more carpet bedding 

 was done. They are still used to some 

 extent for borders around beds, where 

 a low-growing plant is needed. Old 

 clumps can be divided into small pieces, 

 and the cuttings root readily if taken 

 with a joint near the end. Grow the 

 two colors, red and yellow. 



A Fine shade of Blue. 



Browallia speciosa major is not as 

 much grown as it should be, for it will 

 surely sell, since its color is a fine shade 

 of blue that is not often seen. There is 

 also a white one which is equally good 

 and which, I believe, will sell equally 

 well. They grow rapidly from seed 

 and a small quantity of seed will sup- 

 ply you with plenty of plants. 



In begonias, those of the semper- 

 florens type are the ones you want to 

 grow and you can recommend them to 



your customers as sure satisfaction- 

 givers in the way of bedding plants, 

 growing finely either in sun or shade. 

 Plant the seed early and, if the plants 

 are properly cared for, you will surely 

 get your money back with plenty of 

 profit, besides pleasing your customers. 

 Caladium esculentum hardly needs 

 more than the briefest mention. It is 

 quite a showy plant when grown in rich 

 soil and supplied with plenty of water. 

 It is well' to recommend it to people 

 who want a mass of foliage for tropical 

 effect. The fancy-leaved caladiums are 

 quite diflEerent from the large-leaved 

 type, for they delight in a shady or half 

 shady place and will there make a bed 

 that can not fail to attract attention. 

 They should be grown in an equal mix- 

 ture of leaf-mold, soil and thoroughly 

 rotted manure. In a soil of that kind 

 they do' finely, indeed. 



Some Standbys in Cannas. 



In cannas the list of varieties is al- 

 most endless and new sorts are con- 

 stantly being added, some of which may 

 be better than the majority of the older 

 kinds. Still, some of the old standbys, 

 such as Florence Vaughan, Mme. Crozy, 

 Mont Blanc, Pennsylvania, and other 

 equally well known sorts, seem to be 

 with U8 to stay. It is well to try out a 

 few new ones once in a while, as this 

 helps to keep up the interest and you 

 may occasionally strike something 

 really good, which will bring more 

 money for you. You can keep the old 

 clumps over winter in any place where 

 potatoes keep well. In spring they 

 should be divided into one-eye pieces, 

 started in moss or soil in a warm green- 

 house and then potted into 3-inch pots 

 and grown along into 4-inch, if that size 

 is wanted. These make fine, salable 

 plants and do well when planted out. 



Coleuses are used in endless quanti- 

 ties, but as best sellers I would recom- 

 mend Golden Bedder, Verschaffeltii, 

 Queen Victoria and Beckwith's Gem. 

 These kinds will meet about all the 

 calls you will have for quantities. There 

 are dozens of other sorts that can be 

 sold in a small way, but they do not 

 sell like the ones I have named. The 

 fancy or large-leaved sorts are intended 

 mostly for pots, as the wind breaks the 

 leaves badly when they are exposed. 

 Coleuses are easily rooted; in fact, the 

 cuttings may be taken off almost any 

 place and potted up, and they soon 

 make nice plants. If you want new 



Honn 



Plant of the Farmington Greenhouse Co. 



