16 



The Florists^ Review 



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July 1, 1915. 



ODCN LETTCi;^.^^ READEIi^ 



WE AGREE TO IT ALL. 



I want to say that The Keview is 

 an extremely handy paper for every 

 florist to have within reacli, as it con- 

 tains offers of. practically everything 

 used in the trade, but it would be fine 

 if something: could be done to make 

 some of the advertisers give more 

 prompt attention to the orders they re- 

 ceive. I believe it to be the duty of 

 every advertiser, when he receives an 

 order, either to ship at once or to re- 

 ply, stating when shipment will be 

 made — and then to keep his word. It 

 is extremely exasperating to send an 

 order for stock that is needed at once 

 and to receive no word for days and 

 perhaps weeks. The neglect is still 

 less excusable when a check is enclosed 

 with the order. H. J. Peterson. 



CHANGE OF SOIL FOR PEONIES. 



In a recent issue of The Review a 

 correspondent stated that peonies 

 would do well if replanted on the same 

 ground after dividing. My experience 

 is to the contrary. The peony in grow- 

 ing throws off poisonous excreta which 

 make it desirable to change the soil. 

 I think the ground should not be used 

 again for three years. If one has a bed 

 which it is desirable to keep in the 

 same position, the soil can be dug out 

 to the depth of one foot or more and 

 replaced with soil from another part 

 of the garden. In this way a bed can 

 be kept in the same place. In field cul- 

 ture rotation is much better. 



Most, if not fill, of the root-gall on 

 peonies came out of Lemoine's nursery, 

 at Nancy, France. He had only about 

 two acres of ground, all told, and in 

 it for years he planted, over and over 

 again, peonies and shrubs and gladioli 

 in the most intensive cultivation. It 

 really was a curse to the peony roots. 

 I understand that certain nurserymen 

 have practiced the Lemoine method 

 and planted peonies over and over 

 again for twenty-five years in the same 

 ground. This, if true, is a wonderful 

 exception, provided the roots have been 

 kept free from disease. 



The experience of A. Dessert, in 

 France, is the same as mine, and his 

 advice is similar to what I have given 

 here. E. .T. Shavlor. 



AMERICANS FOR AMERICA. 



I have just read in The Review for 

 June 17 of the need of basket willow 

 growing in this country. There is a 

 good place near here where a consider- 

 able quantity of willow might be grown 

 if the cuttings could be obtained. [The 

 Department of Agriculture, through the 

 forest service, distributes willow cut- 

 tings, and has a pamphlet on their cul- 

 ture.— Ed.] 



The war in Europe is opening the eyes 

 of our people and showing us scores of 

 new opportunities, both for producers 

 and inventors. I believe in American 

 independence to the utmost, and now 

 that the opportunity is ours, it is clearly 

 the duty of every citizen of this coun- 



try to see that it is not let slip, and 

 that every gain or advantage made pos- 

 sible by this means shall add to Amer- 

 ican supremacy. 



We doubtless, in the vast extent of 

 our territory, can produce nearly every 

 article that has heretofore been im- 

 ported, if the matter is only taken up 

 and a proper effort made to produce the 

 goods. 



I believe that the opportunity for 

 florists and others who depend on some 

 crop is of especial interest and that we 

 as a body have a large duty before us 

 in producing the final results. Let 

 "Americans for America," first, last 

 and always, be our motto, and let every- 

 one see that no time is lost in grasping 

 every opportunity offered. 



Fred Gowen. 



E. H. HITCHCOCK IN TROUBLE. 



Those who had bad business deal- 

 ings with E. H. Hitchcock, while he 

 was located in Michigan and later, will 

 be interested in the following from a 

 Massachusetts newspaper: 



' ' Captain Philip Perron, of the North, 

 Adams police, yesterday morning ar- 

 rested Edward H. Hitchcock as he 

 stepped from a western train in North 

 Adams with Kate Morgan Dunn, of 

 Clarksburg. Hitchcock is wanted in 

 Cassopolis, Mich., on a charge of mis- 

 conduct. 



"When the man was searched at the 

 police station, it was found that on his 

 person he carried two 32-caliber re- 

 volvers and a knife, and in his dress 

 suit case he carried a Winchester maga- 

 zine rifle fully loaded, a large hatchet 

 and more than 500 rounds of ammuni- 

 tion for rifle and revolvers. 'There was 

 also a belt filled with 38-caliber bullets. 

 Hitchcock was, up until last December, 

 engaged in the fern business in Clarks- 

 burg. 



"When being searched at the police 

 station he tried to reach his hip pocket, 

 apparently with the intention of draw- 

 ing a revolver and shooting Officer Per- 

 ron, but was prevented by another 

 officer and the 'gun' taken from him." 



SPELTER PRICES HIT TRADE. 



Did you ever give consideration to 

 the wonderful interrelationship be- 

 tween the flower business and other 

 lines? The way one trade is affected 

 by another is an interesting study. 



For instance, can you see how the 

 need for ammunition in Russia affects 

 the cost of posts for greenhouses in 

 America? Or buckets for peonies in 

 cold storage? Well, it does. This is 

 how. 



"The shrapnel shells that American 

 factories are turning out in such large 

 numbers for the Allies are two-thirds 

 copper and one-third spelter. Spelter, 

 of course, is the metal trade's name 

 for zinc. Zinc is used for galvanizing 

 iron — pipe for posts, sheets in buckets, 

 vases and wire for rose stakes, to men- 

 tion just a few places where war's 

 demand for shells hits florists. 



The price of spelter has gone ui> 

 nearly 300 per cent in the last three 

 months. Before the Kaiser got busy 

 spelter was 6 cents to 7 cents per 

 pound; today it is 20 cents to 25 cents 

 per pound and the market is such that 

 no man knows what the price will be 

 tomorrow. Of course the advance in 

 the price of the galvanized articles is 

 out of proportion to the advance in the 

 cost of the material for galvanizing— 

 manufacturers always make a widely 

 advertised advance in their costs the 

 excuse for a boost in prices that puts 

 them to the good on the deal. 



The market price of lead has prac- 

 tically doubled in the month of June, 

 so it is natural to expect an advance in 

 tinfoil. 



PROF. DORNER WEDS. 



It is reported at Chicago that H. B. 

 Dorner was married in Kentucky, June 

 29, his bride being a former student in 

 the University of Illinois, at Cham- 

 paign. Mr. Dorner is widely known in 

 the trade, as the youngest son of the 

 late Fred Dorner, of La Fayette, Ind., 

 as an ex-secretary of the S. A. F., and as 

 professor of floriculture in the College 

 of Agriculture at the Illinois state 

 university where he also has charge of 

 the greenhouses for floricultural re- 

 search conducted by the state, under 

 the direction of an advisory committee 

 of the Illinois State Florists' Asso- 

 ciation. 



MOTT-LY MUSINGS. 



George Basler, Black Rock, N. Y., 

 says " 'twas in '49 on a summer night 

 when he first saw the light of day," 

 and one of the strongest impressions in 

 his early career was received in the 

 gardens of a relative of Count Zeppelin, 

 which decided his future career. He 

 has the first house built by the King 

 Construction Co., and others of later 

 design, all upon concrete foundations. 

 He has a snug business and takes pride 

 in being a Review honor-roller. 



The Thos. Mansfield Estate, Lockport, 

 N. Y., has had a good season. The 

 double pink geranium that originated 

 here leads the call in bedding stock. 



Fred G. Lewis, Lockport, is of the 

 opinion that, had the weather not been 

 so cold, the demand would have been 

 beyond normal. As it was, he has no 

 kick to register. 



W. A. Wettlin, Hornell, N. Y., has 

 part of his farm planted to flowering 

 stock for store use. He has given up 

 the growing of cut flowers, devoting 

 the houses to a few specialties such as 

 cyclamens and primroses. Special sales 

 on Saturdays are a success. 



A. H. Woeppel, Corning, N. Y., says 

 his Ford forded him over the busy sea- 

 son in fine shape and the end is not yet 

 in sight. W. M. 



NEW YORK. 



The Market. 



As anticipated, the rush is at an end. 

 Shipments have decreased and prices 

 have improved. For several weeks con- 

 ditions have seemed hopeless, but there 

 is a bottom to everything and the 

 worst is over. Even in midsummer, 

 we do not anticipate so demoralized a 

 market. 



The rose supply last week was ample 

 for the demand, but there was no sur- 

 plus to be sacrificed. American Beau- 



