August 11, 1904. 



The Weekly Florists^ Review. 



5J5 



likely to be overdone for some time to 

 come, for the growth of our country is 

 Buch that her ultimate possibilities are 

 greater and grander than all the Euro- 

 pean and American states combined. 



VIOLETS. 



[A paper by Wm. Fendley, of Brampton, read 

 before the Canadian Horticultural Association 

 at Ottawa, Ont., August 10.] 



I was asked to open a discussion on 

 the culture of violets. As I am here 

 before you, I am in your hands — and in 

 my few remarks, if I should overlook 

 anything you would like to ask about, 

 speak up, for this is the place for dis- 

 cussion, and I will answer any questions 

 to the best of my ability. 



I have been growing violets for the 

 past ten years and I am learning their 

 habits better every year. In the first 

 place, I am sure that sand-rooted cut- 

 tings are the best, as you get young, 

 sappy growth to start your plants from. 

 I root them very slowly, taking runners 

 from only the best plants. This applies 

 to both single and double varieties, espe- 

 cially doubles. You should never take 

 stock from poor plants. Take only the 

 strongest runners. After the cuttings 

 are well rooted, prick them off on a piece 

 of bench, not too close together, so that 

 they will not be crowded when planting- 

 out time comes. 



My method is to plant singles in the 

 field in May and doubles in the beds 

 where they are to stay for next season's 

 crop, as I have found, to my sorrow, that 

 the double violet is a very slow root 

 actor. That is to say, roots that will 

 throw blooms. It is not so with the 

 singles. I think it is hard to kill them. 



Violets want good drainage. I hon- 

 estly believe there are more violets spoiled 

 with overwatering than there are by going 

 too dry. Never let your plants go to 

 bed damp. Water only on bright days. 

 Keep the house at 38 to 40 degrees if you 

 want good color and plenty of fragrance. 

 A good violet should have a stem twelve 

 to fourteen inches long, with bloom not 

 smaller than our half dollar. The stem 

 should hold the bloom upright. 



On the other hand, if you are going in 

 for quantity, not quality, run your houses 

 at 48 to 50 degrees and you will have 

 plenty of nice foliage and pale blooms 

 with weak stems. I plant doubles from 

 nine to ten inches apart and singles 

 ten to twelve inches apart, according to 

 the size of plants when lifting from 

 the field. 



I have often been asked the question, 

 what is a good cut for this house! For 

 the month of February this year I cut 

 64,775 violets. I expect to have four 

 times as many the coming season as I 

 had this. 



BOWLING PRIZES. 



There is an embarrassment of riches 

 in the bowling department for the St. 

 Louis convention. Aside from the large 

 number of prizes arranged for by the St. 

 Louis committee, including the hand- 

 some silver loving cup offered by the 

 Anheuser-Bupch Co., Treasurer H. B. 

 Beatty, of Oil City and Pittsburg, has 

 offered a loving cup for the team con- 

 test and three handsome pieces of silver 

 for the ladies. 



W. F. Kasting has offered a splendid, 

 massive solid silver loving cup as a per- 

 petual challenge trophy. This is a most 

 excellent idea, as the team winning it at 

 the convention will doubtless feel called 

 upon to defend it against all comers at 



The Kasting Challenge Championship Bowling Trophy* 



any time of the year. Mr. Kasting is 

 well known as never doing anything by 

 halves and the trophy is naturally one of 

 the handsomest for which florists' bowl- 

 ing teams have ever been privileged to 

 compete. A picture of it appears in this 

 issue. 



The men's trophy offered by Mr. 

 Beatty is a loving cup in sterling silver, 

 standing about twenty-two inches high, 

 with three handles. This divides the cup 

 into three panels, handsomely ornament- 

 ed. The third panel has the words "H. 

 B. Beatty trophy, won by," with room 

 left for the name of the winner. At 

 the base of the cup are bowling balls 

 and pins finished in black to contrast 

 with the silver. The base is ebony. 



The first prize for the ladies is a beau- 

 tiful flower vase in sterling silver, about 

 eighteen inches high. On one side is 

 etched the words "St. Louis, 1904," 

 with the figure of a woman about to roll 

 a ball. On the other side of the vase 

 are the words "H. B. Beatty trophy, 

 won by, ' ' with a shield left for the name 

 of the winner. 



The ladies' second prize is a rich com- 

 port for fruit in sterling silver. It 

 stands six inches high, the top being 

 decorated with the etching of a woman 

 about to roll a ball. Above are the 

 words * * H. B. Beatty trophy, ' ' under- 

 neath the words "Ladies' Prize." The 

 base is decorated with two panels. A 

 plain shield is then left for the name 

 of the winner. 



The consolation prize is a dainty vase 

 in sterling silver that stands about ten 

 inches high, the top and bottom being 

 ornamented with a beautiful floral 

 wreath. On the vase are very artisti- 

 cally etched the words "St. Louis, 1904, 

 consolation prize." Below this two 

 crossed pins and a ball underneath. On 

 the other side are the words "H. B. 

 Beatty trophy, won by," with a shield 

 for the name of the wiiiner. 



FRENCH BULBS. 



Now that the season has arrived when 

 French-grown bulbs become a subject of 

 general attention on the part of seeds- 



men, these notes will probably be read 

 with interest. 



Everybody knows that the French bulbs 

 are especially adapted for forcing, as 

 they have been grown in a warm climate. 

 Yet it is principally during the autumn, 

 winter, and spring months that attention 

 is important. The bulbs planted in 

 August flower in December, and con- 

 tinue to do so until the end of March 

 without any other warmth than that of 

 the syn. Though it is a fact that some 

 cold days occur in winter-time (some- 

 times there is a strong, cold wind, called 

 the mistral), yet we have many beautiful 

 days which may compete with the finest 

 summer days in England. Frost is 

 nearly unknown. Thousands of people 

 here have never seen other than artiflcial 

 ice; natural ice of %-inch thickness only 

 occurs in exceptional winters. Earely does 

 the temperature fall below freezing 

 point. 



During the warm days and the scanty 

 rainfall of March, April, and May, the 

 bulbs must be planted in such a manner 

 that they can be easily watered. The 

 watering is such an important matter 

 that it affects the results of a year's 

 work. 



The bulbs are planted either in single 

 or double rows right across the field; 

 between every row (single or double) 

 is a distance of eight inches. This space 

 is used for a path, and for convenience 

 when watering, and is a little hollowed. 



The water coming from the hills is 

 stored in small canals, from which many 

 gardens obtain their supply. From the 

 principal canal a branch runs to all the 

 gardens of the same grower. One shal- 

 low path along all the rows of bulbs has 

 a dyke across at every row. When the 

 lock by which it is connected with the 

 branch canal is opened, the water finds 

 its way instantly along the flj-st path. 

 When this is full from end to end, the 

 first little dyke is removed, and the water 

 runs on into the second path. When this 

 is full from end to end, the second little 

 dyke is removed, then the water fills 

 the third path, and so on. 



This way of watering is very quick, 

 though it calls for much attention. It 



