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Sei'TEMBEK 1, 1904. 



The Weekly Florists' Review^ 



709 



few dollars invested on a policy in the 

 F. H. A. is the only safeguard and in 

 view of the complete protection afforded 

 at such small cost it is surprising that 

 anyone would be willing to assume such 

 risks. The best indication of a healthy 

 condition of business is the fact that 

 nearly all growers are adding glass to 

 their ranges. Many complaints are heard 

 from those who purchased carnation cut- 

 tings of the new varieties disseminated 

 by certain growers last season, as cut- 

 tings costing $10 or $12 per 100 arrived, 

 in many cases, entirely worthless, being 

 either weakly, poorly rooted or diseased. 

 Such prices should obtain good stock. — 

 Geo. M. Kellogg. 



Virginia. 



During the past season business has 

 been good in this state. Beauties, car- 

 nations and violets head the list of cut 

 flowers. Palm stock is not moving as 

 well as in former years. Lilies, when 

 good, are still profitable and there is a 

 steady demand for good Boston and Pier- 

 soni ferns. Paper White narcissus is 

 grown in preference to the high priced 

 Bomans for funeral work. In all lines 

 of bedding stuff the growers have cleaned 

 out all on hand, but there could be im- 

 provement in this class of stock which 

 would insure better returns for the grow- 

 er. — H. Brown. 



Rhode Island. 



The call for hardy plants and shrubs 

 has been steadily increasing for some 

 time and was felt in the bedding plant 

 trade this spring. There is a very per- 

 ceptible falling off in the bedding out of 

 the usual plants that have been so exten- 

 sively grown for the past few years, and 

 an increase in the use of nasturtiums 

 and other annuals. The custom of put- 

 ting carnation plants into the houses 

 earlier in the fall has been groif^ing, un- 

 til they now plant them in the house in 

 the spring instead of outdoors. This is 

 the most notable change I have observed 

 in the growing of carnations for winter 

 blooms. One large grower makes it a 

 practice to set out his carnation plants in 

 the field in the latter part of May, as 

 early as he can, and some time from the 

 first to the middle of June he sets them 

 in the houses. If the success that he at- 

 tains is due even in part to this manner 

 of handling, it certainly is worthy of our 

 imitation. — Robert W. Greene. 



Wisconsin. 



The plant growers had an extra de- 

 mand for bedding stock, and a number 

 were cleaned out long before the season 

 ended, especially on S. A. Nutt geranium 

 and coleus. In cut flowers, carnations 

 have been produced in great numbers and 

 at times the wholesale houses ceased to 

 have pleasure in handling them. The 

 same can be said of bulbous stock. The 

 glut which usually occurs at certain sea- 

 sons was an enormous one. Roses are 

 the more fortunate among the cut flow- 

 ers; they hold their own.— F. P. Dilger. 



New Hampshire. 



A large proportion of the growing in 

 this state has been done by the retailer, 

 though we are now witnessing a very 

 marked increase in the amount of glass 

 l^voted to wholesale growing. In 

 Nashua a large vegetable grower is this 

 year devoting his entire place to the 

 growing of pinks and chrysanthemums, 

 ihis gentleman is planting his stuff in 

 the ground, doing away with benches en- 

 tirely. This is a departure which will be 



Gutiation Enchantress at E. A. Stroud's, Strafiord, Pa. 



(Fleld-grrown Plants, benched early in July and photographed August 7.) 



watched with much interest. . The state 

 college has erected a range of glass dur- 

 ing the past year, which will be used 

 principally for experimental purposes. 

 This will come to be appreciated by the 

 growers of the state because of the op- 

 portunity which will be afforded to study 

 the diseases of our greenhouse plants, 

 and the best methods of treating the 

 same. — E. R. Shaw. 



Central Michigan. 



From reports I find that the business 

 has increased about twenty-five per cent, 

 and very bright prospects ahead. But I 

 should judge the building will not be 

 over half what it was last year, more at- 

 tention being paid toward improving the 

 quality of stock grown. Carnation, grow- 

 ing has increased to a very large degree 

 and I think when the advantages of our 

 clibiate are known this branch will re- 

 ceive more attention. — W. C. Cook. 



North Carolina. 

 The high price of cotton the past year 

 has brought prosperity to our farming 

 people but, strange as it may seem, has 

 had a bad effect on the local florist who 

 expected to sell plants in the mill towns, 

 as the high price of cotton has had the 

 effect of running most of the factories on 

 half time ; that meant short cash and no 

 luxuries for the people. But on the whole 

 the year 's work has been satisfactory and 

 a few report increase in trade. — Jas. M. 

 Lamb. 



Ohio. 



We have had an exceptional era of 

 prosperity in the season just closed. The 

 demand for bedding stock has especially 

 shown a marked increase over former 

 years, due, I think, to the education of 

 the working and the middle classes in the 

 matter of home adornment. I feel that 

 certain credit should be given for the in- 

 creased demand in plants and shrubs to 

 the education of the children and also of 

 great numbers of indifferent adults, to 

 appreciate the beauties of the floral king- 

 dom through the expression of sentiment 

 fostered and disseminated by that re- 

 markable and patriotic institution, the 

 Carnation League of America, reared in 

 honor of a clean, upright and sentimental 

 manhood, and which appropriately chose 

 as the emblem of that sentiment. Presi- 

 dent McKinley's favorite flower, which 



was worn by over three millions of its 

 members on January 29, 1904. — H, M. 

 Altick. 



Maine. 



The year has been a good one on the 

 whole. We were able to hold our prices 

 up to a better standard than ever before, 

 and so the result in the end has been 

 very satisfactory. But the amount of 

 building is not as large as usual this 

 season. The Maine florists are not get- 

 ting rich, but they are making some 

 gains and are keeping well abreast of 

 the demand for their goods in the state. 

 A stronger feeling of union and co-opera- 

 tion among them and a larger member- 

 ship in this society would be both pleas- 

 ant and beneficial. — ^H. R. Mitchell. 



New Jersey. 



The standing of New Jersey as a hor- 

 ticultural state is interesting. In the 

 number of square feet of glass surface. 

 New Jersey stands fifth in the Union, 

 exceeded only by New York, Illinois, 

 Pennsylvania and Ohio. In value of 

 greenhouse structures it stands forth. In 

 proportion to size, population, and wealth 

 it easily takes first rank among the 

 states in commercial floriculture. Here 

 the growing of roses in large quantities 

 for cut flowers was developed from an 

 early small beginning, and the lead has 

 been steadily maintained until the pres- 

 ent time. Taking Chatham, in Morris 

 county, as a centre, within a radius of 

 four miles we find the principal home of 

 the industry, including Madison in the 

 same county, and Summit and Murray 

 Hill in the adjoining county of Union. 

 About fifty growers about Madison tells 

 the story of a locality, small in area but 

 great in the production of the queen of 

 flowers. A fair number of carnations of 

 good quality are also produced in the 

 state. Violets are no longer grown here 

 for market, owing to the diseases which 

 have overtaken them. There are several 

 extensive plant factories. The past year 

 has not come up to the average in profit 

 to the grower and we hear of some going 

 out of business and of fewer "butting 

 in." Horticultural builders are not ex- 

 periencing altogether a jolly time at 

 present because of the plethoric pocket- 

 books of the growers. Economy with 

 discretion has l:^come the watchword of 

 growers and a period of conservative ac- 



