764 



The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



September 8, 1904. 



PACIFIC COAST. 



ROSE GROWING. 



There is no reason why California 

 should not supply a large percent- 

 age of the hundreds of thousands of 

 roses that are planted, both under glass 

 and out doors. We have the advantage 

 of a long growing season; in fact, some 

 varieties grow and bloom here all 

 through the year. Our soil cannot be im- 

 proved on to produce a good healthy 

 growth and as we have several months 

 of dry weather in the summer season the 

 plants naturally become dormant, so that 

 there is little if any pruning required to 

 put them in shape for replanting in the 

 greenhouse and keeping them in cellais 

 until they can be planted in the open 

 ground in the early spring. I have im- 

 ported many varieties during the past 

 thirty years, both from the eastern states 

 and Europe, and I have invariably found 

 that the three and four-year-old stock is 

 inferior both in size and growth to that 

 raised here in a single season. I refer to 

 grafted plants as well as to those grown 

 on their own roots. I looked over a few 

 acres of budded stock this week and noted 

 the height of some of our best selling 

 sorts. American Beauty, one-year buds 

 averaged thirty to thirty-six inches in 

 height, Ulrich Brunner, thirty-six to 

 forty-eight inches; Bridesmaid, twenty 

 to twenty-four inches; Bride, twenty to 

 twenty- four inches; Kaiserin, twenty- 

 four to thirty inches ; Testout, twenty-four 

 to thirty inches; Oarnot, thirty inches, 

 and Gloire Lyonnaise, forty-eight inches. 

 A. Richardson, Crimson Rambler, Reine 

 Marie Henriette, Gloire de Dijon, Climb- 

 ing Devoniensis and Rene d'Or, the av- 

 erage height was from five to seven feet 

 for a year 's growth, with heavy stem and 

 plenty of roots to match. 



This I consider about as large as it is 

 advisable or profitable to handle under 

 any consideration and yet that is the 

 usual size we grow roses in California 

 and, keep in mind, entirely without irri- 

 gation. We give tnem plenty of cultiva- 

 tion throughout the summer and by the 

 middle of September they have reached 

 the sizes I have just given and they are 

 dormant enough to handle without dan- 

 ger. 



I have written especially thus far of 

 budded stock and will now devote a few 

 words to roses grown on their own roots. 

 All the big rose growers in California 

 prefer stock that is budded low down on 

 a suitable wild variety. When it is im- 

 possible to procure these, roses on their 

 own roots have to fill the bill. For gar- 

 den planting strong growing kinds are as 

 satisfactory one way as another, but they 

 are not usually the varieties that are 

 used for forcing and I have yet to find 

 a grower who does not prefer low bud- 

 ded stock that has been grown in the 

 nursery to anything that may be coaxed 

 along from one size of pot to another. 



,1 have digressed somewhat from my 

 subject regarding the comparison be- 

 tween California grown roses and those 

 from other localities, but the fact re- 

 mains that we are able .to produce big- 

 ger, heavier plants entirely without irri- 

 gation in one-third of the time it takes 

 to mature them anywhere else. The ad- 

 vantage in growing roses without artifi- 

 cial watering is that they make heavier 

 branches and more small roots than they 

 do when they are irrigated. In addition, 

 there is no diflBculty in drying them off 

 jost before digging, generally done here 



in September, when they are destined 

 for the torcing house, and plants so 

 grown when transplanted into beds in 

 the greenhouse and given plenty of 

 moisture break out immediately and in a 

 few weeks are a mass of young shoots. 



Roses easily exhaust the soil and I do 

 not find it advisable to grow them longer 

 than two years on the same piece of 

 land. G. 



SAN FRANCISCO. 



The Market. 



Business has not improved during the 

 past week and some of the florists at- 

 tribute the trade stagnation to the fact 

 that the city is all on the qui vive for 

 the coming Knights Templar celebration. 

 Whether that be the reason or not I do 

 not know, but certainly the puoiic is not 

 patronizing the stores to any great ex- 

 tent. Flowers, especially asters, are in 

 tremendous supply and they do not move 

 very readily. The bulk of them go to the 

 street venders and the price is away 

 down. The basket men sell a bunch con- 

 taining a dozen good asters, dahlias or 

 carnations made up with plenty of wild 

 fern for 10 cents, so it is easy to see 

 how the market goes. Some of the stores 

 have put up signs on the windows call- 

 ing attention to the fact that they have 

 greatly reduced the prices of flowers. 

 This in my judgment is very poor poli- 

 cy, for the few extra cents they take 

 in do not pay for the loss of prestige 

 they suffer with the good people. It 

 may be all right to try to cater to the 

 10-cent trade, but there is no chance of 

 ever making any money out of such a 

 proposition, as I have found that the 

 class of people who are looking for cheap 

 flowers always patronize the peddlers 

 and only go to the stores when the basket 

 venders are not in their accustomed 

 places. 



Roses are scarce and if the stock was 

 better, they would bring more money. 

 All the Beauties I have seen within the 

 past week are poor in ffower and color, 

 although the stems and foliage are good. 

 Some few good Brides and Maids are of- 

 fered. Kaiserin is the best white in 

 market at present and they bring about 

 50 cents per dozen to the growers. I 

 have visited several of the large growers 

 of roses in this vicinity during the past 

 week and the chances for good stock are 

 very slim for some time to cpme. 



A few good yellow mums are shown in 

 the windows around town. They are 

 selling wholesale at $1.50 to $2.50 per 

 dozen. The public have not seen enough 

 of them yet, however, to make any great 

 demand. It will be several weeks before 

 the outside flowers are offered in quan- 

 tity. G. 



Altoona, Pa. — Chas. W. Eifler has 

 had remarkable success with cauliflower 

 this season. 



New Orleans. — Wm. Rehm recently 

 secured the corner at Napoleon and St. 

 Charles avenues and will shortly erect a 

 modern store and show house there. His 

 trip to the St. Louis convention was part- 

 ly for the purpose of getting ideas as to 

 the best methods of construction. 



PoNTiAc, III.— W. J. Miller & Son 

 have about completed a lean-to violet 

 houFe 6x110 and have laid a cement floor 

 in the packing and work room. They 

 have just benched 4,000 carnations. Roses 

 and chrysanthemums look good. Every- 

 thing points to good business this fall 

 and winter. 



Boston Fetfls. 



Nice, clean stock, from 2^-incb pots, 15.00 per 

 100 ; 3 inch pots. S8.00 per 100. 



Cut from the bench, suitable for 4-inch, 5-incb, 

 6-inch pots, at $15 00, $20.00 and $25.00 per ICO. 



Araucaria Excelsa, 



5-inch pots, S to 4 tiers, 60c each or $5.00 per doz.. 



Ocean Park Floral Co. 



E. J. VAWTER. Pret. OCEAN PARK, CAL. 



Mpntton Th» Rerlcw when yon writ'*. 



Qraocana Excelsa, 



From 2M-Inch pots, extra strong planti, 

 with 2 and 3 tier, 6 to 8 inches high, 

 at 916 per 100. 



Qraucaria Imbricata, 



From 2-inch pots, 4 to 6 inches high, 

 •10 per 100 and from 2X-lnch pota 

 6 to 8 inches high. •12.50 per 100. 



F. LUDEMIXNN, 



3041 Baker Street, 



San Francisco, Cat. 



Mpntlon The R#Tlew wb*n yon write. 



100,000 EXTRA STRONG 



Asparagus 

 Plomostts Nanos 



2-inch, $3.50 per 100. 



3-inch, $3.50 per fOO; $30.00 per 1000.- 



Oaah, Bzpresa Prepaid; 

 850 at 1,000 Bate. 



CALIFORNIA CARNATION CO., Loomls, Cir. 



M<>ntloa The Benrlew when yon write. 



REES & COMPERE 



Peat Ofnoe Addreia: 

 LONG BEACH, CAL., R. F. D. No. I 



The JttLXgtut Orowera of 



FREESIA BULBS 



In the United Statea. 



Specialties — Freesias, Grand Duchess Ozalis^ 

 Bermuda Buttercup, Amaryllis Johnsonii and 

 Bdladonna, Gladioli, Omithogalum, Zephyr- 

 anthes Rosea and Gmdida, Chlidanthus 

 Fragrans, Hybrid Tigridias, Chinese Nar- 

 cissus, etc., etc 



Me ntion The Rerlew when yoo write. 



SPARAGUS 

 PLUMOSUS NANUS. 



From flats. $1.75 per 100 ; $15.00 per lOOO. 

 Strong 2-iD. plants, 2.00 " 20.00 



New Crop Shasta Daisy Seed, 



Trade paclcet.... 25c: loz...$6.00; llb...»50.00. 

 Charges prepaid. Terms cash or C. O. D. 



Loomis Floral Co., Loomls, Cal. 



McntloB Hie Beylew when 70a write. 



A 



