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October 20, 1904. 



The Weekly Florists^ Review^ 



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EXHEBinON FLOWERS. 



The weather just now, while ideal in 

 many respects for the development of 

 the flowers, is really too bright and 

 warm during the day, and shading is 

 still necessary. So far we have been 

 free from those warm, foggy nights, 

 which cause the flowers to damp so ter- 

 ribly, and it is to be hoped that this 

 year we may be spared this misfortune. 

 The burn by the sun is entirely different 

 to the damping from the moist night air, 

 but the results are equally destructive. 

 Nothing is so heartrending to the ex- 

 hibition grower as to walk in his house 

 some morning and find his choicest flow- 

 ers spoiled and worthless. Every day the 

 flowers are opening and from now on the 

 exhibition grower lives in a little world 

 of his own. The rose or carnation 

 grower, or any other specialist, is nat- 

 urally interested in his work, but he 

 can never experience the pleasure that 

 the exhibition mum grower feels as he 

 daily watches the culmination of his 

 hopes after weeks of watching and wait- 

 ing. Chrysanthemumitis is a disease that 

 spreads rapidly at this season. While it 

 is contagious, it is not fatal and runs its 

 course in some four or five weeks, after 

 which the patient is able to sit up and 

 take notice and gradually recovers his 

 sanity. This disease, like hay fever, once 

 contracted recurs every year about the 

 same time, and is only cured by the 

 death of the patient or the refusal of 

 the boss to buy any more novelties. 



To return to our flowers, we can now 

 begin to see how the novelties are shap- 

 ing, and while some are comparatively 

 useless for our climate, others ■ will be 

 very fine. Of the Wells set, Winnie 

 Terry may be set down as useless. It is 

 deficient in petalage and shows no merit 

 whatever. This merely emphasizes the 

 fact that no matter how good a variety 

 may be in Europe, it does not follow 

 that it is any good here. 



On the other hand, J. H. Doyle and 

 Mrs. J. A. Miller are ■'both finishing up 

 enormous flowers. They will be inval- 

 uable to the exhibitor and, while they 

 run somewhat on the same color, a terra 

 cotta, shading to brick red, they are both 

 indispenBable. 



Mrs. W, Duckham is a lovely thing. 

 It greatly resembles Cheltoni in shape 

 and general appearance, but it is deeper 

 in color and a narrow crimson line run- 

 ning down each side of the petal makes 

 it a striking and distinct variety. It is 

 equally as graceful as Cheltoni and must 

 become a very popular variety. 



With the exception of Merstham Yel- 

 low, which has already been spoken of 

 in these notes, none of the others of the 

 Wells set is developed enough to judge 

 yet, but Dora Stevens looks to me like a 

 greatly improved Chenon de L«che. 



Mrs. J. Dunn, as a white, will hardly 

 come up to our standard for size. The 

 flower has lots of petalage, but the florets 

 fall close to the stem and, unless ex- 

 hibited on a board, the size of the flower 

 is lost to a large extent. Emily Mileham, 



a white, somewhat on the same lines, I 

 regard as a much finer kind and this lat- 

 ter will probably make its way all rigKt. 



Last year's novelties are showing up 

 in wonderful shape. W. Duckham, while 

 it is later in developing, shows up as 

 fine as last year and if this variety is 

 not set up in splendid shape everywhere 

 I shall be greatly surprised. 



Cheltoni is a peerless yellow, in its 

 season, which is second early. I saw a 

 batch of several hundreds October 17 

 that were simply exquisite. Immense in 

 size, yet with a perfect finish, one may 

 say it is in a class by itself. The de- 

 mand for stock of this variety at a pop- 

 ular price will, I predict, be phenomenal. 



Harrison Dick and Donald McLeod, the 

 two bronzy yellows, are both ready to 

 cut and I regard them as useful kinds 

 for either the commercial or exhibition 

 grower. 



F. A. Cobbold is making such enor- 

 mous foliage that there is not room for 

 it in the bench, and I think it will have 

 to be grown in a pot, where its exuber- 

 ance would be tamed down. 



Two whites that were not generally 

 distributed last year, Mrs. D. V. West 

 and Guy Hamilton, are both showing up 

 finely and will make their marks this 

 year all right. 



Ben Wells, also, will please everybody, 

 unless I am greatly mistaken. Massive, 

 yet finely finished, and a very vigorous 

 habit, combine to make this a splendid 

 sort. 



In the crimsons Maynell and Wright 

 both look well and, while they both 

 damped some in the sunlight, this trouble 

 has ceased since the plants were well 

 shaded. I shall be surprised if S. T. 

 Wright particularly is not set up in fine 

 shape at Boston. It is making an enor- 

 mous flower and the color is very striking. 

 Some growers are having trouble with it, 

 but the fact is it will not stand much 

 feeding and, as it is such a strong 

 grower, feeding is not really necessary. 



I do not recall ever seeing the flowers 

 of all the kinds finishing up so nicely 

 as they are doing this year and I look 

 for fine exhibitions and good competi- 

 tion, particularly in Boston. 



Brian Bobu. 



CARE OF STOCK PLANTS. 



Now that the early mums are being 

 cut I wish you would tell us how to 

 treat the plants for stock for next sea- 

 pon's propagating. I have several new 

 sorts, only a few plants of each, and 

 I want to multiply them as much as 

 possible before another year. Please tell 

 me how to proceed. H. O. 



If H. 0. wishes to increase his stock 

 very much the best way would be to take 

 all the cuttings that are now showing on 

 the old stools and root, them at once. 

 These cuttings, when rooted, can be 

 planted out closely on a bench in a tem- 

 perature of 50 degrees and they will in 



spring produce a great abundance of cut- 

 tings, after being topped once or twice. 

 The old plants can also be kept in a 

 cool house and they will continue to give 

 cuttings all winter. Brian Boru. ' 



TIME TO CUT MUMS* 



At what stage of development should 

 chrysanthemum blooms be cut when long, 

 usefulness is desired? E. K. 



The flowers should be cut just before* 

 they are fully developed. They will then 

 keep much better than if they had been 

 permitted to get too far developed on^ 

 the plants. The development of a flowcv 

 can be gauged most easily by a novice- 

 by the petals in the center. So long as 

 the center of the flower keeps hard and' 

 the petals keep unfolding from it the 

 flower will continue to develop and in- 

 crease in size. When the center shows- 

 signs of "finishing," the flower shouldJ 

 be cut and stored away in a dry, coM 

 cellar with little light. By keeping the 

 water fresh and sweet flowers can be 

 kept for two weeks or longer before be- 

 ing used for decorating, exhibiting or 

 whatever the case may be. 



Brian Boru. 



LEAF SPOT ON OMEGA. 



Can you tell me why the foliage on 

 Omega has turned brown t The plants 

 were bought last May from a western 

 firm and were nice, clean stock. They 

 started well and have grown well; they 

 now stand five feet, single stems, but 

 three feet is bare, the foliage having 

 turned brown, as old foliage does. They 

 are in a good, light house, the balance 

 of which is Haluday and Bobinson. 

 These are in good shape, standing five 

 feet with foliage to the bench, all planted 

 in five inches of soU and eight inches 

 each way. They have been carefully 

 watered. The soil is rather light andi 

 plenty of good manure was mixed in be- 

 fore planting. After they were welE 

 started a light top dressing of fine sheep- 

 manure and wood ashes was given every 

 ten days, but no manure water. Omega 

 seems to be a fine early mum and I' 

 would like to be able to grow it in bet- 

 ter shape. H. D.. 



The plants of Omega are affected -mifa 

 leaf spot. There are several forms ef^ 

 this leaf disease and, while they can be- 

 kept in check in the first stages olT iHc 

 disease by the use of Bordeaux nostuoc* 

 or sulphide of potassium, it is n»w tor/ 

 late to help them much. Some Taxietijes 

 are more susceptible to this disease than 

 others and Omega, in my experience, is 

 one of them. As soon as the flowers 

 are cut the plants intended to be kept for 

 stock should be taken up and boxed andt 

 after being sprayed with Bordeaux, may 

 be removed to another house. This wiir 

 go far toward having clean stock for 

 next year. Brian Boru. 



THE PEOPLED FLOWER. 



From a bulletin of the Cwnell Uni- 

 versity Experiment Station we learn 

 that the chrysanthemum industry in New- 

 York state involves more capital ereni 

 than the growing of peaches. When 

 the chrysanthemum craze began in 

 America in 1888, there were loud com- 

 plaints from those florists who thought 

 there would be no great permanent popu- 

 larity after the first fever was passed. At 

 first, the chrysanthemum seriously in— 



