./*.?.•■ 1/ //■;■■•, 'r?-.'-*:-/^-^^- .■' 



532 



The Weekly Florists^ Review^ 



jANUABt 26. 1905. 



point where many prizes are lost. Such 

 a variety as Enchantress, for instance, 

 is in perfection when the flower is young 

 and failure greets the man who allows 

 his Enchantress to develop too fully be- 

 fore cutting, while that erstwhile grand 

 variety, Flora Hill, only reaches a state 

 of perfection for exhibition after having 

 stood upon the plants for many days 

 and being allowed to develop very fully 

 before cutting. Between these two ex- 

 tremes are many gradations and, as be- 

 fore stated, it calls upon the best judg- 

 ment and broadest experienca^ at com- 

 mand. 



In cutting for exhibition cut each 

 class complete and keep that class to it- 

 self from tais time until it is staged, 

 only changing blooms to strengthen the 

 class you are most desirous of winning. 



Storing and Handling. 



Blooms- should not lie out of water 

 long after cutting and it is a good 

 plan to make a fresh cut on the stems 

 after you reach the storing room and be- 

 fore putting them into water. 



Much has been written on the subject 

 of a storing room for blooms, but I be- 

 lieve that any room or cellar which 

 meets the following requirements will 

 be satisfactory: The air must be kept 

 pure and sweet and moderately dry, 

 though a little continuously evaporating 

 moisture is not injurious. It must not 

 be totally dark. The temperature must 

 be kept a few degrees lower than the 

 night temperature of your greenhouse. 

 In such a place the flowers should st&sd 

 at least six hours and may stand several 

 days before packing. "When kept more 

 than twentv-four hours the water should 



ter of great importance, as varieties of 

 high color are especially easily bruised 

 immediately after cutting and if blooms 

 are laid down on a rough board or "Ce- 

 ment bench, or carelessly knocked togeth- 

 er while carrying from the house to the 

 cooling room, they will surely show the 

 effects later, and on the observance of 

 these minor points often hangs success. 



All flowers which have an inclination 

 to droop or hang their heads in the 

 slightest degree should be supported in 

 a rigidly upright position. There are 

 several ncetbods of accomplishing this 

 end. A wire ring like an ordinary car- 

 nation support may be attached to the 

 jar in such a manner that it will act as 

 a support for the blooms, and some 

 people go to the trouble of tying a wire 

 to each stem. 



Whatever method is used, they must be 

 supported from the very time they are 

 cut, for the first two or three hours in 

 water is the time when most of the stif- 

 fening and hardening takes place and 

 if the stems harden in a bent or curved 

 position, subsequent supporting -will be 

 useless. 



Packing for Shipment. 



Like all the other essential steps in 

 the task of placing blooms in the exhi- 

 bition hall, packing the blooms for ship- 

 ment is an operation of the utmost im- 

 portance, the aim being to get the blooms 

 through in the most perfect condition, 

 and any extra attention which can be 

 given to this work is certainly time well 

 spent. The most important point is to 

 prevent the blooms from becoming 

 crushed of mashed out of shape. This 

 should be very carefully avoided, for if 



M. A. Patten's Variegated, Mikado. 



be freshened and the stems re-cut every 

 morning. 



In handling blooms at all stages, es- 

 pecially with varieties of intense color, 

 such as Adonis, great care should be ex- 

 ercised to avoid bruising. This is a mat- 



the broad bottom or ray petals become 

 bent or pressed down, it is almost cer- 

 tain that they will not regain their 

 proper form when set up for exhibition. 

 One of the simplest methods of accom- 

 plishing this end, and one that is fairly 



efficacious, is to place the blooms upon 

 pillows, or small rolls of paper as long 

 as the width of the box and about on© 

 and one-half inches thick. 



A more thorough method is to cut cir- 

 cular pasteboard discs, the size of the 

 blooms, with a hole in the center large 

 enough to slip over the stem and calyx 

 so that the disc will press against the 

 back of the flower, holding the ray pet- 

 als in a perfectly horizontal position. 

 These must be used in connection with 

 the pillows, and they keep the blooms, in 

 perfect shape; indeed, in many cases im- 

 proving the form of irregular blooms. 



As to packing the blooms, there are as 

 many different methods as there are ex- 

 hibitors. If the shipment is a long one 

 we have found it a (rood plan to lay the 

 ends of the stems upon wet tissue paper 

 and place a layer of wet tissue over 

 every layer of stems, so that the ends 

 of the stems, freshly re-cut, are all sur- 

 rounded by moisture. The flowers should 

 be packed with their heads all one way. 

 and a cleat pressed firmly down near 

 the lower end of the stems every fifth or 

 sixth row. 



For our midwinter shows, verv heavy 

 lining of boxes is necessary, so some 

 expedient must be adopted to prevent 

 the heavy layers of paper, which are 

 turned over the top. from resting on 

 the blooms, as this will certainly press 

 them out of shape. 



If there are several boxes, it Is a 

 good plan to mark the contents by 

 classes on the outside of each. 



An Uncertain Factor. 



If the discussion of this paper brings 

 out a recipe for the safe and expeditious 

 handling of the boxes by the express 

 companies the writer will be devoutly 

 thankful. The only rule we know is: 

 Give your boxes to the company and 

 join the "Don't Worry Club." 



If your exhibit is small, however, an 

 excellent method is to buy a cheap trunk, 

 make three trays to fit in it, pack your 

 fiowers very firmly, fill your upper vest- 

 pocket with cigars with bands around 

 them, your lower pockets with "quar- 

 ters," and take it through as baggage. 

 If you use this method you must not 

 expect to "experunce the comforts of 

 thravel, ' ' to quote Mr. Dooley, because it 

 is necessary to follow the example of the 

 elephant and stay close to your trunk. 



Staging the Blooms. 



Now, do not think because your blooms 

 are fine, have been well packed, and have 

 arrived in time, that the prize is won. 

 It is impossible to over-estimate the 

 value of staging the blooms properly. It 

 is safe to assert that where there are a 

 number of entries of almost equal merit, 

 the blooms which are most effectively 

 staged have five points advantage. This 

 is mainly the result of the first impres- 

 sion on the judges. Judges are human 

 and the most impartial man in the world 

 cannot possibly avoid being influenced, to 

 a certain extent, by his first impression, 

 formed unconsciously the very instant 

 his eyes take in the various entries. 



The standard for an artistic parlor ar- 

 rangement will not fit the exhibition. 

 The aim here is to show every bloom in 

 such manner that it will emphasize the 

 salient points of the scale for judging. 

 The blooms should be arranged evenly, 

 if possible, not allowing any bloom to 

 touch its neighbor. Every inch of stem 

 possible should show above the vase and 

 the stems should be held very tightly 



