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Fbbbuabt 16, 1905. 



The Weekly Florists^ Review^ 



703 



An Attractive Bed of Ficus, Grevillea Robusta and Ivy at Lincoln Park, Chicago. 



ALEX. MONTGOMERY, JR. 



The subject of this sketch, whose 

 portrait appears herewith, was bom at 

 Natick, Mass. in 1875, and was grad- 

 uated from the Massachusetts Agricul- 

 tural College in 1898. In the depart- 

 ment of military science, which is a 

 required course, he attained the rank of 

 captain in his senior year and received 

 commendation for having shown marked 

 proficiency in this branch. Since grad- 

 uation he has been elected to member- 

 ship in the Phi Kappa Phi, one of the 

 honorary Greek letter fraternitiea 

 which has recently been established at 

 this institution. 



Mr. Montgomery is an enthusiastic 

 rose grower, ana has a knowledge of 

 his specialty such as seldom comes to 

 a man so young in years, as he has 

 served in all departments of the indus- 

 try, the Waban Rose Conservatories, un- 

 der his father, Alex. Montgomery, Sr., 

 president of the American Bose Society, 

 with whom he is now associated in the 

 management of what has long been rec- 

 ognized as one of New England's lead- 

 ing establishments for the production 

 of high-grade cut flowers. 



Mr. Montgomery, Jr., is the author of 

 the article on Grafted Roses, which has 

 been running in the Review, and which 

 is the most important contribution to 

 the literature of the rose made in many 

 years. 



PROPAGATING nCUS. 

 I shall be glad to read in the Re- 

 view some directions for propagating 

 the rubber tree, Ficus elastica. A. R. 



The most common method of propa- 

 gating Ficus elastica is by topping, this 

 operation consisting in making a slant- 

 ing cut about half way through the shoot 

 of the ficus, and then binding a lump 

 of damp moss about the size of a hen's 

 egg, or a little larger, around the cut. 

 The cut should be made about the fourth 

 leaf from the top,** and in order to keep 

 the cut open to some extent it is a good 

 practice to draw the binding twine 

 through it before wrapping it around 

 the moss. 



The plants so treated are kept in a 

 warm greenhouse, a temperature of 65 

 degrees being about right, and the moss 

 kept continusilly moist and as soon 

 &fl the roots are seen issuing through 

 the moss the tops may be cut ofP below 



the moss, and potted up into 3-inch or 

 3% -inch pots, then placed in the same 

 or a similar warm house, and shaded 

 from the sun for about a week, by 

 which time they should be sufficiently 

 established to stand full exposure. 



When potting off the cuttings do not 

 attempt to remove the moss, or the ten- 

 der young roots are likely to be broken. 



At this season ficus tops may take 

 from four to six weeks to root, bu*- 

 during the summer they will frequently* 

 form roots in about three weeks, much 

 depending upon the condition of the 

 shoots, large and sappy growths requir- 

 ing more time than the short-jointed and 

 firai side shoots, and of course the plants 

 must have regular conditions of heat and* 

 moisture to ensure success. 



W. H. Taplin. 



A BED OF ncua ^f 



A simple but much admired orna- 

 mental bed in the outdoor display at 

 Lincoln park, Chicago, during the sea- 

 son of 1904 was platitisd with Heus elas- 

 tica and Grevillea robusta, with a bor- 

 der of ivy. Ficus elastica ^ne is very 

 stiff, but together with the graceful 

 Grevillea robusta makes a very haQno- 

 nious effect and each helps the other to 

 bring out its best points. Head-gar- 

 dener Frey says that the grevilleas were 

 seedlings, sowed in January, and the 

 ficus were rooted in February, grown on 

 in 41^ -inch pots and, after having been 

 gradually hardened off, were plunged 

 vrith the pots right in the hot sun at 

 the beginning of June, where they kept 

 on growing delightfully and attracted 

 much attention. 



PITTSBiURG FLORISTS' CLUB, .v'3 



Tuesday evening, February 7, was the 

 regular monthly meeting of the Pittsburg 

 and Allegheny Florists' and Gardeners' 

 Club. It was carnation night and elec- 

 tion of officers for the ensuing year. It 

 was one of the largest meetings we have 

 ever held, the hall being filled to the 

 door. The routine business showed a 

 niombership of 153, every bill paid and 

 money in the treasury, and two new nomi- 

 nations for membership. The club is 

 one of the most vigorous and most alive 

 in the country and one in which there is 

 absolutely no dissension, clique or jeal- 

 ousy. 



Mr. Falconer, the retiring president. 



having been in the chair for several 

 years, declined a renomination, and T. P. 

 Langbans was elected president. All of 

 the other officers of the preceding year 

 were re-elected. A silver service wa» 

 presented Mr. Falconer. 



We had a splendid lot of carnations on 

 exhibition and members Burki, Clarke 

 and Wyland, who had been at the Chi- 

 cago carnation meeting last month, told 

 us a good deal about what they saw there 

 and th|^ kind treatment they received. 

 The Piftfeburg Cut B^wer Co. showed 

 a vase each of all the leading varieties 

 nOw bo^ig consigned to them. Albert 

 Lorch, of Dfehaven, sent a mixed lot of 

 magnificfent flowers, and so did T. Jen- 

 kihson, -)^r. Peacock's gardener. 



F,. ii,' Pi6lSon, Tarrytown, N. Y., sent 

 a large bunch of Whitie Lawson and also 

 one of Variegated Lawson, splendid flow- 

 ers, and they kept well. The Pittsburg 

 Gazette became enthused over these Law- 

 sons and printed a prominent illustrated 

 article about them in i,ts l^xt Sunday 's 

 edition, • ., * ^'^" . w 



John E. Haines, Bethlehem, Pa., sent 

 a fine lot of the magnificent scarlet va- 

 riety, his own namesake, also of a 

 variegated one called Imperial, a yellow 

 named Star of Bethlehem, and a most 

 promising white one labeled No. 35. The 

 pcarlet in particular was higrhly favored. 

 We had it last year and its fine keeping 

 qualities were well remembered. 



My Maryland, an inimitable white, 

 came from H. Weber & Sons, Oakland, 

 Md., large in size, graceful and erect in 

 form, purity in color and delightfully 

 fragrant. It is a gem. 



Guttman & Weber, New York, sent a 

 box of their lovely scarlet, Victory. It 

 captured every heart. It stood up well 

 and kept in fine form for several days. 

 Our members who saw it at the Chicago 

 meeting declared emphatically in favor 

 of it. 



A. B. Davis & Son, Purcellville, Va., 

 sent a generous exhibit of the Red Sport 

 of Maceo that the members regarded 

 ffivorablv. Fred Burki declared that it 

 had the look of a fine commercial variety. 

 Crisis, a very fine scarlet, large and of 

 fine form and beautiful color, and a good 

 keeper, was shown by J. L. Dillon, 

 Bloomsburg, Pa. 



Henry A. Dreer, Philadelphia, sent a 

 lot of plants of hardy pinks in 4-ineh 



