■•i:i(i;r.\i;v IC. VMo. 



The Weekly Florists^ Review^ 



703 



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



ALEX. MONTGOMERY, JR. 



Tlie subject of this sketch, whose 

 [Kirtrait api)ears herewith, was born at 

 Xatick, Mass. in 1875, and was grad- 

 uated from the Massaclnisetts Agricul- 

 tural College iu 1S98. J a the depart- 

 ment of military science, which is a 

 required course, he attained tlio rank of 

 raptain in his seiiidr year and received 

 "onnncDdation for having shown marked 

 proficieni-y in this branch. Since grad- 

 uation he has been elected to member- 

 ship in the Phi Kappa Phi, one of the 

 honorary (ireck letter fraternities.. 

 which has recently been established at 

 tliis institution. 



.Mr. Montgomery is an cntiiusiastic 

 rose gmwer, ana has a knowledge of 

 his specialty such as seldom comes to 

 a man so young in years, as be has 

 served in all departments of the indus- 

 try, the Waban L'osc Conservatories, un- 

 'Icr his father, Alex. Montgomery. Sr., 

 president of the American Rose Society, 

 with whom he is now associated in the 

 management of what has long been rec- 

 I'gnized a? one of New England's lead- 

 ing establisliments for the production 

 "f high-grade cut flowers. 



Mr. Montgomery, Jr., is the author of 

 the article on Grafted Roses, which has 

 been running in the Revikw', and which 

 is the most important contribution to 

 tiie literature of the rose made in many 

 >'nrs. 



PROPAGATING FICUS. 



I shall be glad to read in the Re- 

 viKw s<i!iie direi-titins for prnpac^ating 

 'Kf rubber ircc. I'it-us elastit.'i. A. R. 



Tlie rno'-t ooninuin methud of pro[)a 

 ^';itiii^' Ficus elastica is by topping, this 

 •■[•eration consisting in making a slant- 

 "II,' cut about half way through tlie shoot 

 "f the fii'us, and then binding a lump 

 'f damj) moss about the size of a hen's 

 ••::tr. or a little larger, around the cut. 

 The cut should be made about the fourth 

 leaf from tlie top,' and in order to keep 

 the cut ojien to some extent it is a good 

 practice to draw the bindinir twine 

 through it liefor-' wrapping it around 

 the moss. 



The plants so treated are k< pt in a 

 warm greenhouse, a temperature of GF) 

 degrees being about ri^ht, and tli«' moss 

 kept continually moist and as soon 

 IS the roots arc seen issuing through 

 *be moss the tops may be cut off below 



the nuisi-, and p(jtted up into J! iiuli or 

 3ii.-'ut^l» pots, then placed in the same 

 or a similar warm house, and shaded 

 from the sun for about a, week, by 

 which time they sluudd be sutTiriently 

 established to stand full ex[iosure. 



When potting off the cuttings do !iot 

 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, but 

 durinjT th<> summer they will frequently 

 form roots in about three weeks, much 

 depending upon the condition of the 

 shoots, large and say)py growths requir- 

 ing more time than the short-jointed and 

 lirm side shoots, and of course the plants 

 must ha\'e regular conditions of heat an<1 

 moisture to ensure success. 



\V. ir. Taim.iv. 



A BED OF FICUS. 



A simple but much admired orna- 

 iiieiital bed in the outdoor dis[day at 

 Liui-olu )iark, Chicago, during the sea- 

 son of 1!H14 was jdanted with Mcus elas- 

 tica and Grevillea robusta, with a bor- 

 der of ivy. Ficus elastica alone is very 

 stitf, but together with the graceful 

 (Irevillea robusta makes a very harmo- 

 nious effect and each helps the other to 

 I. ring (Hit its best points. Tlead-gar- 

 dener I'roy says that the grevilleas were 

 seeiUings, sowed in .January, and tlie 

 fiius were rooted in February, grown on 

 in •tCjiii.h jiots and, after having been 

 gradually hardened ofT, were jdunged 

 with the pots right in the hot sun at 

 the beginning of .Tune, where they kejit 

 on growing deljojlitfully and attracteii 

 MPii-h attention. 



PITTSBURG FLORISTS' CLUB. • 



Tuesday exening, i'ebru:iry 7. wa= the 

 ieirni;ii- iiioiitldy lueetitiLT of the PittsburLT 

 and Alleolii.|i\ l"lorists' and CardiMiers ' 

 iliib. It uas carnation nichl and elci'- 

 t ion of (dlicers for the ensuing year. It 

 \\;is one of the largest meetincrs we have 

 ever held, the hall being filled to the 

 door. The routine business showed a 

 ir.eribership of I.".'?, every bill paid and 

 inriney in the treasury, and two new nomi- 

 nations for membership. Tlie club i« 

 one of the most vigorous and most alive 

 in the country and one in whi(di there i« 

 absolutely no dissension, clique or .ieal- 

 ousy. 



Mr. Falconer, the retiring president. 



having been iu the chair for several 

 viars, de(diiied a renomiiiation, and T. P. 

 Langhtuis was elected president. All of 

 the other ollicers of the preceding year 

 were re-elected. A silver service was 

 presented Mr. Falconer. 



AVe 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, tidd 

 us a good deal abcut what they saw there 

 and the kind treatment they received. 

 The Pittsburg Cut Flower Co. showed 

 a vase each of all the leading varieties 

 mnv being consigned to them. Albert 

 l.oi'idi, of D'ehaven, sent a mixed lot of 

 magnificent flowers, and so did T. .Ten- 

 Ivinson, Mr. Peacock's gardener. 



F. R. Piorsoii, Tarrytown, X. V., sent 

 a large bunch of White Lawson and also 

 one of \'aricgated Lawson, splendid flow- 

 ers, and they kept well. The Pittsburg 

 Ca/.ette became enthused over these Tjaw- 

 soiis and printed a prominent illustrated 

 arti(de about them in its next Sunday's 

 ei'iition. 



.lohn F. Tfaines, Bethlehem, Pa., sent 

 I tine lot of the magnificent scarlet va- 

 riety, his own namesake, also of a 

 variegated one called Imperial, a yellow 

 named St.ir of Bethlehem, and a most 

 piomisini: white one labeled \o. .'lo. The 

 scarlet in [larticiilar was liii;hlv l:ivore<l. 

 W'e had it l.asf y.'ar and its fine keeping 

 (pialities were well remembered. 



My Alaryland, an iiiiiuitalile white, 

 canii' i'rom II. Wcdier & Sons. Oakland, 

 M'l., large iu size, graceful and erect in 

 foini, purity in color and deljcrhtfully 

 •rarjrant. It is a gem. 



(iiittnian i^- Weber. New York, sent a 



iiox of their lovely scarlet, Victory. It 



c;;ptured every heart. It stood up well 



i"d kejit in fine f<irin for several days. 



< )iir members who saw it at tlie Chicago 

 nicrfiriL: decl.ared empliaticallv in favor 



f it. 

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

 ^eiit a geiierou>5 exhibit of the Red Sport 

 of Maceo that the members reijarded 

 '■Moialdv. Fred Burki declared that it 

 had the look of a fine commercial variety. 



< ri'^is. a very fine scarlet. lar<;e and of 

 line form nn<\ beautiful color, and a good 

 keeper, was shown by .1. L. Dillon, 

 Bleomsburcr, Pa. 



TTenrv A. Dreer, Philadelphia, sent a 

 \<-i 'if plants of hardy pinks in 4-inch 



