200 



The Weekly Florists' Review* 



JCNB 16, 1905. 



PEONIES • $20 to $40 per 1000 

 CARNATIONS 6 to 15 



66 



FANCY FERNS ^IIS "'*'' 2 " 

 PLUMOSUS STRINGS, $25 per 100 



We want your 1000 Lot Orders. 



A. L RANDALL CO., 19 Randolph St, CHICAGO ^ 



Mention The Kevlew when you write. 



AMERICAN ROSES. 



At a recent London exhibition Eng- 

 lish growers showed some American 

 roses which gained awards of merit. 

 Of these the Gardeners' Chronicle says: 



Rose Lady Gay is a Wichuraian rose 

 of American origin. It is quite one of 

 the best things among climbing roses 

 and should prove a valuable addition 

 to the rose garden. The trusses of 

 flowers hang in the form of sprays on 

 long growths, and are produced in clus- 

 ters of a score or more flowers. The 

 color of the flowers is deep rose, and 

 the individual blooms may be not in- 

 aptly likened to a small pink carna- 

 tion. 



Rose Philadelphia Rambler is a 

 climbing variety, resembling Crimson 

 Rambler, save that the flower is of a 

 much richer type, the color being dark 

 scarlet. The flower is also of some- 

 what more substance than the older 

 variety. 



Rose David Harum is a hybrid tea, 

 with flower of large substance and of 

 a pleasing roay-pink color. The shape 

 is good, and the petals when reflexed 

 give deeper shadings of rose. The va- 

 riety should prove valuable for plant- 

 ing in beds and borders. 



SOLID BEDS, 



In making solid beds for lettuce and 

 other crops would it do to put in stone 

 to a depth of twelve to eighteen inches 

 and then put in good soil to nearly the 

 same depth? How do you get the drain- 

 age? G. S. 



The manner of bottoming your beds 

 will depend both on the situation of 

 your greenhouse and the nature of your 

 subsoil. If your greenhouses are situ- 

 ated on rising ground, where there is 

 no danger of water standing too near 

 the surface of the ground in the case 

 of a protracted rainy spell, there will 

 15e no need of drainage as far as loca- 

 tion is concerned. If your subsoil is 

 of a sandy or gravelly nature through 

 which water would pass freely there 

 will still be no need of drainage. If, 

 on the other hand, your houses are 

 situated on low ground or if your sub- 

 soil is of a close, retentive or clay 

 nature, drainage will be necessary to 

 insure the free passage of water. 



Of course drainage is always a neces- 

 sity, but the natural drainage of the 

 soil is preferable to the artificial 

 article, providing the natural drainage 



is sufficient. With the natural moisture 

 from below, far less water will be neces- 

 sary to supply the wants of your plants. 

 Under glass your conditions as regards 

 moisture are entirely under control and 

 there is no necessity for providing for 

 surplus moisture, since surplus water 

 need not be applied. For some crops, 

 lettuce, for instance, it is a big advan- 

 tage to have beds that will retain suffi- 

 cient moisture to sustain the crop with- 

 out too frequent applications of water, 

 especially through the ^ull months in 

 winter. 



If, however, conditions demand artifi- 

 cial drainage about twelve inches 

 ought to be sufficient and I would pre- 

 fer broken bricks to stone if they can 

 conveniently be had. A green sod turned 

 upside down on top of the drainage, or 

 a thin layer of salt hay will prevent 

 the soil from working down through 

 and clogging up the drainage. The 

 amount of soil you suggest should be 

 sufficient to sustain any crop. 



If no artificial drainage is to be used, 

 unless your soil is very good, it might 

 be as well to make provision for new 

 surface soil to a depth of about twelve 

 inches. This can be enriched according 

 to the requirements of the crops to be 

 grown or renewed occasionally, as cir- 

 cumstances may demand. 



W. S. Croydon. 



NICOTINE A POISON. 



In England there is a law confining 

 the sale of poisons to chemists (drug- 

 gists) under strict limitations and 

 lately a number of horticultural firms 

 have been prosecuted under this law, 

 for the selling of nicotine insecticides. 

 Recently a deputation of the trade ap- 

 peared before the Board of Agriculture 

 to urge a change in the law. 



G. H. Richards stated that in 1892 

 he first commenced to make experi- 

 ments with nicotine for insecticide pur- 

 poses, and after proving that it was 

 far in advance of anything previously 

 used for the purpose, he secured the 

 services of one of the largest chemical 

 manufacturers in London for the manu- 

 facture of nicotine. When supplies 

 were ready and nicotine was available 

 as a commercial article, he at once in- 

 troduced "XL All Tnaectitidesi" to 

 the horticultural trade, who confirmed 

 his opinion that they were greatly in 

 advance of anything previously used 

 for destroying insects on plants, and 

 the trade unanimously decided to cata- 

 logue these insecticides and recom- 



mend them to their customers. After 

 they had been in circulation through 

 nurserymen, seedsmen, and florists for 

 some years, chemists became alive to 

 the fact that they were successful arti- 

 cles, and proceeded to urge the Phar- 

 maceutical Society to take out prosecu- 

 tions against horticultural traders for 

 selling them on the plea of public 

 safety. 



lie also pointed out that there wa» 

 not any greater danger to the public 

 through these articles being sold by 

 horticultural traders than if sold by 

 chemists, and that it would be. a great 

 injustice to now take away the sale of 

 these articles from horticultural trad- 

 ers who have been to the expense of 

 introducing them to * the gardening 

 public. 



THE ALLAMANDAS. 



For covering the inside of a roof of 

 a small house, it is difficult to name a 

 plant that is more striking and showy 

 than Allamanda Hendersoni, and 

 though it puts forth a vigorous growth, 

 and produces in plenty its large yellow 

 blossoms, many ornamental-leaved stove 

 plants will do well beneath it. We see 

 at our large flower shows specimens in 

 pots, trained to balloon-shaped frames, 

 but at their best — and some examples 

 of A. Hendersoni and A. nobilis are 

 very fine — the plants are too much con- 

 fined in pots to do them full justice. But 

 when planted out, and fed as required, 

 one is led to recognize to the fullest 

 extent the glorious freedom of develop- 

 ment of which the plants are capable. 

 I have found cut sprays of Allamanda 

 Hendersoni to keep for a considerable 

 time in a sitting-room, care being taken 

 to give them fresh, lukewarm water.. 

 A specimen planted in such a house as 

 that above mentioned, needs to be cut 

 back every year much as a vine is 

 pruned. A. WilUamsi is also well 

 suited for being employed in the same 

 way, the flowers are small, like those 

 of A. cathartica, but they are borne 

 very freely in clusters, and are of a 

 deep yellow color. — Horticultural Ad- 

 vertiser. 



Indianola, Ia. — L. P. Springer has 

 built a greenhouse on West Ashland ave- 

 nue and has a good start toward a pros- 

 perous business. 



BozEMAN, Mont. — M. L. Langohr has 

 presented the city with enough beading 

 stock for planting the grounds about the 

 public library. 



