'!'vi^'\ '- 



Junk 22, 1905. 



The Weekly Florists^ Review^ 



249 









name went well with the manner in 

 which the work was performed, but we 

 have learned by experience that plant 

 tissue, like human flesh, will heal more 

 readily when cut than when broken or 

 torn; therefore a sharp knife is indis- 

 pensable, for it is obvious that the 

 sooner the wound made in cutting off a 

 shoot heals, the sooner active growth is 

 resumed, to say nothing of reducing the 

 chances of floating disease germs gain- 

 ing entrance. 



Under no circumstances should the 

 center leaves of a shoot be pulled out. 

 Ill shaped, stunted and otherwise ob- 

 jectionable plants are frequently the re- 

 sult of this practice. Allow the shoot to 

 grow until distance between joints allows 

 the form of the stem to be clearly seen 

 at the point desired to cut. 



The disposition with beginners seems 

 to be toward topping too high, the re- 

 sult being a top-heavy plant. Nothing 

 is more desirable at housing time than 

 sturdy stock. This can be handled much 

 more rapidly and gives better satisfac- 

 tion than the tall, unwieldy kind. More 

 importance should be attached to shape 

 and healthiness than to size. The me- 

 dium grades are preferable to extra 

 large. Geo. S. Osbobn. 



SOCIETY OF AMERICAN FLORISTS. 



The Western Passenger Association, 

 which controls the territory westward 

 from Chicago and St. Louis to Cheyenne, 

 Wyo., and including all points in Colo- 

 rado, has authorized a rate or one and 

 one-thira fare on the certificate plan, in 

 co-operation with rate announced by the 

 other passenger associations, for persons 

 attending the S. A. F. convention at 

 Washington, D. C, August 15-18, 1905. 

 This extends the concession to the whole 

 territory from which members are likely 

 to travel, with the exception of the Pa- 

 cific coast, which is not under the juris- 

 diction of any passenger association. 



Full instructions as to how to purchase 

 tickets and secure certificates entitling 

 tlif passenger to reduced rates will be 

 published in the prospectus in July. 



Department of Plant Registration. 



The Conard & Jones Co., West Grove, 

 i a., submits for registration Rose Ameri- 

 can Pillar, described as plant of climb- 

 ing habit; growth most vigorous; foli- 

 age very large and glossy; flower, clear, 

 >■««>• pmk, single, three inches in diam- 

 eter produced in enormous clusters and 

 great abundance; very durable and 

 tragrant. ^ 



Also, Rose Birdie Blye, Helene x Bon 

 ' uene, described as an ever-blooming 

 "imber, producing clusters of blooms 



during the whole growing season ; flow- 

 ers, large, very double; color, beautiful 

 rosy carmine and of delightful fra- 

 grance. Wm. J. Stewart, Sec'y. 



GERANIUM TROUBLES. 



I have received a geranium in a 4-inch 

 pot, growing in the black, rich looking 

 prairie soil of Illinois. The one who 

 sends it says this is how his geraniums 

 act: "When repotted they will grow 

 very well for a short while; then the 

 leaves turn yellow at the edges and final- 

 ly fall off. ' ' The speciment sent would 

 be a good plant if it had healthy leaves. 

 The stems are stout and healthy but 

 what leaves are left are very small, such 

 as would first appear if you had pulled 

 off the large leaves. It looks as if this 

 plant were injured by some obnoxious 

 gas. We have seen geraniums have the 

 same appearance when affected by the 

 fumes of natural gas and also by coal 

 tar foolishly put on the pipes. We shall 

 grow this plant in the same soil and 

 pot and if it does not make a healthy 

 start and growth we will wash off the 

 soil and repot in our clay loam. From 

 that experience we ought to find out 

 where the trouble lies and will be very 

 pleased to report results later. It is 

 not likely that the water is the trouble, 

 or it would show on other plants more 

 quickly even than on geraniums. W. S. 



VIOLET GROWING. 



By B. T. Galixjway. 



Violet Houses. 



Violets may be grown in almost any 

 kind of a house. Our preference, how- 

 ever, is for a narrow, even-spanned struc- 

 ture, running north and south. The 

 house should be twelve feet wide and sev- 

 en feet high from bottom of the walk 

 to the ridge; should have one walk four- 

 teen inches in width and twelvs inches 

 deep; side walls twenty-six inches high; 

 two beds, each five feet five inches wide 

 and twelve inches deep. Such a house 

 100 feet long will hold 2,000 plants, and 

 may be built complete, with hot water 

 heat, for from $500 to $700. The cost 



will depend in large measure on the abil- 

 ity of the man himself to do the main 

 part of the work. In the present day 

 nearly all greenhouse material can be 

 bought already run out, and it does not 

 require any special skUl to fit the parts 

 together. Ridge, sash bars, plates, gut- 

 ters, posts — in fact, everything — can now 

 be bought ready for cutting and fitting. 

 Almost any man who can handle a 

 hatchet and saw can do this. The matter 

 of heating is furthermore very much sim- 

 plified. Boilers can be had ready for the 

 fitting of the pipes, and the running of 

 the pipes is not a difficult operation. 



It is, of course, not practicable in such 

 a paper as this to give a full list of ma- 

 terials required for a house such as has 

 been described. Such a list will, how- 

 ever, be forwarded by the Review to any 

 one who desires it, provided 2 cents in 

 stamps are sent to cover the necessary 

 postage. 



The accompanying illustration wiD 

 give a fair conception of the general 

 structure of such a house. 



A cheaper and simpler type of house 

 may be constructed of 3x6-foot sash. 

 These sash are to be found on the market 

 ready glazed and painted. The price va- 

 ries from $2 to $2.25 each, complete. The 

 sash house may be ten feet wide, in- 

 cluding the center path, which should be 

 fourteen inches in width. The beds may 

 be twelve inches in depth, each four feet 

 wide. The construction of such a house 

 is very simple. Ordinarily the beds are 

 made first, using 12-inch rough pine or 

 hemlock boards for the purpose. The 

 boards for the beds are nailed to 2x3- 

 inch hemlock posts, set four feet apart 

 and placed twelve to fourteen inches in 

 the ground. For the purpose of giving 

 Folidity to the beds and in order to keep 

 the house from spreading, the posts for 

 the walks and those for the outside of 

 the beds are wired together. In order 

 to support the sash, upright posts of 2x4- 

 inch hemlock studding are nailed to the 

 sides of the beds. These posts are placed 

 about six feet apart and project above 

 the beds two feet. Upon them is nailed 

 a plate of 2x4-inch hemlock or pine, upon 

 which the sash are allowed to rest. The 

 upper end of the sash is then beveled and 

 is brought together at the top without a 

 ridgepole. A couple of screws at the 

 bottom and the same number at the top 

 hold the sash in position. About every 

 fourth sash should be hinged at the bot- 

 tom for ventilation. A house 100 feet 

 long made of sash can be built for $300 

 to $350. 



(To be Continued.) 



Cortland, \. Y. — Bain & He«k have 

 bought the Hopkins greenhouses. 



