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AOOUST 3, 1905. 



The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



553 



Employees of the George Wittbold G>., Chicago, on Their Annual Picnic, July 22, 1905. 



the average in size is in most cases pref- 

 erable to a shipped plant, even if it is 

 shipped only a short distance. There 

 are many reasons for this, but I will 

 give only one or two. When a plant is 

 shipped it is usually out of the ground 

 from two to four or more days, a 

 bad thing for the plant. They are 

 crowded in a box and constantly moist, 

 giving fusarium fungus a splendid 

 chance to start. Very often the boxes 

 are left in the sun by the express com- 

 pany, and more often in the draught, all 

 of which will have its effect on the 

 plants. Then again, the grower from 

 whom you buy the plants may have a 

 very different soil from yours, and if 

 your soil is less favorable than his, the 

 plants wUl not take hold as readily as 

 those that have been growing in the 

 same soil. But nevertheless, plants are 

 shipped long distances and give profit- 

 able crops. Don't plant poor stock and 

 don't leave any space vacant. 



Get the plants as early as you can. The 

 chances of overcoming any unfavorable 

 conditions will be much better if they 

 are planted early than if planted late in 

 the fall. If the distance is not great it 

 will pay you to have the plarts shipped 

 with a ball of earth about the size of a 

 goose-egg attached to the roots. Un- 

 less you order them shipped this way 

 they will usually be shaken clear of all 

 the soil, which of course is preferable 

 in case of long shipments. The soil will 

 make some difference in the express bill, 

 but it will pay you. 



When unpacking the plants notice 

 whether there has been any heating or 

 drying along the edge of the box. In 

 either case dip the plants into a pail of 

 water and in any case get them planted 

 as soon as you can. These plants will 

 need closer shading and more frequent 

 syringing than your own plants; in fact 

 they will need closer attention in every 

 way the first week, after which you can 

 handle them the same as your own. They 

 will continue to look wilted on bright 

 days longer than your own plants and a 

 very slight spraying at such times will 

 help them. They will also lose a little 

 more of the foliage than your own, but 

 otherwise they will soon adjust them- 

 selves to their new surroundings and do 

 well if considerately handled. 



A. F. J. Baur. 



TEMPERATURES. 



We have two houses running east 

 and west, with two benches each about 

 6x65 feet. We want to use these for car- 

 nations and have the following varie- 

 ties: Lawson, Mrs. Nelson, Flora Hill, 

 Norway, Prosperity, Ine, Enchantress, 

 Eoosevelt, Harlowarden, Estelle, " Bos- 

 ton Market, Peru and Eldorado. Which 

 varieties will do best together? 



K. & M. 



I will merely give you the tempera- 

 tures best suited to the varieties you 

 mention and you can arrange them 

 on your benches, as you know best how 

 your houses run in regard to heat. But 

 be sure you plant Lawson and Enchan- 

 tress where you can shade them in the 

 spring, on account of fading the blooms. 

 Also be sure that Enchantress, Peru and 

 Harlowarden have plenty of headroom 

 as they will grow three feet and over 

 in height. Lawson wants 54 degrees. 

 Nelson 50, Flora Hill 52 to 54, Norway 

 50, Prosperity 52 to 54, Mrs. Ine 52, 

 Enchantress 50, Eoosevelt 52, Harlo- 

 warden 50 to 52, Estelle 52, Boston 

 Market 52, Peru 50, Eldorado 52. 



A. F. J. Bauk. 



NOT GOOD. 



Will cuttings of carnations made from 

 the tops of field plants make stock that 

 will be of any consequence, in other 

 words, the toppings of the carnation 

 plants? H. G. F. 



The toppings from carnation plants are 

 never good for anything if the topping 

 is done properly. We have seen them 

 used for cuttings early in the spring, 

 from new or scarce varieties, but always 

 with indifferent success. In those cases 

 the tops were not allowed to lengthen 

 out as they should have been, and usually 

 more harm was done the young plant 

 than what good could come from the 

 cutting. This could not be done with the 

 plants in the field, even if you were to 

 take off the tops before they begin to 

 run up. You could not root them on 

 account of the heat, and even if you did 

 succeed in rooting them, what would 

 you do with them? They would not pro- 

 duce any blooms this winter, and as for 

 young plants in the spring, they would 

 pot do at all. If you want extra-size 



plants in the spring you can get them 

 by taking a batch of cuttings from your 

 inside plants early in November and by 

 potting them on as they need it you can 

 get them into 4-inch pots by May, and 

 bushy plants, too. So don't waste your 

 tirtie on these toppings. A. F. J. Baur. 



CATALOGUES RECEIVED. 



H. F. Mil-hell Co., Philadelphia, bulbs, 

 plants and supplies; August Eolker & 

 Sons, New York, Fromow's English nur- 

 sery stock; Mynders Bros., Liase, Hol- 

 land, bulbs; Chase Eose Co., Eivcrside, 

 Cal., roses; A. N. Pierson, Cromwell, 

 (Jonn., palms and ferns; The Edgecombe 

 Co., Indianapolis, pipe-joint filler. 



MASSACHUSETTS GARDENERS. 



R. "W. Patterson, of Lenox. 



This is one of the newest places in 

 Lenox. There are a fine lot of green- 

 houses constructed recently by the Pier- 

 son-Sef ton Co., their " U " bar being 

 used. This gives a maximum of light at 

 all seasons; we thought it a little too 

 glaring under a fierce July sun. A 

 roomy span-roofed house to be used later 

 for fruit trees in pots and tubs was filled 

 with chrysanthemums, all very strong. 

 Competition will undoubtedly be keen in 

 Lenox this fall. Grapes fill one house and 

 are carrying their first crop. Two divi- 

 sions are occupied by nectarines and 

 peaches, which were cropping nicely. 

 Carnations were already housed. Ser- 

 eral divisions were filled with melons. An 

 imported variety which Mr. Proctor, the 

 head gardener, has dubbed Caledonia, af- 

 ter his native land, is held in the highest 

 favor. Orchids have two divisions, most- 

 ly cattleyas, with a number of Oncidium 

 varicosum Rogersii and calanthes. Roses, 

 palms, begonias, gloxinias, etc., were seen 

 in other divisions. A very nice conserv- 

 atory, carpeted and used as a sort of 

 drawing-room at the mansion was ar- 

 ranged with a nice assortment of season- 

 able flowering and foliage plants. Mr. 

 Proctor had everything in good shape on 

 this estate. 



"W, D. Sloane, of Lenox. 



This is the most extensive of the Lenox 

 estates, about 100 hands being employed 



