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OcTdBSK 6, 1905. 



The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



1095 



SHADING THE BLOOMS. 



Shading the blooms is absolutely nec- 

 essary when they are developing in such 

 .summery weather as we are having at 

 present. September 30 my thermometer 

 showed 90 degrees in the shade at 2 

 p. m. and such a temperature is de- 

 cidedly out of place for the perfect de- 

 velopment of the chrysanthemum flow- 

 ers. So long as the buds are not show- 

 ing color, shading is not necessary, but 

 the early kinds, that are nearly ready to 

 cut, burn in a manner painful to see, 

 unless protected from strong sunlight. 



Why flowers should burn when grow- 

 ing on plants that have been well cared 

 for and fed hfeavily, and not burn on 

 plants that have been neglected and 

 abused and received no additional nour- 

 ishment, is something that may at first 

 sight seem hard to understand. A little 

 study of the situation, however, makes 

 things easier. The chrysanthemum is 

 naturally a sub-shrub in growth and left 

 to itself makes a dense mass of short 

 growths and small foliage. This growth 

 is hard and woody and the flowers are 

 numerous, small and insignificant. Man 

 comes along and first makes the plant 

 change its habit by running it up to one 

 or two stems; then disbuds all side buds 

 and keeps the plant to single flowers, 

 and finally feeds heavily with nitrogen- 

 ous fertilizers to swell up that single 

 stem and flower to the largest possible 

 size. 



The consequence of all this is that the 

 flower, though large enough, is soft and 

 when, as in the present case, a few days 

 of exceptionally warm weather set in, 

 damping is to a large extent inevitable. 

 Wlien frosty nights set in, and the tem- 

 perature is down where it normally be- 

 longs, the damping will cease, unless it 

 happens that the plants have been over- 

 fed and are suffering from ' ' bloat. ' ' 



It has seemed to me that much of the 

 'lamage is done in the early morning, 

 when the sun hits the petals while they 

 •■•re still wet from the night moisture, 

 ;ind seems to rot them. 



A certain percentage of loss by damp- 

 ing is always expected by the exhibition 

 grower, who, in striving to get his flow 

 frs as large as possible, is always near 

 • he danger line of too much feeding, and 

 "nly the most careful watching and 

 knowledge often prevent wholesale dam- 

 age when we get a hot fall. Damping 

 is more prevalent along the eastern sea- 

 board than in the interior of the coun- 

 try, because the air contains more mois- 

 ture and the nearer one lives to the sea 

 the more trouble does he encounter in 

 this respeet. Moral : "Go west, young 

 man." 



Early Flowers. 



Early flowers are in and increasing in 

 kind and quantity every day, but the 

 'narket conditions are very different to 

 what they were last year at this time. 

 Early frosts had practically wiped out 

 the dahlias and other outdoor stock, and 



the market was waiting with open arms 

 for the first mums. Today dahlias are 

 splendid in size and finish, and number- 

 less in quantity, and outdoor stock of 

 all descriptions is untouched by frost. 

 Marquis De Montmort, Fitzwygram 

 and Monrovia are for sale in quantity 

 and our first dozen Merstham Yellow 

 were cut September 30. 



Novelties. 



It is a little early yet to say how the 

 new importations are going to turn out, 

 but some of them are far enough ad- 

 vanced to enable one to form some con- 

 clusions. 



Lady Henderson shows a lovely, full 

 flower of apricot yellow and every shoot 

 has a perfect bud. It is dwarf and even 

 in growth and from present indications 

 may be set down as one of the good 

 ones. It was raised by Pilsbury, I be- 

 lieve, in the Isle of Wight. 



Mrs. G. Heaume comes next in the 

 order of its development. It is an Aus- 

 tralian variety and at the present time 

 is half developed from the early buds. 

 It would be difficult to imagine a nicer 

 growth than this variety possesses. Stiff 

 stem, very dwarf and good foliage, it 



seems destined to be a favorite for the 

 exhibition growers. The color (salmon 

 buff) is against it commercially, per- 

 haps, but it seems a very reliable variety 

 in every way. 



It would seem that the Australian nov- 

 elties as" a whole are fully up to the 

 high standard as to habit, foliage and 

 other desirable attributes, that have 

 characterized these kinds for the past 

 few years, and in G. J. Brookes, Mrs. 

 Henry Partridge, Miss May Seddon, 

 Mrs. W. Knox and Mrs. F. F. Thompson 

 I look to see some record breakers de- 

 velop in the next few weeks. 



Charles H. Totty. 



THE WASHINGTON ARCH. 



Coincident with the announcement 

 of the death of Andreas Loef- 

 fler, at Washington, comes a photo- 

 graph, reproduced herewith, showing 

 the gate of his home grounds decor- 

 ated for the lawn party given there by 

 the Washington Florists* Club, for the 

 S. A. F. on the evening of August 15. 

 The decorations were in charge of 0. A. 

 C. Oehmler. Although somewhat ancient 

 history, the picture will serve to awaken 

 pleasant memories in the minds of the 

 many whose good fortune it was to be 

 present on that occasion. 



Mr. Loeflfler was the father-in-law of 

 Wm. F. Gude, a native of Germany, 57 

 years of age. He made a considerable 

 fortune in Washington and became a 

 patron of horticulture. He was a Mason 

 and an honorary member of the Wash- 

 ington Florists ' Club. The floral display 

 at the funeral was among the largest ever 

 seen at the obsequies of a private citizen 

 at the national capital. 



Decorated Gateway at the Loeffler Groundst 'Washington. 



(Where the S. A. F. Lawn Party and Barbecue were held.) 



