U54 



The Weekly Florists* Revicwr 



OCTOBEB l2, 1905. 



One criticism which has been frequently 

 directed against this variety is its lack 

 of fullness. This very characteristic, if 

 the buds are properly cut and handled, 

 becomes a point of merit rather than a 

 fault. 



To prove this statement allow me to 

 call attention to the fact that we have 

 never seen a "bull head" or malformed 

 bud,,, have never had a bud stick or re- 

 fuse to open in dark weather. The 

 rapidity with which the buds develop in 

 the dark months of winter is a direct 

 result of this characteristic. 



That Eichmond is a wonderful keeper 

 has been proven beyond dispute, but to 

 accomplish this the buds must be cut 

 at the right stage of development. The 

 rule is, do not allow them to begin to 

 uncurl the petals upon the plants if 

 you want them to keep well. It is our 

 aim to allow the buds to attain their 

 growth on the plants but cut them be- 

 fore they begin to expand. The lower 

 illustration on page 4 of our spring 

 trade list shows the proper stage of 

 development for cutting Richmond bet- 

 ter than any description. They may be 

 cut ifluch tighter than this for long 

 shipmepts and will undoubtedly per- 

 fect their flowers. 



As to keeping, packing and shipping 

 the buds, the right way for Bride and 

 Maid is the right way for Richmond, 

 and the best way is none too good. 



Not a Finical Rose. 



As was said in the start, we believe 

 that Richmond enjoys "liberal" treat- 

 ment, namely, plenty of air, plenty of 

 sunshine, plenty of water, good, rich 

 soil, and fertilizer, either as liquid or 

 mulch, before that soil is exhausted. 



It is a mistake to class Richmond 

 with Liberty. Richmond is not a 

 "touchy" rose to handle, it has no fads 

 and foibles ; coddling will make it sick, 

 neglect will ruin it, but the same intel- 

 ligence and ability that will produce 

 good Bride or Maid will produce fine 

 Richmond. 



If your Richmonds are not growing 

 well you may rest assured it is not the 

 fault of the rose, for disinterested par- 

 ties who have been in a position to ob- 

 serve the variety closely, agree that it is 

 one of the most satisfactory roses to 

 handle, one of the quickest io respond 

 to good treatment, pf all the forcing 

 roses. If yonr plants have been starved, 

 start using sufficient water to make the 

 latent plant food in 'the soil available. 



If they have been overindulged, go back 

 to a natural treatment and give the 

 roots a chance. If you allowed the 

 young plants to stand around in small 

 pots two months before planting, just 

 take your medicine and don't say any- 

 thing. If they are doing well, ^ keep 

 them on the jump and you will cer- 

 tainly fall in love with Richmond rose 

 as we have. ,.,-.>,; ' 



Fred H. Lemon. 



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THE RETAIL 



FLORIST 



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STUDIES IN CLUSTERS.-U. 



The Panels Changed to Ousters. 



The clusters shown herewith contain 

 the same kind and number of flowers as 

 their corresponding panels presented in 

 last week's issue, except that there is 

 less extra foliage in these two. First com- 

 pare the two carnation bunches. The first 

 argument advanced in favor of the solid 

 panel arrangement is its size. By actual 

 measurement the second is as long as the 

 first, and its widest part is equal to that 

 of the first. Otherwise the claim must 

 be admitted. The first is larger than the 

 second only because more ferns are used. 



But upon what picture does the appar- 

 ent amount of paint and oil determine 

 the value t It is rather how much life 

 shines out of the canvas. 



Then it remains to be seen whether 

 the second is more natural than the first. 

 Three points immediately bristle up. 

 First, the easier grouping and scattering 

 of the carnations, which it cannot b^ 



denied is natural; second, the irregular 

 outline of the cluster, being restful and 

 attractive; third, the carnation foliage 

 discarded from the first being placed 

 where it belongs, at the base of the sec- 

 ond cluster. 



To diverge a little, this use of the 

 natural stems in full view is one of the 

 principal charms of a good cluster of 

 flowers. Their natural length adds to the 

 graceful lines and balances the apparent 

 weight of many flowers tied together. To 

 hide the good, healthy foliage and stems 

 with which nature has garnished the 

 flower, is a perversion of good taste. 



After applying these three tests as to 

 the naturalness of these two clusters, the 

 conclusion can be safely left to the 

 reader. 



Taking up a comparison between the 

 rose panel in the preceding issue and the 

 rose cluster in today's Review, one sees 

 the same formal arrangement in the 

 former as was observed in the first car- 

 nation piece. ,In the first panel of roses 

 we find a monotonous, heavy, inactive 



A Ouster of Carnations Showing Some Originality on the Part of.the^Operator. 



