146 



The Weekly Florists^ Review. 



December 7, 1905. 



of inanure, and whoii the heads begin to 

 form, liquid manure will be found to be 

 very beneficial, say about once a week. 

 See, above all other things, that they 

 are grown on without a check. They 

 can be planted as close as one foot 

 apart, but if there is room fouiteeu 

 inches would be better. Bee to it that they 

 are not overwatered when newly planted 

 out in the benches. A good way is only 

 to water around the j)lants until they 

 have made sufficient roots through the 

 soil. Then they must never suffer for 

 the want of water. They thrive in a 

 night temperature of 50 to .5.5 degrees, 

 with a raise to 70 degrees with sunshine. 



If a succession has to be kept up seed 

 should be sown every three weeks, or 

 make sowings so as to have some plants 

 coming on to fill the vacancies where the 

 crop has been cut. From four to five 

 months are required to mature the crop. 



Should the caterpillar pest prove trou- 

 blesome an occasional dusting of slug 

 shot would be found beneficial. Dusting 

 should be done as soon as the caterpillar 

 makes its appearance. It is a pest that 

 makes very rapid headway and if not 

 watched will work havoc with the plants. 

 The best variety for under glass is 

 Early Snowball. J. J. F. 



SOCIETY OF AMERICAN FLORISTS. 



National Exhibition Postponed. 



To Memeer.s of the S. A. F. & O. H. — 

 At the suggestion of Mr. E. G. Hill, upon 

 wliose motion the j)rojeHt of a National 

 Flower Show next A'arch was under- 

 taken, 1 have after consultation with 

 members of the executive committee and 

 I'resident-elect Kasting decided that it is 

 not expedient to attempt to hold a Na- 

 tional Flower Show in March, 1906. 



It is Mr. Hill's contention, and to this 

 our executive committefi agree, mat the 

 time is too short between now and March 

 to prepare suitable exhibits, no schedule 

 of premiums having as yet been issued. 



It is expected that the committee ap- 

 pointed to secure the $10,000 guarantee 

 fund will continue its work and that 

 this basis for carrying out such a show in 

 1907 will be secured. 



J. C. Vaughan, President. 



Chicago, December 6, 1905. 



NEW PHLOXES. 



I'or the last few years I have been 

 giving a good deal of attention to hardy 

 phloxes. In my estimation they stand 

 next to the peony; they crown the sea- 

 son, from June to November, and with 



Seedling Phloxes Raised by C. S. Harrison, York, N^b. 



( Pl.-mls ill lull hloi III N(.v. I. .-iI'liT si'Vit:i1 srv.Tc I'rosis. ) 



a little effort, by planting in masses,, 

 one can have a succession of blooms 

 through this long period. One of the 

 accompanying illustrations shows a vase 

 of blooms picked from seedling varie- 

 ties on November 1, after several quite 

 heavy frosts. 



The wild phlox had flowers the size of 

 a dime. Their cultivation improved them 

 to be the size of a silver quarter, then 

 to the size of a half-dollar, and now 

 among the newer sorts we have quite a 

 number with flowers a silver dollar will 

 not cover. 



The creation of new varieties of 

 phlox is easy work, once you find the 

 key to success. You know what you are 

 getting much sooner than when you are 

 raising new peonies. Some phloxes repro- 

 duce themselves from seeds with remark- 

 able fidelity and some do not come at all 

 true from seed. From hundreds of seed- 

 lings of the Cross of Honor there was 

 not one that favored the parent. Now, 

 one of the grandest of phloxes is Cre- 

 puscule. As related in notes in these 

 columns at the close of the season of 

 1904, I had early discovered that by 

 planting it in the center of a group, it 

 impressed itself on all its neighbors. 

 Planting seed of this origin that year, 

 I was amazed at the result. I picked out 

 twenty of the best sorts, many with 

 flowers as large as a dollar, and have 

 continued to work with them this year. 



I am going on with the work, using the 

 finest varieties to be had; these are 

 grouped together and the seed saved 

 with greatest care. This year I raised 

 10,000'seedlings, many of them well bred. 

 The two illustrations show the compara- 

 tive sizes of the old and new sorts, but 

 both are considerably reduced in size in 

 the photograph. Next year I hope to 

 have 50,000 new ones and out of this 

 great number will surely have many of 

 rare excellence. I am now at work on 

 a manual on the phlox, to be a compan- 

 ion to my work on the peony, and hope 

 to do something to awaken public inter- 

 est in these marvelous flowers, so easily 

 cultivrttcd and improved 



0. S. Harrison. 



ABOUT ERICAS. 



The beautiful summer-flowering varie- 

 ties seem to be going out of cultivation, 

 yet the winter and spring-flowering sorts 

 are as great favorites as ever. A few 

 years ago it seemed that these would 

 fall in the background, but last winter 

 they were again in demand ; and I find 

 that growers are doing well with them 

 again this season, and they are among 

 the lew classes of plants that have risen 

 in prices. 



Last season I heard from several who 

 bought in the autumn, that they failed 

 to flower them well. This I am not sur- 

 prised at. Hven with good treatment, 

 they may fail, especially in districts 

 wheic fogs prevail, but nuich depends 

 upon treatment. There may not be 

 many who do not understand their re- 

 quirements, but there are evidently some 

 who need a lesson. I will refer to one 

 case I particularly, noted last autumn. 

 A large quantity of ericas which Avere 

 bought in September, I found crowded 

 t()ji( tl.er in a brick jiit wit'i the liu;iits 

 on them, and shut up close on a mild 

 morning early in October. To those 

 who understand the matter, it is not 

 necessary to give the result; but I may 

 say that E. hyemalis failed entirely, 

 and even the gracilis autumnalis were 

 little better. It is a delicate matter to 



