December 28, 1905. 



The Weekly Rorists^ Review. 



367 



Thanksgiving in 1905 did not bring 

 the results which had been expected. 

 Thanksgiving is another day which will 

 y_.^(i considerable quantities of stock, but 

 vvill not stand for much increase in price. 

 'ibis year it chanced that the day was 

 nearly everywhere cold or stormy, which 

 iiterfered with trade, especially the de- 

 s,,and for violets for street wear. 



Christmas is so recent an event that 

 jit tie need be said of it. Universal pros- 

 Mcrity was reflected in the flower busi- 

 jiess. The demand for cut flowers was 

 jiever greater and everything of suitable 

 raiality was sold at prices never better, 

 'varger numbers of flowering plants were 

 < fl'ered than ever before and sold out 

 clean, so far as wholesale hands were 

 concerned. Occasionally a retailer over- 

 liought, but in general it was the most 

 satisfactory Christmas on record. 



Nineteen hundred and five has seen a 

 w'vler use of florists' requisites than was 

 ever made before. Better taste has pre- 

 vailed in leading stores and possibly less 

 drapery has been used in proportion to 

 tlie number of orders sent out. But, on 

 the other hand, stores in smaller com- 

 munities, where comparatively few sup- 

 plies have been used, have this season 

 •seen the profit in the artistic results to 

 be obtained by the use of the many aids 

 supplied by the dealers in baskets, pans, 

 ribbons and the thousand other requisites 

 of an up-to-date store. 



Flower Shows. 



The flower show season of 1905 made 

 a new record. Public interest was greater 

 than in any previous year and in a half 

 dozen of the leading cities, flower shows 

 made new records for magnitude, for 

 public interest and for attendance. The 

 awakening interest in all gardening mat- 

 tors caused the public press to give these 

 shows greater attention than ever before, 

 greatly to our benefit. The gardening 

 interest was recognized in a number of 

 exhibitions, particularly at Chicago, and 

 in several cities the retail florists recog- 

 nized the value of the flower show in its 

 effect on their business and participated 

 as never before. 



The New Year. 



The year 1906 is ushered in under 

 most favorable auspices. There is no 

 cloud on the horizon. Production is still 

 behind consumption in our business. The 

 general prosperity of the country has 

 suffered no curtailment and the pros- 

 pects are excellent for increased business 

 in all branches of our trade. At the 

 same time, he is a wise man who does 

 not commit himself beyond the bounds 

 of prudence. While there is no sign 

 of trouble, yet it is better to make haste 

 slowly in the matter of expanding one's 

 business where it must be done on credit. 

 If there is any particular in which flo- 

 rists in general are lax it is in the mat- 

 ter of credits. Credits are extended 

 ■without due investigation and in unrea- 

 sonable amounts in proportion to the 

 creditor's resources. Our trade has in- 

 creased so rapidly that many firms are 

 doing a business greater than is war- 

 ranted by their capital. It would be 

 wise to look closely at the matter of 

 credits and in this period of easy sales 

 endeavor to inaugurate better things in 

 the matter of business methods. 



Olney, III. — J. P, Wilson has added 

 about 2,000 feet of glass to his plant, 

 which now consists of 9,000 feet and is 

 devoted to carnations and lettuce. 



A Pan of Poinsettias. 



PAN OF POINSETTIAS. 



We had the pan of poinsettias photo- 

 graphed because we did not remember of 

 a similar illustration. Had the old man 

 been around at the performance, he 

 would have chosen a dwarfer lot of 

 plants, but after all the sample illus- 

 trated will find plenty of admirers. In 

 spite of choosing all the plants for this 

 pan in August, of apparently equal 

 strength and health, there is a great va- 

 riation in their height, and with many 

 buyers this is no detriment. The tallest 

 bract is just fifteen inches above the 

 soil and the spread of bracts and foli- 

 age the same. When this pan assumed 

 its frills, paper to hide the pan and a 

 judicious use of ribbon, it readily re- 

 tailed at $10, and, althoug"u a good price, 

 it is worth it, for there is lots of labor 

 and some knowledge needed to bring it 

 to perfection. Doctors, lawyers and min- 

 isters of the gospel do not pretend to 

 charge for what they actually give you. 

 You pay for accrued interest on the time 

 and money they spent at college and 

 hospital and theological seminaries. So 

 why should we not charge for our early 

 instructions in washing pots and throw- 

 ing out ashes, the essential rudiments of 

 a gardener's education? 



The view of the large group of poin- 

 settias was taken December 15. They 

 start with plants not rtitre than twelve 

 inches high, wit^ bracts eighteen inches 

 across, and recede in the picture to 

 plants with stems five feet high. This is 

 partly accounted for by the date at 

 which they were propagated, but there is 

 some o'^er cause for which we cannot 

 account. Some seasons they will grow 

 much taller than others. The man who 

 can keep his plants below two feet, with 

 large heads, will always dispose of stock 

 at an excellent price. The tall ones 

 come in for church decorations or for 

 cutting. . W. S. 



ROSES OVER-FED. 



We have three houses of Brides and 

 Maids benched in July, one and two- 

 year plants that have been giving fair 

 cuts but are weak in stem and the buds 

 do not have very good substance. De- 

 cember 10 to 15 we mulched with two 

 inches of well rotted cow manure. Did 

 we do the right thing to increase our 

 cut of high grade stock? The houses 

 were then out of crop. The plants had 

 lieon fed with liquid manure in October, 

 and bone meal and wood ashes in No- 

 vember. We would like some advice as 

 to treating these houses. The soil is a 

 little light for roses, just right for car- 

 nations. There has been a good deal 

 (if blind wood and too many short 

 stems. The plants are healthy and free 

 from insects. The temperature is 56 

 to 58 degrees. One house is grafted 

 stock. They cut more blooms, but I <*an 

 see no difference in quality. W. B. 



The trouble with these roses is simply 

 a case of dyspepsia — over-feeding when 

 root action is sluggish. When it is 

 really necessary to apply mulch at this 

 season (which is very rare) it should 

 be put on very thin. Two inches is alto- 

 gether tco much, as this excludes the 

 sun's ravs, which are the life of the 

 plant, entirely from the soil, causing a 

 stoppage of root activity. 



The most sensible thing to do is to 

 remove at least two-thirds of the mulch 

 and keep the surface of the soil loose 

 and open and refrain from feeding for 

 a few weeks, until the plants have re- 

 gained their health. The general treat- 

 ment has been right, but you are far too 

 generous in feeding. Eibes. 



IMoN MOUTH, III. — Thomas Hewitt, 

 who has been critically ill, is on the way 

 to complete recovery. 



