770 



The Weekly Horists' Review- 



February 8, 1906. 



grew for many years and have dropped 

 simply through neglect or indifference. 

 We planted it in the fall on the edge 

 of carnation beds. It flowered through- 

 out the winter and with great profusion 

 in April and May. Its specific name is 

 unknown to us. Wo will have to ascer- 

 tain and then write more about, for it is 

 valuable. W. S. 



TO EXTERMINATE VHITE FLY. 



Can you give us the formula for using 

 the fumigation to exterminate the white 

 fly? W. T. B. 



It seems to be pretty well determined 

 that the only antidote or destroyer for 



this little pest is hydrocyanic acid gaa. 

 The best formula we have found for this, 

 and which is a modification of several 

 we have heard of, is: One pint water, 

 one pint sulphuric acid, two and one- 

 half ounces of cyanide of potassium. 

 This is for 1,000 cubic feet of atmos- 

 I^here in your greenhouse, and keep your 

 ventilators closed all night. 



The pint of sulphuric acid should not 

 be equal in bulk to a pint of water, but 

 only equal in weight to a pint of water, 

 because the acid is much heavier than 

 water. This is easily done by two cups 

 or cans of equal weight and a pair of 

 scales. The above will destroy the fly 

 and hurt nothing that does not breathe. 



W. S. 



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BASKET ARRANGEMENT. 



The everlasting fitness of certain flow- 

 ers to certain styles and sizeS' of baskets 

 is not always considered suflSciently in 

 the selection of the ' * make-up " of a 

 basket. Upon deciding as to the kind 

 and color of flower or flowers to be used, 

 the next question is to select the basket 

 best adapted to display the stock. Time 

 was when short and long stemmed flowers 

 all looked the same to the designer; but 

 it is happily no longer the case. If pos- 

 sible use the flowers as they are; if 

 long, find a basket suitable for them, 

 rather than denude them of foliage and 

 stem. To avoid loading the handle, se- 

 lect a basket which has plenty of room, 

 and start a generous cluster at the base 

 of one side of the handle. Let it taper 

 one-half or two-thirds of the way around 

 the handle, falling toward the other 

 base. In a simple cluster like this all the 

 flowers should take the same direction, or 

 in other words, be headed the same way. 

 Or have two clusters, one starting at 

 either side of the handle, and reaching 

 toward each other, but not touching, at 

 their tips. 



If two styles of flowers are to be used, 

 fill the body of the basket with the low 

 growing flower, and use the longer all on 

 the handle, potted or cut ferns alone 

 filling the basket itself and a graceful 

 spray of flowers over the handle is a 

 good basket design. 



Basket Selected First. 



Sometimes, the basket is selected first, 

 and one is confronted with the question, 

 what flowers would be best to fill the 

 basket? The color, shape and make-up 

 of the basket must be sized up at a 

 glance; also the available stock and ac- 

 cessories. Suppose it is a low basket with- 

 out a base or handles. American Beauties 

 in such a receptacle would induce a most 

 uneasy feeling in a spectator, simply be- 

 cause their weight of stem and foliage 

 would overtop the base — while the same 

 basket filled with Roman hyacinths, vio- 

 lets or pansies might be a delight to look 

 upon. Don't attempt to trim a handle 

 basket with such flowers as violets, pan- 

 sies, valley or such small stock in any 

 other style than a knot or short clusters. 



Do not attempt a trailing spray as with 

 roses. 



Beware of many kinds of flowers and 

 foliage. By ' ' many ' ' is meant more 

 than two kinds. To be perfectly safe, if 

 not sure of even the two color combina- 

 tion, use one color alone. It is absolutely 

 necessary to have a knowledge of color, 

 and the best way to obtain the same is 

 to take a short course in painting and 

 color blending; no amount of instruction 

 in type can give one a definite concep- 

 tion of coloring. 



Qaxt in Color Mixtures. 



Be careful, not only of color mixtures 

 in the flowers, but in the green also. 

 Roses require very little extra foliage; 

 if a light touch is needed use that green 

 which harmonizes best with the foliage 

 of the rose; for instance, for American 

 Beauties, select the dark green of As- 

 paragus plumosus or a well developed 

 dark adiantum like Croweanum. Avoid 

 Asparagus Sprengeri and Adiantum Far- 

 leyense as being too yellow. Use the 

 latter freely with Ivory, Golden Gate, 

 Bridesmaid or Killarney. With violets, 

 use the dark olive or myrtle greens. Do 

 not use smilax and asparagus together 

 if it can be avoided. Simplify the color 



plan by employing not more than one ad- 

 ditional green with the foliage belonging 

 to the flower. 



As to size of basket with regard to 

 the quantity of flowers, have a smaller 

 basket full and running over rather than 

 a large one scantily filled. One of the 

 charms of a well arranged basket is the 

 impression of a superabundance of 

 flowers. 



Suppose two very different kinds of 

 flowers are to be used, taking an ex- 

 treme case for example: American Beau- 

 ties and pansies mi^t illustrate the 

 point. Select a shallow, low basket. Fill 

 in the body of the basket with the pan- 

 sies stemmed long with their own foliage. 

 Tie a moderate size cluster of the 

 roses in the handle, allowing one or two 

 to fall downward and rest on the pansy 

 patch beneath. It wquld be easy to make 

 snckiia cluster too htWiH'y in such a case. 

 From this illustration gather that the 

 proper relationship of flowers and foliage 

 of different habits of growth should be 

 given a position in accord with the same 

 inclinations. 



Treatment of Handles. 



In the treatment of handles, there 

 is a great diversity of styles. A large 

 simple cluster, two opposite clusters, a 

 garland running its whole length, a 

 bow of ribbons into which are tied two 

 or three choice flowers, a green spray 

 only, a close wrapping of silk or ribbon, 

 a drapery of chiffon and slender green 

 sprays, are only a beginning of the 

 many attractive ways of garnishing bas- 

 ket handles. Possibly the one thing to 

 avoid most of all, is the heavy appear- 

 ance caused by the use of too much ma- 

 terial. 



To recapitulate the whole subject, do 

 not attempt Chinese puzzle effects in 

 color. Never plant a celery bed in 

 your basket, but be content if you can 

 trace a resemblance between your finished 

 product and a good full hill of potatoes 

 with some straggling weeds not forgotten. 



Gertrude Blair. 



A LANSING STORE. 



A new flower store was recently 

 opened at 333 North Washington avenue 

 under the name of the Lansing Floral 

 Co. While not finished in marble and 

 mahogany, it is nevertheless tastily fitted 

 up and bears evidence of good judgment 

 and up-to-date methods. 



The show window is fitted up after 

 the style of Cleveland stores, although 



Window of the Lansing Floral Co., Lansing;, Mich. 



