842 



The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



Fkbbuabx 15, 1906. 



plant. A number are imported from Eu- 

 rope and potted up for the Christmas 

 trade each year. The flowers are pro- 

 duced in February or March and are yel- 

 lowish white and sweet-scented. 



As skimmias are polygamous, it is 

 necessary with them, as with aucubas, to 

 plant staminate plants among the pistil- 

 late to secure a good set of fruit. 



Azalea Firefly. 



Azalea Firefly has proven very popu- 

 lar the past two or three seasons in the 

 Boston flower stores. Plants seen are 

 principally grown in 6-inch pots, al- 

 though occasional pyramidal-trained ones 

 of larger size are noted. The flowers are 

 smaller than in the regular A. Indica 

 section, rosy in color, a very desirable 

 shade for the holidays. The plant in 

 habit closely resembles the well known 

 A. amoena, which latter we find hardy in 

 Massachusetts even after very severe 

 winters. It evidently has a considerable 

 proportion of amoena blood in it. It can 

 be forced into bloom for Christmas as 

 readily as any other azalea. 



Erica Melanthera. 



Erica melanthera with E. Mediterranea 

 are probably the two most easily grown 

 heaths in America. We cannot here pro- 

 duce ericas like the hundreds of thou- 

 sands annually grown for the Covent 

 Grarden market in London, but E. melan- 



garden soil. By keeping them syringed 

 and cultivated, nice little plants filling 

 4-inch pots can be had by fall, which the 

 second season will make nice salable 

 plants. 



Ericaceous plants dislike coddling and 

 no forcing into bloom should be at- 

 tempted. If peat is at hand, use it in 

 potting, with a good dash of sand and 

 leaf-mold, but fine plants can be grown 

 in loam. It makes one of the prettiest 

 of Christmas plants. 



The photographs from which the illus- 

 trations accompanying these notes were 

 prepared were made at Carbone's, Bos- 

 ton, at Christmas, 1905. 



W. N. Craig. 



COUNCIL OF HORTICULTURE. 



The second called meeting of the Na- 

 tional Council of Horticulture convened 

 at the Auditorium Annex, Chicago, Feb- 

 ruary 5. There were present, Prof. W. 

 W. Tracy, of Washington, D. C; Prof. 

 S. B. Green, of Minnesota; C. E. Ken- 

 del, of Cleveland, O. ; L. A. Goodman, of 

 Kansas City; H. C. Irish, of St. Louis; 

 O. C. Simonds, P. J. Hauswirth and J. 

 (J. Vaughan. 



Telegrams or letters were received from 

 the following: J. H. McFarland, Prof. 

 E. J. Wickson, Prof. L. R. Taft, Prof. L. 

 H. Bailey, Prof. John Craig, Philip 

 Breitmeyer and J. H. Dayton. 



The minutes of the October meeting at 



Skimtnia Japooica. 



thera can be grown and flowered by any 

 one possessing a cool greenhouse. It can 

 be easily propagated during winter by 

 taking short tips of the shoots, one and 

 a half to two inches long, and inserting 

 in a propagating bench. One where car- 

 nations can be rooted is suitable. When 

 rooted pot off into thumb pots in rather 

 sandy soil, planting outdoors in May. 

 If some leaf-mold, peat and sand are 

 mixed in the soil, all the better, but the 

 plants make good growth in ordinary 



Cleveland were read and approved. The 

 plan outlined at Cleveland for securing 

 funds from florists, nurserymon and 

 seedsmen showed $210 in the treasury 

 for promotion of trial work of the Bu- 

 reau of Publicity. The method for car- 

 rying out the plans arranged at Cleve- 

 land were discusssed and definite propo- 

 sitions read by D. J. Thomas, of New 

 York, and J. H. Burdette, of Chicago, 

 giving their views as to the best methods 

 of securing high-class newspaper pub- 



licity for the Council. Subjects for pre- 

 liminary articles were discussed and 

 many suggestions given to the secretary, 

 with instructions to take up the matter 

 with Messrs. Thomas and Burdette and 

 arrange for sending out the preliminary 

 articles to such an extent as the funds 

 in hand would provide for. 



It was conceded that material on gen- 

 eral subjects coming from a national 

 body covering broad lines and from all 

 parts of the country and bearing no evi- 

 dence of commercialism, would be eagerly 

 accepted through our own or other press 

 bureaus by hundreds or even thousands of 

 the best newspapers in all parts of the 

 country. It is believed that this part of 

 the Council work can be placed on a self- 

 supporting basis. 



There being a vacancy of one mem- 

 ber in the delegates at large of the 

 National Coimcil, Prof. S. A. Beach, of 

 the Iowa State College of Agriculture, 

 was appointed. 



It was voted to invite the Secretary 

 of Agriculture to appoint two delegates 

 from the United States Department of 

 Agriculture to become a part of the 

 Council on a similar basis as are the 

 delegates from the national societies of 

 the florists, nurserymen, and seedsmen. 



Warren H. Manning, landscape de- 

 signer of the Jamestown Exposition, 

 asked for the advice and assistance of 

 the Council in his work at the exposition 

 and asked the Council to suggest names 

 for committees to aid him on the fol- 

 lowing sections of the exposition work 

 in horticulture: Classification, awards, 

 standards of excellence, call for national 

 congress, special events and programs. 

 These appointments were made as re- 

 quested and the secretary instructed to 

 submit same to Mr. Manning for his 

 approval. H. C. Irish, Sec'y. 



ILLINOIS FLORISTS. 



The Illinois State Florists' Association 

 will meet in Peoria on Saturday, March 

 3. It is desired that all florists in the 

 state be there to hear something for the 

 benefit of their business. Prominent flor- 

 ists from outside the state will be there 

 to talk to us. 



JAS. Hartshorne, Chairman. 



DAPHNE ODORATA. 



In the Review of January 25, C. A. 

 D. asks for the name of a plant in his 

 possesion, which is given by W. N. C, 

 who well describes the plant as it is 

 usually seen in pots. Daphne odorata is 

 seldom seen as an attractive pot pla^t 

 for the reasons mentioned. It was form- 

 erly kept in the background and brought 

 into a camellia house or erica house 

 when coming into bloom for the sake of 

 its delightful fragrance. It could not 

 stand a high temperature at any season. 

 It makes very poor roots, no fiber under 

 ordinary treatment, and if grown and 

 treated as late azaleas are it is almost 

 sure to be either killed or badly dam- 

 aged by over-watering, when it should 

 be kept on the side of dry. 



The name Daphne odorata called to my 

 mind some plants of it I once had charge 

 of while serving my time, the regular 

 time, two years in a place. About 1855 

 I went to a place and was put on as 

 an assistant under the foreman of stove 

 and greenhouse plants. Six months later 

 I was put in charge of a cool conserva- 

 tory, a ridge and furrow house 125 

 feet square, about fourteen to eighteen 

 feet high, laid out in beds about twelve 

 feet wide, slate walks three feet wide 



