■••kj x'^ ^:^' 



88 



The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



Mat 31, 1906. 



PREPARATIONS FOR PLANTING. 



There is one thing that comes to a vio- 

 let grower more and more forcibly as 

 the years go by, and that is the monot- 

 ony of the work; more than in growing 

 any other stock that I can think of. 

 Boses are continually growing, making 

 a different shape of plant, and then there 

 are all the time new kinds coming out, 

 and the same can be said of carnations 

 and, in fact, of most of the crops grown 

 under glass. But in violets there is an 

 everlasting sameness, which even extends 

 to the writing of cultural notes concern- 

 ing them ; you feel as if you had covered 

 the ground so often, and from so many 

 viewpoints that it does not seem possi- 

 ble that you may have overlooked any- 

 thing, and I suppose this might be even 

 so if it were not for the younger men 



As with any kind of work, if you wish 

 to make it a signal success, start early, 

 be ahead, and keep ahead. Indeed, it 

 applies even more to violet growing than 

 to work with other kinds of flowers, and 

 so if you have not already selected the 

 house that you are to use for them, do 

 so at once, and hasten to get it in shape 

 to plant. 



If it is a house that has been used, 

 one of the first things to be done is to 

 clean it out. If the benches have been 

 used for some time, they would better 

 be removed; in fact, if you can use them 

 in other houses, this would be a good 

 plan, even if you have only used them 

 for one season, and so have your violet 

 benches of entirely new, fresh material. 

 Clean the paths and ground under the 

 benches and against walls, etc., and re- 

 move any stray weed or plant growth 

 that may be showing anywhere. See that 

 all the piping is correct and in perfect 

 order; the same with ventilators, etc. 

 Clean all the sash bars and other wood- 

 work and give a good coat of white 

 paint. 



You will also want to thoroughly fumi- 

 gate the house, two or three times, once 

 before making repairs, once after clean- 

 ing out and once or twice after getting 

 the house ready for the plants. This is 

 a time when you can give it very heavy 

 sulphur fumigations, when there are no 



John B. Nugent^ Sr. 



who are constantly coming up, and who 

 are taking up violets for the first time. 

 We have been asked about prepara- 

 tions for next season and, while we have 

 to be always looking ahead, still now is 

 the time to bring to a focus what we 

 may have been having in mind for some 

 time, but not heretofore come to a def- 

 inite conclusion regarding. 



plants to harm. And you can keep it 

 closed tightly, so that the fumes will 

 penetrate every crack and crevice, where 

 any sow bug or other "varmint" may 

 be hidden. 



Do not forget to coat the benches or 

 borders, etc., with fresh slaked lime, and 

 if the house had borders in it before, you 

 will find it a good plan, after having 



removed the old soil, and before bring- 

 ing in the new, to spade up the old bot- 

 toms cover evenly and quite heavily with 

 unslaked lime; then spray just heavily 

 enough to slake the lime, which will cook 

 and sweeten these old bottoms. Then, 

 after it has cooled off, you can wash it 

 down some more with the hose before 

 bringing in the new soil. 



While attending to all of these matters 

 do not in any way neglect your violet 

 stock and allow it to become stunted, or 

 soft. And watch for red spiders, aphides 

 or any of the other things that "hap- 

 pen ' ' so easily. A good start is not only 

 desirable, but essential, if you wish to 

 be successful and make violets pay. 



K. E. Shuphelt. 



JOHN B. NUGENT, SR. 



We present herewith the portrait of 

 John B. Nugent, Sr., of New York city. 

 Mr. Nugent is probably the oldest florist 

 in the United States, having celebrated 

 his eighty-fourth birthday anniversary 

 last month. He was born in Ireland, and 

 started his apprenticeship, under John 

 George, sixty-nine years ago, and is still 

 actively engaged in the trade. With his 

 SOB, Wm. F., he conducts an extensive 

 florist business at Lexington avenue and 

 Seventy-third street. Another son, John 

 B., Jr., is the active member of the 

 well-known wholesale and retail florist 

 firm of Young & Nugent, of New York 

 city. 



RETAILERS' ADVERTISEMENTS. 



The invitation to send specimens of 

 retailers' advertising has brought the 

 Review a number of clippings which are 

 well worth the attention of every one 

 who caters to the public. On the oppo- 

 site page a number of these advertise- 

 ments are reproduced. Nearly all are 

 good. Those which combine an illustra- 

 tion with a price are probably the best. 

 Attractive display is, of course, an ad- 

 vantage, but an idea is a very much 

 more valuable thing than the method of 

 display. Most of these advertisements 

 can be used with slight change in ad- 

 vertising almost any retail cut flower 

 business to which the proprietor devotes 

 sufficient thought and energy to make 

 the service in keeping with a first-class 

 advertisement. 



At the very successful advertising 

 show held in Chicago in October a con- 

 spicuous feature was a large sign which 

 read: "If your business is not worth 

 advertising, advertise it for sale." 

 There are many ways of advertising, but 

 newspaper advertising is best of all. 



Bath, N. Y. — The seventh annual ex- 

 hibition of the Steuben County Nature 

 Workers will be held here September 25 

 to 28 under the management of Henry 

 L. Drummer. There will be the usual 

 floricultural display. 



It is related of a well-known nursery- 

 man from Boskoop that, as he was walk- 

 ing up Broadway in New York the other 

 day he was accosted delightedly by a 

 man unmistakably a fellow Hollander. 

 "How do you dot" welcomed the de- 

 lighted one, calling the other by name. 

 "Fine and dandy," was the reply, or 

 words to that effect, "but who may you 

 be?" With just a suggestion of sar- 

 casm a card was passed out showing the 

 stranger to be a nurseryman whose lists 

 we have all had, also from Boskoop. 

 And Boskoop is not such a metropolis, 

 either. 



