98 



The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



Max 31, 1006. 



largest building in the world, 700 feet 

 high. Far up will be a handsome palm 

 garden, a unique tribute to horticulture. 

 All over the island, at its popular re- 

 sorts, the effect in carpet bedding, 

 Japanese gardens and abundant bay and 

 palm decorations have never been 

 equaled. 



Mr. and Mrs. Leikens left for New- 

 port Saturday. Mr. Wenham has just 

 returned from Paris with novelties for 

 this house and purchased a fine lot of 

 palms while in Europe. He says New 

 York flower stores are far in advance 

 of those in Paris and London. D. Smith, 

 formerly with A. L. Young & Co., has 

 charge of Leiken's Belmont Hotel 

 branch. J. Austin Shaw. 



Vegetable Forcing. 



VEGETABLE MARKETS. 



Chicago, May 29. — Greenhouse cucum- 

 bers, 40c to 75c doz. ; leaf lettuce, 15c 

 to 25c case. 



New York, May 28. — Boston cucum- 

 bers, $2.50 to $3.50 per hundred; Bos- 

 ton lettuce, 40c doz.; mushrooms, 25c to 

 $1 lb.; tomatoes, 10c to 20c lb. 



Boston, May 28. — Cucumbers, $2 to 

 $5 box; tomatoes, 10c to 15c lb.; mush- 

 rooms, $2 to $3.50 per 4-lb. basket; let- 

 tuce, 20c to 40c doz. 



RHUBARB. 



Khubarb plants intended for forcing 

 next winter should receive attention now, 

 and throughout the summer, to have 

 them in the best possible condition when 

 forcing time arrives. If the plants are 

 exceptionally strong it will do no harm 

 to pull a few of the stalks now, but 

 unless the plants have strength enough 

 and to spare they would better be al- 

 lowed to mature all the growth they can 

 make and the stalks be allowed to die 

 down naturally in fall, so as to throw 

 all the possible strength into the roots. 



Another important matter is to remove 

 all flowering shoots as soon as they ap- 

 pear. Plants that are strongly and 

 freely grown are not so apt to run to 

 seed as those that have been kept in a 

 more or less starved condition, and 

 where plants are taken proper care of 

 and divided every two or three years, 

 they seldom show any tendency to throw 

 flower shoots. But it often happens that 

 the division of the crowns has been de- 

 layed too long, in consequence of whicli 

 the flower bud has been formed in the 

 crown the previous season and will de- 

 velop as soon as fresh growth starts, in 

 spite of the best cultivation. The only 

 remedy is to remove the flower stalk as 

 soon as it can be distinguished. When a 

 crown once throws a flower shoot, that 

 ends its existence as a crown, but buds 

 are produced from the side which grow 

 to form other crowns, so the cultivator's 

 efforts must be directed toward the best 

 possible development of these if he would 

 secure suitable plants for his winter sup- 

 ply- 



The strength of the plants may be 

 greatly increased by thorough and fre- 

 quent cultivation and liberal application 

 of manure water. The rhubarb plant is 

 one of the heaviest feeders we know of, 

 so it is hard to overdo this matter. If 

 wash from the barnyard can be pro- 

 cured, it forms the best possible mate- 



^.. 



Two 



Telephone 



Systems 



in Greater 

 New York 

 i/vould mean lor 



Business 

 Men 



Two Books^Lt 



Two BeUS to Answer 



Two Bills I. p.y 



rial. Any of the commercial fertilizers 

 that can be applied in liquid form will 

 do, but as these soon eat into money, it 

 does not pay to be too liberal with them, 

 or profits are soon sacrificed; still, every 

 application will tell on the plants and 

 it will pay to, spend a little to get them 

 into a good, strong, healthy condition. 

 The application of clear water is often 

 found of much benefit during dry spells, 

 when the plants are apt to suffer in this 

 respect, and in dry situations, where the 

 soil is light and sandy, a mulching of 

 stable litter or some such material is of 

 great advantage to the plants. Such sit- 

 uations, however, are not at all suitable 

 for the cultivation of rhubarb, a deep, 

 rich soil being what is required for its 

 most satisfactory growth. 



W. S. Croydon. 



THE IDEAL EMPLOYER. 



[An essay by H. B. Faxon, of Columbus, 0., 

 mibmitted in the S. A. F. prize contest.] 



It takes but a moment to read the 

 three words at the head of this article, 

 and yet what a field of thought they 

 give rise to in the minds of not only the 

 employers but also the employees who 

 may chance to read these few lines, which 

 the writer sincerely trusts will, at least, 

 bring the importance of this subject 

 clearly to their earnest attention. 



As was written by Charles Dickens 

 years ago, "Those who take an interest 

 in this tale, wiil be glad to learn that 

 the Brothers Cheeryble live; that their 

 liberality, their singleness of heart, and 

 their noble nature, are no creations of 

 the author's brain." And it is so that 

 the writer feels with regard to the ideal 

 employer — that he is much more numer- 

 ous in our business life of today than 

 he is given credit for being. 



Perhaps in no better way can I make 

 clear to you my own ideal of an ideal 

 employer than by mentioning those char- 

 acteristics that seem to me to be essen- 

 tial to the great responsibilities and 

 cares that fall to his lot in these strenu- 

 ous times. 



Character. 



That an employer should be a man 

 of high character there can be no ques- 



tion. I mean a good-living man — one 

 whom his employees can look up to and 

 respect. Any man whose heart is in the 

 right place will so conduct his business 

 affairs that not only his employees, but 

 his customers as well, will appreciate his 

 fair dealings, and both equally contribute 

 to his ultimate success. How often we 

 hear it said of the head of some large 

 house who has passed away, "He was 

 a good-living man ! ' ' This means every- 

 thing, as without this feeling of respect 

 and absolute trust for the one who is 

 the head of the firm, there is lacking 

 on the start that indescribable something 

 which should permeate the entire estab- 

 lishment and stamp it with the honest 

 purpose which there is no mistaking. 



Treatment of Employees. 



The wise head of the firm will always 

 treat his employees exactly as he, if in 

 their position, would like and expect to 

 be treated himself. He should be firm 

 and at the same time very just, as the 

 men are as good judges of right and 

 wrong as h6; but from their very posi- 

 tion they cannot always assert their 

 opinions strongly, as he does his. This 

 is a matter that every employer should 

 never lose sight of. He should always 

 render due consideration to the opinions 

 and expressed wishes of his help. 



Another very important thing is the 

 stand of absolute fairness the employer 

 should take between customer and clerk, 

 in any of those differences which can 

 not fail to arise in every store where 

 much business is done. Some employers 

 consider it a matter of policy to always 

 side with the customer. Nothing could 

 be worse, as that not only casts an un- 

 just reflection on the clerk, but also 

 lowers the customer's opinion of the 

 establishment. Be absolutely fair in 

 this matter as in all others, for by so 

 doing you will retain the respect of both 

 the parties to the dispute, whichever way 

 you may decide it. 



Employees^ Wa^es. 



The firm that gets the best help and 

 is able to keep them the longest is the 

 one that pays its men liberal wages. In 

 the long run, a good man or woman can 



