154 



The Weekly Florists* Review. 



June 7, 1906. 



Eve, Cardinal, Flamingo, and G, H. 

 Crane; crimson, Harlowarden, Harry 

 Fenn, President, and Gov. Eoosevelt; 

 fancies. Prosperity, and Mrs. M. A. 

 Patten. 



Mr. Button's stock of Mrs. Lawson is 

 a superb one, as pains have been taken 

 to reject plants giving duller and rosier 

 shades of color, and to propagate only 

 from plants giving the best cerise-pink 

 blooms. The White Lawson, from which 

 Mr. Dutton has worked up a stock, is 

 a sport of his own, and by careful selec- 

 tion he has now secured a fine form of 

 the purest whiteness and without any 

 pink markings. Mr. Dutton has also a 

 white sport from Enchantress. 



OBITUARY. 



C. H. Kunzmao. 



C. Harry Kunzman died at his resi- 

 dence, 3710 High street, Louisville, Ky., 

 as the result of tubercular trouble at 5 

 o'clock on the afternoon of May 28. 

 He was 43 years of age, and leaves a 

 widow and one little boy. 



Mr, Kunzman was born in Louisville, 

 and spent his life in that city. He had 

 for years been identified with the trade 

 and was known throughout the country 

 as a successful grower of fancy carna- 

 tions, having won prizes at state and 

 national exhibitions. He was treasurer 

 of the Kentucky Florists' Association. 



PUBLICATIONS RECEIVED. 



Crtie New Horticulture, by H. M. Strlngfellow; 

 Texas Farm and Ranch Publishing Co., Dallas, 

 Tex.; cloth, 75 cents; paper, 50 cents.] 



In the New Horticulture, H. M. String- 

 fellow puts in permament form the many 

 arguments he has from time to time ad- 

 vanced in the horticultural press and 

 which have created much discussion, if 

 not widely accepted. Mr. Strlngfellow 

 believes that most troubles of the fruit 

 growers, and many of the nurserymen, 

 are the result of planting stock with 

 long, fibrous roots, and he has evidence 

 which seems to prove it — only, as he 

 says, so far as securing the adoption of 

 his methods goes, ' * My individual ef- 

 forts for eight years have amounted to 

 practically nothing. ' ' Here is what he 

 contends : 



"1. I clai'ii that .the best form of 

 tree for planting is exactly the opposite 

 of that recommended by all authorities 

 from time immemorial, inasmuch as the 

 latter departs farthest from nature's 

 method of &eed, which experience of the 

 paat proves to be the best, and to which 

 I claim my method is superior. The 

 close root-pruned tree strikes several 

 strong penetrating tap-roots, instead of 

 one, like a seedling, and sends them much 

 deeper. 



"2. I claim that deep preparation of 

 the ground, as now recomaiended, is 

 equally far from the truth, and nature 's 

 method of a firm, unbroken soil, inas- 

 much as such deeply pulverized ground, 

 after excessive rains, even though well 

 drained, will for several days become a 

 bog, to drown and scald the young root- 

 lets in summer and freeze them to death 

 in winter at the north. 



"3. That all cultivation of trees after 

 several years, when the feeding roots 

 hunt the surface, is wrong per se, inas- 

 much as all trees depend upon these sur- 

 face roots for the proper development of 

 the fruit, both as to size and quality, 

 and any cultivation must necessarily be 

 destructive to them. From the very 



start, except a space around each tree 

 large enough to prevent damage from 

 the mowing blade, frequent and close 

 mowing through the growing season, leav- 

 ing the clippings on the ground, is the 

 best pian for all close root-pruned trees, 

 with annual fertilizing to perfect the 

 crop. But please take notice that I do 

 not recommend this treatment for poor, 

 handicapped, three and four-year-old, 

 long, fibrous-rooted trees, if planted as 

 they come from the nursery. 



"4. That all tall, winter and spring 

 pruning, until after the trees are in full 

 growth, is contrary to nature and com- 

 mon sense, in that it, as well as fall, 

 winter and early spring stirring of the 

 ground, tends to break our trees' rest 

 and start a premature motion of the 

 sap. ' ' 



The 146 pages of the book are devoted 

 to proving the correctness of the system 

 of close root-pruning and to illustrations 

 of the process, together with the author 's 



C H. Kunzman. 



views on various phases of the successful 

 management of fruit trees. It is stated 

 that ' ' quite a number of nurserymen, 

 some of them the most extensive in the 

 Union, are now practicing this method" 

 of close root-pruning, and certainly 

 every one who grows trees will find the 

 book well worth reading and the method 

 worth trial in a cautious way. 



NOTES FROM ENGLAND. 



Little disease is now seen in English 

 rose houses, that formerly ruinous 

 trouble, mildew, having almost disap- 

 peared. Some years ago many went out 

 of rose growing solely because they could 

 not cope with mildew, but since the_value 

 of sulphur has been fully recognized 

 very few are troubled with it. 



At the Royal Horticultural Society's 

 show on May 1 W. Paul & Sons exhibited 

 some fine new rambler roses, such as are 

 probably destined to become useful com- 

 mercial sorts, Wedding Bells and another 

 variety, called Friar, being especially 

 fine. A new hybrid tea called Warrior 

 looks like being useful for cutting. 



It is remarkable that of the great 

 number of new sorts of narcissus raised 

 of late years and put on the market. 



how few there are of any commercial 

 use, Bicolor Victoria being the only one 

 used in big quantities. It is one of the 

 best and easiest forcers, the perianth be- 

 ing pure white, making it a true bicolor. 

 Outdoors the perianth is yellow, trum- 

 pet goldfin, very broaSly expanded and 

 heavily frilled and of immense substance. 

 It can be bard forced for blooming in 

 fine quality immediately after Christmas. 

 A list of sorts forced will be interesting 

 for comparison with those used in the 

 States: Poeticus omatus, Sir Watkin, 

 Golden Spur, Emperor, Princeps, Hors- 

 fieldii. Empress, Victoria and Sir Henry 

 Irving. 



Spanish iris is very plentiful from 

 forced stock and this year has proved a 

 profitable item. Growers are ordering 

 from Holland in greatly increased quan- 

 tities. If the increased popularity con- 

 tinues, both for forcing and outdoor 

 use, a rise in price may be expected for 

 the bulbs at no distant date. 



Hydrangea hortensis is especially fine 

 this year and grand plants are seen, car- 

 rying giant heads of bloom, in some 

 cases over nine inches across, the only 

 fault being the color, few being able to 

 get their stock the beautiful bright sky 

 blue such as are seen in some establish- 

 ments. Where the blue coloring is 

 brought out well some high prices are 

 made. An old market grower told me 

 the other day the way to obtain these 

 bright blues is to use a few lumps of 

 alum placed over the drainage when pot- 

 ting, and when the plants show bloom 

 they are watered two or three times each 

 week with alum water. The method 

 sounds too easy to be effective. 



J. B. 



HELP WANTED. 



If evidence were lacking of the great 

 prosperity and rapid expansion in the 

 florists' business, it would be found in 

 the large demand for competent help in 

 all departments of the business. Always 

 at this season all available help is em- 

 ployed, but this year more than any 

 other, work is delayed because of an in- 

 sufficient amount of labor to accomplish 

 all which is to be done within a stated 

 period. 



There is call, first for men who have 

 the knowledge necessary for producing 

 general stock for retail trade; such men 

 as couple an acquaintance with plants 

 with dependability and clean living. 

 Then there is demand for men as assist- 

 ant growers under foremen in the big 

 cut flower ranges. Also there are in- 

 numerable places open for men capable 

 of taking charge in the absence of the 

 owner — men with records for sobriety 

 and faithfulness which inspire confi- 

 dence. Also there is need for more 

 workers in wholesale stores, in retail 

 stores and "on the road." In fact, a 

 man who is able to do things in any 

 branch of the florists' business, unless 

 there is some weak spot in his character, 

 need not be for long out of remunerative 

 employment, and the young men are be- 

 ing advanced with much rapidity into 

 responsible places. 



The "want" columns of the Review 

 afford a good index to the condition of 

 the labor market in our trade. In it 

 are advertised the best positions; to it 

 the best men turn when in need of situa- 

 tions. At present it is a one-aided 

 column — mostly all "help wanted"; 

 not many men are out of work, for 

 growers are all busy. 



