JUNB 14, 1906. 



The Weekly Florists' Review. 



2J9 



Building of the American Horticultural Distributing G>., Martinsburg, V. Wa. 



GERMAN IRISES AND SHADE. 



There are so few really bright-flowered 

 plants which will thrive in the shade that 

 any addition to the list is generally wel- 

 come. My addition will be the German 

 iris, though, of course, it may be no ad- 

 dition to the list possessed by some 

 growers. Be that as it may, I wish to 

 put on record that the German iris will 

 grow and flower magnificently on a 

 shady north border, which scarcely gets 

 a sunbeam on it the whole of the year 

 around. Not only so, but the particular 

 irises I have in mind grow on a bank 

 that is wreathed in ijlose growing ivy, 

 the irises standing out as light green 

 oasis against a desert of darker green. 

 Thus planted, the irises have a maximum 

 of moisture, and are somewhat late in 

 flowering. The picture they m.ake, how- 

 ever, when in bloom, is one not readilv 

 forgotten. As these irises transplant 

 well immediately after flowering, the 

 present note should enable anyone to 

 try them in shade. — Gardeners' Maga- 

 zine. 



BIG INSECTICIDE MAKERS. 



The attention of the trade, and of 

 seetlsmen in particular, has recently been 

 attracted to the American Horticultural 

 Distributing Co., of Martinsburg, W. 

 Va., through the selection of Paul F. 

 Eichter, well known through his years 

 of connection with the Henry F. Michell 

 Co., Philadelphia, who recently resigned 

 to accept the management of this com- 

 pany's business. 



Inquiry develops the fact that the 

 American Horticultural Distributing Co. 

 is the largest institution of its kind in 

 the United States. It has a large estab- 

 lishment in the West Virginia fruit 

 growing district and is devoted exclu- 

 sively to the making of horticultural 

 insecticides. Hitherto the business of 

 the concern has been directly with the 

 orchardists, but appreciating that large 

 quantities of insecticides are used by 

 people who individually require only 



small lots, the business is to be broad- 

 ened by placing the commodities with 

 seedsmen, nurserymen, florists and 

 others who issue horticultural catalogues, 

 and are able to reach the small buyers. 

 Mr. Richter is a man well experienced 

 to carry on business along these lines. 

 For twelve years he was prominently 



Paul F. Richter. 



identified with Michell 's and for five and 

 a half years, commencing before he was 

 of age, he was the manager. During 

 that period, sixteen and eighteen hours 

 often constituted his day and he felt 

 the necessity of getting into something 

 a little less strenuous, but the ambition 

 and energy which made his following in 

 the seed and florist business so large, 

 will be no less in his new situation. 



The American Horticultural Distribut- 

 ing Co. was organized primarily for the 



manufacture of a preparation for the de- 

 struction of San Jose scale. For a 

 series of years the promoters had been 

 experimenting with soluble oils and were 

 finally rewarded with the discovery of a 

 preparation which they copyrighted as 

 the Target Brand scale destroyer. It is 

 on this commodity they have built the 

 largest portion of their business, ship- 

 ping many solid carloads to the Florida 

 orange groves and the peach belts of 

 Georgia, Delaware and Michigan. The 

 county of Berkley, in which Martinsburg 

 is located, is said to contain the largest 

 single apple and peach orchards in the 

 world and the company maintains an 

 orchard of about 12,000 trees in which 

 its experiments have been conducted. 

 The scale destroyer is entirely soluble, 

 non-penetrating preparation of mineral 

 oil, which for use is simply dissolved in 

 from twenty to twenty-five gallons of 

 water for each gallon of material. It 

 is said for it that it is entirely harmless 

 and owes a large part of its popularity 

 not only to the fact of its efficiency but 

 to the fact that it will cover, gallon for 

 gallon, twice as much space as the salt, 

 sulphur and lime preparation. Among 

 other items is an arsenate of lead, a 

 quick Bordeaux, several other insecti- 

 cides, each of which has its own special 

 field, and a weed destroyer. 



Upon leaving Philadelphia Mr. Rich- 

 ter was given a farewell party by a 

 number of his friends in the trade and 

 since assuming his duties at Martinsburg 

 he has been in receipt of a number of 

 letters which show that he will not fail 

 to remain in touch with the associates in 

 his old line of business. 



The ofiicers of the American Horticul- 

 tural Distributing Co, are J. P. Wick- 

 ersham, president; C. W. Tabler, vice- 

 president, and J. W, Stewart, secretary 

 and treasurer. 



Marlborough, N. Y. — ^Velie Bros, have 

 a fine lot of carnation plants in the field, 

 about 20,000. They have started to re- 

 fill some of the benches. 





